WOW June 2013

WOW 1

FINE ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, CERAMICS, 3D, TEXTILES, GRAPHIC DESIGN, FILM AND MEDIA, THEATRE STUDIES

visual and performing arts

STUDY AT GCSE, AS & A LEVEL | New arts building opening 2014 www.rochester-college.org STAR HILL ROCHESTER ME1 1XF 01634 828115

YEAR 7 TO SIXTH FORM ISC ACCREDITED

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Free event at Nucleus Arts & Chatham Saturday 6th July 2013

Funded by the Chatham Centre Forum & in association with Medway Councils River Festival

Nucleus Arts Centre • High Street • Chatham • Kent • ME4 4BP 01634 812108 • original@nucleusarts.co.uk • www.nucleusarts.com

WELCOME TO WOW Your guide to the best of What’s On Where Medway, Maidstone and the accessible beyond Producing my beloved magazine each month has given me many extraordinary, heartwarming or heart-stopping moments, but perhaps one of the very best happened this month, when I was privileged enough to meet the inimitable Ralph Steadman and his brilliant wife Anna. Who would ever have thought that WOW would bear an original Steadman on its cover – a detail of a ‘Thought Sheet’ which the artist has donated to us as one of the prizes in The Best of… Art Competition which WOW is launching this month in partnership with Rochester Independent College and the University of Kent School of Arts.

Please turn to the centre pages, have a read and enter!

Elsewhere in the magazine we take a look at the wonderful Fuse Medway Festival which is with us once again, with a plethora of acts both Kentbased and international. Don’t miss the Saturday night show in Rochester Castle moat, it promises to be a thriller.

WOW is a 28 pager for the second month in a row, too – there is just so much going on!

Emma Dewhurst editor@wowkent.co.uk PLEASE MENTION WOW!

PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EDITOR BY RIKARD ÖSTERLUND

WOW needs your help to survive: it depends entirely on its supportive advertisers, so if you love the magazine please become a WOW ambassador and mention it, especially if you use any of its advertised services.

Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway

COVER DETAIL OF ORIGINAL ‘THOUGHT SHEET’ BY RALPH STEADMAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY RIKARD ÖSTERLUND (SEE MAIN FEATURE)

@EmmaDewhurst7

Award-winning comedian Diane Spencer (photographed by Steve Ullathorne) is is appearing at the Billabong Club on Thursday 27 June. See Comedy listings

CONTRIBUTORS Phil Dillon (Music) is a former Medway musician turned photographer who is best known for his work with bands such as Groovy Uncle, Theatre Royal, Wheels, The Lovedays and Stuart Turner and the Flat Earth Society. He is also the principal protagonist in Medway Eyes, an independent, not for profit, creative collective and has recently taken on the role of producer for Fizzer’s Radio Show.

Emma Dewhurst (Founder and editor) is an actress, community arts practitioner, writer and mother. She has had a long and varied theatrical career, playing throughout the UK and Ireland, at the National Theatre and in London’s West End. She is the proud recipient of two awards for WOW: Best Creative Business Award for in the Kent Independent Traders Awards 2012 and Winner, Media Category, Medway Culture & Design Awards 2012.

Sam Froudist (Features) is a writer and bunting enthusiast.

She co-runs bunted!, a bespoke bunting business, and is a card carrying member of the Rochester Vintage Society. You can find her blogging over at hellosamgoodbyesamantha.com.

Nick Walker is a film festivals programmer and film writer. Nick is the director of the Rochester Film Society, which currently includes screening and discussion events at the Odeon Chatham and at Central Theatre, Chatham. He has worked for The Guardian and the London Film Festival, and currently he is Festivals Director at Film Education and Director of National Schools Film Week. For more information on the Rochester Film Society please visit facebook.com/rochesterfilmsociety.

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FOUR FARCES MAKES LONDON LAUGH!

If you enjoy dressing up in Victorian costume, then you’ll love ‘Four Farces’ by Maidstonebased European Arts Company, which will be at Wilton’s Music Hall in London from 18-27 June. Wilton’s is the only surviving Victorian Music Hall in the country and these four uproarious comedies will be seen in their original setting. Dress in your Victorian best for this delectable evening of old fashioned fun. Tickets £12.50, £17.50, £25. Box Office: 020 7702 2789. Check out wiltons.org.uk

FREE POETRY CD FOR THE FIRST 50 SUBSCRIBERS An annual subscription costs £25. Members of the scheme will receive a very lovely ‘I love WOW’ card which they must show to receive their discounts.

There is now a Paypal button on the website, or you can email subscriptions@wowkent.co.uk to join this very exclusive club!

WANTED,A, Young

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MAIDSINKI A PUBLIC ART PROJECT FOR LOVE ARCHITECTURE WEEK SAT 22 JUNE Maidstone’s Making Art Work is taking part in an international public art exchange project between Maidstone, Tallinn and Helsinki. Help create some designs that will be the inspiration for an international artwork to be realised in Helsinki (no experience necessary). Turn up between 4-6pm for the urban design workshop and see your designs projected outside at dusk from 9-10pm.

Venue: Stepping Stone Studios, Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX makingart-work.co.uk lovearchitecture.org

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SKILLED VOLUNTEERS WANTED! Stepping Stone Studios are looking for skilled volunteers to take on dynamic roles within the company. For information, please contact Emma@steppingstonestudios.co.uk

Do you have a Medway Vision?

Call for entries for new Medway Film Festival (6-13 September tbc) A host of independent Medway arts providers, including the excellent Medway Eyes, Creatabot, Rochester Film Society, Sun Pier House and TEA are coming together in a venture from indie filmmaker Mr Young to bring a new film festival to Medway.

Called MEDWAY VISIONS, the festival will promote independent filmmaking from around the world but emphasis will be placed on local upcoming filmmakers who have produced a short film or music video that needs to be seen.

To enter your short film please email mryoung@themoontheeye.co.uk. To enter a music video send a DVD to: Medway Eyes, c/o coFwd , 161 High Street, Rochester ME1.

Deadline for entries is Mon 1 July.

WOW IS A DOUBLE

NER AWARD-WINNING WIN

MAGAZINE!

WINNER Media Category, Medway Culture & Design Awards 2012

BEST CREATIVE BUSINESS, Kent Independent Traders Awards 2012

RECOLL MUSIC F ECT AIRS Sun 16 June: R

ain .30am-3 ham Mark So cial .30p free pa m. Entry £1, rking Sun 23 J Exchan une: Princes H ge, Roc hester all, Corn 10am-4 High Street, pm Free en . try Club, 9

WANT TO LEARN TO SALSA - FAST? KENT SUMMER ALL DAY SPECTACULAR is the answer! Sat 29 June, 12 noon to 2am Dance Junction, 681 Maidstone Road, Rochester ME1 3QJ

Dance workshops for all levels, live evening entertainment and top DJs. No partner needed.

