The Arts Section

Indian Ink, Bath Theatre Royal

TOM Stoppard’s play Indian Ink, first seen in 1995, comes to Bath after a short season at the Hampstead Theatre. Directed with a meticulous and playful eye by Jonathan Kent, it once again stars Felicity Kendal, the actress for whom the central character, avant garde 1920s poet Flora Crewe, was written. Now she plays Flora’s…

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Exeter venues’ scratch night

EXETER’S Northcott Theatre and Phoenix Arts Centre are collaborating on a Scratch Night partnership, on Monday 23rd February, to support established and emerging artists and performers across the South West. Following the huge success of Scratch Night during the 2025 Elevate Festival, the second Scratch Night will take place at Exeter Phoenix auditorium offering artists…

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An American musical journey

OPERA at Oborne and Opera Cameratina get together over Valentine’s weekend to celebrate the distinctive music of America, with an evening of three short operas on Saturday 14th February, an open workshop and song recital on Sunday. The performances are at the village’s lovely St Cuthbert’s Church, the venue for the summer Opera at Oborne…

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Carducci plays Mozart, Beethoven and Shostakovich

THE next concert in the Shaftesbury Chamber Music series at Port Regis School brings the Carducci String Quartet back to North Dorset for an evening of varied works on Sunday 15th February at 5pm. The quartet, violinists Matthew Denton and Michelle Fleming, Eoin Schmidt-Martin, violin and cellist Emma Denton, will play Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet, Shostakovich 4…

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Men Behaving Badly, Barn Theatre Cirencester

I ARRIVED at Cirencester’s Barn Theatre in the apparently unique situation of never having watched the TV series (mostly because I am not a fan of one of the leading actors). So, with a not just open but totally uninformed mind, I approached Simon Nye’s stage version, set on the night of the Millennium, shunted…

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Moscow Drug Club on tour

MOSCOW Drug Club are hard to pigeon-hole – but hugely popular, appealing to lovers of gypsy jazz, Berlin cabaret and French chanson.  The late winter tour continues with four Take Art  dates starting on 19th February at North Curry village hall, 20th February at Norton-sub-Hamdon village hall, East Quantoxhead on 21st and Caryford Hall at…

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Wild things and witches

HUNT for Book Witches, discover your wild side and have fun with Viking gods this half term, as Dorset’s rural touring arts charity Artsreach brings a varied programme of theatre and adventure for children of all ages over the February half term, from Sunday 15th to Saturday 21st, with live music, magical puppetry and more….

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When Elvis met Bond

THE inimitable Spitz & Co, creators of Elvis in Blue Hawaii, are back in Dorset with another sideways look at the King – The Spy who Loved me Tender starts its short tour at Wootton Fitzpaine village hall on Thursday 12th February. Spitz & Co are a comedy and physical theatre company who have been…

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Suddenly, Seymour, back on stage

TWO of the region’s leading theatres are collaborating on an autumn production of the darkly funny and popular musical Little Shop of Horrors. Opening at Exeter from 1st to 17th October, this will be the first full production of a musical at the Northcott in more than 20 years. The show will be moving to…

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Romantic violin-piano dialogue

THE 2026 season of recitals at the Tincleton Gallery, at the Old School House, Tincleton near Dorchester, opens on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th February, with piano-violin duo Milda Daunoraite and Amber Emson. The programme is an evening of romantic musical dialogues – just right for Valentine’s Day. Pianist Milda Daunoraite is studying with Tessa…

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