l a g a
e u og
mpril 2015 A
Image: Dick Tracy
issue
29
No APRIL fools
We’ve got everything but April fools this month as we welcome world class guitarists, professional dancers, and Dorset’s popular Jazz cabaret act Misbehavin’. The closest you’ll get to April fools are everyone’s favourite theatrical clowns Le Navet Bete with their wildly entertaining show Dick Tracy. According to BBC Radio, their work is “Hilarious and utterly engaging; if all theatre was this good we wouldn’t need TV”. Happy reading!
Winner announced The award-winning £895 wireless music system from Naim Audio goes to... Mrs Jolliffe. We hope you’ll enjoy this fantastic prize, courtesy of Naim Audio. Mrs Jolliffe isn’t the only winner. Thanks to all of you who signed up to our membership scheme, the community also wins. Whether you signed up to be in with a chance of winning this incredible prize or simply wanted to support Salisbury Arts Centre, your financial contribution has brought us a step closer to achieving our vision for communities to thrive as imaginations fly. Membership fees make up a vital part of our income. They help us provide concessionary rates and free events for those less able to afford creative experiences. They help us nurture imaginations, provide professional workshops for young people and bring world class performance to Salisbury. Finally, we’d like to say a massive thank you to Naim Audio, whose generous donation, creativity and success are an inspiration to us all!
The prize has gone but if you’d like to help us make imaginations fly, there are still plenty of perks to becoming a Salisbury Arts Centre Member. Find out more and sign up online>>>
Image: Fellswoop Theatre Director picks our lucky member
Paper
Exhibition launch: Wednesday 1 April 6 - 8pm Thursday 2 April - Sunday 17 May â—? Find out more>>> The Paper exhibition launches on Wednesday 1 April. We took some sneaky behind the scenes pictures of the work being installed. From shredded paper to intricate paper cutting, discover an eclectic exhibition celebrating inventive uses of paper.
Image: Detail from Sebastian by Helen Snell
Film April films begin with slick and stylish thriller Human Capital, followed by My Old Lady starring Maggie Smith. If you’re a member, remember you can enjoy two My Old Lady tickets for the price of one.
Human Capital (15): Thursday 2 April 7.30pm Human Capital is a slick and stylish mystery thriller about money and class in wealthy northern Italy. The lives of two very different families become entwined as the truth about a
tragic road accident emerges. Divided into chapters, the film revisits the fateful night through the eyes of three characters. Rich in intrigue, Human Capital is a chic drama and scathing commentary on the inequality of society.
Book tickets now>>>
Images: Human Capital, My Old Lady, Charlie’s Country, The Book of Life, The Imitation Game
My Old Lady (12A):
Charlie’s Country (15):
Friday 10 April 7.30pm
Friday 17 April 7.30pm
My Old Lady stars Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas and Maggie Smith in a story of family secrets and clashing personalities.
Charlie’s Country is a heartfelt story of an ageing Aborigine’s extraordinary search for belonging.
The Book of Life (U):
The Imitation Game (12A):
Sunday 19 April 11am
Sunday 26 April 7.30pm
The Book of Life is a vibrant, funny and visually stunning fantasy adventure for all the family.
The Imitation Game is a nail-biting drama inspired by the real life race against time of the Bletchley Park codebreakers.
