SPOTLIGHT

Careers take flight at the egg – just ask Toby Thompson

Theatre Royal INCUBATING SUCCESS

A homegrown production from the egg theatre has just won an international award. Bath-based performance poet Toby Thompson first performed I Wish I Was a Mountain at the egg’s annual Incubator new talent showcase back in 2017, the piece being based on a fairy tale by Hermann Hesse, Faldum, about a small community changed forever when one member wishes to become – you guessed it – a mountain.

Last month, Toby presented the show at the International Association of Performing Arts For Youth Showcase in Philadelphia and walked away with the prestigious Showcase Victor Award – as voted on by more than 400 delegates on the day.

If you’d like to find out more about Incubator, the idea development programme at the egg, contact its creative producer, Tim Bell: tim.bell@theatreroyal.org.uk For more: www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Fancy hats not required from top to bottom: Frank Skinner; Al Murray; Bill Bailey

Comedy KINGS OF COMEDY We all need a good laugh every now and again. Fortunately, they’re coming: three big name acts are visiting us soon

FRANK SKINNER 3 May, Theatre Royal Skinner’s Showbiz is coming to Bath fresh off a run in the West End. A veteran of the circuit, his latest offering is frenetic as ever, landing on everything from Prince Andrew to urinal mishaps. www.theatreroyal.org.uk

AL MURRAY 17 May, Theatre Royal So far it’s been a tumultuous 2020. We Brexited, Trump got impeached (then let off), there was that period where most of Australia was on fire – and what about the weather lately? It all looks quite bleak – but don’t worry, the Pub Landlord is on hand to give us the answers to all of our ‘what do we do now?’ related questions. www.theatreroyal.org.uk

BILL BAILEY 1 April, Bath Forum We’re always happy to see Bill Bailey. The comedian, actor, musician and animal welfare campaigner is headlining the first night of Bath Comedy Festival and we are excited. Chances are, you’ve seen and loved Bill in something – Black Books, Spaced, Hot Fuzz, not to mention his bit about A Brief History of Time (YouTube it). ww.bathcomedy.com

Bath Racecourse A DAY AT THE RACES Bath Racecourse is offering free tickets to the first fixture of the season. Anyone – local or not – can register for up to four complimentary tickets for the 30 March race day. Whether you’re a racecourse regular or a total newbie, this seven-race experience is sure to get you excited for the 2020 season.

Registration for complimentary tickets is open until 29 March, but organisers advise getting yourself signed up as soon as possible to guarantee entry. For more: www.bath-racecourse.co.uk

Education GENERATION GRETA Students at Stonar School in Melksham are set to get an excellent ‘enviro-cation’ as the school embarks on a new relationship with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Globeducate, the network of premium international schools of which Stonar is part, have partnered with the WWF to deliver their Global Agenda for Change – raising more troops for the Greta Thurnberg army, basically.

“We often battle, as parents and teachers, to engage young people in the current affairs issues of the day (try chatting to your teenager about Brexit!), but they are wellinformed and interested in the environment, sustainability and climate change,” says Matthew Way, headmaster at Stonar.

This new programme aims to channel that interest. Stonar will host screenings of the Netflix series Our Planet, and a series of classes associated with it. The kids will also have the chance to go to a summit at the WWF-UK Living Planet Centre, the heart of the charity and one of the greenest buildings in the UK. For more: www.stonarschool.com

Pay attention, or the creepy panda will come for you

Mother’s Day MUM’S THE WORD Celebrate Mother’s Day the fancy way with a Mother and Daughter Hat Box Workshop at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa. Emily Clarke, expert flower worrier from The LANE Floristry, will guide you and mum to create beautiful floral hat boxes. Following the two-hour masterclass, you’ll retreat to the 3AA Rosette Dower House Restaurant for a Champagne afternoon tea with a selection of decadent pastries and cakes, finger cut sandwiches and glasses of Taittinger Champagne. 12-3pm; £89. For more: www.royalcrescent.co.uk

Go on, show mum a little love!

10 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk Satisfied smiles all round

Charity BIG HEARTED BATH Bath students’ unwanted stuff has raised over half a million pounds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Since 2012, the Student Community Partnership, which includes the University of Bath, Bath Spa and B&NES, has been encouraging students to donate instead of chuck unwanted items when they move out.

“We want to say a huge thank you to the students and local residents of Bath for their support,” says Amanda Purkiss, university account manager at the BHF. “We really value these donations enormously, as they deliver muchneeded stock for our shops. We’ve also been able to divert unwanted items from going into landfill. Without these items, we could not have raised vital funds for life-saving research and help beat the heartbreak caused by heart and circulatory diseases for families in Bath.” For more: www.bhf.org.uk