Preview By Gay Pirrie Weir

August

PREVIEW

Circus skills in the Open Air

HONITON THE Beehive Centre at Honiton plays host to a spectacular show by Company Zid on Thursday 12th August, at 6pm in conjunction with Devon’s rural arts touring charity, Villages in Action.

Routine, performed by multi-talented Moroccan artist Said Mouhssine, is an acrobatic comedy show. It tells the story of a person stuck in a room, with nothing to do. Sleeping is a fight against boredom but no matter what he does, he can’t even sleep. It’s a show about hope and pushing personal boundaries in order to bring about change.

The Beehive has another event with Villages in Action on Sunday 29th August, when Assembleth Theatre performs Shodyssey. If you think you know about the Trojan Wars, think again. Forget everything you learned at school. This is Troy, sometime BC when a young bull herder accidentally eats a golden apple. Three goddesses aren’t happy ... ten years later a city burns... Originally commissioned for Outpost Festival 2014 by New Model Theatre, Assembleth has re-vamped this cult classic. Greek tragedy it definitely is not.

The Honiton Show, on Friday 6th August, has another Villages in Action event, the delightful Pirate Taxi with Pirates of the Carabina. This is a family friendly show with mechanically ingenious sets, extraordinary aerial, circus and live music performed in, on and above an oldschool London taxi.

Pirate Taxi is also at Ipplepen on Wednesday 18th August.

Festival 24 ½

BEAMINSTER IT was tantalising to not quite reach their 25th Anniversary in 2020, but now with special events in August and September, organisers are thrilled to stage Beaminster Festival No. 24½

They welcome back the brilliant Rain or Shine company to the glorious grounds of Beaminster Manor performing She Stoops to Conquer, a rollicking 18th Century farce with comments on attitude to class and country/town manners still pertinent today. “A reserved lover, it is said, always makes a suspicious husband.” In the play, Kate Hardcastle is a young lady fixed up to meet the eligible Marlow with a view to

Rain or Shine, She Stoops to Conquer

marriage. Marlow is a young gent who is tongue-tied with the upper classes and downright lecherous with commoners. So when Marlow is tricked into believing Kate’s ancestral home is a country inn, and mistakes Kate for a lowly barmaid what could possibly go wrong? Plenty! Set against the increasingly chaotic proceedings of one very long night, She Stoops to Conquer is a delightful romantic romp filled with ludicrous misunderstanding, mischief and mayhem. So pack your picnic, rugs and chairs, pop open some bubbly and sit back and relax in the summer sunshine, while they whisk you away to the time of big wigs, and even bigger dresses; where fops and foolery abound! Suitable for audiences from age 6 to 106 Bring low backed seats, rugs and a picnic from 1pm and have a wonderful summer’s afternoon of hilarity.

Move into the beautiful surroundings of St Mary’s Church for three evening concerts all starting at 7.30pm on 17th, 19th and 21st September. The stunning Trio Sōra , Piano Trio, comes from France and presents an elegant and charming programme.

Cordelia Williams will perform a delightful piano recital with music encompassing song, dance and nature by Scriabin, Schumann and Rachmaninov, bookended by the uplifting Landler and Sonata in A major D664 by Schubert.

Acclaimed cellist Leo Popplewell is joined by Antonina Suhanova, piano for a recital including the wonderfully dramatic Rachmaninov Cello Sonata.

After so many rearrangements, Artistic Director, Lois Pearson keeps her fingers tightly crossed! ‘There is a real desire for live events—we all need to feed our souls after this culturally bleak period and allow these wonderful young artists to perform to an enthusiastic and welcoming audience.’

Whilst Beaminster Festival reserves the right to change the performers or programme if unforeseen circumstances dictate, the organisers will do their best to put any updates on the website www.beaminsterfestival.com.

Dates to book for: She Stoops to Conquer - Saturday 28 August 2.30pm Beaminster Manor. Trio Sōra Piano Trio - Friday 17th September 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Beaminster. Cordelia Williams, Piano - Sunday 19th September 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Beaminster. Leo Popplewell, Cello - Tuesday 21st September 7.30pm St

Gigspanner join the line-up at Lyme Regis Folk Festival

Mary’s Church, Beaminster.

All reasonable precautions will be taken to keep everyone safe and the audience will be seated by stewards upon arrival. TicketSource Box Office (booking fee) for concerts 0333 6663366.

Homage to Film Noir

VILLAGES CORNWALL’s Bash Street Theatre brings its latest fastmoving, silent-comedy musical theatre show to Dorset for three dates with Artsreach, from 13th to 15th August.

In this inventive new show, The Cameraman, a jaded detective looks back on his early career as a young crimefighter in the Roaring 20s—the days of fake news, a world pandemic and global warming.