View all Spring 2015 films and book your tickets now>>>
Guitabla Friday 3 April 8pm ● Book now>>>
I
f you’re a fan of guitar music, this is a real treat. Not only have we got a set from acclaimed guitarist Stefan Grossman but we’ll be presenting a cross-cultural trio combining Tabla with Blues and Hindustani Classical guitar. Guitarist, educator and historian Stefan Grossman was a student of Acoustic Blues and Gospel singer/guitarist Rev. Gary Davis. After studying with Rev. for eight years he went on to learn and study with other Country Blues guitarists including Mississippi John Hurt, Son House and Skip James. Grossman’s solo discography goes all the way back to 1966 when he recorded How to Play Blues Guitar for Elektra Records. His sessionography also includes recordings with the Even Dozen Jug Band as well as albums with Paul Simon, John Fahey and Charlie Musselwhite. Slide guitarist and Blues innovator Michael Messer first met Indian guitarist Manish Pingle when performing at Asia’s leading Blues festival. Discovering they could flow seamlessly from Blues to Hindustani music, the two musicians were determined to perform together. Joining forces with Indian Tabla player Gurdain Rayatt, they take you on an exciting journey through Blues and Indian Classical guitar. Book Guitabla tickets now>>>
Image: Manish Pingle and Michael Messer
My Friend Mole
Saturday 4 April 11am & 2pm ● Book now>>> Birdsnest Theatre’s new show is one for anyone who has ever had an imaginary friend! Birdsnest Theatre is a young company formed in 2011 to create excellent and imaginative theatre for young children. The company told us a bit about its work and audiences: “We believe our audience is creative and intelligent and we honour that by creating a time and space for them to indulge in the possibilities of their imagination. It’s essential for us that the accompanying adults are also engaged, challenged and inspired by our work.” Birdsnest’s new show is a gentle tale of a very special friendship and the imagination. Audiences young (suitable for children aged 3 - 6) and old will doubtless delight in Birdsnest’s live music, storytelling and rich visual language. With discounted family tickets available for groups of four, this is a perfect Easter treat for adults and children.
Book My Friend Mole tickets now>>>
Mole is my best friend. He is brave and funny. Mole goes everywhere I go. No one can see him apart from me.
Image: My Friend Mole
Live Lunches FREE lunchtime music 12noon - 2pm
O
ur Live Lunch line-up showcases everything from fingerstyle guitar to Country and Classic Rock this April. Look out for some familiar faces and brand new Live Lunch acts.
Saturday 4 April - Darren Hodge Darren Hodge is an impressive young Blues and Folk fingerstyle guitarist from Taunton. He has wowed audiences in previous Live Lunch performances and won many new fans supporting Lulo Reinhardt here last year.
Sunday 12 April - Fred’s House Fred’s House is an award-winning band mixing Folk, Blues, Country, Classic Rock and West Coast with a definite vintage feel.
Sunday 26 April - Sagat Guirey Sagat Guirey is a versatile guitarist who has performed and recorded with everyone from Nigel Kennedy to Belinda Carlisle.
Image: Fred’s House
Misbehavin’ Saturday 11 April 8pm ● Book now>>>
T
he audience loved them on their last visit and now they’re back with more classic and original jazz cabaret. It’s time for Misbehavin’!
Misbehavin’ is the popular Dorset based jazz cabaret group. Drawing from the ballads of Kurt Weill through to well loved jazz standards and original songs, Misbehavin’ brings a heady mixture of the known and unknown spiced with a hint of cabaret. An evening with Misbehavin’ is always a kaleidoscopic musical experience. The group will perform new arrangements of old favourites by Thelonius Monk and Cole Porter as well as rarely heard musical gems from song-writers such as Abbey Lincoln and Tom Waits, and of course their own distinctive songs. The band kicked off 2015 with a new set of songs and instrumentals, exploring the mercurial qualities of time… past, present and future. Featuring vocals, clarinets, rhythm guitar and double bass, their distinctive sound draws you into the intimate and then hits you with high octane soloing, drama and exuberance!
Image: The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote Image: of Misbehavin’ La Mancha
Mapdance
Thursday 16 April 8pm ● Book now>>>
I
f you’re a young dancer looking to take your next steps in a dance career or simply love dance then Mapdance could be just the ticket:
Mapdance is kindly supported by our Education Sponsor Fletcher & Partners. We talked to them about their support:
Mapdance (based in Chichester) is one of the UK’s leading postgraduate dance companies, recruiting dancers nationally and internationally. The company is jointly directed by Jerwood Award Winner, Yael Flexer (Flexer & Sandiland), and Detta Howe (Independent artist).