Tickets: £20. Contact 07939 241105/07704 924925 for further details or visit latinessence.co.uk

ts Maidstone Ar Festival MONICA’S VINTAGE FAIR Sat 8 June, 10.30am-3.30pm The Woodville Theatre, Gravesend DA12 1DD

Admission £2, kids go free A veritable vintage feast. With countless stalls selling the real thing; 1940s swing from Swingtime Sweethearts; Medway Lindy Hoppers; pop-up beauty parlour and vintage tea. monicasvintagefair.com

ABC FAIR

(Art Exhibition, Bric-a-brac and Crafts) Sun 9 June 11am-5pm, entrance 50p St James’ Church, Bicknor Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 8AX

A charming event to raise funds to repair the church bells, Bicknor is a tiny hamlet in the beautiful countryside of the Kent Downs. Artists exhibiting include Liz Yardley. Escape into Kentish history, art and crafts in the tranquillity of rural Kent.

Maidstone Area Arts Partnership is promoting the Maidstone Arts Festival this summer, which seeks to build on their impressive range of traditional activities with 7 events taking place in Jubilee Square. These events are taking place under the banner of the newly formed Maidstone Town Team. Most Saturdays during the summer a different ‘genre’ takes the stage, and all have been planned with an emphasis on public participation.

Dates planned so far: June 8 - Knit in Public June 22 - Community Choirs June 29 - Jazz July 6 - Dance July 13 - Our Big Gig July 20 - Street Theatre While the weekend events in Maidstone Town Centre will be the core of the Festival, traditional summer offerings in June and July are also included. In June MVAN are organising the ever popular Art Trail, and Friends in Harmony, Maidstone Choral Union, Maidstone Operatic Society Concert Party, Maidstone Youth Music Society and The Maidstone Singers are giving concerts. In July, Bearsted Choral Society, the East Malling Singers, Sutton Valence Choral Society and The Maidstone Singers are all performing, plus Maidstone choirs are joining together for the Maidstone Choirs Festival Concert on 12 July.

SUE BATT: SOUTH EAST OPEN STUDIOS All are warmly invited to come and see current work and demonstrations of different printing techniques.

Studio open: 8, 9, 16 & 22 June between 11am and 4pm. Artist demonstrating June 9 & 16. 10 & 17 June, open between 1pm-4pm.

The Old Coach House Wierton Hill Boughton Monchelsea ME17 4JS suebattartwork.com

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Sunday 16 June 2013, 1.00pm – 4.00pm Find A Painted Landscape in Foliage with Andy Evans Explore the woods and fields, in search of views, and the materials to paint them with. Forage for chalk and clay, soil and grass, to mix the colours of your paint palette. Invent your brush, apply the paint, and make a genuine masterpiece!

Rochester’s friendly Designer Florist Same Day Delivery Funerals & Weddings Unique plants and gifts Online shop at sweetpeaandolive.co.uk

This FREE workshop is part of Plantlife’s postcard design competition, What Does Ranscombe Farm Reserve Mean to You? To book your place and for more information, call us on 01634 292062, e-mail ranscombe@ plantlife.org.uk or go to: www.facebook.com/RanscombeFarm

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

14-16 JUNE 2013 IT’S FREE, IT’S FABULOUS AND IT’S FUN:

FUSE MEDWAY FESTIVAL 2013 is nearly here!

WOW takes a look at the three, very different local arts projects that were awarded a Spark Commission to produce original work for this year’s Fuse

ONE: THE WORD SHED

(“the smallest writing retreat in the world, probably...”)

ME4Writers, a small but proven-to-be effective collective of Medwaybased writers formed by playwright Sam Hall in 2009, have come up with this brand new project for Fuse. In the run-up to the festival, the group have been busy holding ‘Wordshops’, fun creative writing workshops where people can be inspired to contribute to what will become a new publication which will be launched on the last day of the festival.

ME4Writers founder and playwright, Sam Hall, invites you to join them: “Come and visit The Word Shed, the world’s smallest writing retreat (probably), where inside, instead of seeds, pots and a lawnmower, you will find yourself in a blossoming, inspirational world of words. During the festival, visitors to The Word Shed will help create a new ME4Writers’ publication, which will be launched on the last day with live readings.

On the first two days, visitors will have the chance to add a poem or short story to ME4’s growing publication, on the third day, the writers will perform highlights from the new, nurtured and fully grown publication, and give away free copies.”

Next WordShop: Sat 8 June 1.30-3.30pm Chatham Library (places are free but booking is requested, on 01634 337799) ME4Writers were highly commended for their literature work in the community in last year’s Medway Culture and Design Awards. The group regularly plans projects and events, the most recent of which include ‘Letters Home’ an exhibition about where we live, and their ‘Poetrymon’ poetry treasure hunt game, played each year to celebrate National Poetry Day. Twitter: @wordshop me4wordshed.wordpress.com

TWO: THE SIRENS OF CETHAM This is a visually exciting, site specific dance performance on and around the Anchor, Chatham.

The piece has been conceived as part of a collaborative process involving the four disciplines of dance, costume design, music and visual art. In the making of ‘The Sirens of Cetham’, the site was allowed to inspire the costume and the costume, in its turn, to inform the choreography of the piece.

The project is co-ordinated by Rebecca Ashton, the founder of The Right Step dance company, a community dance company which has done great work providing dance opportunities for both young and old. “The audience will be immersed in the mythical world of the sea, the Siren’s world,” she explains. “The dancers will embody the Siren’s characters, strange creatures of the sea in human form, banished to a lone rock to live out their longings and desires for eternity. Costume designer Jatin Patel and her assistant Jayne Friend have created daring, structural feats of creativity that keep the Sirens connected to their rock, the anchor.”

A preview performance of ‘The Sirens of Cetham’ is also available for care homes for older adults in Medway. If you are interested in holding one, contact Rebecca at The Right Step at therightstepdc.co.uk.

The Anchor is in sight of Chatham Bus Station.

‘The Sirens of Cetham’ will be performing on Sat 15 June between 12 noon and 4.45pm.

THREE: DIZZY O’DARE PRESENTS … THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MR E Dizzy O’Dare Presents… sound like they have struck gold once again with the concept for their fantastic new show, ‘The Wonderful World of Mr E.” Artistic Director Alana Jones writes: “For the past month we have been working with some amazing artists, an award winning director and some excellent performers. We have also been followed by a Channel 4 TV show as we chop up a caravan to create our most ambitious piece of work to date.

The show is about Mr E, a traveller who goes on adventures into the world of imagination to collect weird and wonderful artefacts. To house his collection we have created an interactive museum of imagination, which has been decorated and filled with beautiful pieces from local artists.

To say this has been an ambitious project is an understatement, but the end is in sight and the results are looking fantastic! We can’t wait to see the response when ‘The Wonderful World of Mr E’ finally arrives at the Fuse Medway Festival!”

FUSE MEDWAY FESTIVAL 14-16 JUNE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Dizzy O’Dare Presents... specialise in new and innovative contemporary circus theatre. Artistic Directors Alana Jones and Michael Imerson are the award-winning creators of “The Tiny Travelling Tightwire Show!” and “From the Inky Deep”. This Spark Commission is also supported by Arts Council England.

