WOW April 2014

AMERICAN VEHICLES! HOT RODS, DRAG CARS, SALOONS AND TRUCKS

EASTER SUNDAY & MONDAY, 20 & 21 APRIL 2014 • Live folk, blues, sixties and rockabilly music acts • Spectacular sights, sounds and smell of steam • Hundreds of vintage and classic vehicles • The curious world of Steampunk • Animal Encounters and Modelling Zone For further details, ticket prices and terms & conditions visit

thedockyard.co.uk

01634 823807

Supported by

CONTENTS 4 WELCOME 5 EDITOR’S WISHLIST 6 NEWS 9 EASTER CREATING FOR KIDS 10 COWORKING 13 FUSE: CARTOON & COMIC WEEK 14 FILM 15 ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY 16 ACCESSIBLE BEYOND: THE BEANEY 18 MUSIC MEDWAY & MAIDSTONE

20 MUSIC 1 21 SOUNDS LIKE ART 22 MUSIC 2 23 MEDWAY FESTIVAL OF STEAM & TRANSPORT 24 THEATRE 25 TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE 26 INTRA 28 VISUAL ART 30 BEN CAMERON 31 THE ARTIST’S SPACE

EDITORIAL: editor@wowkent.co.uk 0845 388 2243 (local rate from BT landlines) ADVERTISING: advertising@wowkent.co.uk New advertiser & excellent series booking discounts available to all. All ads also appear in the online edition at wowkent.co.uk FREE LISTINGS: listings@wowkent.co.uk

WELCOME TO WOW!

DESIGN: A Stones Throw astonesthrowdesign.co.uk

Your guide to the best of What’s On Where Medway, Maidstone and the accessible beyond

PRINTING: The Marstan Press Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4BJ 020 8301 5900 themarstanpress.co.uk PUBLISHER: Emma Dewhurst WEBSITE: wowkent.co.uk CURRENT PRINT CIRCULATION: 7000 copies DISTRIBUTION: Medway Towns, Maidstone & Gravesend Copy/listings deadline for May issue: Tuesday 22 April 2014

This month I took a trip to Canterbury and fell in love with the wonderful place that is The Beaney. I introduced WOW to the good folk there and they took great time and trouble to introduce their work to me. Have a read of the Main Feature on page 16.

It’s a measure of how much is going on this month that I struggled to find space for everything: hopefully we’ve just about managed it!

Emma Dewhurst editor@wowkent.co.uk

©WOW Kent magazine

CONTRIBUTORS

All rights reserved. While every effort has been made to ensure that details in this publication are correct, we cannot accept responsibility for such.

Readers are advised to check information listed, to avoid disappointment.

Clive Austen is a live and recording engineer, musician and gig promoter.

He has been heavily involved in the promotion of original and new music in the Maidstone and Medway areas for over 10 years under the Make Some Noise banner.

Views expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect those of the editor and publisher.

Anwen Cooper recently moved back to Maidstone after ten years in London. Co-Founder of Maidstone’s new coworking space Union23, she has worked with many of the capital’s leading arts organisations, working together on collaborative projects. Currently juggling motherhood, marketing consultancy and teaching yoga, you can find her on Twitter @ anwencooper @MaidstoneJelly @union23 and @blossominglotusyoga

wowkent.co.uk

COVER DRAWINGS: BRIAN FRANCIS: SEE MAIN FEATURE P16 PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EDITOR BY RIKARD ÖSTERLUND

AMBASSADORS PLEASE! If you use any of our advertisers’ services, or attend an event because you saw it in WOW, please mention it! Thank you.

Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway @EmmaDewhurst7

Robert Flood is a life-long Medway resident. He runs a Rochester based events company called Feet on the Ground which provides technical support for live events. He is a passionate music fan with a love of the Medway scene and a local history buff who is a member of the City of Rochester Society.

John O’Connor is an actor and founder of national and international touring theatre company European Arts Company, based at the Hazlitt Arts Centre, Maidstone. Their latest production, ‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’, will tour England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. europeanarts.co.uk Emily Peasgood is a composer, writer, multi-instrumentalist and musical director who leads Turner Contemporary’s resident choir The Big Sing, Whitstable’s en Choir and Fellowship of the Sing chamber choir. She collects rubber chickens and lives by the sea with her husband, dogs, cats, five pianos and a vegetable plot. empeasgood.com Nick Walker is the director of the Rochester Film Society, screening Contemporary World Cinema and classics at various venues around Medway. Nick previously wrote for the Guardian, was director of National Schools Film Week and is a freelance writer, teacher and film cinema/ festival programmer. For more information on the Rochester Film Society visit rochesterfilmsociety.co.uk

REALLY GOOD THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH: SEE ART: Chatham Intra is an exhibition of the shortlisted entries and winners of the recent art competition run by Richard Watts Charities. Experience the effect of place as inspiration for the artworks. At Nucleus Arts Gallery, Chatham from 4 April (Private View) to 17 April. See Visual Art listings.

POST ART: Whitstable’s Horsebridge Arts and Community Centre is calling for postcards for the 2014 Post Art show.

There is no theme, your art must simply be in its original form, created in any medium and sent by post to the Horsebridge by 27 April. The cards will be exhibited between 1 May and 28 June 2014 in Gallery 3. Guidelines at horsebridge-centre.org.uk.

LISTEN: Rochester Swing Preservation Society is performing at St Margaret’s Church, St Margaret’s Street, Rochester on 23 April at 7.30pm. This is a fundraiser for The Friends of St Peter’s and St Margaret’s. Tickets are £8 (£6 concessions) on the door, with traditional English puddings served in the interval. Yum. MAKE TIME TO MAKE: Capsule College is a welcome new venture offering a series of craft courses at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone. Courses starting soon include Printing and Paper Textiles, Digital Art and Crochet. Have a look at capsulecollege.org.

WALK THE TAIL: WOW’s very own Rob Flood, more than a bit of a local history buff, is leading a walk called ‘The Tail of Rats Bay’ on 5 and 6 April as part of the Rats Bay Shindig. It’s free, lasts about 90 mins and leaves from Sun Pier House, Chatham at 2pm each day. Top marks for the name, Rob...

WOW READER PHOTO OFFERS MEDWAY AND MAIDSTONE! LOVE LANE PHOTOGRAPHY is opening Rochester’s only boutique portrait studio, above classy Copenhagen Blue on the High Street. The Studio specialises in all things family; they also shoot corporate head shots and beauty makeovers and invite you to drop in for a chat anytime. The studio is open Tuesday-Thursday 10-2pm and Friday and Saturday 106pm at 78 Rochester High Street, Rochester, ME1 1YJ. To book call Catherine on 07939 137142.

Readers In Maidstone Can Be Snapped Up Too!

For the whole of April, Love Lane Photography is offering WOW magazine readers a complimentary studio session with the code ‘WOW’. The offer also includes a free framed print at your viewing session.

Enquiries and bookings: info@thomasrichardsphotography.com Stepping Stone Studios, 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX.

lovelanephotography.com

thomasrichardsphotography.com

Another new studio, supported by the Prince’s Trust, has just opened its doors in the heart of Maidstone, at Stepping Stone Studios. Thomas Richards Photography is offering readers the ‘30/30 Friday Special’, a 30 minute studio session for £30, plus 5 edited digital images.

You can book up to two slots, making a 60 minute session (10 images, £60).

5

REAL MEDWAY AND SWALE PROJECT

T H E S U N P IER G A L L E RY AND TEAROOM 2nd floor*, Sun Pier House, For more information Medway Street, Chatham please email info@sunpierhouse.co.uk Opening hours: Tues or call 01634 812 805 to Sun, 10am - 4pm *Currently no disabled access - staff on hand to assist, please call to discuss accessibility further

A new exhibition space for North Kent with stunning views across the River Medway opens this month. The Sun Pier Gallery offers a light and spacious public gallery and is opening with an exhibition by Sun Pier’s resident artists.

APRIL 5&6

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A family festival to kickstart the Easter Holidays. Come and say hello: WOW has a stand both days! Sample workshops, history tours, steam engines, live music and carnival games are promised, with river trips from Sun Pier itself.

ST. MARGARET’S CHURCH, LOWER HALSTOW SATURDAY 12 APRIL, 2PM TO 4PM The Church is in a delightful spot in the prettiest of locations. There will be a wide selection of local crafts and refreshments will be available.

BOOKBINDING WORKSHOP Saturday 26 April 10am to 4pm

Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery, St Faith’s Street ME14 1LH Join professional bookbinder Mike Fitzgerald to try out a range of bookbinding techniques, and create your own hand-bound book to take home. £35, £30 conc/ MMF. Advance booking essential on 01622 602838 or email museuminfo@maidstone.gov.uk

FREE WORKSHOPS!

Funded by Ideas Test, this project aims to involve local writers and artists in the creation of an augmented reality game across six towns. The game will be playable on both Android and iOS phones and encourage players to explore the local community through a different lens. Using smartphones, players will reveal stories and images hidden within the real world, drawing them into adventures that take place on and offline.

