Wow MEDWAY 1
WOW MEDWAY PRESENTS
ACTING
FOR KIDS A WEEK-LONG COURSE OF MORNING CLASSES FOR 7-11 YEAR OLDS led by WOW Medway’s editor, Emma Dewhurst The emphasis of the course will be on process, not performance, focusing on each child’s individual creativity
Date:
Mon 8 Aug – Fri 12 Aug 2011 Time: 10am-12.30pm Venue: Quaker Meeting House, Northgate, Rochester ME1 1LS (opposite the Corn Exchange) Cost: £40 per child
Emma is a professional actress of many years’ standing. She has played at the National Theatre, Islington’s Almeida Theatre and in London’s West End. She has made many TV appearances including The Palace, Casualty and The Bill and she recently completed filming a small role in The Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep. Emma has extensive experience in leading drama workshops for all ages and abilities. She regularly leads sessions for River Drama, a drama group for children with Downs Syndrome, and she is a facilitator for Bigfoot Arts Education, running drama days for primary school children in Medway. To book a place or discuss your child’s needs please phone 07947 567489 or email: editor@wowmedway.co.uk Emma holds an Enhanced CRB check and Public Liability Insurance
Contributors Emma Dewhurst has edited the magazine for nine months now and is amazed to find herself still standing. Philip Dodd is a Rochester-based writer, publisher and musician. He has worked on books with The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, Benny and Bjorn from ABBA, and Take That. The first book he ever commissioned was Barry McRae’s ‘The Jazz Handbook’. His own contemporary jazz group, The Philip Dodd Quartet, will be appearing at the Maritime Jazz Festival in September.
Cover photograph by Rikard Ősterlund, hat by Zara Carpenter
Sam Froudist is a writer, blogger, and Bunting Enthusiast. Hailing from the Colonies (Australia), she’s a fresh Medway resident and has recently co-launched bunted!, a small bespoke bunting business in Rochester. Sam loves watching great theatre, getting overly passionate about things, and feeling so bourgeois that she has to throw red wine all over herself. Contact Sam at goodbyesamantha@gmail.com
Fit for a Princess bag by Sheilagh Dyson of Jolly Nice Creations. Dyson works with mixed media techniques which incorporate her love of photography. She recycles fabrics, wool and unloved ‘treasures’ - a ‘make do and mend’ ethos inherited from her mother. Her HMS Victory bag was Highly Commended in this year’s Art in the Dockyard exhibition. jollynice@rocketmail.com
WELCOME TO THE AUGUST ISSUE Once again I find myself staggered by the sheer number of innovative, high quality arts events going on in every nook and cranny of Medway and, further afield, in every corner of this beautiful county of Kent. Shame on those who say nothing ever happens here! HELP SHAPE WOW Medway’s FUTURE WOW Medway is nine months old and I am thinking about how to secure its survival: I have never had anything but overwhelmingly positive feedback about the magazine and what it does for the community, but it is clear that it needs to grow (or bust, before I do) in order to flourish.
To that end, I will be setting up some informal focus Nick Walker is an events director, film critic groups to find out what really works for people about and filmmaker. His flagship Medway project, the magazine, and what could be added to make it The Other Cinema, is a weekly event held every even better. If you are a regular WOW Medway reader Thursday at the Chatham Odeon. Following this and would like to take part in these chats, please get Nick set up the Screen Classics programme at in touch. Email or telephone me and I will get you on the Central Theatre, Chatham. He also writes, board. Thank you! directs and produces short films and is the editor of Film Essay, for cinéastes wanting to Please mention WOW Medway if you use our advertisers’ services or attend an event you found in our listings write about film culture. Nick has worked for The Guardian and the London Film Festival. Currently he is Events Director at Film Education Find us on Facebook @EmmaDewhurst7 facebook.com/WOWMedway and Director of National Schools Film Week. Wow MEDWAY 3
Club night Performance is to be
relaunched in a new venue, The Command House, Chatham on Sat July 30 from 9pm to 2am. Also on 3 September. Free entry before 11pm, £3 afterwards, or £2 with a flyer (download from Facebook) or NUS card. Burn up the dancefloor with the best of the 60s, 70s and 80s!
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOO… Hoo Village Events Committee are hoping to capture the history of Hoo and its surrounding area on film, to be showcased at the first ever Hoo Film Festival. They are asking people to come forward with memories and anecdotes of the area and its people, both past and current. If you have a story to tell, film footage or photographs that you would like to share, or an event that you feel would be great to capture on film, they would love to hear from you. Contact Maureen Tong-Ralphs on 07748 115106
AND CALLING ALL MAKERS!
Sell your wares (crafts, jewellery, hats, plants etc) at the Hoo Village Summer Fayre on Saturday 20 August. All kinds of stalls considered, only £10 per stall. Space is limited so call Maureen on 07748 115106 to book.
Interested in singing and dancing?
