The Arts Section

Celebrating Somerset makers

THE new exhibition at the Somerset Rural Life Museum at Glastonbury is Legacy in Making, running until 10th May. Presented by Somerset Art Works in partnership with the South West Heritage Trust, it celebrates the legacy and future of the Somerset Craft Guild. It shows the remarkable breadth of contemporary and historic craft in Somerset,…

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Sale at Nick Andrew’s studio

MANY of us would love to have paintings, drawings or limited edition prints, but can barely afford them in these cash-strapped times – well-known Wiltshire artist Nick Andrew is offering work from some of his drawing projects at reduced prices on Saturday 7th February. On view at Nick’s Bull Mill Studio at Crockerton, near Warminster,…

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Pipeline masterclass with Alison Steadman

ALISON Steadman, one of the best-loved and most versatile actresses of her generation, will be the special guest at the Pipeline masterclass at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre on Wednesday 11th February. Acclaimed for her stage, television and film roles, Alison first came to prominence in television plays Nuts in May and Abigail’s Party – she…

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Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, Swan Theatre Yeovil

SOHO legend Jeffrey Bernard, drinker, womaniser, racing fanatic, writer and raconteur, was still alive when Keith Waterhouse’s play about his life made its way to the London stage, with the even-more-famous Peter O’Toole in the title role. And he lived for another eight years, flying in the face of medical wisdom and what seemed like…

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Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story Theatre Royal, Bath and touring

WHY does this romanticised telling of the short, highly successful life of American rock’n’roll legend Buddy Holly – it only lasted around three years before he was tragedy killed aged 22 in and air crash – conjure up images of TV’s The Good Old Days from the City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds? The answer lies…

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Remembering Dunkirk and one of the famous “little ships”

A NEW free exhibition at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre, RNLI: Stories of Courage 1939-45, running until 28th February, explories the way the volunteer lifeboat crews saved lives at sea in dangerous conditions, including a lifeboat that was one of the famous “little boats” that rescued soldiers pinned down on the beaches at Dunkirk. The exhibition…

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Panto audiences dig deep for charity

PANTOMIME audiences at Theatre Royal Bath raised more than £12,600 over the festive season during 14 post-performance charity collections between Thursday 18th and Friday 26th December, after matinee and evening performances of The Further Adventures of Peter Pan. Audience favourite Jon Monie – who wrote the script and starred as pirate Smee – made an…

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Exploring the baroque at Shaftesbury

THE third Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque takes place at the arts centre, St Peter’s Church, St James’s Church and other venues from 20th to 26th January. The programme ranges from film to dance to a “battle” of 17th century playwrights. Professional musicians from the region and beyond (even Cumbria) will be taking part in this…

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A musical present from Bath

BATH Festivals has announced some of the highlights of next year’s international music festival, with tickets for five concerts released early – a perfect post Christmas gift for the music-lover in your life! The international music festival will run from Saturday 30th May to Sunday 7th June, and the first of the newly released events…

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Farewell to Shute Festival

SHUTE Festival, a celebration of books, ideas and music, based in the little village near Honiton, began in 2016, but now, at the end of its tenth year, the organisers said goodbye. In their pre-Christmas announcement Sam Knights and Bijan Omrani say: “It is hard to believe that a decade has gone by since we…

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