The Arts Section

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

THIS stunning image by Shashwat Harish is one of the photographs on view at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery in Dorchester in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition from 19th July to 3rd November. The world-famous exhibition from the Natural History Museum, returns to Dorset Museum & Art Gallery this summer, showcasing the world’s…

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Old Crockern and other Dartmoor tales

THE great West Country moors – Dartmoor in Devon, Exmoor in Devon and Somerset, and Bodmin in Cornwall – are steeped in history and myths. One significant area of Dartmoor is Crockern Tor, once home to the Stannary Parliament, and now the inspiration for a series of story walks, organised by Devon’s Villages in Action,…

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Not madding but laughing

IF you are among the many who think Thomas Hardy is not a barrel of laughs, Tom Browns at Dorchester will be looking to change your mind with Hardy Har, the town’s first comedy festival, on Saturday 13th July. Laughter comes to High East Street as Tom Browns pub joins forces with Dorchester Arts, The…

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One Man Two Guvnors, Studio Theatre, Salisbury

IN the old days of classic Whitehall farce, the set designers had an easy job. They built a classic box set and put in as many doors round the sides as possible. Then the actors dashed at break-neck speed through them, often changing not just direction but costume and character backstage. And then of course the…

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Player Kings, Bristol Hippodrome and touring

IN the show Cowardly Custard you will find a song entitled Why Must the Show go on, which makes it rather appropriate that it was from the stage of the Noel Coward Theatre that Sir Ian McKellen fell a couple of weeks ago, making it impossible for him to finish the run of Players Kings…

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Coward trilogy to mark double anniversary

BATH Theatre Royal welcomes a trio of brilliant actors – Tara Fitzgerald, Stephen Boxer and Emma Fielding – to appear in a double anniversary production of Noel Coward’s Suite in Three Keys, from Tuesday 9th to 13th July. It is the first time in a generation that there has been a complete revival of the…

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Seeing the wood for the trees at The Art Stable

FORMER associate editor and senior artist at The Sunday Times, environmental artist Gary Cook has been exploring the mysterious and beautiful remnants of England’s temperate rainforests, and the results are on show in a powerful exhibition at The Art Stable at Child Okeford, running to 20th July. After graduating from Bournemouth University in the late…

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Chalke History Festival – a wonderful experience

WHEN fans of Chalke Valley History Festival heard last year that long-time sponsors the Daily Mail were ending the relationship, there was inevitably concern – how would the festival fare without this major, high-profile supporter? The answer has been a resounding “very well, thank you.” With a renewed focus, a slightly changed name, a wonderful…

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Accolade, Bath Theatre Royal and touring

EMLYN Williams was an actor and dramatist who died in 1987 at the age of 81. He was a great favourite in his time, and my mother was among his many avid fans. He had a 35 year marriage, and was actively bisexual throughout his life. He wrote 15 plays and performed in more than…

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One Man Two Guvnors at Studio Theatre

ACTOR James Corden is back on the London stage, for the first time in more than 12 years, starring in a new play, The Constituent, at the Old Vic. He was last seen in London starring in One Man, Two Guvnors, the hilarious hit play by Richard Bean based on an 18th century comedy. It’s…

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