JOIN SHOW CHOIR! Medway Show Choir is a Chatham-based group that combines choral singing, popular hits and songs from musicals with dancing to create a fun and entertaining performance. It’s the perfect place to meet new friends, gain confidence and have fun! The Choir meets every Thursday at The Brook Theatre from 7-9pm. All abilities welcome – no auditions. Age 14 and above. £10 for 4 weeks, first session free. Email: medwayshowchoir@gmail.com
IN NEED OF A CREATIVE PICK-ME-UP?
Claque Theatre’s course MODELS FOR CREATING INSTANT THEATRE (26-29 August) sounds just the ticket Claque Theatre, the UK’s leading community theatre specialist, will lead this re-invigorating exploration into what makes a good story, what makes people laugh and the links between improvisation and comedy. Set in the beautiful grounds of Tonbridge School, a comfortable and enjoyable weekend is promised with time to socialize. Day and residential places available. claquetheatre.com
A surprising, unique venue has popped up ‘down the road’…
THE OLD TOWN HALL, GRAVESEND has undergone a transformation Situated next to the indoor market in the heart of Gravesend, The Old Town Hall has been part of the town’s history since the 16th Century. The well-known fluted columns of the Grecian portico at its front were added in 1836 and the building’s latest, loving refurbishment was completed in January this year. The £2.3m transformation has restored a wealth of original features, and the team in charge hope to place it firmly back on the map as an accessible, flexible venue for all things cultural, community and corporate.
So if you are looking for a special nearby venue with, as Centre Manager Michelle Boyd puts it, “a country manor feel for a fraction of the price”, the new Old Town Hall may well be it. Old Town Hall, High Street, Gravesend DA11 0AZ. Wheelchair access. T: 01474 550023 E: info@gravesendoldtownhall.co.uk gravesendoldtownhall.co.uk
Central to the refurbished first-floor rooms is the Grand Hall, with its shiny wood-panelled walls, opaque glass ceiling and impressive stained-glass panes. The Hall seats 175 Theatre Style and 120 Banquet Style – perfect for weddings and celebrations - and, happily, hirers can take advantage of the excellent on-site catering by Barbuti’s, Gravesend’s newest and most upmarket restaurant, which is situated downstairs in what used to be the old Police Station. Serving modern British cuisine, in a recent review for The Telegraph the restaurant was awarded 8 out of 10. Amazingly, to hire the Grand Hall for a party on a Friday or Saturday night (7pm-11pm) would set you back just £200. Other rooms available include The Old Court Room (spot the outline of the trap door which led prisoners directly down to the cells in the polished wood floor); The Parlour Room for more intimate meets and the smaller Mayor’s Lobby, complete with leather high-back armchairs, which makes for a great break-out space. Wow MEDWAY 5
ZARA CARPENTER The creator of the gorgeous little hat featured on this month’s cover is ‘Chatham Girl’ Zara Carpenter. Writer, painter, sometime life model and maker, Carpenter discovered that her métier in life was to be a first-class milliner just a little over three years ago. Since then she has been ‘wow-ing’ the world with her creations, selling as far and wide as the US and Japan. As well as making her own hats, Zara also mends antique hats and customizes hats which have seen better days. Her latest collection is inspired by an eclectic mixture of things from 1920s design to fantasy books and films. She is also inspired by people: Mata Hari, Anna May Wong, Mark Ryden and the music of Tom Waits. “Mother Nature has always been a massive influence in my work and in this collection I have used the natural beauty of feathers and beetle wing casing to create a few dramatic headpieces,” she tells me. “I just love to make hats... it really is what makes me happy.” You can purchase the hats at: zaracarpenter.etsy.com For more of photographer Rikard Ősterlund’s work: rikard.co.uk
“Mother Nature has always been a massive influence in my work and in this collection I have used the natural beauty of feathers and beetle wing casing to create a few dramatic headpieces,”
Sit back… relax… unwrap SAM FROUDIST visits The Cupcake Sanctuary I cycled up to The Cupcake Sanctuary, blissing out with excitement. I’ve ridden past the quite obvious bright pink café nearly every day for the last two months. It’s just so… pink. I had the pleasure of purchasing four cupcake flavours (with the intention to share, but whether that was actually the case remains unsubstantiated): Lemon drop, Raspberry Ripple, Absoblueberry and Custard Cream.
EXPECTATIONS Sky Sports and ESPN ALL LIVE MATCHES SHOWING Saturdays, Sundays and Weekdays Every Friday and Saturday night: KARAOKE WITH CHARLIE DRIVER & MICHAEL 8.30pm to close 15 HIGH STREET, ROCHESTER ME1 1PY Tel: 01634 848182
I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say that the Custard Cream was perhaps the best cupcake I’ve ever sampled. Very unassuming, both in name and design, I have never had a treat quite like it. The vanillary-goodness can only be described as epic, and it was that knife-edge perfect combination of cake and butter cream, and not a fraction too sweet. In fact, what I liked about all the flavours I tried was that they did ‘what it says on the tin’. They really are raspberry, blueberry and lemony, not just synthetic reproductions. I spoke with Jo the owner, who took me through the life of the business, from its early days at home, to its bright and sparkling (and did I mention pink?) reincarnation as a delightful boutique café. What particularly delights me is that they offer a range of classes, the next being a Beginner’s Cake Pop Class on Sunday 14th August. I love this - they don’t keep the joy of cupcakes to themselves, they want to spread the love around! You too can know the bliss. Go on, you know you want to.