FREE workshops to find out more: 22 April - Creek Creative, 1 Abbey Street, Faversham ME13 7BE 7pm. realswale.eventbrite.co.uk 1 May - coFWD, 161 High Street, Rochester 7pm. realmedway.eventbrite.co.uk realmedwayandswale.tumblr.com facebook.com/realmedwayandswale Email: realmedwayandswale@gmail.com

A new artists’ pop-up shop opens to the public this month. The shop, based at based at 64-66 Chatham High Street, ME4 4DS, launches on Friday 4 April (4-6pm) with an exhibition of more than 20 Medway artists’ work. All welcome! It will also be open from 10am4pm throughout the weekend of 5 and 6 April, and then again from Thu 10 April to Sun 13 April with an exhibition by UCA students from the Canterbury School of Architecture. POP offers an opportunity to local artists, students and creative entrepreneurs to show and sell their work. If you would like to make use of the space, email recreate@medway.gov.uk

S E A S O N A L LY E F F E C T E D This is an open mic night for poets, musicians, story-tellers, film makers, comedians and any other form of artistic or cultural expression. It happens on the last Wednesday of every month at Cafe@172, Rochester (formerly Dot Café) from 7-9pm and is free to attend. The next events are: 30 April, 28 May, 25 June, 30 July and 27 August. If you would like to book a 10 minute spot email: seasonallyeffected@ gmail.com. Find out more at: seasonallyeffected.wordpress.com

fun&DAY! SATURDAY 19 APRIL, 10AM – 6PM

AWARENESS

FUNDRAISING

THE OAST HOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE Granary Close, Rainham, ME8 7SG

A FREE day of events and activities including: ◗ Mini Flea Market run by ‘The Rochester Flea’ ◗ Kids area run by NCT Medway ◗ Arts and Craft Activities for all ages ◗ Music, Dance, Theatre and Spoken Word

Performances ◗ Board Gaming Stations and

Activities run by ‘The Gamers Hub’ ◗ Bar and Café open throughout the day

Funded by Ideas Test (creativepeopleplace. info), this free day of activities hopes to bring together the existing groups and volunteers already using The Oast House and let the local community know this amazing community space is open and available for use. The team’s long term vision is that The Oast House will provide Rainham with a multi-purpose community venue unlike anything else within the Medway towns.

New volunteers are invited to join the existing team. To get in touch regarding content, volunteering and participating on the day email Lisa Carpendale: carpendale@hotmail.co.uk ‘Like’ the facebook page for updates: facebook.com/ theoasthousecommunitycentre

WOW READERS OFFER!

JETSTREAM TOURS

Something a little wild, wet and different is about to launch from Sun Pier in Chatham. Jetstream Tours is a local family business that has had its roots in the boating businesses on the Thames and Medway since 1965. Richard Bain of Higham and his sister Katherine have branched off from their family boating business and teamed up to run jet boat tours at weekends, with RNLI volunteer Tanya Ferry at the helm.

The tours last an hour and half, starting off with a slow and gentle cruise past Chatham Historic Dockyard, Upnor Castle and Gillingham before taking you on an exhilarating ride up to the Forts and estuary Islands, otherwise hidden to land lovers. The jet boat, named ‘Twist’ for its Dickens namesake and also because its highly manoeuvrable ability allows navigation of some of Medway’s shallower waters, offers wildlife trips and exploration days for all the family, right on your doorstep.

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FESTIVAL DATES FOR THE DIARY The English Festival An all-day family celebration of all things English April 19, 11am-5pm at Riverside Country Park. Free entry

Sweeps Festival 2014 Annual May Day celebrations: Morris dancing, folk music and family activities 3, 4 and 5 May, Rochester 7

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Serving the highest quality coffees, teas, hot chocolate and French pastries made on the premises by award winning pastry chef, Bruno Breillet 10 High Street Rochester ME1 1PT Hours: Tue - Sun 9am-6pm; closed Mondays Late opening til 9pm on Thursdays T: 01634 780 506 www.brunosfrenchbakes.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/brunosfrenchbakes Twitter: @brunofrenchbake

Fantabulous FLEA MARKET! Saturday April 26th 11am-4pm

BRICABRAC VINTAGE BOOKS WOT NOTS CAMERAS JEWELLERY CLOTHES ART&HANDMADE COLLECTABLES FIKABRÖD HOMEMADE BAKES BAR MUSIC l

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The Gordon House Hotel & Car Park 91 High Street Rochester ME1 1LX For more info & bookings www.therochesterflea.com email: therochesterflea@gmail.com www.facebook.com/therochesterflea

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Explore the River Medway on this Wet & Wild Boat Tour!

new & excit

ing

This is Medway’s newest and loudest tourist experience. Explore the history and heritage of the River Medway on this incredible sightseeing journey. Our commentated tours leave every 2 hours during weekends, from the new Sun pier at Chatham, where your discovery will include the Historic Dockyard, Upnor Castle, Cookham Fort and the estuary islands.

Join us on this unforgettable Jet boat adventure!

Adults £31.50 • Children £21.50 • Family (2+2) £100

Private hire and other trips available, see jetstreamtours.com for more details and bookings

CREATING FOR EASTER! Arts-related workshops for kids during the Easter Holiday

MAIDSTONE SQUARE PEGS

This fantastic group works mainly with children & young people with learning disabilities, social communication difficulties or who struggle to ‘fit in’ with mainstream activities. They also welcome siblings, friends & anyone who wants to join in & have fun in an inclusive environment.

HOLIDAY CRAFT CLASSES Hazlitt Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL (9-15 years) Experiment, create and gain confidence in practical skills with these new classes run by Capsule College (capsulecollege.org).

Mon 7 April: Fruit and vegetable dyeing and printing Tue 8 April: Digital Collage, iPad and iPhone art

MOSHI MONSTER MAYHEM! (7 – 11 years) Mon 7, Tue 8 and Wed 9 April, 10am-2pm

Bower Grove School, Fant Lane, Maidstone ME16 8NL Over 3 days you will devise your own original performance and make your own costumes, all inspired by Moshi Monsters! Cost: £45 ROCK STARS! (12 – 19 years)Mon 14, Tue 15 and Wed 16 April, 10am-2pm in Maidstone Over 3 days you will create your own fantasy characters, compose your own theme tune and devise your own original performance. Cost: £45 For information or to book email beth@squarepegsdramaclub.com or text/call Beth on 07880 794816

Wed 9 April: Sewing Machine: making and appliqué Thu 10 April: Screen Printing Fri 11 April: Hand Stitching and Embroidery Morning Sessions: 9.45am-12pm, cost £20 Afternoon Sessions: 12.45pm-3pm, cost £20 Morning & Afternoon sessions: cost £35 Free supervision at lunch time (teenagers can leave at lunchtime with signed consent). Early booking recommended due to limited space. Tel: 01622 758611 or visit parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/ hazlittartscentre

ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOPS Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH Friday 11 April 10am, 12.30pm, 3pm for drawing demonstrations Workshops 10.30am, 12.00 noon, 1pm and 2.30pm Join illustrator of the Topsy and Tim stories for Ladybird books, Belinda Worsley, in this creative character design workshop. £8 per child, £6 MMF. For more information tel: 01622 602838 museum.maidstone.gov.uk

MEDWAY KIDS’ CABARET OF CURIOSITIES EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA Suitable for all ages; children must be accompanied by an adult The Brook Theatre, Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE Sunday 13 April 1pm and 3.30pm Special craft activities before the show include making brightly coloured Easter Hats. Tickets (includes craft activity): £6 adults, £5 children or four for £20. Box Office: 01634 338338 or visit medwayticketslive.co.uk

MATILDA: 4 DAY DRAMA WORKSHOP (8-16 years) The Brook Theatre, Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE Mon 14 to Thu 17 April 10am – 4pm Create your own version, inspired by the West End musical and Roald Dahl’s original book. Showcase at the end of the week for family and friends. Led

by Theatre Experience tutors, Kate McCormack and Heidi Garwood.

Cost: £47 GREASE: one-day dance workshop (8-16 years) The Brook Theatre, Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE Tue 15 April 10am-3.30pm A high-energy workshop with professional dancer Jay Saunders ending with a showcase for family and friends. Cost: £14 For information for these two workshops call 01634 338319 or email arts@medway.gov.uk. For a booking form call 01634 338338 or email boxoffice@medway.gov.uk or download at enjoymedway.co.uk For more children’s workshops see features about Intra (page 26) and Fuse (page 13)

CO

WORKING

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Maidstone has a new coworking space, Union23. Co-founder ANWEN COOPER explains the growing global phenomenon

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING The way people work today is changing. For many, work is now something you do, rather than a place you go.

Technology such as laptops, smart phones, Skype and cloud computing are enabling the current generation to check emails, make phone calls and work on documents anywhere in the world at any time.

Additionally, with many companies having cut jobs due to the recession, more people are self-employed than ever before. In fact, the Office of National Statistics tells us that one in seven workers in this country is now working for themselves.

Although the idea of working from home may seem attractive, cutting out commuting time and costs while sitting in your pyjamas all day, the reality may not be quite so rosy. With all the distractions that come with your house – family or friends dropping by to visit, noisy children, pets, housework that needs doing – and no colleagues to give moral support and company, it can be an isolating and demotivating work environment.

Imagine if there was a place near to your home, which you could pop in to every day, or even just occasionally, to get some work done, meet other people for a chat and to get support with your business. Coworking spaces are stepping in to fill this need and there are plenty of them popping up across Maidstone and Medway.

About coworking Coworking is a convenient and affordable way of working which is becoming increasingly popular around the world. A recent survey by online magazine Deskmag showed that the number of coworking spaces around the world had increased by 245% in the past two years, and by 271% in the UK. When current coworking space users were asked to describe their experience, some of the top responses were; fun, friendly, creative, inspiring, productive, flexible, social and collaborative. 71% of respondents said

their creativity had increased since joining a coworking community, and 62% said their standard of work had improved. Countering the common claim that coworking spaces can be distracting, 68% said they were able to focus better, as compared to 12% who said the opposite.

64% said they could better complete tasks on time.

My experience Having previously worked for a company in London that was a founder member of The Hub in Angel, the UK’s first coworking space, and having also worked remotely from home over the past couple of years, I understand first hand the challenges that arise from this style of working, and recognise the benefits of joining up with others to share workspace. After moving to Maidstone last year, I struggled to find affordable shared office space in the town centre where I could start to develop my business and network with other sole traders, small businesses and remote/teleworkers.

