Arts & Entertainments

Arts & Entertainment The show goes on... After all these

By Anya Noakes Shaftesbury’s thriving arts centre is housed in the old covered market in the centre of the Saxon hilltop town. The iconic Gold Hill and the ruins of the once mighty Shaftesbury Abbey lie at its very heart, its magnificent views inspiring artists, writers, musicians and pilgrims for centuries. Poet and novelist Thomas Hardy was fascinated by Shaston: “The city of a dream… one of the queerest and quaintest spots in England… breezy and whimsical.” Shaftesbury became a busy market town, connecting London and Falmouth, and traders needed a market hall. In 1855 Richard Grosvenor provided one, its entrance through elegant iron gates on the High Street, another entrance in Bell Street, which is now the Shaftesbury Arts Centre. When General Augustus PittRivers built extravagant pleasure gardens at the Larmer Tree, locals attended summer picnics while tourists flocked to Shaftesbury. Travellers looking for overnight accommodation on market days found it in the less salubrious, overcrowded houses on Gold Hill and along St James. This changed in 1919 with the famous “Sale of Shaftesbury”. The Talking Pictures had arrived and with them a cinema. The Palace Picture House stood at the bottom of the High Street but was demolished in 1925. The Savoy Cinema opened on Bimport in 1933. In austerity ridden post-war Britain, it was clear that Shaftesbury needed a permanent organisation to encourage people to take part 64

GRAND RE-OPENING: The cast of production of The Sleeping Monk from 1957

in cultural life. The Shaftesbury and District Arts Club was born. Their ambitious first offering was staged in the Savoy Cinema. Performers included Zuilmah Hopkins (soprano),

FROM THE PAST: A crowded Gold Hill in 1905, the High Street in 1920 with the Palace Picture House and, below, the Savoy Cinema in 1940. Right: The arts centre today

Sybil Willey (contralto) and Sydney Snape (baritone). Drama, music and camera groups followed and the club arranged its first Art Exhibition at The Town Hall. They needed a home.

Local architect Eric Stevens suggested purchasing the empty Upper Market Hall in Bell Street, secured in 1952 for the grand sum of £750. Donations came from Miss Belfield’s Chalke Valley School of Dancing, the Drama Group agreed to stage at least four productions a year and other members went all out to raise funds with sales of artwork, bridge drives, concerts, exhibitions and raspberry teas. Volunteers were drafted in

Arts & Entertainment years, town’s arts in the right place

CELEBRATION TIME: The grand re-opening in November 1957

MAKING HEADLINES: The disastrous fire in June 1965 and, right, a scene from Toad of Toad Hall from June 1967 and, right, publicity posters through the years

and timber flooring and doors were obtained from a manor house. Tradesmen helped readily with advice, concrete mixers, wheelbarrows and tools. The conversion took four and a half years to complete. The Old Market Playhouse had its Grand Opening in November 1957 with soldout performances of The Sleeping Monk. In 1965, plans to improve the playhouse were sent in for approval, but disaster struck.

In the early hours of June 24, 1965, a catastrophic fire broke out and ravaged the centre. You can still see a fire damaged beam over the emergency exit doors as a reminder. Members sorted

through the debris, salvaging where possible - although luckily the building was well insured. Two years later on June 3, 1967, the centre reopened. The drama group’s first Christmas production was Toad of Toad Hall. Since then, more than 50 Christmas shows and pantomimes have been staged. Over the ensuing years there have been major improvements. In 2013 the adjacent shop was converted into the art gallery and the dance studio was unveiled in October 2019. The arts centre is a hub of activity, with music and drama groups, poetry, art classes, a burgeoning film society, a host of workshops and a plethora of health and beauty offerings. The centre houses events for the phenomenally successful Shaftesbury Fringe Festival and will do for the inaugural Shaftesbury Literary Festival next year. The Shaftesbury Snowdrop Festival draws in visitors from across the globe - and starred in BBC One’s Countryfile just weeks before the first coronavirus lockdown. The art gallery showcases the talents of many artists, drawing inspiration from an area that has always held a fascinating allure. Shaftesbury Arts Centre can’t wait to welcome you all through its doors again. “Despite the recent setbacks, in the spirit of the arts centre, plans are already in place for the future. “When possible, The Gallery will reopen and a programme of recorded theatre performances and films awaits, including Warhorse, Fleabag, Summerland and The Bolshoi Ballet’s Nutcracker, whilst Zoom rehearsals for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are underway in the hope that it can be staged at the end of January.” The show must go on!

Arts & Entertainment Exhibition focuses on heroes of the NHS

North Dorset venues are being sought to host a special exhibition paying tribute to heroes of the NHS. A photographic exhibition at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester called Unmasked is a project by photographer Andy Scaysbrook, journalist Emma Pittard and designer John Nesbitt. The project reveals and celebrates the faces of health workers fighting the battle against covid-19 in Dorset. A spokesman said: “We clapped for them every Thursday but we didn’t see their faces... In hospitals and medical centres across Dorset - and the nation their identities have been hidden behind masks and gowns and gloves. “Unmasked” is a project inspired by the fact that, to All being well, The David Hall performing arts centre in South Petherton will reopen in early December and Petherton Arts Trust will present its planned programme of live and streamed events. Matthews – Virtual Tour 2020 Saturday, December 5 at 7.30pm Exclusive to The David Hall, While and Matthews are bringing their tour to your living room where you can watch along with your regular concert-goers and share a unique performance. The concert will be performed in two halves from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, with a short interval in the middle. Each ticket purchased will buy a private YouTube link to the live performance, which will be sent the day before the concert.