The Cupcake Sanctuary is at 4 High Street, Chatham ME4 4EP (opposite the Hyundai showroom) Tel: 01634 780424 cupcakesanctuary.co.uk Wow MEDWAY 7
FILM l THE OTHER CINEMA Chatham Odeon Cinema, Maritime ME4 4LL. 0871 22 44 007
CINEMA UNDER THE STARS
A weekly showcase of quality films from around the world, with a post-show discussion led by Nick Walker over a free glass of wine. £8.25/£6.25. theothercinema.info.
For the first time, the Festival Theatre at Hever Castle are including some open-air cinema treats in their programme:
There is no TOC screening in August. Next screening: WIN WIN (15) 2011 Thu 8 Sept, 7.45pm Dir: Thomas McCarthy Cast: Paul Giomati
A struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach’s chicanery comes back to haunt him when the teenage grandson of the client he’s double-crossed comes into his life. 106 mins l SCREEN CLASSICS The Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338 301 A big-screen celebration of cinema classics introduced by programmer Nick Walker. £6/£5 (booked online). Students £3.50. See four Screen Classics and get a fifth free. medway.gov.uk/ theatrebookings
Festival Theatre at Hever Castle, Edenbridge TN8 7NG Box Office: 01732 866114 or book online at www.quay.it/heverfestival. Tickets £12 or any 3 films for £30. Gates open 6.30pm, bring a picnic.
MAMMA MIA (PG) 2008 Thu 4 Aug, 8.45pm Pierce Brosnan sings! (To Meryl Streep!) TOP GUN (12) 1986 Fri 5 Aug, 8.45pm Tom Cruise classic AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (15) 1982 Thu 25 Aug, 8.30pm Richard Gere and Debra Winger star. INDEPENDENCE DAY (12) 1996 Fri 26 Aug, 8.30pm The aliens are coming… SUMMER HOLIDAY RELEASES MR POPPER’S PENGUINS (PG) Jim Carrey stars. Filmed ‘almost entirely in refrigeration’! Rel 5 Aug
SUPER 8 (12A) Spielberg produced this science fiction thriller, written and directed as a homage to the producer by JJ Abrams. Rel 5 Aug
THE SMURFS 3D (Cert tbc) Live action/CGI. First big-screen outing for the odd fellows. Rel 10 Aug
To be shown at the following cinemas:
COWBOYS AND ALIENS (Cert tbc) Strange new genre? Classic Western meets alien invasion. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star. Rel 17 Aug THE INBETWEENERS (Cert tbc) TV Brit hit comes to the big screen. Rel 19 Aug
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (PG) Mon 8 Aug, 7.30pm Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint Hitchcock classic. Cary Grant excels as the hapless New York advertising executive mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies. 131 mins
GLEE: THE 3D CONCERT MOVIE (Cert tbc) For Gleeks everywhere: exactly what it says on the tin. Rel 19 Aug ONE DAY (Cert tbc) Anne Hathaway stars in this adaptation of David Nicholls’ bestseller. Rel 26 Aug THE SKIN I LIVE IN (La Piel Que Habito) (15) Almodóvar’s latest: drama thriller starring Antonio Banderas. Rel 26 Aug
ODEON CHATHAM, Dickens World, Chatham ME4 4LL. 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk ODEON MAIDSTONE, Lockmeadow, Maidstone, ME16 8RG. 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk ROCHESTER CINEWORLD MULTIPLEX Medway Valley Leisure Park, ME2 2SS. 0871 200 2000. cineworld.co.uk THE ROYAL CINEMA, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7AG. 24hr info line: 01795 591211, Box Office: 01795 591211. From £4.50-£5. royalcinema.co.uk SHOWCASE BLUEWATER, Bluewater, Greenhithe, DA9 9SG. 0871 220 1000. showcasecinemas.co.uk/ bluewater
NOR
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NICK WALKER assesses this most stylish of Hitchcock thrillers
This 1959 thriller, directed by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, starring a stellar cast of Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G Carroll and Martin Landau, is a genuine screen classic. Certainly the film is one of Hitchcock’s most stylish films, the score by Bernard Herrmann totally memorable and the credits by Saul Bass definitive in their class and influence. The scriptwriter Ernest Lehman was a friend of Bernard Herrmann and although he and Hitchcock got on famously well, the original idea for the film wasn’t working so they wrote something about Mount Rushmore instead, as Hitchcock had always wanted to set one of his films there. So confident were they about the resulting ideas that Lehman was excited to suggest that the film would be “the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures.” The film centres on a tale of mistaken identity, with an innocent man Roger Thornhill being pursued across America by agents of a mysterious organisation who want to stop his interference in their plans to smuggle out microfilm containing government secrets – itself a classic Hitchcock MacGuffin. The film was filmed in Paramount’s VistaVision widescreen process, making it one of the few VistaVision films made at MGM, with the stunning location shooting in California adding to Hitchcock’s more unconventional and experimental approach to filmmaking: he employed styles of guerrilla filmmaking, using a movie camera hidden in a parked van to film Cary Grant. The film works best as series of set pieces, all of which are impeccably choreographed to maximum suspense.
