Lampaprilmay2015webcopy

LAMP MagazineApril - May 2015 Free

Shining a light on literature, art, music and performance in Taunton Deane, West and South Somerset, Bridgwater and the Quantocks

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Taunton Racecourse: 28th & 29th March 201510.00 am to 5.00pm Saturday 10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday Now an established event on the spring calendar, The Rural Living Spring Show returns to Taunton Racecourse this March. Run by the people who have brought you the much-loved Rural Living Show at King’s Hall each autumn, the Show is full of exciting ideas to buy which will transform your home and garden. The Rural Living Spring Show will showcase some of the finest produce and crafts to be found in the West Country and Taunton Racecourse, with its am-ple parking and plenty of space for both indoor and outside stands, is the ideal venue for this exciting event. Get your Easter gifts here!

Among the features of The Rural Living Spring Show are:• Over100stands• Craftdemonstrators• PlantandGardenmarquee• Eco-friendlyandSustainabilitystands• Ideasforhomeandgarden• FoodHall,withcaféandtastingareaforlocalproduce• Vintagemarket• Localnurserystands• GardenDesign• Ampleparking• Children’sEntertainment• ClassicVehicleDayonSunday• RaisingmoneyforStMargaret’sHospiceFurther info: call 01823 323363 email:[email protected] or visit www.rurallivingspringshow.co.uk

Raising money for:

Free tickets for LAMP readers. Cut round edge of ticket below and take to show.

Some of the products featured at the show: Top left, Mixed fruit tart from Ornella Bianca. Top right, Chocolate from Nutcombe Chocolate. Above left, Blueberry Glass. Above right, Seagull dish.

Ornella Bianca with their stunning cakes at last year’s spring show

NSPCC Chicken & Egg Fun Run11.00am Sunday

Contact 01823 412405 for further details

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Contents

4 The Rural Living Show6 Spring at the Brewhouse7Whowouldbeayoungsinger?8HothouseFestivalatHalswayManor11UnderstandingtheFloweringplantswithAnneBebbington12PeteLongInterview15TauntonSinfonietta:Twospringconcerts16JackFieldhouse:Bridgwatercountryman19TheWestSomersetSingers:Sevendecadesofchoralmusic19ConcertsintheWest:RupertCharlesworth20 Wessex greets Norway in song23CatherineChanter:TheWell25-29CalendarofEvents29TauntonFilmSocietydiscussion:love,lossandobsession31Workshops,CoursesandClasses32ViennaFestivalBallet:35thAnniversaryGala34APersonalPassion:TheingramCollectionatHestercombe35FromAdlestroptoArras:newbiographyofEdwardThomas36TheOldBrickWorkshop:anewcreativespaceinWellington37KingJohn:Treachery,tyrannyandtheroadtoMagnaCarta3860yearsofEvensongwithInEcclesia39Obituary:HughPrudden40CreativeWritingFestivalwithTacchi-Morris43-44ShortstorybyL.M.Westwood44TheBookClub:Anewplay45PoetryCorner:HughLoxdale46MyFavouritewithMartinDormer47SummerCreativeWritingClassesatQueen’sCollege47Children’sbookeventwithJuliaCopus47NortontheDragonComicStrip

Editor: Lionel WardCopy Editor: Jo Ward

All enquiries:[email protected] 337742www.lampmagazine.co.ukc/o Brendon Books,Bath Place, TauntonTA1 4ER

The views expressed in Lamp are not necessarily those of the editorial team. Copyright, unless otherwise stated, is that of the magazine or the individual authors. We do not accept liability for the content or accuracy of the magazine including that of the advertisers.