I visited coFWD in Rochester, which is a wonderful building with a fantastic group of people but it was a bit too far for me to travel on a regular basis. So I started up the Maidstone Jelly group to gather together a group of like-minded people to work together more locally.

Jelly Jelly is an informal coworking event where freelancers, home workers and small/micro business owners bring their laptop or other work and work, chat and collaborate with other small business owners.

The ethos of Jelly is to be accessible to all so the venue and wifi are provided free of charge, with food and drink available to fuel the workers. Coworking means meeting up with like-minded people to work together in a different environment, to exchange help and advice, and maybe come up with a new idea to collaborate on. Jelly differs from networking in that the aim is not to find new clients or to sell yourself or your business. We are now running the Maidstone Jelly at Union23 on the third Thursday of each month as a free open house, giving people the opportunity to try us out for free. coFWD also runs a monthly Jelly on the last Friday of the month.

The launch of Union23 Together with my business partner Jonnie Jensen of Live+Social, I have now also opened Union23, based at 23 Union Street in Maidstone. We offer hot desks, shared office space, meeting room hire and a programme of events for sole traders, start-up businesses and remote/ teleworkers. Unlike the sometimes soulless corporate environments of traditional serviced offices, coworking spaces offer more quirks and charm and a great sense of community.

We hope that those who join us will sign up to our ethos that collaboration is better than competition, and that everyone who works here will get to know each other and support each other. We are also keen to play our part in the town centre economy. Unlike out-of-town business parks, the rail and bus stations and the busy town centre are all within easy reach and members can pop out in their lunch hours or on their way home to support other local businesses.

Find your niche Every coworking space has a slightly different feel, with the location, building layout and style and personalities of specific members creating a unique vibe. Some spaces attract a certain type of worker, from a particular industry.

Generally speaking, people working in the creative and digital sectors often gravitate towards the concept, since they are often able to work via a laptop and mobile phone. If you are bored and lonely stuck working from home, can’t afford to take on a fully serviced personal office and are interested in joining the coworking revolution – why not visit one of the many local spaces around the area to find where you fit in?

PLACES WHICH OFFER COWORKING SPACE OR REDUCED RATE SHARED OFFICE SPACE FOR STARTUPS OR SMES: Maidstone: Union23.com Meetup.com/maidstone-jelly.

3rd Thur of the month: next Jelly 17 April enterprisefoundation.net Medway: cofwd.org Last Fri of the month: next Jelly 25 April sunpierhouse.co.uk nucleusarts.com uniteworks.co innovationcentremedway.co.uk For more information about Jelly, or starting up your own Jelly, visit uk-jelly.org.uk

YOGA CLASSES, REFLEXOLOGY Classes Mon 8-9:30pm, Wed 7:30-9pm, Thur 10-11:30am Yoga therapy, 1-2-1s, courses Yoga, aromatherapy and reflexology adapted for adults with learning disabilities Bridget Reader bridget.reader@gmail.com 07962 077597 www.VitalityTherapies.com

Rochester’s friendly designer florist Same day delivery Unique plants and gifts 118 Maidstone Road, Rochester ME1 3DT Tel: 01634 843024 sweetpeaandolive.co.uk

a g o y m e G

www.gemyoga.co.uk

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CLASSES FOR ALL ABILITIES

Tue 7-8pm: Gillingham Sunlight Centre Thu 10-11am: White Road Community Centre All classes are £5. Mats are provided. Please wear baggy clothing.

YOGA PARTIES – GROUP BOOKINGS – WORKSHOPS also offered Email: gemyogalife@gmail.com Tel: 07746721603

renew and restore

DERI HUGHES

stained glass design and restoration

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

MSc MA Dip RSA UKCP reg Professional Member of Nafsiyat

Suite 9, Cheldgate House 45 High Street Rochester ME1 1LP

based in rochester: design - creation - repair restoration - installation steve harries - 0779 608 0338 steve.harries@blueyonder.co.uk

ROOMS TO HIRE Rochester Quaker Meeting House

We have daytime and evening vacancies in our pleasant rooms for long or short-term hire WHEELCHAIR ACCESS, HEARING LOOP, KITCHEN Our hirers are sympathetic to Quaker testimonies of Truth, Peace and Simplicity

Contact: Thelma West 01634 408796

...puting the pieces together with knowledge, compassion and understanding

Registrant

Tel: 01634 828 528 Mobile: 07788 412 701 Email: dhh@btconnect.com www.kentpsychotherapist.com

e s fu

IS COMING! Cartoon and Comic Week heralds June’s free outdoor arts festival It is no secret that of the many festivals which brighten our lives, Fuse is this editor’s favourite. This year the festival takes place over the weekend of 13-15 June, with a week of events ‘Lighting the Fuse’ from Saturday 7 June. The festival has fought hard to establish its own identifiable niche within the public consciousness, and this year there is a concerted effort to establish Fuse as something which inspires events all year round.

Artistic Director, Megan Donnelley, has much to do with this. She started in the role last year, but 2014 is her first go at programming the festival from scratch. With her background in producing international festivals the world over (she produced the Sydney Fringe Festival for eight years and Comica, London’s International Comics Festival, among others) Donnelley is well placed to think big.

It’s an exciting time: with the introduction of Arts Council money into Medway and Swale in the form of the Ideas Test programme, supporting a plethora of grassroots projects aimed at engaging more local people with the arts, Donnelley wishes to strengthen and support the creative network which already exists between artists and organisations – hence the drive to produce events which fall outside the actual festival dates but which will feed in to its growing its audience, join Medway’s creative dots and encourage more people of all ages to become involved.

ARGH! THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE AS A COMIC BOOK CREATOR Mon 7 April 7.30pm Rochester Library and Community Hub. Funny comic book history talk with Tim Quinn from Marvel Comics.

Suitable for comic enthusiasts aged from 8 – 80+ “I PICKED UP A PENCIL AND CREATED A BADDIE!” For 9 –12 year olds Hempstead Library: Mon 7 Apr 10am – 12noon Chatham Library: 2.30pm – 4.30pm Draw your baddie with artist Alex Milway.

COMIC BOOK CREATION WITH TIM QUINN OF MARVEL COMICS For 9-12 year olds Rochester Library: Tue 8 Apr 10am –12noon Gillingham Library: Tue 8 Apr 2.30pm – 4.30pm Drawing cartoons and storytelling through pictures.

“YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!” For 13years+ Strood Library: Wed 9 Apr 10am-12noon Thomas Aveling Library: Wed 9 Apr 3.30pm – 5.30pm Tell your own twisted tale with artist John Miers.

SUPERHERO ART For 4 – 8 year olds Cuxton Library: Tue, 8 Apr 9.15 – 10.15am Grain Library: Tue 8 Apr 11.30am – 12.30pm Hoo Library: Tue 8 Apr 2.30pm – 3.30pm Rainham Library: Thu 10 Apr 9.30 – 10.30am Wigmore Library: Thu 10 Apr 12noon – 1pm Luton Library: Thu 10 Apr 3.30pm – 4.30pm Create bright, sparkly characters with artist Wolf Howard.

JURASSIC JAPES AND CRAZY CRITTERS For 9 – 12 year olds Twydall Library : Thu 10 Apr 10am – 12noon Lordswood Library: Thu 10 Apr 2pm – 4pm Walderslade Village Library: Fri 11 Apr 10am – 12noon Walderslade Hook Meadow Library: Fri 11 Apr 2.15pm – 4.15pm Create crazy characters with former ‘Beano’ artist Gary Northfield.

Enter Cartoon and Comic Week, in partnership with Medway libraries, a terrific week of free workshops which ties in nicely with the comic-inspired exhibition ‘A Thousand Words’, Children under eight must be accompanied by an adult. opening at Rochester Art Gallery during Fuse A parental permission form must be completed for children 9+. weekend in June.

Booking essential on 01634 337799 or visit the relevant library.

For more information tel: 01634 338319.

Emma Dewhurst 13

FILM LIVE FEEDS AT CINEWORLD Medway Valley Leisure Park, Chariot Way, Strood ME2 2SS. 0871 200 2000 Regular screenings of opera, ballet and theatre performances from around the world screened via a live feed, including interviews with the principals, behind the scenes shots and more. For prices please contact Cineworld (10% off with My Cineworld online).

is Ridley Scott’s seminal vision of a dystopian future. A classic. 114 mins maidstone-film-society.org.uk

MET OPERA: LA BOHEME (Cert tbc) Sat 5 April 5.55pm Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s classic.

CHATHAM ODEON CINEMA, Maritime ME4 4LL 0871 2244 007 £9.80 Conc £7.20, student £3.60.

COSI FAN TUTTE (Cert tbc) Sat 26 April 5.55pm Mozart’s celebrated, light-hearted opera directed by Lesley Koenig.

ROYAL BALLET: THE WINTER’S TALE (Cert tbc) Mon 28 Apr 7.15pm World premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet based on Shakespeare’s play.

RSC LIVE ENCORE: RICHARD II (12A) Tue 15 Apr 7pm David Tennant stars in re-broadcast of this celebrated production. 180 mins NT LIVE: KING LEAR (Cert tbc) Thu 1 May 7pm Sam Mendes directs Simon Russell Beale in the title role. 210 mins cineworld.co.uk MAIDSTONE FILM SOCIETY Hazlitt Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 753922 Diverse range of world cinema. Fixed rate parking in Fremlin Walk after 7pm.

Yearly subscription rates: Adult £24; Couples £42; Senior/Student £19; Guest per film £3.50.