The famous cropdusting scene is now iconic and is often ranked in the top 10 scenes of all time. Though the scene takes place in the wide open, and in bright day light, the scene is made frightening by the isolation of Roger Thornhill in the expansiveness of the environment. This is a consistent theme throughout. In every scene Hitchcock is conscious of the placement of his characters in space and architecture. In his earlier film ‘Saboteur’, the finale involved the hero, the bad guy, a life-risking rescue attempt, a spectacular fall and the Statue of Liberty. ‘North by Northwest’ repeats the formula, only substituting Mount Rushmore for the Statue of Liberty. The film is Hitchcock’s longest film and MGM wanted it cut by 15 minutes so the film’s length would run under two hours. Hitchcock had his agent check his contract, learned that he had absolute control over the final cut, and refused. It is, of course, breezy entertainment as well, with the plot somewhat fantastical and certain areas of the film quite random for a Hitchcock movie, yet this sleek, wry, paranoid thriller caught the zeitgeist perfectly: Cold War shadiness, secret agents of power, urbane modernism and a hint of dread behind the sharp suits of affluence. ‘North by Northwest’ is screening at the Central Theatre in Chatham as part of the Screen Classics programme on 8th August at 7.30pm. For more of Nick Walker’s work visit www.theothercinema.info
Wow MEDWAY 9
Familiar, urban spaces across north Kent are about to be transformed in a number of extraordinary, one-off artistic commissions
URBAN ENCOUNTERS EMMA DEWHURST takes a look at the ENCOUNTER project An intriguing public art project is about to transform and impact upon mindfully chosen urban spaces in Medway and the boroughs of Gravesham and Swale between July and October this year. The Encounter project is a series of six, specially commissioned artistic commissions, developed in partnership with local community groups. Shoppers in Sittingbourne will find their ears bent mysteriously towards a new, subtle soundscape; the architecture of Sheerness is set to inspire an open-air performance of South Asian dance from acclaimed dance company Akademi; a sitting-room built entirely from paper will tour Gravesend, whose indoor market will play host to another, interactive commission in which locals are invited to contribute to the fantastical mobile library of one Mr Whale - and here in Medway two very special, differing commissions complete the series. Funded by Kent County Council, Arts Council England and North Kent Local Authority Arts Partnership (NKLAAP), Encounter has been in the pipeline for some years. It began to gather momentum last September, when Creative Producer Mary Paterson started to make site visits, dialogue with local community groups and put the word out to artists to find the best match of artist to site.
“The project’s really long gestation period has served it well because it gave it a very good grounding,” she says. There was a hearteningly good, highquality response and of the companies and individuals who applied, three of the commissions draw from Kent-based artists and three from further afield. The first Medway-based commission is ON/ OFF, a mini-dance festival happening over the weekend of 24 and 25 September in a vacant car showroom on the Chatham/ Rochester High Street, which will be transformed into festival-friendly dance and chill-out spaces by art and architecture practice What if: projects. ON/OFF is curated by h2dance, who are calling for local people interested in dancing over the weekend to get in touch. For those unable to attend pre-event rehearsals, there will be a number of showcase times over the two days when anyone can get up and display their moves. H2dance have a strong sustainability ethos, so there will be bicycle generators powering the event cycled, it is hoped, by members of the audience – “So they are really hoping people are going to turn up!” says Mary. The aim is to create a buzzy, interactive, interesting space for the weekend.
Drinks (including alcohol in the evening) and refreshments will be available, for which there will be a small charge but the event itself, like all the commissions, is free. The second Medway commission, Light and Shadow, is the project’s last and takes place over two weekends in October: 22nd-23rd and 29th -30th at Temple Manor in Strood. Three Kent-based performance companies are collaborating on a multi-disciplinary, promenade performance: Icon Theatre, Play on Words and Loop Dance Company, all of which are resident at The Brook Theatre. Mary Paterson is especially excited by this finale commission: in the run-up to Halloween, audience members will be guided through the extraordinary 13th Century manor house in a sensory experience which she expects to be “slightly spooky, slightly scary and extremely magical.” One of the project’s core aims is to give people a reason to go to local places they may have passed by all their lives, or just not have bothered to get to at all – like Temple Manor, which is in the middle of an industrial estate. “I’d like people to fall in love with their local surroundings,” says Paterson. It is clearly also important to the organisers that the project is assessed and evaluated
for its impact: the programme is linked by a series of talks, culminating in a half day symposium in November, and writer in residence Johanna Linsley and photographer Alex Eisenberg will be uploading their creative responses to the commissions to the Encounter website. The growing trend, of which this project is a part, to make sense of our public spaces by exposing and transforming them through considered, accessible, multi-disciplinary art intrigues me. We seem to need our exterior landscapes to be interpreted creatively in order to make sense of our private, interior selves. They may have disappeared some time ago but I still remember my first sighting of Reijo Kela’s Hei people at Fort Amherst and look forward to the Encounter commissions with the hope that they bring the same depth of resonance to our urban spaces long after the last event has taken place. For more information about all the Encounter commissions visit encounter-northkent.co.uk Get in touch via the website if you would like to be part of ON/OFF or Light and Shadow: there are opportunities for all ages to be involved with both.