FRIDAY

dizzyodare.com

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MR E… (see left)

Opening Parade: Gillingham High Street from 4.30pm

Performances at the Great Lines, Gillingham from 5.30pm include

CHUTNEY IN THE STREET! Enchanting story-telling via songs, dance and audience participation, cooked up in a spicy mix of soca guitars and percussion SATURDAY

CHATHAM STREET ART DAY – a plethora of free entertainment and free workshops

BOLLYWOOD SKILLS WORKSHOP with Chutney in the Street! following their performance at 8.30pm on the Waterfront , Chatham CONTEMPORARY DANCE workshop with C-12’s Trolleys following their second performance at 4pm ROCHESTER CASTLE MOAT: Don’t miss this one on Saturday night.

French company Transe Express present MOBILE HOMME, a human mobile of drummers raised 200ft above the crowd…

SUNDAY

THE BIG PICNIC, Rochester Castle Gardens from 12 noon. Workshops, performances, children’s activities and entertainment all day

FESTIVAL FINALE at 5pm: Lost in Translation Circus presents a brilliant aerial show LA BALLADE DE BERGERAC fusefestival.org.uk

WOW GIVEAWAY

FUSE EXTRA! CREATABOX Endlessly creative online arts magazine and events planner, Creatabot, AKA Natasha Steer, has come up with a fantastic idea, to be unveiled at this month’s Fuse Medway Festival on 15 June.

CreataboX is Medway’s first art vending machine!

If you would like to contribute some tiny creations (the vending machine balls are 9cm in diameter), please email natasha@creatabot.co.uk. Items can include art pieces, knitting, poetry, stories, music on memory cards and anything inspiring that can fit into the ball. Creatives are being asked to include information about themselves in the ball as this is a great opportunity for promotion.

RADIOZOUND Presents a unique Round Ship Radio broadcast onboard Light Vessel 21 Gillingham Pier, Pier Approach Rd, Gillingham ME7 1RX

11am – 4pm on Friday 14 June Jane Pitt, in association with LV21, is collaborating with a range of artists, radio buffs & residents to create this unique audio project to produce exclusive ‘radiozoundscapes’ and sonic adventures.

Bite sized samples of the live event will be uploaded as a new podcast each day from 8-14 June at: www.janepitt.co.uk/radiozound Come aboard on Friday 14 June and tune in to the main event on one of the on deck listening devices or bring your own fm transistor.

Win tickets to see celebrated children’s author Michael Rosen in his hilarious show at the Hazlitt Arts Centre on 21 June AND a signed copy of his book!

WOW has a fantastic Giveaway this month, with no less than 3 pairs of tickets on offer to CENTRALLY HEATED KNICKERS, Michael Rosen’s brilliant show based on his book of the same name. Winners will also receive a copy of the book signed by the great man himself.

Packed full of Rosen’s much loved poetry, Centrally Heated Knickers engages in a flight of musical fancy to address many of life’s important questions such as What Am I, Where Am I and How Does it All Work?

Through poetry, puppetry and a live band– this full to bursting, family friendly show brings out the fun side of the often complex and confusing world of science. With the audience’s help, Rosen and this accompanying band of eclectic musicians discover how ears work, how music is made and even how a spot of electric circuit building can help keep our knickers warm!

All ages welcome: the show links with the Stage 2 Science National Curriculum (7-11).

To enter, please email competitions@wowkent.co.uk with your name, address and telephone number no later than 5pm on Monday 17 June.

Michael Rosen’s Centrally Heated Knickers ADVENTURES IN SCIENCE AND SOUND Hazlitt Arts Centre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL Friday 21 June 1.30pm & 5pm. Tickets: £10 Concs £8.50 Groups 10+ £8 Ages: 7- 107! Box office: 01622 758611 hazlittartscentre.co.uk

FILM CENTRAL THEATRE ‘AFTERNOON TREAT’

170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338

JEZEBEL (U) 1938 Tue 18 June 2.30pm Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Bent Matinee screening of Bette Davis classic. £4 (includes hot drink and teacake). 106 mins medwayticketslive.co.uk

Catholic Church while the actors’ lives begin to mirror the Passion itself. 119 mins with KING COAL Dir: Julius Pinschewer (1948) Witty cartoon made in Berne for the British National Coal Board. 3 mins medwayfilmsociety.org.uk

CINEWORLD

Medway Valley Leisure Park, Chariot Way, Strood ME2 2SS. 0871 200 2000

Regular screenings of live opera and theatre performances from around the world arrive at the cinema via a live feed. They include interviews with the principals, behind the scenes shots and explanations.

Adult: £10.50, concs available GLOBE ON SCREEN: HENRY V (PG) Mon 3 June 1pm and 7pm Dominic Dromgoole’s production of Shakespeare’s masterpiece of the turbulence of war and the art of peace, live from London’s Globe Theatre. 168 mins cineworld.co.uk MEDWAY FILM SOCIETY – NEW SEASON of 16mm prints The Brook, Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE Members can join for the whole year or for shorter seasons to see films at reduced rates. Nonmembers are welcome to attend single shows for £6.50 (concessions £5.50). For full details see medwayfilm.org.uk or contact MFS Secretary on 020 7638 0012 or email medwayfilm@tiscali.co.uk Next screening: JESUS OF MONTREAL (1989) Fri 5 July 7.45pm Dir: Denys Arcand Cast: Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Rémy Girard Deft, Cannes prize-winning satire: a group of actors put on an unorthodox, acclaimed Passion Play which incites the opposition of the

PAUL GREENGRASS CINEMA

The Woodville, Gravesend DA12 1DD 01474 33774

Central Theatre, Chatham, in association with the Rochester Film Society. (facebook.com/ rochesterfilmsociety) Introduction and post-film discussion over a complimentary drink hosted by programmer Nick Walker. £7, concs £5, includes free drink.

JEZEBEL (U) 1938 Mon 17 June 7.30pm Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Bent See Nick Walker’s article opposite.

106 mins medwayticketslive.co.uk STEPPING STONE STUDIOS

Popular pop-up cinema in the main auditorium, showing a wide variety of films from all over the world, from great British classics to recent favourites. Thursday 11am Club, £3 (incl pre-movie drink and biscuit).

Family Film club £2 (accompanying adult free). Wheelchair users – carers go free. All other movies £4.50.

Every Tuesday is “big film day” featuring top movies from 2012 with three showings at 1pm, 4pm and 7.30pm. On Saturdays a family film morning starts at 10am. Occasional Sunday Asian film screenings take place at 3pm and 7pm. Visit woodville.co.uk for full programme, or call the box office.

2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX

ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY

STAND UP GUYS (Cert tbc) Comedy with Al Pacino and Christopher Walken (a must, then, really) Rel 28 June

Chatham Odeon Cinema, Maritime ME4 4LL 0871 2244 007

The Rochester Film Society’s screenings occur every Thursday at 7.45pm. There is always an introduction to the screening followed by a post film discussion over a glass of wine. £8.60/£6.50.

For the June programme please visit their Facebook page at facebook. com/rochesterfilmsociety SCREEN CLASSICS

Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338

A monthly celebration of classic cinema on the big screen at the

TUESDAY CINEMA CLUB Showing a selection of underground, art-house cinema. Every Tuesday from 7pm.

