Dorset’s rural arts organisation Artsreach presents its new Spring programme, packed with sixty professional performances taking place from January to March in village halls and community venues across the county.
Kicking off the season’s music highlights are Sweet Chorus – a hot jazz quartet featuring Chris Garrick and John Etheridge, who was Stephane Grappelli’s accompanist for five years. Sweet Chorus have enjoyed sell-out success all over the country so be sure to book early for their January shows at Gillingham School (19th), Buckland Newton Village Hall (20th) and Puddletown School (21st). The two other main music highlights of the Artsreach spring programme are Moishe’s Bagel appearing for one night of wonderful klezmer music at The Exchange in February, and two very special performances later in February by two Irish duos combining to form an exhilarating quartet: Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey with Chris Newman & Maire ni Chathasaigh.
In addition to these high profile performances, the Buffalo Gals, Tim Laycock & Colin Thompson, Bonny Sartin, Nick Wyke & Becki Driscoll, and Clive Carroll all return to the Artsreach circuit, all professional musicians in a wide variety of genres.
Early January shows include the wonderfully witty poet Matt Harvey at Broadwindsor (6 Jan), who also performs later in January and in March. The Victorian-styled magician duo Morgan & West bring their baffling yet very entertaining show to Winterborne Stickland (13 Jan), Portesham (14 Jan), Burton Bradstock (21 Jan) and Ashmore (22 Jan).
Theatrical highlights this season come in the shape of Publick Transport with their madcap two-hander ‘Discombobulated’; Rogue Theatre’s sensual cabaret ‘The Dancer and The Devil’, set in the deep dark woods and Dorset-based Angel Exit’s stage adaptation of ‘The Secret Garden’. Following its great success in October there will be four more performances of ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ during January, and also Pip Utton returns with three performances as Charles Dickens, marking the great writer’s bicentenary in February. During half-term Bristol-based company Pickled Image will perform ‘Travels With Granddad’ and Angel Heart returns with ‘Voyage of the Nutjellynana’ – two beautiful puppet shows to enchant all the family!
There will also be storytelling from The Devil’s Violin exploring the tales of Chaucer and Shakespeare, and the inimitable Trifle Gathering present a ‘theatrical experience’ looking into the world of mediums and spiritualist movements – if their last show ‘Charity Shop Cabaret’ is anything to go by, it will be absurd and hilarious!
There really is something for everyone in Artsreach’s spring programme. For further information, listings and box office details, visit www.artsreach.co.uk or you can find them on Facebook and Twitter, as well as the printed programmes in libraries, Tourist Information Centres and other outlets across Dorset.