BLADERUNNER: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (15 ) 1982 Mon 28 Apr 8pm Dir: Ridley Scott Cast: Harrison Ford The last film in the 2013-14 season

ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY Rochester Film Society screens contemporary world cinema and classics at a number of venues in Medway. The films are introduced and are followed by a post-film discussion over a glass of wine.

THE RAILWAY MAN (15) 2013 Thu 3 Apr 7.45pm Dir: Jonathan Teplitzky Cast: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård A victim from World War II’s “Death Railway” sets out to find those responsible for his torture. Inspired by a true story. 116 mins

AMERICAN HUSTLE (15) 2013 Thu 10 Apr 7.45pm Dir: David O. Russell Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence Much fêted American crime comedy drama set in the world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia. 138 mins

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (18) 2013 Thu 17 Apr 7.45pm Dir: Martin Scorsese Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jon Vavreau Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government. ‘The Guardian’ called it ‘an exhilarating ride of bad taste’. 180 mins

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (15) 2013 Thu 24 Apr 7.45pm Dir: John Wells Cast: Meryl Street, Dermot Mulroney, Julia Roberts A look at the lives of the strongwilled women of the Weston family,

whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. 121 mins ROCHESTER PICTURE PALACE Princes Hall, Corn Exchange, Rochester ME1 1LS £5.00, Students £3 BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR (18) 2013 Tue 1 Apr 7.30pm Dir: Abdellatif Kechiche Cast: Lea Seydoux, Adele Exarchopoulos The story of a young lesbian couple’s beginning, middle and possible end to their relationship. See feature opposite. 179 mins SHORT TERM 12 (15) 2013 Tue 8 Apr 7.30pm Dir: Destin Cretton Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever Award-winning, gritty drama following the story of Grace, a twentysomething supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. 96 mins THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN (15) 2012 Tue 15 Apr 7.30pm Dir: Felix Van Groeningen Cast: Veerle Baetens, Johan heldenbergh, Nell Cattrysse Oscar nominated romantic melodrama about a tattooist and a bluegrass banjo player who share a love of music, based on a stage play of the same name. 111 mins SUN PIER HOUSE Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF 01634 812805 THE BIG LEBOWSKI (18) 1998 Sun 6 Apr Doors 6pm See Nick Walker opposite. £3, no need to book. Regrettably, no disabled access at present.

rochesterfilmsociety.co.uk

ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY’S APRIL OFFERINGS

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR When: Tuesday 1 April, 7.30pm Where: Rochester Picture Palace, Princes Hall, Corn Exchange, Rochester ME1 1LX Tickets: £5, £3 students 15-year-old Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is quite the tomboy and is a conflicted teenager – we see her gradual understanding of self while discovering her own sexual identity.

Director Abdellatif Kechiche frames the film in an intensely claustrophobic and voyeuristic fashion, with the characters’ every reaction captured in intimate detail. Adele’s relationship with Emma (Léa Seydoux), a rather striking, blue-haired, more experienced lesbian is the central thrust of the narrative here. This relationship introduces a power dynamic, with the older girl teaching the younger one about culture outside of school.

The intensity of their desire is quite refreshing yet also mildly alarming – something the actresses have commented on in subsequent interviews; not alarming due to sexuality or any perceived claims of pornography but the introduction of expressions and disappointments portrayed as the relationship ebbs and flows.

The performances are spellbinding and the film certainly captures the mystique of feminine pleasure,

with the director demonstrating an astute self-awareness of sexuality.

Sip on a White Russian, sit back and drink in this wonderful film…

THE BIG LEBOWSKI

FILL THE VOID

When: Sunday 6 April, 7.30pm Where: Sun Pier House, Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF Tickets: £3

When: Tuesday 22 April at 7.30pm Where: Rochester Picture Palace, Princes Hall, Corn Exchange, Rochester ME1 1LX Tickets: £5, £3 students

The Coen Brothers’ quirky and lovable 1998 film has become quite deservedly something of a cult classic, with its references to bowling, art and drugs; its collection of crazy burnt-out characters – oh yes and not to forget its plot lines that include a mistaken identity, kidnapping, extortion and death!

Jeff Bridges stars in the titular role but is mostly referred to as the Dude; his laid back comic persona perfect for the part of the ace slacker. A supporting cast of John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman make this a treat for fans of cool acting, people who know how to inhabit the moment.

The plot has something of the Raymond Chandler adapted film noir classic ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946) about it, as it seems a lot of unimportant or unrelated things are occurring, but as the film progresses they appear more connected as The Dude meanders along trying to deal with various situations like some later-day gumshoe.

Rama Burshtein’s début feature (the opening film of this years’ UK Jewish Film Festival) opens the door to a community and lifestyle not often so responsibly explored on screen. She positions her depiction of the unchanging attitudes of her characters into the rituals of a particularly ordered life.

In a devoutly religious family, Shira (Hadas Yaron) is at the age where her family is thinking about arranging a marriage for her.

This tight knit community feels claustrophobic and yet liberating at the same time for some.

The film also involves the audience with its stories of tragedy and how people cope with grief and loss and as such feels honest and authentic. It’s a wonderfully drawn, personal film with an assured and intelligent touch.

Nick Walker For more information or to book seats in advance visit: rochesterfilmsociety.co.uk 15

THE ACCESSIBLE BEYOND:

THE BEANEY HOUSE OF ART AND KNOWLEDGE

THE LATEST IN WOW’S OCCASIONAL SERIES FEATURING THE BEST OF WHAT’S ON WHERE IN WIDER KENT EMMA DEWHURST PAYS A VISIT TO THE BEANEY Stepping in to The Beaney is a Tardis-like experience.

Situated on the High Street, in the very heart of Canterbury’s historic centre, the building’s fairly unprepossessing facade belies its airy, light and beautifully renovated interior. The House of Art and Knowledge, as it is also known, re-opened its doors in September 2012 following a £14 million makeover, half of which was provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Dr James George Beaney, who died in 1891, was a flamboyant figure who left money in his will to the city of Canterbury to create an ‘Institute for Working Men’.

He hoped that the Institute would house amenities to help working class men from backgrounds similar to his own. His desire to create a non-stuffy place accessible to people from all walks of life lives on in The Beaney team’s vision for the building to this day: ‘explore, learn, participate and create’ with the House’s collections for inspiration is a guiding principle and is nowhere more evident than in the Explorer Points, which have been set up in all the main rooms to encourage children to engage with the collections in their own way.

Indeed, the whole ‘Beaney experience’ feels terrifically user friendly to visitors big and small. In addition to the Special Exhibitions room, which recently scored a coup by securing first stop for Edouard Manet’s ‘The Execution of Maximilian’ as part of The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour, visitors will find over 1000 objects and artworks on display. The rooms are thoughtfully curated and well planned, with paintings and artefacts grouped according to theme, as in the Explorers and Collectors room, for example, or the People and Places gallery, where works by Pissarro and Van Dyck sit happily side by side with more contemporary works by Elizabeth Frink.

As you enter the building, turn right to find The Garden Room with pastoral works by Thomas Sidney Cooper (including his marvellous, enormous painting of a cow) and turn right for its contemporary opposite: The Front Room displays a curated exhibition by local artists who have successfully passed a submission process which asks them to respond to the theme of the Special Exhibition upstairs.

A wide, winding staircase (there is also a lift) brings you upstairs to The Drawing Room, a changing space for works on paper chosen to complement the Special Exhibition. The Colour and Camouflage section manages to make even taxidermy sexy; a cabinet with exhibits from Ancient Egypt gives us an ‘ah’ moment with its much-loved mummified cat; and you would have to be having a pretty misanthropic day not to be enchanted by the collection of eclectic anthropological curios in the Cabinet of Curiosities.

As well as being an art museum, The Beaney houses an accessible library, a stylish café serving baristastyle coffee and is also home to Canterbury’s Visitor Information Centre, so it’s a handy place to start if you’re planning a day trip to the ancient city - though don’t expect to want to go anywhere fast once the collections have drawn you in.

LURE: KATE MCCGWIRE

OF MICE AND MEN Drawings by Brian Francis

‘I gather, collate, re-use, layer, peel, burn, reveal, locate, question, duplicate, play and photograph..’

runs Saturday 29 March to Sunday 6 July. Free admission to The Beaney and to both these exhibitions.

From the Artist’s Statement

Alluring, uncanny and sensual coiled forms of shimmering plumage, meticulously re-assembled by the artist in situ, characterises the work of London- based mixed media artist Kate MccGwire. Her extraordinary works have a brooding, predatory physicality that both attracts and repels the viewer.

The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, 18 High Street, Canterbury CT1 2RA. Tel: 01227 862162 Museum, Tourist information and Café opening hours: Mon to Wed 9am to 5pm, Thurs 9am to 7pm, Fri and Sat 9am to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm thebeaney.co.uk

‘Lure’ is a dual reference to the ring of feathers used by falconers to call and command their birds, and to the siren-like pull of the art. It evokes the combination of our fascination for the iridescent, exotic specimens on display and the desire to look closer in spite of the disquieting atmosphere they create.

LURE runs in The Beaney’s Special Exhibitions Room from Saturday 29 March to Sunday 27 April.

You can find an interesting blog about the artist’s practice at katemccgwire.com.

Photo credits: Sluice: Mixed media with pigeon feathers © Francis Ware Splice ©Francis Ware Raven by Brian Francis

In The Drawing Room and complementing the main exhibition is OF MICE AND MEN, DRAWINGS BY BRIAN FRANCIS (see this month’s cover). The drawings are selected from a recent bequest to Canterbury Museums by the artist, who died in 2013. Meticulously detailed and skilled, the drawings include studies from nature of plants, stones, insects and small animals, as well as imaginary compositions about ‘Home’. Complex multipart works on metaphysical themes incorporate the artist’s poetry.