See Facebook page for programme or pick up a leaflet from around town. FREE SELECTED JUNE RELEASES: BEHIND THE CANDELABRA (15) Steven Soderbergh’s look at the life of Liberace starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Rel 7 June HUMMINGBIRD (Cert tbc) Thriller from the ‘Eastern Promises’ team set in London. Rel 28 June

Showing at the following: ODEON CHATHAM 0871 224 4007. odeon.co.uk ODEON MAIDSTONE 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk ROCHESTER CINEWORLD 0871 200 2000. cineworld.co.uk THE ROYAL CINEMA Box Office: 01795 591211 royalcinema.co.uk SHOWCASE BLUEWATER 0871 220 1000 showcasecinemas.co.uk/bluewater

CLASSIC PREVIEWS BY NICK WALKER, ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY

JEZEBEL

Comparisons are inevitable between ‘Jezebel’ and ‘Gone With the Wind’, another period Southern drama released but one year later starring a wilful young woman caught in romantic triangles.

In fact, studio head Jack Warner’s specific intent was to get ‘Jezebel’ into theatres before David O. Selznick’s ‘Gone With the Wind’. He succeeded and rode in on the wave of publicity that was framing the country at the time! Hollywood legend states that Davis was given this role as consolation for not being cast as Scarlett O’Hara but that could be fiction given the studio’s publicity machine.

Bette Davis received her second and last Best Actress Academy Award (at the age of 29) playing Julie Marsden, a stubborn Southern belle who must have her way, controlling those around her with tragic results, for example Henry Fonda who plays Preston Dillard, the suitor who tries to tame her, with great stoicism (he was so well-suited for the role.)

‘Jezebel’ is quite marvellous as both character study and sly social commentary. The take on nobility and the stupidity of wealthy Southern culture is well drawn and poignant. William Wyler’s direction is sure and experienced, and the writers (one of whom was director-in-waiting John Huston) show considerable respect to the source Owen Davis play.

‘Jezebel’ rejects both the limited role of a refined Southern woman and the parochial, self-serving views of the Southern man. The film is of course Bette’s show, and she earns her plaudits here as the spirited, fiery and spoilt southern belle. Even when the story becomes stale in the third act, Julie remains a fully compelling character, thanks to Davis’s riveting performance.

The film screening is hosted by the Rochester Film Society at the Central Theatre, Chatham on Monday 17 June at 7pm as part of the Screen Classics season. The ticket price includes a free drink.

A C C AT T O N E Pier Paolo Pasolini was in many respects a Renaissance man – he wrote and directed films as well as writing essays, poetry and novels. His first film, ‘Accattone’ was based on his own novel and its violent depiction of the life of a pimp in the slums of Rome was more than a little controversial on its release. Pasolini was a controversial figure, describing himself as a Marxist atheist homosexual, suspended from his teaching position for publicly courting adolescent and young adult male prostitutes.

He made many controversial films in his career: ‘Pigsty’, ‘Theorum’, and the ever-fascinating look at Fascism via Marquis de Sade, ’Salo’, come to mind. He was actually arrested in 1962, when his contribution to the portmanteau film ‘Ro.Go.Pa.G.’ (made with Jean Luc Godard, Ugo Gregoretti and Roberto Rossellini in 1963) was considered blasphemous, and given a suspended sentence.

‘Accattone’ was condemned for treating amoral characters sympathetically and for “contaminating” the sacred with the profane, interpreted as something of a renewal of the neo-realism of De Sica and Rossellini and the related social protests. It was filmed on location, used non-professional actors, and employs a gritty documentary-like style – it is a series of vignettes rather than a continuous narrative.

The film, which gave future director Bernardo Bertolucci an opportunity as assistant director, and with score dominated by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, is a poet’s lyrical expression of hopelessness and despair, not a social activist’s plea for political action although it does depict an underclass caught in a vicious circle of criminality and poverty. It is a great film…

‘Jezebel’ is screened as part of the Screen Classics season at the Central Theatre, Chatham, in association with Rochester Film Society at 7.30pm. Ticket price includes a free drink.

For more information on both screenings, please visit: www. facebook.com/rochesterfilmsociety

WOW magazine, in happy partnership with Rochester Independent College and University of Kent School of Arts is thrilled to announce the launch of

Head Judge: Ralph Steadman INTRODUCING THE RALPH STEADMAN SCHOLARSHIP

Many months in the planning, The Best of… Art Competition launches this month with some out of the ordinary prizes and the blessing of internationally renowned artist, illustrator and cartoonist, Ralph Steadman, who has most wonderfully agreed to be our head judge. The artist has also kindly agreed to lend his name to the Ralph Steadman Art and Design Scholarship, which is being offered by Rochester Independent College in celebration of their new Art and Design building opening in 2014. The scholarship will give one lucky winner a full, 100% scholarship to study A Levels at the College, or a bursary of £2000 per year for three years as financial support to help fund their visual arts degree. It is an amazing thought that entering this competition really could change an aspiring artist’s life.

The competition aims to encourage artists from ages eight to eighty plus in interpreting the wide and all-embracing theme of NOW. There are four categories and some astounding prizes, not least an original, framed Ralph Steadman ‘Thought Sheet’ for the adult winner and a day’s use of the fantastic facilities of the School of Arts Boiler House.

Winning entries will also have a public exhibition which will open to coincide with Medway Open Studios Winter Festival in December and which will also show in one of the wonderful venues at the School of Arts site in Chatham Dockyard.

Entry to the competition is open to both professional and aspiring artists, as well as children from the age of eight. If you would like to submit an entry, in any medium, please pick up an application form soon from related outlets, or download an application form with Competition Rules and full details of the Ralph Steadman Scholarship from wowkent.co.uk or from rochester-college.org.

NOT LIKE THE OTHERS WOW’s editor, Emma Dewhurst, reflects on meeting Ralph Steadman The first full page illustration reproduced in the excellent catalogue printed to accompany ‘STEADman @77’, the major exhibition now showing at the Cartoon Museum in London to celebrate the artist’s work (and birthday) is a shouting mouth proclaiming I AM NOT LIKE THE OTHERS. No, Mr Ralph Steadman is not. In fact, going on one hour-and-twenty-minutes-long telephone call with the great man, and a gift of a morning in his presence, I am here to vouchsafe that Ralph Steadman is not like anyone else I have ever met. That, I have come to understand, is the point about this most treasured artist, illustrator, cartoonist, poet, thinker and raconteur. That, and his staggeringly affecting, gut-wrenching line.

As a young actress on tour with Field Day Theatre Company in Ireland, I once sat at the feet, literally, of poet Seamus Heaney; and on the same tour I shared a stage with acting genius Stephen Rea and bumped regularly into playwright Brian Friel as he hovered in the wings. As a child, my mother took me to watch Marlene Dietrich sing and James Mason came to dinner. Most recently, I was at a wrap party when Meryl Streep walked in.

All greats in their time. All touched with that rare something which stays with you long after they have left your ether.

You might walk past Ralph Steadman in a bar – but you’d sure as hell stop once he started talking.