OUR HEROES: Fairouz Farag and Mohamed Abbas

fight this invisible enemy, our healthcare heroes have made themselves invisible, too, in a way.” A series of portraits by Tickets are offered on an ‘honesty’ basis so we kindly ask that, if more than one family member is watching the concert on the same device, you buy tickets for each person, as you would if you were attending a live concert together. Tickets are £15 from whileandmatthews.com Tour Saturday, December 12, 3pm and 8pm Richard Digance ends his final year of touring with two very special live Christmas shows for grown-ups who still believe… Enjoy an afternoon - or evening - of festive merriment and audience participation to celebrate the end of Richard’s over 50 years of touring up and down the country without Santa’s magical sleigh! Each show will have up to photographer Andy Scaysbrook reveals and celebrates faces on the front line in Dorset. Together with journalist 48 tickets allocated. Tickets: £15.50 / £14.50 from thedavidhall.org.uk Wednesday, December 16 @ 10am Pop into The David Hall for a cup of real coffee and a chat - and perhaps a mince pie? Entry is free. presents: The Personal History of David Copperfield (PG) Friday, December 18 8pm A modern take on Charles Dickens’s classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles. Stars: Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton. Tickets: £5. Available from thedavidhall.org.uk Tickets are limited and sales will close at 3pm on the day. David Hall Saturday December 19, 7.30 pm Emma Pittard and graphic designer John Nesbitt, Andy shines a light on many of the men and women behind the masks. A book containing more photographs and full stories is in production, to raise funds for local NHS charities and to serve as a permanent record of these times. Arts in Hospital Advisor at Dorset County Hospital, Suzy Rushbrook said: “Art has an enormous impact on health and wellbeing and this is something people are becoming increasingly aware of, making collaborative projects like this invaluable.” A full gallery of the exhibition images is available to view at andyscaysbrook.com/andy

Fingers crossed for re-opening of David Hall

n Chris While and Julie 66 nRichard Digance Christmas nChristmas Coffee Morning nPetherton Picture Show nAcoustic Night @ The scaysbrook-unmasked. Petherton Arts Trust is encouraging more local performers of all genres to come to The David Hall and perform on a professional stage. This is an evening full of extraordinary skill, talent and variety – and it doesn’t cost the earth - just £2 for audience members and £1 for performers to cover the cost of heating and lighting. All types of performance welcome – The David Hall has had music, comedy, poetry, dance. Everyone has the opportunity to deliver for 10 – 15 minutes with full PA and lighting. If you would like to attend Acoustic Night as a performer or audience member please e-mail: Chris Watts at folk@chriswatts.org or call 07715 501157. Payment on the door.

Once a vice president for a big American software company, newly published author Anna Hayward, who writes under the name of Anna Charles, has had held life-long dream to turn her love of literature, travel and people into a novel. “I dreamed of being an author from the days when I sat my English A level at Gillingham Comprehensive,” says Anna. “Mr Hebditch, my English teacher at Gillingham, sparked my interest in literature. He was one of the most inspirational teachers I have ever had.” Anna was born in Shaftesbury and grew up in Mere. Since the age of 18, she has travelled the world and lived in many countries, including the US, Germany, Amsterdam and now Switzerland. And now, nine years in the making and six rewrites later, the former Gillingham school pupil has penned her first novel – A Thin Line. It was during Anna’s three- year stint in Amsterdam working for a US software company when she discovered The Resistance Museum. “One tiny paragraph about ‘The Crèche’ on Plantage Middenlaan was the seed for my book,” she says. “I read every article I could find on the subject, then broadened my research to other key incidents and locations The Nick Ross Orchestra has released a new album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London and featuring Dorset singer Sam Merrick. Many years before the Beatles stepped onto the world’s most famous zebra crossing, Glenn Miller made his last known recording at London’s Abbey Road Studios on Monday, 27 November 1944, just a few short weeks before he “disappeared” on December 15 of that same year. It was especially poignant for the Nick Ross Orchestra to step

NOVEL APPROACH: Anna with her debut novel A Thin Line

Anna’s novel is a labour of love

around the city. I’ve visited Amsterdam a few times over the past few years and used each trip as an opportunity to do more research.” Anna started writing at 25. She said: “I got many chapters in, but it never got completed. This continued off and on for quite a few years - starting projects, pausing them, going back to them… fitting everything around work but I never got to the point where any of my writing felt ‘right’. “Looking back, none of those into those same studios to record their new album almost 75 years later. The album features Dorset born jazz singer Sam Merrick, who has been touring with the band across the UK for the last six years and back in 2017 brought his own show to the ‘Night Air’ Stage with the Nick Ross Orchestra as part of the Bournemouth Air Festival. Due out November 20 and released on ‘Montpellier Records’. Order at nickrossorchestra .com or on your digital store of choice from November 20. stories compelled me enough to be willing to put in the work!” That was until that tiny paragraph inspired a story line

Dorset singer on new album

that held Anna captive. A Thin Line tells the tale about Amélie Janssen’s struggle between collaboration and resistance in 1940s Amsterdam and her granddaughter’s quest for truth seventy years later. Anna explained: “It may sound trite, but I do want to be the best version of myself. It’s so easy to start things, but so much harder to finish. I walked away from my book a number of times, telling myself I was “too busy” to work on it. But those were just excuses. I decided to get tougher on myself and find a way to make it happen. “There’s an old saying that life is stranger than fiction. I have always been a bit of a people watcher and see possibility for stories all around me. I am absolutely fascinated by what makes people tick.” A Thin Line is being produced in audio and once finished, Anna will start her next story. “I’m currently in the research phase and it’s a lot of fun!” nThe Thin Blue Line by Anna Charles is available at amazon.co.uk.