Wow MEDWAY 11
MUSIC l THE BARGE 63 Layfield Road, Gillingham ME7 2QY 01634 850485
‘Medway’s best-kept secret’. Real ale by candlelight and regular live music events. Sat 30 Jul LUPEN CROOK 9pm With The Sans Pareil, Boat Of Garten & Wolf Howard Wed 3 Aug BARDS @ THE BARGE OPEN MIC 9pm Come along and sign up to play Sun 7 Aug MEDWAY EYES PRESENTS… UNFRAMED 2011 Afternoon gig 2pm and evening quiz night Sat 13 Aug FATE THE JUGGLER 9pm Wed 24 Aug SALLY IRONMONGER TRIO 9pm Sat 27 Aug THE SINGING LOINS 9pm thebargepub.co.uk l THE EAGLE 124 High Street Rochester, ME1 1JT 01634 409040
UK and international finest Live Music From rock ‘n’ roll to indie, soul and more. CLUB NIGHT Fri and Saturdays to 12am. LIVE JAZZ Sunday lunchtime from 12 noon. SKA, REGGAE & NORTHERN SOUL DJS , last Sunday of every month 7-10pm No entry fee theeagletavern. org.uk l THE FESTIVAL THEATRE AT HEVER CASTLE Hever Castle, Edenbridge TN8 7NG Box office: 01732 866114
RIGOLETTO Sat 6 Aug, 8pm (gates open 6.30pm). Popular Verdi opera sung in English to a six-piece chamber ensemble. £26.50, £23.50. Combined opera and dinner price: £81.50 (or bring your own picnic!)
SUMMER’S SUNDAY JAZZ THREE CONCERTS All at 8pm
(gates 6.30pm) THE BIG CHRIS BARBER BAND, Sun 7 Aug KENNY BALL AND HIS JAZZMEN, Sun 14 Aug STACEY KENT AND HER MUSICIANS, Sun 21 Aug Seat prices for all three shows: £22.90, £20.90, £13. 5% discount if you book all three
THE LAST NIGHT OF THE HEVER PROMS, Sun 28 Aug, 8pm (gates open 6.30pm) With The Brandenburg Sinfonia. Popular classics and orchestral music. £25, £23, £15 heverfestival.co.uk BROADSTAIRS FOLK WEEK 5-12 August Walk from venue to venue in this seaside town – you’ll find something at every turn, to suit all tastes: PoGirl, Barbara Dickson, Home Service are among the acts appearing; there are music, dance and singing workshops (including sea shanties and Throat Singing); Hobby Horse Club for children; ceilidhs and more. Also features a CRAFT FAIR at Victoria Gardens, next to the Bandstand (runs 6-12 Aug 10am-10pm) broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk l LEEDS CASTLE Maidstone ME17 1PL 01622 880008
ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION CONCERT BAND Sun Aug 21 Tickets £15, child £10 leeds-castle.com
l THE MUSIC ROOM PIZZA EXPRESS MAIDSTONE 32 Earl Street, ME14 1PF 01622 683548
PAUL DUNTON AND GUESTS Thu 18 Aug, doors 7pm, 8pm show. Kent-based Dunton’s regular night showcasing new and unsigned talent. Advance booking only. Tickets £7, call 0845 6027017 CHICAGO BLUES BROTHERS Sat 20 Aug, doors 7pm, 8pm show. The UK’s award-winning show for an evening of classic soul. Tickets £25 ALAN BANNISTER’S ALL STARS Sat 27 Aug, doors 7pm, 8pm show. 8-piece soul, pop, motown and swing band. Tickets £14 pizzaexpresslive.co.uk
PHILIP DODD looks ahead to the MARITIME JAZZ FESTIVAL September’s Maritime Jazz Festival in Chatham, now in its third year, brings a wider than ever mix of jazz styles to Medway, including local and international acts. At the main venue – the Britannia Theatre in Dickens World – the incisively inventive sax player Jean Toussaint, a former Art Blakey Jazz Messenger, headlines on Saturday 24th September.