And if I had not had a home to go to the day we went to visit I’d still be wandering his studio today. Because there is something bettering about meeting individuals as talented as Ralph Steadman, something good and heart-changing, if you let it. I felt this happen to me as he leafed through vast piles of thick white sheets for us, covered with the Steadman line: in ink, in colour, always in passion; and as I quickly snapped the ink-spattered wall he works before, small black and white photograph of erstwhile partner in art and crime, legendary American journalist Hunter S Thompson, tucked into the corner of an old frosted mirror.

And who knows what it was that kept Ralph talking, the day we spoke for the first time, on the ‘phone. But that conversation changed me, too, all thoughts of the planning of the competition banished by the hilarious, anecdotal banter and tangential tale-telling from Ralph which kept me falling about for more than an hour.

What is it that fills the hearts of people such as Ralph, these gifted souls I have had the privilege to encounter? In his case, I’d say it is his regard for life and contempt for that which is wrong with it, both of which inhabit his work in equal measure, along with an anger, a gentleness and a wisdom acquired via a life well-lived. Whatever it is makes his genius all the more special.

We are honoured, and most blessed, that Ralph Steadman said ‘yes’ the day we went to call..

STEADMAN @77 is a major exhibition of more than 100 works currently showing at the Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH (to 8 September). cartoonmuseum.org FOR NO GOOD REASON, a documentary about Ralph Steadman made by Charlie Paul over some ten plus years and starring Steadman, Johnny Depp and others is to be released later this year. fornogoodreason.com ralphsteadman.com

NT DE EN T A EP SE N UR ND RE HA YO T I A E T TO EA TS OR IR …

GR GH M A TS O NI G ESH IGH TW UB RIN FR N CL O B LE ING T T C LIT AN D

SAM FROUDIST GETS READY TO PARTY

First up, and launching with a bang on 21 June as part of the regeneration of the newly managed Tap ‘N’ Tin, alternative club night Whip the Snake is the brainchild of DJs Henry Zoonka and Dan Aloba (aka DCLCUD), who will also be manning the decks.

WHIP THE SNAKE is an unashamed call out to “disco dancers, acid house veterans, grown up indie kids, new blood, students, social butterflies, the brave, the loving and the insane”, in a bid to bring new and somewhat genre-confused music and remixes of the classics to the Medway music crowd.

With the entire top floor of the Tap ‘N’ Tin to play with, Zoonka is creating a perfectly self-contained night, the antidote to repetitive mainstream clubs where the musically inclined come away both crashingly bored and with a 15% hearing loss. Whip the Snake tips its hat to an incredibly wide range of music, not in the least limited

to disco, post punk, soul, acid house, indie dance and “music that has no name”.

My sources tell me that Zoonka has been responsible for some pretty electrifying nights back in the heyday of the Tap. Based on his supporting set at TEA’s Grandmaster Flash and the latest collaboration with DCLCUD, I have no doubt that Whip the Snake has the potential to be the club night of brilliance you can only later describe by how it made you feel.

Over at the BEACON COURT TAVERN in Gillingham, Cameron Straughan’s newly relaunched audio visual extravaganza Performance, also looks set to be one of the best kinds of alternative nights out, for the best kind of alternative people.

In a “serendipitous partnership” with the Beacon Court, Straughan will be screening cult classic films – one particularly noteworthy inclusion is Mick Jagger’s acting debut

‘Performance’ – and a mix of alternative tracks from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

Inspired by Medway’s range of quirky genre nights, Straughan tells me that the scene here feels more underground than London or Brighton, which “can be more interesting and a bit more heartfelt”.

Expect a sensory overload of The Doors, Nancy Sinatra, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Talking Heads, Alice Cooper and the author’s personal obsession, David Bowie.

But it’s a fine line, he tells me, between the spectacle of the night and playing music that people actually want to dance to. “I try to play [tracks] that are fun and not too serious. It’s a balance between the arty, the obscure and the danceable”.

Performance is about doing away with the self-conscious milling about, and going all out on the dance floor to music you feel in your soul.

What particularly delights me about these club nights is that both Performance

and Whip the Snake bring people and music together to dance, to have fun, to reminisce and to make new memories.

Both nights are about being inclusive; and Zoonka himself puts it perfectly: “Let’s remember what it is to go out and dance… to be a part of those nights that make you feel alive and inspire you to go out into the world and do good things”.

Whip the Snake: Tap ‘N’ Tin, 26 Railway Street, Chatham, ME4 4JT. Launch night: 21 June from 10pm. Free entry. Then 3rd Friday of the month thereafter. facebook. com/WhipTheSnake.

Performance: The Beacon Court Tavern, 1 Copenhagen Road ME7 4RY, Gillingham.

Next night: 5 July from 8pm. Free entry.

Find “Performance Club Night” on Facebook events.

Burrswood Hospital invites you to their Charity Fundraiser

UNIQUE CHILDREN’S GIFTS, CLOTHING AND TOYS FIND US WITHIN COPENHAGEN BLUE

EXCLUSIVE OPEN GARDEN & TRADITIONAL AFTERNOON TEA WITH MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT Saturday 22nd June at 3pm

at Bishopscourt, 24 St Margaret’s Street, Rochester, ME1 1TS

f

t

78 High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1JD M: 07815 206218 Website coming soon: www.mini-mi.co.uk

Bishop James and Mrs Langstaff have kindly opened the gates of Bishopscourt in aid of Burrswood Hospital. Explore the beautiful gardens, enjoy a full afternoon tea and musical entertainment. Plants will also be on sale. Tickets £25. To book please telephone 01892 865982. www.burrswood.org.uk

Photos: Phil Dillon

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE TAKING MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS… An energetic band of music promoters have done just that: the result is HOMESPUN, an independent music festival launching in July PHIL DILLON fills us in Sometimes the obvious things in life only become apparent once attention is drawn to them. Aristotle famously observed that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and he was on to something. It seems that the independent music promoters Medway Eyes, Motherboy, Suburban Kings and Tea concerts were also on to something when they came up with the idea for Homespun, an independent music festival that takes place in July.

After all, Medway’s music scene is thriving. It’s probably healthier now than it’s ever been, with a diverse array of excellent bands and artists, many of whom frequently receive airplay on BBC 6 Music and coverage in the music press, in magazines such as Artrocker and Shindig.

There’s a supportive community that knows this, and the Homespun team felt that it was time to create something big enough to pull it all together in a way that might bring much of Medway’s excellent music to a broader audience.

The idea is simple. By pooling their experience and resources (and with a little help from their friends), the Homespun team is aiming to deliver a cluster of complementary but distinctive gigs over Friday 12 and Saturday 13 July, with a sneak preview scheduled for Wednesday 10th. The line-up is still being painstakingly assembled, but already looks to be a strong blend of local and guest talent with Crybaby Special, Pity Party, Theatre Royal, Broken Banjo, Frau Pouch, Honey Ride Me A Goat, These Guilty Men and a specially reformed The Claim amongst the bands announced at the beginning of May; and the likes of The Parade, The Len Price 3, The Love Family, Gravenhurst , The Sans Pareil , Tape Error and Black Lion Courtiers among those anticipated to have confirmed by the time you read this.