MUSIC MEDWAY AND MAIDSTONE There’s a bumper month ahead! In addition to the usual great gigs, there’s a mammoth music line-up at the Medway Festival of Steam & Transport in Chatham Dockyard on Easter Sunday and Monday (see page 23 and Music listings), ‘Record Store Day’ on 19 April, and Rochester Sweeps Festival and Maidstone Fringe Festival at the beginning of May.

‘Record Store Day’ 19 April For those readers of a certain age, you’ll probably remember buying your first 7” single. It’s a real shame that for most teenagers today, that’s one rite of passage fast becoming extinct – I don’t think downloads, even paid for ones, will be cherished in the same way. I was ten when I made my first foray into music buying, spending my hard earned pocket money in Caroline Records on Rochester High Street.

Buying vinyl is something I still love today: ‘Record Store Day’ always throws up some interesting one-off releases and this year is no exception.

Highlights for this household include PiL releasing a limited double A side 12” single featuring ‘Death Disco’ and ‘Warrior,’ a Cure/Dinosaur Jr split white vinyl 7” and a 10” of the ’69 Singles by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

In addition to an eclectic, wide ranging mix of releases, a few local acts have joined in. Critically acclaimed Chatham-ite Pete Molinari has signed a new deal with Cherry Red Records and will be releasing ‘Look to the Wind’ as a RSD 7” in advance of his new album ‘Theosophy’ in May. And a new Medway label ‘Banjaxxed’ is releasing its debut

tracks as a RSD special. Called ‘Noise Arrangement Order’, this is a 10” split single featuring four of Medway’s finest - KILL RPNZL, Frau Pouch, Bear vs Manero and Broken Banjo. The single is launched at the Billabong in Rochester on Good Friday.

together. Vinyl is a big player for the shop – industry wide, vinyl sales have been up about 30% year-on-year and it really shows for us. We get people of all ages coming in, trawling through the racks for both old and new vinyl and always asking us to get more in.

The chap behind Banjaxxed is Luke Crook, who also works in Manny’s Music in Chatham. I had a chat with him about why he’s chosen to put out his first release on vinyl.

RF: Apart from ‘Record Store Day’ releases, what other local acts do you have on vinyl and is there anything you’re aware of in the pipeline?

“I worked for an indie label where my job was organising vinyl production and I ended up with a bit of a love for it. So I guess it was only natural that I’d start my own label, find some bands I liked and put them on wax,” he said.

RF: As the local ‘Record Store Day’ participating shop, is RSD a big deal for Manny’s?

LC: ’Record Store Day’ is great for Manny’s. The shop has participated for the last 5 years and we’re really proud to be part of it. It’s great for a small indie like us to be able to get involved in a worldwide event that brings music lovers of all genres

LC: We’ve got the latest 7” from Stuart Turner & the Flat Earth Society and some older stuff including the Theatre Royal/Kids Unique split 7”.

We often get Billy Childish related stuff coming through. Graham Day and the Forefathers have a single ‘Love Me Lies’ coming out in May on Folkestone’s State Records which will be interesting. It’s a rework of an old Prisoners tune.

Rob Flood Visit Manny’s Music at 128 High Street Chatham, opposite Argos. mannys-music.co.uk

CLIVE AUSTEN LOOKS AT THE STAGGERING LINE-UP OF BANDS PLAYING THIS YEAR’S

MAIDSTONE FRINGE FESTIVAL 2014 Thursday 1 May – Monday 5 May The Fourth Maidstone Fringe Festival follows on from its predecessors in celebrating the diversity of new and original music in Kent and the South East. During five days over the Mayday Bank Holiday weekend, the Festival will fill the county town’s numerous pubs, clubs and music venues with live acts of all genres.

Incorporated within the festival are a number of all-day events and dance all-nighters, as well as family friendly entertainment in Jubilee Square and cafes and coffee shops in the Town Centre, with much of the music being free to attend.

More established acts playing this year include Mark Morriss (The Bluetones), The James Taylor Quartet and Glenn Tilbrook at The Music Room (Pizza Express) and from the dance scene, MS Dynamite, Amine Edge & Dance and Artful Dodger, all appearing at the Source Bar. The aim of the Fringe Festival, as always, is to showcase original acts from Kent and the South East across

multiple musical genres. In the town centre, Earls hosts four gigs, with folk tinged indie from Black Lion Courtiers and alternative loop based blues from Funke & The 2 Tone Baby opening the festival on 1 May, followed by the return of funky-indie-soul fusionists The Jacs on 2 May playing material from their debut album, with support from exemplary Medway tune and wordsmiths Theatre Royal and postrockers Dead Bears.

David Migden also returns to the festival, with a new album and a change of band name to ‘The Twisted Roots’: expect to hear a continuation of their journey into leftfield blues and dark lyrical subjects!

Independent acts on the up this year include indie-acoustic rockers Tom Williams And The Boat (3 May) and NME championed punk duo Slaves (4 May), both of whom appear at Rafters with support from highly regarded Kent newcomers Audiowhores and Mourning Birds. Alternative rock is also well catered for this year with Stepping Stone Studios hosting Upcdownc, Frau Pouch, That Massive Bereavement, Youthblood and Escucha on 3 May and The Style & Winch showcasing Island Cassettes, Jody’s Flat and Bandicoot on Friday 2nd.

The Style & Winch also play host to a Sci-Fi themed fancy dress all-dayer on 5 May, with a wide range of music from swing band Hullabaloo, acoustic rockers Pip Bowers & The Family Bones, funk and soul from Mama Roux and indie and alternative genres catered for by Mizaru, Oskar Vilcrow and Truvelo Drive. Elsewhere there are some highly regarded folk and acoustic acts appearing, with real ale pub The Flowerpot playing host to Sally Ironmonger, Clea Rose Trio, TV Smith, and ex-Singing Loins members John Forrester and Rastko (Rob & Arfur).

Toby, Soph & Callum bring their stunning melodies to The Swan (2 May) and Jumbo Gumbo add a touch of Zydeco (3 May), while renowned folk duo Lucy Farrell and Jonny Kearny have a re-union gig at The Bowerhouse on 3 May. The acoustic theme continues at The White Horse with appearances from comedy country Hobo Jones offshoot The Devil’s Prefects supported by Last Orders and their long-running open mic night on the Sunday of the festival, giving new acts the chance to get up and play. maidstonefringefestival.co.uk

19

MUSIC 1 SALSA! CENTREPIECE CHURCH Bank Street, Ashford TN23 Sat 5 April at 7.30pm: The excellent Equator Festival presents COCO EXPRESS. Highly experienced, lively Latin band playing Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and more. Worth the travel: expect to dance! Tickets: £8 adv, £11 on the door, children free. To book visit equatorfestival.com

NEW! ROCHESTER MUSIC CAFÉ Sun 27 April 6pm: GOING GOSPEL at the Jasper Centre, Jasper Avenue, Rochester ME1 2LD. Rochester Music Café brings together musicians from the local area to practice/collaborate/mix together and to perform as a group once every two months. Their next outing will be on Sunday 27th April with ‘Going Gospel’, performing different tracks with a gospel flavour.

Contact Damien Tree on damientree@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to know more.

THE BARGE 63 Layfield Road, Gillingham ME7 2QY 01634 850485 Fri 4 Apr: GRACIE Sat 12 Apr: GAFFER & HORSE Thu 17 Apr: ARCELIA Fri 18 Apr: THOMAS ASHBY Sat 19 Apr: GRIFFAMY Tue 22 Apr: LIVE IN THE LIVING ROOM Fri 25 Apr: CRYBABY SPECIAL & THE MONSTERS + WILL VARLEY Sat 26 Apr: RASTKO + THE DREDGERMEN Music starts 9pm, free entry thebargepub.co.uk

BEACON COURT TAVERN 128 Canterbury Street, Gillingham ME7 4RY 01634 853186 Good Friday 18 April: Switchback Music Events present MAKER + support from TANK TRAP + WE THE DIVIDE. Rock ‘n’ Soul/Blues/Rock.

Music starts 8.45 pm. £5 entry, £3 NUS card facebook.com/ switchbackmusicevents beaconcourttavern.co.uk ARLET Kent based band Arlet released their first album, ‘Clearing’ last year (including a track called ‘Medway Services’!). They play progressive, chamber folk music rooted very much in the local landscapes. The band pay homage to the burgeoning Kent music scene for their development as musicians, citing in particular Smugglers Records and Dawn Chorus. Here’s their Kentish/ south-east tour dates in April: Wed 9 Apr 7.30pm: The Parrot, 1-9 Church Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2AG. £6 Sat 12 Apr 8.30pm: The Lighthouse, 50, The Strand, Walmer, Deal, CT14 7DX. Free entry Sun 13 Apr 12pm: The Little Albion, Broadstairs. Free entry Wed 16 Apr 7pm: Smugglers @ The Carlton Cinema, 31 St Mildreds Road, Westgate-on-Sea, CT8 8RE. £3arlet.co.uk

BILLABONG CLUB Victoria Street, Rochester ME1 1XJ 01634 242731 Fri 18 April: Banjaxxed ‘Noise Arrangement Order’ single launch featuring KILL RPNZL + FRAU POUCH + BEAR VS MANERO +

BROKEN BANJO Doors 8pm. Free entry facebook.com/Banjaxxed THE BOWERHOUSE 20 Warwick Place, Maidstone ME16 8SE 01622 763448 Sun 6 Apr: RHEINGANS SISTERS. Fiddling folk sisters.

Doors 7pm. £10 thebowerhouse.info BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, The Brook, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338 FOLK AT THE BROOK: TIM EDEY Thu 17 Apr, 8pm Celtic and acoustic special with BBC2’s Folk Musician of the Year. £12 medwayticketslive.co.uk CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338 Mon 7 Apr 8pm THE BOOTLEG BEATLES. £27.50 & £25.50 FEAST OF FIDDLES Mon 20 Apr 7.30pm. Fun annual fiddle-fest.