August 2011
Wednesday 3rd: Graham Wardrop 8.30pm Thursday 4th: Phil Woollitt 8.30pm Sunday 7th : Jam Night 8pm Wednesday 10th: Roving Crows 8.30pm Thursday 11th: Dave Ferra Blues Band 8.30pm Sunday 14th: Jam Night 8pm Wednesday 17th: Feral Mouth 8.30pm Thursday 18th: Pass the Cat 8.30pm Sunday 21st: Jam Night 8pm Wednesday 24th: The Amazing Mr Smith 8.30pm Thursday 25th: Louis Turpin Quartet 8.30pm Sunday 28th: Jam Night 8pm Wednesday 31st: We Ghosts (Sweden) 8.30pm
The Man of Kent Ale-House 6-8 John Street. Rochester. ME1 1YN www.themanofkent.com 07772 214315
That evening’s opening act is Yots K, a dramatic Afro-Greek vocalist described as a ‘punk Shirley Bassey’! On Friday night it’s the retro swing showmanship of Ray Gelato and his Giants, while the opening Thursday night features elegant, exuberant singer Trudy Kerr with sax player Dave O’Higgins and bassist Geoff Gascoyne (who recently appeared in an acclaimed residency with Michel Legrand at Ronnie Scott’s). Festival organiser Roan Kearsey-Lawson will be involved throughout, with both his own eclectic quartet and the funky street beat/New Orleans fusion of his Blew Tubes Full Blast big band. This year the event also spreads its wings to visit two new venues: the Ramada Encore Hotel in the Dockyard and Rochester High Street’s Simply Italian. For full details of all events and acts and to buy tickets (with ‘early bird’ discounts) visit maritimejazzfestival.co.uk The Philip Dodd Quartet will be appearing at the Maritime Jazz Festival on Saturday 24th September. Wow MEDWAY 13
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Call 07947 567489 to book a place Mon 8-Fri 12 Aug, 10-12.30pm. Ages 7-11.
Led by WOW Medway’s editor professional actress Emma Dewhurst, this week-long course will emphasise process rather than performance, focusing on each child’s individual creativity.
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HEATWAVE 2011 – SUMMER HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS FOR UNDER 18S (01634 338319)
Medway Council’s Arts Development Team have put together a lively programme to be held at The Brook Theatre, Chatham THE LITTLE MERMAID Mon 8-Fri 12 Aug, 10-4pm (8-16 years) £55 MAMMA MIA Mon 15-Fri 19 Aug, 10-4pm (8-16 years) £55 R’N’B STYLE DANCE WORKSHOP Tue 16 Aug, 10-3.30pm (8-16 years) £14 BIG NOISY DRUMS Music Workshop, Wed 17 Aug, 10-3.30pm (8-16 years) £14 DOCTOR WHO SPECTACULAR Mon 22-Fri 26 Aug, 10-4pm (8-16 years) £55 GLEE CLUB DANCE WORKSHOP, Tue 23 Aug, 10-3.30pm (8-16 years) £14 (or £24 if booked with R’n’B) For a booking form phone 01634 338338 or email boxoffice@medway.gov.uk
COMEDY OF ERRORS TOUR Just a few venues left at which to view this year’s open-air Shakespeare offering from The Changeling company, directed by Rob Forknall. Wed 3 Aug Nursted Court, Meopham Thu 4 Aug Smallhythe Place Fri 5- Sun 7 Aug Boughton Monchelsea See hazlittartscentre. co.uk for times or call the Box Office: 01622 758611 l DICKENS WORLD BRITANNIA THEATRE, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime, ME4 4LL 01634 890421
CIRCUS OF LIGHT Selected dates from Monday 1 Aug– Mon 29 Aug Fire eating, acrobatics, dancing, tightrope walking and more! £2 extra on top of standard admission prices. Eating out at Dickens World: PORTERS BAR AND RESTAURANT 01634 891385 Curry Night Tuesdays Every Tuesday from 5:30pm. Curry Buffet only £5.00, Curry Buffet with large house wine/draft beer £7.50, add poppadoms or naan bread for £1.00 extra
l THE FESTIVAL THEATRE AT HEVER CASTLE
Hever Lakeside Theatre, Hever Castle, Edenbridge TN8 7NG 01732 866114
SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE ON TOUR PRESENT AS YOU LIKE IT Wed 10-Sat 13 Aug at 8pm (gates open 6.30pm) Matinee Thu 11 Aug 2.30pm A small group of travelling players breathe new life into this timeless Shakespeare comedy.
WIND IN THE WILLOWS Sat 27-Sun 28 Aug, 5pm Cambridge Touring Theatre’s production of this children’s classic. Adult £12, Child £10 leeds-castle.com
Weekdays 16.50, Sat eve £18.50, Mat £12 heverfestival.co.uk l LEEDS CASTLE
Maidstone ME17 1PL 01622 880008 boxoffice@leeds-castle.co.uk
l THE ORCHARD, Home Gardens,
CHILDREN’S THEATRE ON THE LAWN SNOW WHITE Fri 12-Sun 14 Aug, 5pm Families can bring a picnic. Ice-cream and drinks available. Everyone is invited to come along in fancy dress and join in with the parade during the interval.