Set around a seedy French cafe, this playful homage to film noir features voice-over narration and live musical from a guitar, piano and accordion.

There is topical intrigue, mistaken identities and silent comedy as the storyline follows the fortunes of an inept cameraman who inadvertently becomes involved in an international robbery. With influences as diverse as Tintin, Roger Rabbit, Humphrey Bogart and Buster Keaton, The Cameraman offers a comic view on the digital age with more than a touch of nostalgia for our analogue past.

Bash Street Theatre celebrates its 30th birthday in with this cinematic comedy caper, in the open-air at Ibberton, at 7:30pm on Friday 13th August, 7pm at Winfrith on Saturday 14th and 2pm in Yetminster on Sunday 15th August. Book at www.artsreach.co.uk.

Gatsby at Athelhampton Bird headlines comedy club

LYME REGIS A RISING star of the comedy scene, Andrew Bird is the headline act at the August Lyme Regis Comedy Club on Sunday 22nd at the Marine Theatre.

Bird has been tour support for Rhod Gilbert, Rob Brydon and Michael McIntyre, on his recent arena tour including Wembley and the O2. He is also one of only seven comedians to perform for Banksy at Dismal Land.

Bird has written for many television shows, including Jon Richardson’s Ultimate Worrier, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Lee Mack’s Duck Quacks Don’t Echo. The line-up at Lyme also includes James \Alderson and resident compere Tom Glover.

Classic fun and Mr Stink

MAUMBURY RINGS DORCHESTER Arts has a delightful programme of classic comedies and a children’s favourite for the August open air programme, with most events at Maumbury Rings.

On Sunday 1st at 2.30pm, The Last Baguette will be performing their anarchic take on the Arthurian legends with an acrobatic version of King Arthur. Somewhere in England, a very, very, very long time ago (so long ago that nobody quite knows whether it happened or not), a boy pulled a sword from a stone and became King!

Rain or Shine Theatre live up to their name, so fingers crossed for fine weather when She Stoops To Conquer comes to the ancient fort in the centre of Dorchester. This glorious 18th century comedy, set in a country inn over one long chaotic night, is a romantic romp filled with memorable characters, mischief and mayhem. It’s at Maumbury Rings on 10th August at 7pm.

Heartbreak Productions come to Dorchester on Saturday 14th with David Walliams’ Mr Stink at 6pm. You are invited to celebrate Annabelle’s tenth birthday—(almost) everyone is welcome… that is, everyone apart from Chloe’s particularly smelly new friend, Mr Stink.

On Sunday 15th at 5pm, prepare to head down the rabbit hole as Boxtree brings Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to the rings. Delight in Lewis Carroll’s famous tale of caterpillars, cards and crazy tea parties, a curious world of curiouser creatures. With original songs, colourful costumes and hilarious comedy it’s a great show for all the family.

Dorchester Arts’ final show of August moves to the beautiful setting of Athelhampton House gardens on Wednesday 25th at 7pm, as Heartbreak theatre returns with an open-air adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age classic, The Great Gatsby. Get your glad rags on, work up your best Charleston and have your cocktail glass at the ready! (But don’t forget rugs and coats—after all, this is England!

Fay Hield at folk festival

LYME REGIS FAY Hield, one of the leading figures on the contemporary folk scene, is coming to Lyme Folk Weekend, 27th to 30th August, performing at the Marine Theatre on Saturday 28th.

Other big names over the weekend include Gigspanner and Merry Hell, as well as a much-requested return visit by Dorset’s own Ninebarrow.

Gigspanner kick off the weekend on the Friday. One the most exciting collaborations of recent times, the band began life as a trio, with former Steeleye Span fiddle player Peter Knight, percussionist Sacha Trochet and guitarist Roger Flack. The line-up has been expanded to form the Gigspanner Big Band and now includes multi-instrumental duo Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) and Bellowhead co-founder and melodeon player John Spiers.

After a few years out, Fay Hield is back on tour with brilliant fiddler Sam Sweeney and accordionist Rob Harbron, celebrating Fay’s latest album, Wrackline. She breathes life and meaning into old stories presenting them with a fresh twist and consummate musicianship.

Ninebarrow & Friends, on Sunday 29th, return to Lyme Folk Weekend for the third successive year.

And the festival ends in rousing style with Merry Hell, on Monday 30th. One of the best live acts to hit the folk scene in years. Merry Hell came to Lyme Folk Weekend in 2018 and blew everyone away. Winners of both the Best Band and Best Live Band at the Folking.com awards, the band plays high-energy, foot-stomping folk-rock,—what better way to bring the curtain down on a fabulous weekend of live music? All gigs start at 8pm.