Theatreworks Showcase

Mike at Theatreworks has just done a Showcase on our lovely venue. Make sure you check it out... and the rest of the website. There is lots of information about local theatre and arts activities and it's a great resource to bookmark. It is also a good idea to add yourself to their mailing list to make sure you receive up to the minute information on all the latest events.

Radio 1 Big Weekend - Fringe Event

As you are all probably aware, Radio 1's Big Weekend is coming to Swindon on 9th and 10th May. Free tickets have already been allocated but you can attend the FREE fringe events that have been organised to run alongside the event.

Let's hope the sun shines!

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

The Dacoits

The Dacoits have just been booked as our special guest band on the Friday Music night of the Big Top Festival.

They will be performing during the special black tie event, and will also be the guest judges for the Battle of the Bands final!

Check them out on Myspace.

Catch up

Oh my! Where did the time go? Well, we've just had a couple of weeks off for the Easter break - lovely weather (sigh)... just lovely. It was very welcome after a very manic couple of weeks at the end of term - hence the lateness of a Richards Love report!

Needless to say, it was a most enjoyable performance. The three characters were all played by the talented Liz Hart who used a mixture of masks and shadow puppetry to tell the weird and wonderful tale. My favourite character was Richard, the charming gardener, with his delightful tirade on the war on slugs. It must have been difficult to keep changing character so quickly - not only the costumes, but also the mannerisms and qualities of each one. Liz used a couple of gnomes during some of the longer changes to talk to and entertain the audience. I think it was important that she didn't overuse this technique, and she didn't, but a bit more humour from the gnomes would have been welcome. Sarah was a quirky and likeable girl, but her mother was pretty intimidating - the mask work was superb and she always seemed to be looking directly at you! If you see Bric a Brac Productions on at a theatre near you then I would strongly recommend getting your hands on a ticket. David Calder says:

"You could literally take anyone from a 2 year old to your maiden aunt, and they would all find it a delight… An escape from the drudgery of 21st century life in to the magic of fairy tale."

It is a delightfully funny and charming show, completely out of the ordinary, and perfect for an evening's indulgence. We will definitely have Liz back with her next show, and a recommendation can't come better than that!

We're now in to the last 11 weeks before the arts festival and it's all getting very exciting! I need to do some updates on the website, so make sure you keep your eyes on that for all the exciting up to date news!