There will be at least six venues involved, with Rochester’s the Eagle, The Gordon House Hotel, Singapora Lounge, The Nag’s Head, the Billabong Club and the Barge, Gillingham already confirmed. The majority of gigs will be free, but some will be modestly priced. Oh, and Hand of Stabs will be playing outdoors at 1pm on the Saturday – map coordinates to be released in due course.

Homespun’s initial aim is simply to provide a broad choice of excellent music, concentrated over a couple of days. The team is deliberately starting on a modest scale this time around and, while bigger isn’t necessarily always better, it’s possible that Homespun may expand next year if that seems like the right thing to do (to paraphrase the website’s succinctly written blurb page).

You can find out more at the Homespun website, where you’ll find links to enable you to keep abreast of news and developments via Facebook and Twitter, as well as the latest information about the festival line up. homespunmedway.com

MUSIC THE BARGE 63 Layfield Road, Gillingham ME7 2QY

Doors 7pm, music 8.30pm. Free entry BARDS @ THE BARGE OPEN MIC Wed 5 June BEN JONES & THE RIFLE VOLUNTEERS Album Launch + support Fri 7 June FATE THE JUGGLER Sat 8 June ROBERT BROWN Wed 12 June GAFFER & HORSE Sat 15 June MATCHSTICK PEOPLE + TBC Wed 19 June STUART TURNER & THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY Sat 22 June KING SIZE SLIM Wed 26 June bargepub.co.uk BROOK THEATRE

Old Town Hall, 5 The Brook, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

KING PLEASURE AND THE BISCUIT BOYS Tue 4 June 8pm. High energy swing band. £13 ATONGO ZIMBA AND HIS AFRICAN BAND Sat 22 June 7.30pm. The Kalabash lute comes to Medway. £12 (concs avail) medwayticketslive.co.uk

COMMAND HOUSE (OUTDOOR STAGES)

Gun Wharf, Dock Road, ME4 4TX 01634 828181

LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM Sat 22 and Sun 23 June. Awardwinning, family friendly festival back for its 7th year. HOBO JONES & THE JUNKYARD DOGS and CHARLOTTE ROSE ELLIS headline. lovemusichateracism-medway. co.uk DRAKES

9 Fairmeadow, Maidstone ME14 1JP 01622 600056

JUNIOR MOORE AND THE INEVITABLE FEAR Thu 6 June, 8.30pm. Free Entry

44TWO SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB Featherby Road, Gillingham ME8 6AN 01634 405037

DONN BARCOTT BAND Thu 13 June 8.30PM. Big band with guest vocals. Raffle & bar. £6 (no membership required) RECOMMENDED: LV21 Lightship Gillingham Pier, Pier Approach Road, Gillingham ME7 1RX

RADIOZOUND Fri 14 June, 11am4pm. Masterminded by sound artist Jane Pitt, a unique Round Ship Radio broadcast transmitting live on deck and shore. ‘Radiozoundscapes’ specially created with the people of Medway. janepitt.co.uk/radiozound.

Twitter:@RADIOZOUND

NAGS HEAD

292 High Street, Rochester ME1 1HS

MOTHERBOY PRESENTS: TRCiS, GUS FRING, PUNCHING SWANS. Tue 7 June, 8pm Free entry THE RAFTERS

62-63 High Street, Maidstone ME14 1SR

SWING AFTER PARTY Fri 14 June til 4am.

ELECTRO SWING DJ, THE SOUNDCASTERS Swing set. £5 entry, £2 beer TWISTED ROOTS NIGHT Fri 21 June, 9pm DAVID MIGDEN & THE DIRTY WORDS, SILVER LACES, FUNKE & THE TWO TONE BABY. Entry TBC

MOTE HALL

Maidstone Leisure Centre, Mote Park, Maidstone ME15 7RN

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL

MAIDSTONE CHORAL UNION AND FAVERSHAM CHORAL SOCIETY Sat 22 June, 7.30pm Verdi’s Requiem with specially assembled orchestra. Tickets £7-16 from Ticket Secretary 01622 726193 (email: Freda@me169lb.fsnet.co.uk); Maidstone Leisure Centre Booking Office on 0845 1552277 or Maidstone Museum on 01622 602169. maidstonechoralunion.org.uk

JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET Sat 22 June, 8pm. Performance of his new album ‘Closer to the Moon’. Tickets £10 from medwayticketslive.co.uk

MEDWAYS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC GILLINGHAM PARK Sat 22 June, 1pm onwards BLEW TUBES AND THE 144CLUB HOUSE MUSICIANS playing as part of Ethnic Diversity Day. Event also includes a stage dedicated to World Music.

SINGAPORA LOUNGE

HASTINGS ARMS FUNCTION ROOM

DODGY JAMMERS JAM NIGHT Every Wednesday 8pm. Open mic.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON POP UP JAZZ CLUB – see opposite steppingstonestudios.co.uk

Lower Rainham Rd (leading to Danes Hill), Gillingham

ROCHESTER SWING PRESERVATION SOCIETY Thu 27 June. With Ella Fitzgerald style vocalist, Jenny Howe. £5. Free parking. Reservations: 01634 712217.

Find them on Facebook ‘Rochester Swing Preservation Society’.

Rochester, ME1 1SX

LONDON WELSH MALE VOICE CHOIR Sat 29 June 7pm. With soprano solo by Hannah Boulton and organ solo by Scott Farrell. £25, £20 & £10 (restricted view) from 01634 810074. rochestercathedral.org

51 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LN

MOTHERBOY PRESENTS: FRAU POUCH, MOURNING BIRDS, RAGWEED Fri 21 June, 8pm Free entry STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX

STYLE & WINCH

72 Union Street, Maidstone ME14 1ED 01622 752351

THE SOUNDCASTERS, THE JACS Fri 14 June, 8pm. Free entry

Sponsored listing

EASY LISTENING: Music to wine and dine to Award-winning 144Club

SUNDAY ROAST LUNCH AT THE LARKFIELD PRIORY HOTEL 802 London Rd, Maidstone ME20 6HJ (next to B&Q, free parking)

Sun 2 June, doors 12.45pm for 1.15pm: SARAH ELLEN HUGHES and full band including Dorian Ford, actor/ pianist from ‘Mrs Henderson Presents.’

One of the best performing singers in the UK, Sarah is moving abroad in July, so catch her now! Tickets £26 with 2 course, £30 with 3 course meal (full roast menu).

THE ROFFEN

41 New Rd, Rochester ME1 1DX

Wed 12 June, doors 7.15pm for reception, meals and bar for 8.15pm start: MALCOLM EARLE-SMITH, Brian Ferry’s trombonist plus full band including trumpeter Matt Gough, pianist Rob Barron, bassist Andre Messeder and percussionist Roan Kearsey-Lawson. Tickets £13 or £23 with 2 course, £28 with 3 course meal.