Tickets: £17 BOOK AHEAD! FAIRPORT CONVENTION Sat 3 May 7.30pm.

Worthy Sweeps Festival headliners.

Sure to be a sellout. £20, £18, concs available medwayticketslive.co.uk EAGLE TAVERN 124 High Street Rochester ME1 1JT 01634 409040 Thu 3 Apr: THE GOOSEBUMPS Thu 10 Apr: THE KIX Thu 17 Apr: TBC Thu 24 Apr: REYES Doors 7pm. Free entry theeagletavern.org.uk EDITH MAY THAMES BARGE Sun Pier, Chatham, ME4 4DN 01634 365343 Sat 5 Apr: ALISTER ATKIN AND THE GHOST LINE CARNIVAL + DAN GREENWOOD. Part of the Rats Bay Shindig weekend. Doors 7pm, music 7.30pm. £8 edithmay.co.uk

Twelve years ago, when studying music in London and composing electronic music on my beaten-up old PC, I often thought about the many different methods of creative expression and became fascinated by the idea of enhancing one artistic medium by combining it with another. I recall exploring a collaboration between myself and a conceptual artist, but the idea never developed further than a conversation.

Through a combination of choice and circumstance, twelve years later I found myself leading Turner Contemporary’s resident choir The Big Sing.

Since leading the choir in 2011, I have been fortunate to have worked with the poet Lemn Sissay, composer Jon Herring, producer Tania Holland and to have composed music for folk singer Megan Henwood as a part of the Margate Boat project. These experiences inevitably led to the conception of, and the very real viability of developing my ideas into the Sounds Like Art project.

AN INNOVATIVE NEW PROJECT EXPLORING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ART AND MUSIC HAS ITS DEBUT AT TURNER CONTEMPORARY THIS MONTH Featuring new music, choirs, unique instrumental collaborations and the artworks of both historically significant and contemporary artists, the project seeks to challenge our perception of art and music, examining how music can influence our interpretation and response to art in new and inspiring ways.

Composer and musical director EMILY PEASGOOD tells its story

With the support of Turner Contemporary and a grant from Arts Council England the project is now under way and commences with the composition and performance of Landscapes, an ethereal choral work inspired by the creative genius of the great nineteenth century landscape painter JMW Turner, and the abstract paintings of American artist Helen Frankenthaler.

Landscapes explores the unity of art, music and poetry, the process of creating art and themes of physical and emotional landscape. On its debut performance I hope that the audience will be inspired by the combination of choral music and art of JMW Turner and Helen Frankenthaler on display at Turner Contemporary.

Turner Contemporary is such an inspiring venue to make music in: it is situated with a view of expansive sea from Margate’s harbour yet juxtaposed against the stark contrast of a ghost town rebuilding itself after years in recession. The gallery radiates with light, providing a focus for Margate whilst it regenerates and forges new pathways towards creativity.

As I conduct the choir in rehearsal, the singers look out to the sea as the sun sets. It is said that JMW Turner said to the art critic John Ruskin that “the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”. I couldn’t agree more.

Landscapes will debut on Wednesday the 16 April at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm in the North Gallery at Turner Contemporary, Margate. The performance is free of charge and a sign language interpreter will be present. On this day Turner Contemporary also celebrates its 3rd birthday and there will be a wide selection of celebratory events to attend.

See turnercontemporary.org For more information contact email: info@soundslikeart.co.uk or go to soundslikeart.co.uk 21

MUSIC 2 GEORGE VAULTS 35 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LN 01634 817165 Thu 17 Apr: STUART TURNER & THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY + OLLIE BURGESS (of Theatre Royal) + LUNA LACUNA Doors 7.30pm. Free entry GOOD INTENT John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL 01634 843118 Music starts 8pm, free entry but please support the jug/raffle Tue 1 & 15 Apr: FOLK SINGAROUND hosted by Simon Barlow Fri 4 Apr: THE SARAH BOLTER QUARTET (jazz) Sat 5: DEMELZA CHILDREN’S HOSPICE FUNDRAISING AFTERNOON from 1pm , Top Bar and Garden. Music, dance, poetry, food, games and children’s entertainment.

Please support via the raffle and collection boxes Tue 8 Apr: FOLK CONCERT NIGHT with Linda Smith and Alan Austin + guest appearance by Debra Cowan Thurs 10 & 24 Apr: OPEN MIC NIGHT hosted by Andy Whyte Easter Sunday 20 Apr: MODWAYS at 7.30pm HASTINGS ARMS FUNCTION ROOM Lower Rainham Road (leading to Danes Hill) Gillingham ME7 2YD Free parking Thu 24 Apr: ROCHESTER SWING PRESERVATION SOCIETY plus special guest swinging Kent vocalist, Lynne Wallis. Admission £7, raffle plus free nibbles. For further details or to reserve a table tel: 01634 712217. ‘Like’ them on facebook: ‘Rochester Swing Preservation Society’ HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM MEDWAY FESTIVAL OF STEAM & TRANSPORT 01634 823861 Sun 20 & Mon 21 Apr: HELIPAD STAGE: SCARLETT RAE AND THE CHERRY REDS + THEE WALTONS + LEROY & THE ROCKETS + LIKE…THE BEATLES + THE KICK-

BACKS + THE SCALEXTRICS MUSEUM SQUARE STAGE: LARKSPUR + HOBO JONES & THE JUNKYARD DOGS + COCO & THE BUTTERFIELDS + FUNKE & THE TWO TONE BABY + THE FLOWING + JOANNE LOUISE PARKER + SERPENTYNE Opening times 10am-6pm Tickets: Adult one day: £14.50 (child £9.50), two days: £18.50 (child £14); reduced rates for current annual ticket holders, family tickets and online/ advance booking concessions also available. See dockyard.co.uk.

KINGS HEAD 58 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LD 01634 880568 Every Thursday. Doors 8pm.

Free entry. Le Fort Promotions present the best in local alternative music with an acoustic twist. facebook.com/LeFortpromo MAN OF KENT ALEHOUSE John Street, Rochester ME1 07772 214315 See April gig listings opposite Music 1 Jam night every Sunday evening.

Free entry, Kentish ales PIZZA EXPRESS MUSIC ROOM 32-34 Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PF 01622 683548 Doors 7pm, show 8pm unless stated.

Fri 4 Apr: CHRIS DIFFORD. £21 Sat 5 Apr: SOUL PURPOSE. £15 Fri 11 Apr: MARCUS MALONE. £15 Sat 12 Apr: KENT AIR AMBULANCE CHARITY GIG. £5 Thu 24 Apr: PETER WHITE. £25 Fri 25 Apr: KYLE EASTWOOD. £24 Sat 26 Apr: BOBBY CRUSH. £20 pizzaexpresslive.co.uk

144Club at THE ROFFEN 41 New Road, Rochester ME1 1DX Wed 9 Apr 7.15pm for 8.15pm start: SPECIAL JAZZ CONCERT with MATT TELFER. Table seating, bar, meals.

Tickets and information: 01634 365453 or visit 144club.co.uk SUN PIER HOUSE Sun Pier, Chatham, ME4 4DN 07814 950442 Sat 5 Apr: HOBO JONES & THE JUNKYARD DOGS. Part of Rats Bay Shindig weekend.

Doors 7pm. £4 in advance, £5 on the door sunpierhouse.co.uk/shop ST MARY’S SOCIAL CLUB Belmont Road, Gillingham ME7 5JB 01634 573032 FRIDAY NIGHT ALTERNATIVE Fri 25 Apr: THE PARADE plus Open Mic. Doors 7.30pm. £1non-members entry. stmaryssocialclub.com 44TWO SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB Featherby Road, Gillingham ME8 6AN 01634 405037 Second Thursday of the month.

Next gig Thu 10 Apr 8.30pm: DONN BARCOTT BAND + Elaine Diane on vocals. Jazz Swing and a magician Andrew Hawkes at your table! Raffle & bar. All welcome, £6 STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX 01622 675923 Wed-Sat 12pm til late (licensed til 3am) Good Friday 18 Apr: OPEN MIC HIP HOP NIGHT £5 Sat 3 May: Maidstone Fringe Festival Plugged Out: UPCDOWNC £5 steppingstonestudios.co.uk THE TUNNEL at FORT HORSTED Chatham ME4 6HZ 07939 174714 Fri 4 Apr: Tim Green’s Disc Over presents APOLLONIA (Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Sondorom, Shonky), TIM GREEN and NICSON. 10pm-6am. £20, £10 in advance

MEDWAY FESTIVAL OF STEAM AND TRANSPORT

KENT

Ale

APRIL 2014 Tues 1 Wed 2 Thurs 3 Sun 6 Wed 9 Thurs 10 Sun 13 Tues 15 Wed 16 Thurs 17 Wed 23 Thurs 24 Sun 27 Wed 30

Ukulele Jam Night Porch Swing Blues Howlin’ Mat Jam Night Mambo Jambo The Mercurials Jam Night Quiz Night Radigun Longtails Bruise Desert Turkey Jam Night TBA

As well as the steam locomotives, classic cars and (for those a little less into their engines and more into their teles) ‘Call the Midwife’ tours, this festival is fast becoming a must-go for local music lovers. Building on the success of previous years, there’s a massive line-up on offer across two live stages.

The Helipad is predominantly a Blues and Sixties stage, with a fusion of blues, rockabilly and jazz from Scarlett Rae and the Cherry Reds; rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll and blues from LeRoy and the Rockets; new-wave punk rock band Scalextrics performing songs from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s and Like the… Beatles bringing a little nostalgia to proceedings.