THE GO!GO!GO! SHOW Fri 26-Sun 28 Aug, 2.30pm. Morning Matinee 27 Aug at 11am All new pop musical for kids orchardtheatre.co.uk
Adult £12, Child (under 16 years) £10, Family (two adult + two child) £35. 10% discount for parties of 10 or more (excluding family rate)
Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000
Saturday 27 August, 9.15pm The event is free www.blinkmargate.org
BLINK IS COMING…
On Saturday 27 August, for one night only, the seaside town of Margate will undergo a miraculous transformation. Multi-award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor, extraordinary theatre ensemble Pan Optikum and soundscape artist Scanner are collaborating, together with hundreds of members of the local community, to create a one-off, spectacular night-time event.
Photos: from top: Entity WM RD Laurent Philippe. Scanner Telepone. Margate Promenade Photo Drew Lockhart. Pan Optimum Mathias Kolodfzie
Watch Margate’s seafront TRANSFORM into ‘the world’s biggest stage’
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VISUAL ART l THE DEAF CAT COFFEE BAR & GALLERY 83 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX Open all week, 9.30am-5pm. 8-21 Aug TINA FINNERTY 22 Aug-4 Sept WEST END STUDIOS Free thedeafcat.com l FRANCIS ILES GALLERIES Rutland House, 103 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 843081
DEFYING THE ELEMENTS Wapping Group of Artists. To 27 Aug. Free frances-iles.com
l NUCLEUS GALLERY 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108 Gallery opening hours 10-5pm Free To 4 Aug – KENT AUTISTIC TRUST Pottery, ceramics, woodwork and more, all for sale. 13-18 Aug AGE CONCERN CHATHAM Photographic exhibition celebrating older people 20 Aug-1 Sept BLURRED VISIONS – MARISSA MARDON Oil paintings inspired by Kent locations Preview/meet the artist: Fri 19 August, 6-8pm. All welcome nucleus-arts.com l NUCLEUS MEDWAY 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 780932 Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am5pm. Closed Mondays A great chance to support local artists – artwork, jewellery and more for sale.
l NO.1 SMITHERY: The Gallery, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, l ROCHESTER ART GALLERY ME4 4TZ 01634 823800 & CRAFT CASE Medway Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 338319 Mon-Sat 10am5pm, Sun 10.30am-5pm Free
TITANIC THE STORY O F THE
TRAGIC LINER AND HER
R SISTE
SHIPS
1 July – 30 Sept 2011 No.1 Smithery: The Gallery
AWE INSPIRING
NATIONAL EXHIBITION
ARTEFACTS FROM PASSENGERS & CREW TITANIC FILM MEMORABILIA
01634 823807
thedockyard.co.uk/titanic TITANIC HONOUR AND GLORY To 30 Sept See Review. Adults £15.50, Children £10.50, Conc £13.00, Family £42.50 Ticket gives unlimited returns to No.1 Smithery: The Gallery and all other Historic Dockyard attractions for one year. thedockyard.co.uk
SEAFLOWERS To 19 August Exhibition of contemporary paintings and textile installations by Kent-based artist Wendy Smith, conceived as a celebration of colour and ritual. The work is informed by a recent self-initiated residency on the coast in Karnataka, South India earlier this year. It’s rich, colourful and moving. Artist Talk with Wendy Smith Sat 6 August (postponed from June) 11:00 - 12:30pm Free Join the artist for an illustrated talk about her creative practice and a tour of the exhibition. Booking essential on 01634 338319 or email arts@medway.gov.uk
A SUMMER SQUALL SUMMER FESTIVAL by Ramsgate Arts 27-29 August Various venues. It will be well worth making the trip to this Bank Holiday Festival. It’s a terrific, eclectic programme with something for everyone. Exhibition by the Royal College of Art; literary events (including a kind of Britain’s Got Talent for writers and tea with poet Wendy Cope); street theatre; Treasure Hunt and Vintage Mobile Cinema. For the full programme go to ramsgatearts.org l TURNER CONTEMPORARY Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG 01843 233000 REVEALED: TURNER CONTEMPORARY OPENS To Sept. Tues-Sun 10am-7pm, Fri 10am-10pm. Closed Mon (except Bank Holidays 10am-7pm) Inaugural exhibition in iconic new building. Free turnercontemporary.org CLASSES ENROLLING NOW! If you’ve an interest in the arts, drawing, painting, sculpture, pottery, jewellery making or photography, your local adult education centre could help you to develop your skills. It doesn’t matter how little, or how much, experience you have as their tutors will discuss your individual needs and ambitions and work with you individually to achieve them. Medway Adult & Community Learning service (Rochester & Gillingham) Tel: 01634 338400
Not all independent schools are the same. At Rochester
we have an average class size
an inspiring team of teachers,
of 8,
no uniform, no entrance exams,
a warm & friendly environment, an outstanding
ofsted
rating, 27 years’ experience preparing students for top universities, great food,
an award winning
wildlife garden, minibus
services and we focus on academic achievement while still encouraging independent thought
and creativity.