For tickets please call 01634 365453 or go to 144club.co.uk

KENT

Ale

WORLD. FOLK. ROOTS & BLUES JUNE 2013 Sun 2nd: Jam Night Tues 4th: Ukulele Jam Night Wed 5th: Hot Rats Duo Thurs 6th: Tener Duende

“JAVA JAM” (www.javajam.biz)

Sun 9th: Jam Night Wed 12th: Selkie Thurs 13th: Glenn Barnes and Question 17, with guest appearance from Chris (Arthur) Allen Sun 16th: Jam Night

Every 2nd Friday

Tues 18th: Quiz Night Wed 19th: Bandit Willie Thurs 20th: David Celia Sun 23rd: Jam Night Wed 26th: The Alpaca Social Club (NZ) Thurs 27th: tbc. (something lively) Sun 30th: Jam Night

14th June 7pm £8 £20 with dinner and wine

6-8 JOHN ST, ROCHESTER TEL: 07772 214315 WWW.THEMANOFKENT.COM

COMEDY BILLABONG CLUB

Royal Function Rooms, Star Hill, Rochester ME1 1XB

DIANE SPENCER + DANIEL SIMONSEN Thu 27 June, doors open 7.30pm, comedy 8pm. £9 in advance from the Billabong Club; Dot Café at 172 High Street Rochester or from wegottickets.com. £12 with flyer on door. Groups of 6+ can claim one free ticket. billabongcomedyclub.co.uk BROOK THEATRE

Old Town Hall, The Brook, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

COMEDY CLUB Mon 3 June and Mon 1 July, 8pm. With some of the stand-up circuit’s finest.

For 18 years + only. £10, £9 (Comedy Club members) medwayticketslive.co.uk COMEDY ZOO

Nucleus Arts, 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108

Thurs 27 June, 7.30pm for 8pm start. With licensed café. comedyzoo.eventbrite.co.uk HAZLITT COMEDY NIGHTS

Exchange Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611

JO BRAND – WORK IN PROGRESS Wed 19 June 8pm. National comedian returns to stand up, developing new material. £13 hazlittartscentre.co.uk

MARLOWE THEATRE

The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787

THE MARLOWE COMEDY CABARET (STUDIO) 1 and 29 June 8.15pm. Comedy and quirky cabaret (includes adult themes & language) £13 marlowetheatre.com (booking charges applies via internet) THE STILE BRIDGE PUB

Staplehurst Rd, Marden, TN12 9BH 01622 831236

STAND UP SUNDAY Sun 23 June 8pm. Featuring rising talent of the comedy circuit. £5, tickets in advance. stilebridge.co.uk THE WOODVILLE

Woodville Place, Gravesend DA12 1DD 01474 337774

LAUGHING BOY COMEDY CLUB PRESENTS MIKE WILMOTT Thu 20 June 8pm. Canadian comic and Time Out Comedy Award winner. £10 woodville.co.uk

T H E AT R E FUSE FESTIVAL – Medway’s flagship free arts festival – see Feature. A plethora of outdoor performances in Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester 14-16 June fusefestival.org.uk

JOKING WITH INTENT

The Good Intent, 3 John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL

OPEN MIC COMEDY CLUB First Thursday of the month. Next gigs: Thu 6 June & 4 July 8-10pm. £2 admission. Find Joking with Intent on Facebook LARKFIELD PRIORY HOTEL

London Road, Larkfield ME20 6HJ 01732 846858

Edinburgh Fringe preview: JAVIER JARQUIN + TANIA EDWARDS Fri 14 June, restaurant opens 6.30pm (£24.95 inc meal and drink, advance booking only) comedy 8pm. £10 inc drink voucher (in adv) or £10 on the door. larkfieldprioryhotel.com

HAZLITT THEATRE

Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611

THE HOMEMADE ORCHESTRA PRESENTS: CENTRALLY HEATED KNICKERS Fri 21 June 1.30 and 5pm. An adventure in science and sound with legendary children’s poet Michael Rosen. See this month’s Giveaway. £10 VALLEY PARK SCHOOL PRESENTS: MISS SAIGON (School Edition) 25-29 June 7.30pm. The school is renowned for the extraordinary performances it produces from its students. See opposite for prices. hazlittartscentre.co.uk MARLOWE THEATRE

The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787

PROPELLER PRESENTS: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW 25-29 June 7.30pm, Sat mat 2pm. From £11. TWELFTH NIGHT 26-29 June 7.30pm, Thu mat 1pm. From £11 BIRDSONG 3-8 June 7.30pm, Thu and Sat mat 2.30pm. Sebastian Faulke’s tragic story of war torn love.

From £13 THE MARLOWE STUDIO: ABLUTIONS Thur 13 June 2pm and 8pm. Award winning FellSwoop Theatre’s dark and witty drama set on the west coast of America. £12 HERE IS WHERE WE MEET 18-22 June 8pm, Thurs mat 2pm. The Marlowe’s first resident company in a new production inspired by John Berger’s book. £7 marlowetheatre.com (booking charges applies via internet) ORCHARD THEATRE

BROOK THEATRE

Old Town Hall, The Brook, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

CABARET OF CURIOSITIES: BURLESQUE SPECIAL Fri 28 June 8pm - 3 glamorous burlesque acts (not suitable for under 16’s) Tickets £11 ICON YOUTH THEATRE SHOWCASE Wed 26 June 7.30pm – 3 plays written, directed and performed by young people aged 7-19. £5 medwayticketslive.co.uk

Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000

JIMMY GREAVES: AT 70 TOUR. Wed 19 June 7.30pm. Tales from a long career in football including Q and A session. £18.50 plus booking fees orchardtheatre.co.uk WILTONS MUSIC HALL

1 Graces Alley (off Ensign St) London E1 8JB 020 77022789

FOUR FARCES 18-27 June – see News pages wiltons.org.uk

VALLEY PARK SCHOOL PRESENTS

Performing at the

HAZLITT THEATRE

Earl Street • Maidstone • Kent • ME14 1PL

Tuesday 25th June to Saturday 29th June 2013

at 7.30pm T CKETS:

Tuesday 25th June – Preview Night – All Tickets £6.00 All other Performances: Adults: £12.50 • Children: £7.50 Performed entirely by students Music by CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHÖNBERG Lyrics by RICHARD MALTBY JR & ALAIN BOUBLIL Adapted from the original French lyrics by ALAIN BOUBLIL Additional material by RICHARD MALTBY JR Orchestrations by WILLIAM DAVID BROHN Original Stage Production by CAMERON MACKINTOSH School Edition specially adapted & licensed by JOSEF WEINBERGER LTD On behalf of MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL & CAMERON MACKINTOSH

Family Ticket - 2 Adults & 2 Children: £35.00 Group Rate - 1 FREE ticket for every 10 purchased!

To book please call Box Office: 07805 178664

Michael Rosen’s Centrally Heated Kickers Friday 21 June 1.30pm & 5pm

Join us on an exciting adventure through science.

What am I? Where am I? How does it all work?

A new production performed by legendary children’s poet Michael Rosen with songs, grooves and flights of fancy from the Homemade Orchestra.