Honey-toned singer/songwriter Joanne Louise Parker is MC for the weekend on Museum Square’s Folk and Blues Stage, giving us her own songs and some reworked classics on the ukulele. Bands joining her include London based band Serpentyne performing their unique combination of rock, folk and electronic music; local phenomenon, multi-instrumentalist Funke and the Two Tone Baby; skiffle band Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs and popular “Fip Fok” heroes, Coco and the Butterfields.

Scan the code to download FREE Kent Live Music app ANDROID

APPLE

Cross fingers for the weather and you’re good to go.

John St, Rochester

tel: 07772 214315

The Festival takes places at the Historic Dockyard Chatham on Easter Sunday and Monday, 20-21 April, 10am-6pm. Adult one day: £14.50 (child £9.50), two days: £18.50 (child £14); reduced rates for current annual ticket holders, family tickets and online/advance booking concessions also available. See dockyard.co.uk.

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THEATRE ONE WAY TICKET A spoken word theatre show for 8-12 year olds Mon 7 April to Wed 9 April, 2pm each day (hatches 1.30pm) Aboard Light Vessel 21, Gillingham Pier, Pier Approach Rd, Gillingham, Kent ME7 1RX Drawing on real-life stories, follow Jeannie, Ronnie and other children of the 1950s as they are sent by ship from children’s homes in the UK to tough new lives in Australia.

Includes after-show activities, a chance to create your own poetry with the performers and artwork with artist Wendy Daws.

Tickets: £2 each from lv21.co.uk.

Tickets also available for cash purchase from LV21, 12 – 4pm at weekends from 1 March to 6 April. Call 07788 413664 on the day for availability on the door. Wear supportive shoes and layers if cold or wet. Stiletto heels not allowed!

Not suitable for under 8s. Children must be accompanied by a paying adult. lv21.co.uk

BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338 CABARET OF CURIOSITIES Sun 13 Apr 8pm Ever popular night of circus and burlesque from Dizzy O’Dare.

Over 16s only. £11 KIDS CABARET OF CURIOSITES: EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA Sun 13 Apr 1pm and 3.30pm Dizzy O’Dare assembles a great line-up for these family events, includes free workshop to make your own Easter hat before the show. Adult: £6, child £5, any four £20.

SNAKES AND LADDERS Thu 1 May 7pm The terrific Cathy Tyson (of Mona Lisa and Band of Gold fame) tours this show inspired by true stories from black hairdressers in Brighton.

Sounds intriguing. £12, concs available. medwayticketslive.co.uk

CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338 PETER PAN Easter Spectacular 26-27 Apr, Sat 3pm and 7pm, Sun 1pm and 4.30pm. With Dani Harmer and Bobby Davro. £18.50, £17 with child concessions. medwayticketslive.co.uk HAZLITT THEATRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611 Vienna Festival Ballet presents SWAN LAKE Sun 13 Apr 2pm. £20, family (2 adults, 2 children) £67, concs £17.

With Tchaikovsky’s glorious music.

THE SOOTY SHOW Tue 15 Apr 11am & 2.30pm. £13, £11 Squashbox Theatre presents CURIOUS CREATURES Sun 20 Apr 2.30pm. Puppets, slapstick and music and lots of natural history facts.

Suitable for children aged 5+. £9, concs £7 EXCHANGE STUDIO: OUR FRIENDS THE ENEMY Wed 23 Apr 7.30pm.

Powerful one-man show about the Christmas Day truce on the Western Front in 1914. £13, £11 THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE Sat 3 May 7.30pm. See feature opposite. £13, £11 hazlittartscentre.co.uk (£2 online booking fee applies)

quality. For aged 13+. From £9 (mat) to £25.50, concs available marlowetheatre.com (booking charges applies via internet) ORCHARD THEATRE Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000 BRASSED OFF Tue 1-Sat 5 Apr, 7.30pm except Wed at 7pm + Wed mat 1.30pm & Sat mat 2.30pm.

Stirring drama to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike. £10-£24 (booking fee applies). orchardtheatre.co.uk

COMEDY BILLABONG CLUB Victoria Street, Rochester ME1 1XJ Top Uk comedians, last Thursday of every month. Next gig: Thu 24 Apr, doors 7.30pm, show 8pm. MATT PRICE + QUINCY + JOHNNY KATS £12 on door, £9 in advance from wegottickets.com/billabong; in person at Cafe@172 (formerly Dot Café) or call 01634 242731 or 07717 713667. Students £5 with ID. billabongcomedyclub.co.uk BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338 LAUGHING BOY COMEDY CLUB Thu 10 Apr 7.45pm.

Over 18s only. £11 medwayticketslive.co.uk JOKING WITH INTENT The Good Intent, 3 John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL

MARLOWE THEATRE The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787 ETERNAL LOVE The Story of Abelard & Heloise by Howard Brenton Wed 9-Sat 12 Apr 7.30pm, Thu & Sat mat 2.30pm. Touring production from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Expect

OPEN MIC COMEDY CLUB First Thursday of the month.

Thu 3 Apr, 8-10pm. Line-up tbc. £2 admission.

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THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE

‘ Th is rar e truth e and ly pure n simp ever le.’

JOHN O’ CONNOR TELLS THE STORY BEHIND EUROPEAN ARTS COMPANY’S LATEST PRODUCTION IS THERE ANYTHING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT OSCAR WILDE? HE IS QUOTED ENDLESSLY AND HIS PLAYS ARE ALWAYS IN FASHION. THERE ARE COUNTLESS BIOGRAPHIES, DOCUMENTARIES, FILMS AND SONGS ABOUT THE GREAT MAN. Most of what I discovered shocked and astonished me. For a start, Thursday 14 February 1895 was the triumphant opening night of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ at the St James’s Theatre in London and the zenith of Oscar Wilde’s career. Yet within 100 days he found himself disgraced, bankrupt and sentenced to two years hard labour for gross indecency. Was there ever a more rapid and dizzying fall from grace outside one of Shakespeare’s tragedies?

Having directed and occasionally acted in Wilde plays myself (including one memorable occasion when I had to fly to Rome to play Lady Bracknell at 24 hours notice) I thought of myself as a bit of an authority. That was until I showed a Greek friend around London and we stopped at the sculpture of Wilde opposite Charing Cross Station. She asked a deceptively simple question: ‘Why did Wilde go to prison?’

I bumbled something about his homosexuality and racked my brains for any residual knowledge. None was forthcoming. Suitably chastened, I decided to do a bit of digging…

It didn’t take a genius to work out that this story would make a great play. I wondered what had actually happened during the trials and what Wilde had said. Was he persecuted or the author of his own downfall?

I wrote to Merlin Holland who is Wilde’s grandson and the sole executor of his estate. He had written an excellent book called ‘The Real Trials of Oscar Wilde’ about the libel trial. He also thought the story would make a great play and generously offered his time not only to answer my questions but to co-write the play with me.

Wherever possible, we have used the original words spoken in court. We tend to think of Wilde speaking in perfectly constructed epigrams but

here we are able to hear his actual words, spoken under pressure and off the cuff. He stumbles, evades, lies and mumbles but occasionally surprises us with flashes of lightning, wit and defiance. This is the closest thing to seeing him in the flesh. The audience can feel what it was like to be in the company of a flawed genius, as this less than ideal husband was suddenly reduced to a man of no importance.

‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’ opens on Saturday 3 May at the Exchange Studio, Hazlitt Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL. Tel: 01622 758611.

OTHER KENT VENUES: Theatre Royal Margate on Thursday 19 June Trinity Theatre Tunbridge Wells on Friday 20 June Ellen Terry Barn, Smallhythe Place on the weekend of 21-22 June Woodville Halls, Gravesend on Tuesday 24 June The tour ends with a run at St James Theatre in London from 7-11 July. It is supported by Arts Council England and Unity Theatre Trust in association with Stonewall. europeanarts.co.uk 25

That old Art Deco building on Chatham High Street? It’s been turned into something rather special..

VIOLET RUTTER explains

Xtina Lamb and Adam Piper met fortuitously in 2012 when they became neighbours at Boundary Wharf, taking on riverside studios in converted coal shed buildings behind the high street, on the boundary of Rochester and Chatham.

Adam founded Coal Shed Press and began running etching and lino-cut classes and open access days.

Printmakers came to use his wonderful Victorian Albion press and Rochat etching press, and a community started to grow. When Xtina moved her Printed Wonders studio from London a few months later, the neighbours found that they shared many of the same goals.

Xtina specialises in screen printed textiles using her illustrations, and is known for her prints and workshops with the cult Japanese ‘Print Gocco’ system (it was her stunning swallows print which graced one of WOW’s most popular covers).

Together they set up a screen printing studio, and Medway Fine Printmakers was formed to promote and develop the printmaking courses and artworks produced at the studios. Throughout the summer the courtyard between the two shed buildings saw a fair number of barbeques!

“It was important for us to create a friendly atmosphere at the studios, a place that people really wanted to be and where they felt welcomed”, says Xtina.

A move to new venue INTRA followed in January this year, and the setting up of a charity in an Art Deco fronted building near their former studios. The name comes from its location in the middle of ‘Chatham Intra’, historically the stretch of high street between Rochester train station and the boundary with Chatham. The riverside area’s fledgling status as a cultural quarter suits the venue, and the printmakers are happy to be part of its revival.

Medway Fine Printmakers’ programme of printmaking workshops and short courses includes: screen printing, Gocco, lino-cut and relief printing, intaglio, textiles, heat press, and related skills such as bookbinding. You could soon be printing your own t-shirts, posters, art or whatever you can think up. Once you have learnt a printmaking technique, you can return to use the equipment in open access sessions and print to your heart’s content.