Tell us a bit about Fletcher & Partners... Fletcher & Partners are an independent firm of chartered accountants. We have an enviable reputation for providing first class accountancy, taxation and business advice and are committed to developing close business relationships with our clients.
This year the company is performing four new commissions by Jonathan Burrows (UK), Rick Nodine (UK/USA), Ofra Idel and Lila Dance (UK). The company will also re-stage Nailed by Kerry Nicholls from the 2014 tour, which is inspired by Ted Hughes’ Crow poems. Ranging in style and emotion, Mapdance’s programme offers a diverse and refreshing evening of short dance works.
Why did you choose to become Salisbury Arts Centre’s Education sponsor? At Fletcher & Partners we are keen to sponsor events that involve and entertain the local community. The performances we’re supporting include opportunities for schools and youth companies.
Find out about Fletcher & Partners>>>
Image: Mapdance
MET Opera
Screened Live in HD via satellite from New York Saturday 25 April 5.30pm ● Book now>>>
T
he April screening live from The Metropolitan Opera in New York brings opera’s most enduring tragic double bill: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
Marcelo Alvarez, Eva-Maria Westbroek and Patricia Racette star in the MET’s new production of the classic double bill, created by Sir David McVicar. Rae Smith (War Horse) has designed the beautiful Sicilian village setting, which transforms from an atmospheric 1900 village square setting for Cavalleria to a haunting 1948 truck stop for Pagliacci. Cavalleria Rusticana is a story of love, lust, blood-feud and betrayal played out against a backdrop of Easter celebrations in a Sicilian village, featuring the famous drinking song Viva il vino (‘Long live wine’)!
Pagliacci (‘Clowns’) focuses on the jealousies and illicit passions of a troupe of strolling actors, which intersect with the play they are performing to both touching and tragic effect. Acting out a dual tenor role, the exceptionally talented Marcelo Alvarez plays both Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Pagliacci. He performs alongside Eva-Maria Westbroek in Cavalleria Rusticana and Patricia Racette in Pagliacci.
Book your MET tickets now>>>
Image: Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci
The Happiness Tuesday 28 April 8pm ● Book now>>>
K
arla Shacklock company’s last performance featured marigolds and buttercups as a symbol of hope. In her latest piece Karla explores happiness. We chatted to her to find out more:
What inspired The Happiness? It began with a very personal quest to understand for myself if I was really as happy as I wanted to be. This quickly led me to discover that everyone has something to say about happiness. It’s a concept many of us are dealing with on a daily basis. So it made perfect sense to make a show about it, to create a space where we can bring people together to all consider our own happiness and what that might be. You spoke to an array of people from philosophers to happiness gurus. How did this help shape the piece? It has been absolutely fascinating talking to people and reading books, blogs, journals and the huge wealth of social media that is dealing with the idea of happiness. At the touch of a button, or the turn of a page you can quite easily find yourself immersed in ‘The 7 Secrets to Happiness’ or ‘10 top tips for having a Happy Life’ or watching a hugely energised ‘Life Coach’ telling
you how you can be happier. Ideas of happiness differ from person to person and between different cultures and generations. We’ve tried to suggest some of what we discovered in the work and we even have our very own ‘guru’ type character offering his secrets to happiness. For those who are new to dance or unsure if the show’s for them, what’s special about The Happiness? Firstly the subject matter really is universally resonant. The work is easily accessible because everyone that comes can relate in some way to the idea of happiness, or indeed unhappiness. We make our work in such a way that audiences are invited to share a journey with us, rather than sit back and watch. Even those audiences who are less accustomed to ‘reading dance’ are quite easily able to be swept up in an emotional adventure which they can relate to. Secondly, this show really is for anyone who enjoys performance, not just dance. We have two dancers, an actor and a live musician in the performance team, and although the show is very physical, it speaks many languages and appeals to a wide range of audiences. The third thing that makes the show special is that every single performance
is unique. The performers decide the order of the show live in the moment of performance. This gives the show a very real, live and on the edge energy. What would you like the audience to take away from the performance? The most important thing for us is that the audience have an experience, an adventure. We hope that our audiences will consider their own relation to happiness, to go away and think about how happy they are, what makes them
happy, if they could be happier and so on. Equally important is that the audience are able to experience happiness live in the moment with us, that they experience catharsis and empathy and that by the end they are celebrating happiness with us. This was certainly the case at our premiere at Swindon Dance last week, where the audience were positively buzzing afterwards and desperate to join us on stage for a happy party! Wonderful.