Ages 7+ (science curriculum links for ages 7- 11)

BOOK TODAY! Tickets £10 Concs £8.50 Groups 10+ £8

Box Office: 01622 758611 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk

Great People, Great Place, Great Opportunity

VISUAL ART ART OPEN WEEKEND

Thistle Cottage 5 Vale Road, Loose, Maidstone ME15 0EP 01622 747547

Sat 8 & Sun 9 June, 10.30am to 4.30pm Artist RUTH HOMDEN opens her studio to show recent work including collage and stitch pieces. ruthhomden.co.uk

NUCLEUS ARTS

272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108

Gallery opens Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11-4pm. Free entry TREES AND WOOD Sat 1-Thu 13 June nucleus-arts.com Sponsored listing

BELOW 65 GALLERY

Gilbert & Clark Frame & Print 65 High Street, Maidstone ME14 1SR 01622 685146

Open 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat MVAN - Personal Journeys Sat 1 June - Sat 29 June. Diverse group show by members of Maidstone Visual Artists Network in a variety of mediums, including Textiles, Photography, Painting, Mixed Media and Collage. mvan.info. Free entry gilbertandclark.com FRANCIS ILES GALLERY

103 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 843081

Opens Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm JEREMY SANDERS continues to Sat 15 June. SUMMER EXHIBITION FEATURING THE ARTISTS OF RUSSIA Opens Fri 21 June.

Free entry francis-iles.com HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE

11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174

KEITH BARRELL NDD.ATC . (LON) A retrospective and up to date selection of abstract art KCC COUNTY HALL, County Hall, Maidstone ME14 1XQ

Tue 4 – Thu 27 June, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Keith Barrell is a trained sculptor with a long and impressive career in Art Education. In 2010 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease but continues to work in his studio every day. The exhibition hopes to highlight that art as a form of therapy can help make every day count for someone with the disease.

Pictured is the artwork that will be donated as a raffle prize, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Society of Kent.

WOW magazine has decided to donate its fee for this Featured Listing to the same charity. kbarts.co.uk

ROCHESTER ART GALLERY

Medway Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 338319

Mon-Sun 10am-5pm KALEIDOSCOPE – Printed Textiles

by NEIL BOTTLE To Sat 13 Jul. Exquisite printed textiles. Free entry FREE FAMILY TEXTILE COLLAGE WORKSHOPS by UCA students.

Sat 29 June, 10.30-12.30pm or 1.303.30pm. Suitable for accompanied children aged 7+ SOUTH EAST OPEN STUDIOS 7-23 June Artists and makers throw open their studio doors. For more details see seos-art.org STROOD LIBRARY FOYER GALLERY

32 Bryant Rd, Strood, Rochester.

Mon 3-Sat 29 June, normal library opening times ROCHESTER AND WEST KENT SOCIETY’S SUMMER ART EXHIBITION Free entry.

UPDOWN GALLERY

Satis House, 11 Elms Ave, Ramsgate.

CT11 9BW 01843 588181

Tue - Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11-6pm.

Mon by appointment MARTIN FIDLER - CHANGING HORIZONS To Sat 15 June. Solo exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture. Free entry. Also, THE RUSKIN WALKS, four artist-led walking workshops during June, £25 each. See ruskinwalks.wordpress. com. updowngallery.co.uk

27 June-2 July (Private view 26 June, 6-8pm) 9-6pm daily LET’S CELEBRATE! Charlie Veniga-Garrett Bespoke glass designs from Robin Noel Glass Creations studio. horsebridge-centre.co.uk MVAN ART TRAIL Maidstone Visual Artists Network display their work in town centre shop and café windows throughout June. Art Trail maps are available from Hazlitt Arts Centre; Maidstone Museum; Chunkys; Art Lounge; Lazy Days Living; Fortify Café; Living Café and Gilbert & Clark Frame and Print and at mvan.info. See also Below 65 Gallery.

EXPLORING ANTARTICA: The Final Expeditions of Scott and Shackleton To 30 August. See this month’s The Artist’s Space. thedockyard.co.uk

NO.1 SMITHERY: The Gallery The Historic Dockyard Chatham, ME4 4TZ 01634 823800

Open 10am-6pm. Adults £17.50, Children £11, concs available.

Includes unlimited return to all Dockyard attractions for one year.

WRVS CAFÉ AND INFORMATION CENTRE

95-97 High St, Chatham. ME4 4DL

I–28 June, Mon – Fri 9.30–4pm, Sat 10–3pm RAINHAM ART CLUB EXHIBITION Paintings by ten local artists. For more information call John Seaden 01634 307813

HELEN MORLEY PORTRAITS BESPOKE OIL PAINTINGS

helenmorleyportraits.blogspot.co.uk 07849 926239

THE ARTIST’S SPACE DR LEONARD HUSSEY LIFTING SAMSON BY FRANK HURLEY Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition 1914-16 One of a series of poignant and revealing historic photographs on show as part of the latest major exhibition at No. 1 Smithery: The Gallery. The exhibition charts the ultimate expeditions of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antartica through the words, images and artefacts of those who survived and those who perished.

Exploring Antarctica: The Final Expeditions of Scott and Shackleton 24 May To 30 August, No. 1 Smithery: The Gallery, Historic Dockyard Chatham ME4 4TZ Exhibition entry is included in usual, unlimited return admission charge (see Visual Art listings)

EDITORIAL: editor@wowkent.co.uk 0845 388 2243 (local rate from BT landlines)

Distributed locally to Medway households and public pick-up points throughout the Medway towns and Maidstone.

FREE LISTINGS: listings@wowkent.co.uk

Current print circulation: 6000 copies.

ADVERTISING: advertising@wowkent.co.uk

Excellent discounts for series bookings available to all advertisers. All ads also appear in the e-edition of the magazine at wowkent.co.uk

DESIGN: A Stones Throw astonesthrowdesign.co.uk PRINTING: The Colour Factory Ltd, Sittingbourne, 01795 470 825, www.colour-factory.com PUBLISHER: Emma Dewhurst

All rights reserved. Whilst 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 Copy/listings deadline for joint publisher.

July/August issue: wowkent.co.uk Thursday 20 June ©WOW Kent magazine.

Please mention WOW if you use our advertisers’ services or attend an event you found in our listings facebook.com /WOWMedway

@EmmaDewhurst7 WOW magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper

R O C H E S T E R L I T E R AT U R E F E S T I VA L

SUNDAY 14 JULY 12 NOON TO 4PM THE GOOD INTENT, GARDEN AND TOP BAR, JOHN STREET, ROCHESTER ME1 1YL

Join us for a delightful cultural mix of performances, open mic opportunities, storytelling and a special Seasonally Effected session.

The Rochester Literature Festival is pleased to be part of the Medway Open Studios and Arts Festival this year. Pop into the garden of the GI on your travels between artists’ studios in and around Rochester…

rochesterlitfest.com

ROCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL

Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery

International Garden Photographer of the Year EXHIBITION

Saturday 25 May to Sunday 14 July 2013 Monday to Saturday 10.00 - 17.00 Sunday & Bank Holidays 12.00 - 16.00 ADMISSION CHARGES £3 per person, children under 16 FREE SPECIAL OFFER admit 2 for £5

WORKSHOP: Garden Photography

Saturday 29 June, 10.30 - 16.30 An all day workshop with Philip Smith for photographers of all levels. £50 per person, for more information and to book call 01622 602838 Magdalena Wasiczek: Upside Down

Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH. Tel: 01622 602838

www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk

Great People, Great Place, Great Opportunity