The new venue is a multi-disciplinary space, so as well as the print studio, many other arts practices are welcomed and the INTRA team is open to ideas for how the space can be used. The workshop area is filled with beautiful Edwardian wooden tables and the quirky building betrays its past as the menswear section of the Featherstones department store, not least with a grand ‘staircase to nowhere’ and double-fronted shop windows. Seek it out and get involved!

INTRA can be found at 337-341 High St, Rochester, ME1 1DA. The building has hireable spaces that can be booked to run workshops, host meetings or clubs etc. Email intraarts@ gmail.com for details. intraarts.org medwayfineprintmakers.co.uk

INTRA’S UPCOMING COURSES FOR ALL Courses, workshops and activities for adults, young people, children and families are a big part of what INTRA does. An exciting programme covering all kinds of arts disciplines and skill levels is in the pipeline.

PRINT CLASSES BY MEDWAY FINE PRINTMAKERS

MONSTERS INK Suitable for anyone over 5 years Make monster prints during the Easter break.

Wed 9 April, drop in between 11am – 5pm, no need to book. Cost: £5, £10

SCREEN PRINTING ONE (&TWO) Suitable for 16 years + Sat 12 April 11am – 5pm or Thu 24 April 11am – 5pm, Make photo stencils from your own artwork and print them onto paper or textiles. Book in person at Intra or online via Paypal. Cost: £55

SCREEN PRINTING TWO Suitable for 16 years +

Sun 13 April, 11am – 5pm or Fri 25 April, 11am – 5pm Practice printing your screen, adding background colours, paper stencils etc, to create colourful layered prints. Book in person at Intra or online via Paypal.

Cost: £55

EASTER GOCCO TASTER Suitable for anyone over 5 years Tue 15 April, drop in between 11am – 5pm, no need to book Mix and match Gocco screens to print ships, mermaids, cherries, robots – in fact more or less anything!

Cost: £6 per person

CRAFT CLASSES BY UNRAVEL AND UNWIND The brainchild of Fay Lamb, Unravel and Unwind’s mission is to create a friendly open environment where local crafters and families can practice, learn, teach and sell their crafts, thus encouraging community engagement, increasing social well-being, removing isolation and even mentoring transitions into employment. Fay has organised a series of popular Craft Flash Mobs, where local crafters attend with their crafts at a variety of cafes around Medway. To find out more, ‘Like’ them on facebook: facebook.com/ UnravelandUnwind.

KEEPSAKE BEAR SEWING WORKSHOP Part 1 - Tues 8 April or Wed 9 April 7pm-9.30pm Part 2 - Tues 15 or Wed 16 April 7pm-9.30pm Over the course of two evenings, turn a shirt that holds a special memory into a keepsake bear that you can pass on through generations with tutor Mandy Adams. Book via facebook.com/UnravelandUnwind. Cost: £20

KEYCHAIN BUDDIES (POLYMER CLAY) Suitable for 7+ (under 16s must be accompanied) Thurs 10 April at 11am, 2pm and 4:30pm A two hour session where you will make a personal and personalised polymer clay key chain buddy. All materials and tools are included in ticket price. Book via Unravel and Unwind’s Eventbrite page. Cost: £3.50 per child plus booking fee

SOCK MONKEY (SEWING FOR CHILDREN) Suitable for 7+ (under 16s must be accompanied) Thu 17 April at 11am and 2pm Two hour sewing for children sessions making a sock monkey from an odd sock. A great way to introduce children to sewing both by hand and by machine. All materials provided but children are welcome to bring their own favourite sock! Book via Unravel and Unwind’s Eventbrite page. Cost: £5 per child plus booking fee 27

VISUAL ART NEW! OAST HOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE Granary Close, Rainham, ME8 7SG DR SKETCHY’S Sun 27 Apr 3pm 6pm. Burlesque Life Drawing and cabaret. Bar, cocktails, tea and cakes!

Tickets £10 in advance £12 on the door. Tickets from Eventbrite at drsketchy.com/medway THE BEANEY HOUSE OF ART AND KNOWLEDGE 18 High Street, Canterbury CT1 2RA 01227 862162 Mon to Wed 9am to 5pm, Thu 9am to 7pm, Fri and Sat 9am to 5pm, Sun 10am to 5pm LURE: KATE MCCGWIRE Fri 28 Mar to Sun 27 Apr. Free entry. Plus OF MICE AND MEN: Drawings by Brian Francis (1935-2013) To Sun 6 Jul. See Main Feature. thebeaney.co.uk BELOW 65 GALLERY Gilbert & Clark Frame and Print 65 High Street, Maidstone ME14 1SR 01622 685146 Free entry Open 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat JOHN WOODBERRY: Reaction & Rearrangement. Fab mixed media exhibition extended until 22 April.

Note: gallery will be CLOSED for Easter weekend. gilbertandclark.com CREEK CREATIVE 1 Abbey Street, Faversham ME13 7BE 01795 535515 SAMOVAR SOJOURNS: TRAVELS OF A TEA DRINKER – New work by ANN WELCH 15-27 Apr, open Tue to Sun 10am-4pm.

FRANCIS ILES GALLERIES 103 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 843081 Opens Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm SPRING EXHIBITION featuring Jill Barthorpe and Alison Griffin RMS plus new works from Gallery Artists. Free entry. francis-iles.com HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM The Historic Dockyard, Chatham ME4 4TY 01634 823800

Open 10am-6pm. Entrance to gallery included in normal admission.

Adults: £18.50, children £11.50, concs available: gives unlimited returns for one year.

A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE Sharing stories with Gruffalo creator, Julia Donaldson. To 1 June. Also, MONKEY BUSINESS runs 5-19 April: Easter activities for children (small charge may apply to some activities). thedockyard.co.uk/juliadonaldson MAIDSTONE MUSEUM & BENTLIF ART GALLERY St Faith’s St, Maidstone ME14 1LH 01622 602838 Opens Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sun and Bank Holidays A LADYBIRD CHILDHOOD To Sun 11 May. Free entry museum.maidstone.gov.uk NUCLEUS ARTS 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108 Gallery winter opening: Mon- 10am4.30pm, closed Sun. Free entry RED : Various Artists To Thu 3 April. For Comic Relief.

CHATHAM INTRA & LESSER KNOWN CHATHAM: Various artists Sat 5 Apr - Thu 17 Apr. Featuring shortlisted and winning entries to Richard Watts Charities’ recent art competition.

SIGNIFICANCE: Various artists Fri 18 Apr to Thu 1 May. nucleusarts.com NUCLEUS ARTS, ROCHESTER 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 812108 Open 10am-5pm Mon-Sat; Sun 11-5pm. Lovely gallery shop featuring work for sale by local artists.

NUCLEUS ARTS, MAIDSTONE Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR 01634 812108 Open 10am-5pm Mon-Fri; closed Sundays. New arts hub for Maidstone.

ROCHESTER ART GALLERY Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX

01634 338319 Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-5pm Free entry TIME LAPSED : MARISSA MARDON 28 Mar-1 June. See this month’s The Artist’s Space. CRAFT CASE: ceramics

by Imogen Noble and Raewyn Harrison.

ROCHESTER BRIDGE CHAPEL Open Sundays 10am-3pm and Wed 1pm-4pm throughout April (not 6 April).

RECONSTRUCTING ROCHESTER BRIDGE Previously at Royal Engineers Museum. Exhibition marking the Centenary of the reconstruction of the Old Bridge. Worth a visit to see the lovely chapel alone.

ROYAL ENGINEERS MUSEUM, LIBRARY & ARCHIVE Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham ME4 4UG Tel: 01634 822839 Open Tue-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun & Bank Holidays: 11.30am-5pm. Closed Mondays. Pay once for unlimited access for 12 months: Adult £8, Conc £5.50, Family £21.50. Students, children and serving Royal Engineers: free.

ENCOUNTERS: Photograph Albums & Their Stories To 30 May. re-museum.co.uk ST ANDREW’S ART CENTRE Royal Pier Road, Gravesend DA12 2BD DUNCAN GRANT: PAINTINGS Weekend of 12 & 13 Apr, 11am-5pm.

From Gravesham Arts.

SUN PIER HOUSE Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF 01634 401549 Open 10am - 4pm Tues - Sun (closed Mondays) PRESENTING SUN PIER HOUSE Inaugural exhibition in this new gallery by resident SPH artists. Runs 5-16 April. Opens Fri 4 April 6.30-9pm (all welcome: RSVP to info@sunpierhouse.co.uk). sunpierhouse.co.uk

THE ARTIST’S SPACE

Oil and graphite on linen, 60” x 40”

DAY OF THE OPENING BY MARISSA MARDON

‘I have based my work on Victorian era images of the Rochester area, a couple of which focus on Rochester Bridge, which is currently celebrating its centenary. I visited the Rochester Bridge exhibition at the Royal Engineers Museum and was inspired to create work which celebrates its construction and its opening on 14th May 1914.

Using vintage photography as my starting point, I attempt to show the blurred line between image construction and the painting process of photo realism. The passing of time is referenced in the historical imagery in my work as well as in the making process, which I explore through sound and film.’

‘Time Lapsed’ is an exhibition of works by Marissa Mardon at Rochester Art Gallery, Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX. The exhibition runs from 28 March to 1st June, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-5pm. Free entry.

Ceramics by Imogen Noble and Raewyn Harrison will be in the Craft Case.

Marissa Mardon will lead two free workshops: PAINTING VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS WORKSHOP DAY Sat 10 May 10.30am - 3.30pm, suitable for adults and accompanied young people 13+ and OLD ROCHESTER PHOTO TREASURE HUNT FAMILY WORKSHOPS Sat 24 May 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm. For accompanied children aged 6+. For more information see visitmedway.org.

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