www.rochester-college.org STAR HILL ROCHESTER ME1 1XF 01634 828115
YEAR 7 TO SIXTH FORM ISC ACCREDITED
• interviewing now for September 2011
REVIEW: TITANIC HONOUR AND GLORY It was part of The White Star Line’s promise to entice 3rd Class Passengers to set sail for the New World that “the interval between the old life and the new is spent under the happiest possible conditions.” TITANIC HONOUR AND GLORY, a touring exhibition housed at Chatham’s Historic Dockyard until 30th September, is full of such poignant ironies. The “practically unsinkable” liner set sail from Southampton 99 years ago, on 10 April 1912. Of the 2,228 onboard, only 705 people were saved when it hit an iceberg in the early hours four days later. This exhibition has done a good job of rounding up a fair number of original White Star Line artefacts, together with props and costumes made for James Cameron’s epic movie (which have themselves become collectables). Silverware and fine china from Titanic and her sister ships Olympia and Britannic convey the quality of the workmanship aboard these ‘floating palaces’. But it is in the detail of the stories of those who survived or died that the exhibition packs its greatest punch. Some artefacts speak for
• join for year 12, 13 or short retake courses
themselves: Captain Edward John Smith’s battered Steiff teddy bear, taken onboard for luck and rescued after he went down with his ship; and head waiter Vincenzo Gilardino’s 18-carat gold Hunter pocket watch, which records the precise moment it hit the icy water. Other stories are less obvious: a short paragraph in The Daily Mirror dated 20 April 1912 about millionaire Colonel JJ Astor and his young wife, who was saved, reads: “Survivors say after embracing his wife Mr Astor stood erect and, with a military salute, turned back to his place in the sinking vessel.” Tales of altruism and quiet heroism abound: the orchestra members who played to their deaths; the couple who went down arm in arm. This is not an overly-large exhibition, and it demands a fair amount of reading of the many wall plaques to achieve its full effect, but the imagination is driven, time and again, to picture oneself there, on that icy night, begging the timeless question so often asked of human tragedy: what would I have done? Emma Dewhurst
The Historic Dockyard, Chatham ME4 4TZ Tel: 01634 823807 Entry is included in normal admission price. thedockyard.co.uk Wow MEDWAY 17
Freddie Topps is currently an AS student at Rochester Independent College studying Fine Art, Photography and Media Studies. This self portrait is part of a series of mixed media works influenced by, amongst others, Paul Ruiz.
DESIGN: A Stone’s Throw www.astonesthrowdesign.co.uk
Contact us EDITORIAL: editor@wowmedway.co.uk FREE LISTINGS: listings@wowmedway.co.uk ADVERTISING: sales@wowmedway.co.uk 0845 388 2243 (local rate from BT landlines)
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points throughout the Medway towns. Current print circulation: 3000 copies. Great introductory ad rates available to all first time advertisers. All advertisers also featured in e-edition of the magazine and in our online Directory at www.wowmedway. co.uk Copy/listings deadline for September issue: 18 August ©WOW Medway magazine. All rights reserved. Whilst
The ARTIST’S Space every effort has been made to ensure that details in this publication are accurate, we cannot accept responsibility for such. Readers are advised to check listings information to avoid disappointment. Views expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect those of the editor and publisher.
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Opening Times Mon – Sun 10am – 4.30pm (last admission 3pm)
Dickens World, our exciting indoor visitor complex based around the life, books and times of Charles Dickens. We take you on a fascinating journey to Dickens’ World as you step back into authentically themed Dickensian England.
Annual Passes now available from just £10
THE CIRCUS OF LIGHT Dates from July 25th to August 30th
Tickets: £15 Adult; £10 Child; £13 Concession (all prices include Dickens World entry)
Time for Tea A new ‘Good Old Days’ live show
Afternoon cream tea, scones, lashings of laughs and songs of yesteryear to sing along to. Show only is included in the Dickens World standard admission price.
*£5 extra for cream tea, scones & cucumber sandwiches
Britannia Theatre Future Events
Circus of Light “Adulté” - August Bank Holiday Saturday, 3 sound rooms, DJ, Live Performance, Bar til Late Jongleurs - Friday 2nd September & Friday 30th September
Maritime Jazz Festival
Three days of Jazz between 22nd and 24th September
Adult Thurs Night - £11 • Adult Fri Night - £14 Adult Sat Night - £14 • Adult 3 day Festival Ticket - £27 The Other Cinema Club
Meets every Thursday at the Odeon Cinema at 7.45pm for the latest international cinema. Includes a presentation and complimentary glass of wine at Porters Bar and Restaurant
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What’s on
Your online guide to events and entertainment in Medway
Will Adams Festival 10 September, 2011
Bonfire & fireworks
Dickensian Christmas
Great Lines, Gillingham. 7 November from 7pm
Medway’s biggest free bonfire and fireworks display, in-
5 November,cluding 2011 3 and 4 December, 2011 entertainment from Heart 103.1 & 102.8 FM, guy making competition and craft workshops (from 5pm). www.medway.gov.uk/events
English Festival April, 2012
Sweeps Festival May, 2012
whatsonmedway.co.uk
Dickens Festival June, 2012