Arts news

Dance Night with the BSO, Poole Lighthouse

                                 Nurymov The Fate of Sukhovey Suite Tchaikovsky The Sleeping Beauty Suite Stravinsky (arr. McPhee) The Rite of Spring Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, leader Amyn Merchant Seeta Patel Dance Kiril Karabits: Conductor Seeta Patel Choreographer POOLE’S Lighthouse was packed to the rafters for a typically-stimulating all-dance programme from Karabits and the BSO, who performed three ballet…

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Howard Coggins

THE hilariously funny, cuddly, wry and inspired Howard Coggins, best known in the south west as co-founder of Living Spit and nationally for his Lottery adverts, has died at the age of 52. He was diagnosed with cancer late in 2022. Frustrated with playing bit parts in other people’s shows, Howard and Stu McLoughlin started…

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Leading banner maker’s work on show in Cathedral

A BANNER created by Ed Hall, one of this country’s leading banner makers, is on display in the Morning Chapel of Salisbury Cathedral until 24th November. The banner was developed during workshops with Wiltshire College and University Centre students, exploring the themes behind the Cathedral’s recent art exhibition To Be Free. Katherine Dolphin, the Cathedral’s…

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Come from Away on tour next year

THE the multi award-winning musical Come From Away comes to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 9th to 13th April, to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton from 16th to 20th April and to Bristol Hippodrome from 20th to 31st August. The show is based on the real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the…

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ACE cuts stop Moose in its tracks

IF you were looking forward to seeing popular touring company Gonzo Moose’s new show, Death Who’s Coming To Dinner, at any one of a number of village halls across Devon, Wiltshire and Somerset during November and into December, you will be disappointed. The company was formed in 2000 and its inspiration has always been the…

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Hamilton, at a theatre near you

HAMILTON, the Lin Manuel Miranda show that shook and enthralled the world of stage musicals, starts its first UK tour in 2024, and in the following months visits three venues in the south and west. First stop in the region is at Bristol Hippodrome from 30th April to 22nd June 2024, and the tour returns…

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Octagon plans will bring investment to Yeovil

HUNDREDS of people from Yeovil and the surrounding area showed their backing for the Octagon Theatre at a meeting at Westlands entertainment centre on 10th October. The Yeovil Town Council was called to discuss a possible partnership with Somerset Council to ensure the future of the project to refurbish the Octagon Theatre and enable it…

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Octagon’s refit delayed while councillors consider options

PLANS for an ambitious redevelopment of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre have been put on hold by Somerset Council, because of the impact of rising interest rates on the council’s borrowing to fund the £30 million scheme. Yeovil Town Council  called a special meeting at Westlands to discuss the way forward. Councillors on Somerset Council  have asked…

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Rare double piano in Bournemouth

A REMARKABLE Pleyel Double Piano will be the focus of attention on Sunday 8th October, when David Nettle and Richard Markham come to Bournemouth Chamber Music for a recital at Bournemouth University at 3pm. Opening the 2023-24 season, they will perform music by Saints-Saens, Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc, and are celebrating 46 years of piano…

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