Image: Dr Sketchy’s January
Dick Tracy
Wednesday 29 April 8pm ● Book now>>>
F
ools are as much a part of April as rain showers and cherry blossom, so it’s fitting we’re welcoming back theatrical clowns Le Navet Bete at the end of the month.
The four met at the University of Plymouth, where troupe member Al Dunn had an epiphany onstage while trying to act Dylan Thomas’ work. He says it felt “natural to perform like an idiot” and his love of clowning grew from there.
Last year’s Once Upon A Time in A Western saw the Devon quartet lampoon cowboy films with a mix of physical comedy, live music and clowning.
Since then the group have toured across Mexico and Europe as well as the UK, wowing audiences with lively and anarchic yet tightlyhoned comedy. They even scored an honorary diploma each from the Universidad Mesoamericana in Guatemala.
This time around it’s crime fiction the boys have caught in their crosshairs with Dick Tracy, a spoof comedy show based on the world-famous comic book detective and his yellow fedora. Featuring Le Navet Bete’s signature blend of live music, audience interaction, blisteringly quick costume changes and incredibly authentic accents, Dick Tracy promises another round of serious silliness from Exeter’s finest fools.
Dick Tracy promises to be an exhilarating addition to Le Navet Bete’s canon, with company member Nick Bunt describing the work as “shaping up to be something very special” and “our most exciting show yet!”
Dick Tracy is suitable for ages 7+. Book Dick Tracy tickets now>>>
Image: Dick Tracy
Workshops
Summer workshop courses now on sale>>> Plus one-off workshops>>>
F
rom Feltmaking to Sculpture, Paper Cutting and Filmmaking: there are plenty of creative choices for workshops this summer. Take your pick from a 10 week course or a oneoff session and enjoy letting your imagination run wild.
Scriptwriter’s Doo Dah: Writing for Stage with Angie Street Wednesdays 7 - 9pm If words are more your thing then why not explore the art of playwriting? You’ll examine extracts from contemporary plays and use writing exercises to free your creativity in these friendly classes.
Feltmaking with Suzie Gutteridge Mondays 7 - 9pm In this fabulous felt course you will be introduced to a range of techniques and processes using both wet and needle felting. Once you’ve mastered the techniques you’ll have the chance to explore your own ideas and develop your own felt creations.
Adult Contemporary Dance with Amie Hawker Mondays 7.10 - 8.10pm Running miles and slaving away at the gym aren’t the only ways to boost your fitness. An hour of dancing to music is great for the brain and body! Adult Contemporary Dance is open to all, whatever your experience, and gives you the chance to practice contemporary dance techniques and have a go at choreography.
Life Sculpture with Charlotte Moreton Thursdays 6.45 - 9.15pm Taught by Charlotte Moreton who studied at the Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Block A of this course gives you the chance to work with a life model to build a life sized head in clay. You’ll study the portrait sculpture of great artists and learn to prepare a frame before bringing in character and expression.
Children and Young People As well as courses for adults, we’ve got a wide range of creative courses for children and young people. Take your pick from Smarties art classes for 1 - 3 year olds, Pre-school or Children’s Pottery, dance classes, filmmaking and more. There’s also the opportunity for Young People to complete an Arts Award.
Image: Feltmaking