Spring has sprungandwe return to our 2 month-ly issues

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Howcanoneputavalueoncreativity?Potentiallyit’squiteeasy.Asnotedinthe2015reportbytheWarwickCommis-siononfutureofculturalvalue,GrossValueAddedoftheculturalandcreativeindustriessectorwasestimatedataglobal£76.9bnin2013,representing5.0%oftheUKeconomy.Howcanonefostercreativity?Well,perhapsthat’saharderonetoanswer.Creativityhasbeenacknowledgedbymanyofthebusinessleadersoftheworldasakeyasset.Accordingtoastudypub-lishedbyIBMentitledLeadingThroughConnections–InsightsfromtheGlobalChiefExecutiveOfficerStudystatedthat“Acrossindustriesandgeographies,CEOsconsistentlyhighlightfourpersonalcharacteristicsmostcriticalforemploy-ees’futuresuccess:beingcollaborative,communicative,creativeandflexible”.Butwhilstbusinessleadersappreciatecreativeemployees,intimesofausterityitishardforsomenottoseethecreativeindustriesaseasytargetsforcutsandfailtorecognisethehiddengemsinourmidst–artsprogrammesthatcomple-

mentscience,engineeringandmaths.ThekeymessagefromtheWarwickCommissionreportistheimportanceofequalaccessforeveryonetoarichculturaleducationandtheopportunitytoliveacreativelife.“TherearebarriersandinequalitiesinBritaintodaythatpre-ventthisfrombeingauniversalhumanright.Thisisbadforbusinessandbadforsociety.”Somersetisfortunatetohaveavibrant,grassrootsartssector.TheTauntonFesti-valoftheArtsisduetohaveanextraordi-naryyear,toppedbyavibrantweek-longTauntonLive2015Festival(supportedbyGoCreate)inJuly–andthatfollowstheFestival’sCentenarycelebrationslastyear!SomersetOperaisalsoworkinghardtoprovideabreadthofopportunitiesforyoungperformers.On9May,itisarrang-ingaYoungPerformers’GalainTempleMethodistChurch.LaterthesamemonthcomestheSom-ersetSongPrize(SSP),alsopartoftheTauntonFestival.Thiscompetitionhasgrownsinceitsauguralyearin2013andnowincludesregionalroundsinTaunton,

Who would be a young singer?Guy Robinson, secretary of Somerset Opera, reflects on how we value creativity and looks for-ward to a summer of in Taunton and Wellington and asks Robert Dean, Professor of the The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, conductor and one of the adjudicators for the Somerset Song Prize, his views on nurturing creativity.

BirminghamandLondon,beforesemi-finalandgrandfinalinTaunton.Applicationsareexpectedfromacrossthecountry,withprizemoneytotallingmorethan£2000.

Thenonlyafewweekslater,DonaldMaxwell,patronofSomersetOperawilldeliveranothertourdeforceintheMax-wellMasterclasson13JuneinWellingtonSchool.Andthat’snotmentioningtheyoungstersinvolvedinthecompany’scurrenttouringG&Sshow(Patience),itsmainoperaproductionoftheMagicFluteinJulyoraproduction(alsoinJuly)ofAcis&Galateathatinvolvesyoungsoloists,chorus,conductoranddirectoratHestercombeHouse.Rarelyhastherebeenamoreexcitingtimetobeactiveinthelocalarts.Neverhasitbeenmoreimportant.

To learn more about Taunton Festival visit http://www.tauntonfestival.org.uk or for the Somerset Opera Young Singers Programme, visit www.somersetopera.org.uk

GR What importance do you place on creativity?

RD A would be musician often responds to a need to fulfil an inner creative urge, sometimes not even recognising this to be the case. For example, the best singers I work with combine a creative approach to singing technique and interpretation to unify the message they are com-municating in song. Without creativity there is no artist.

GR How can we safeguard creative studies?

RD Our job as creative artists is to make people aware of what we do at every opportunity. Thank goodness Sir Simon Rattle is coming back to London because at the moment we need an ambassador of the highest calibre to make the point that the creative arts are something this country can be inordinately proud of. In addition, there are health benefits too – for example, more studies are focussing on the benefits of singing, it is actually good for you to be creative!

GR Do you see a change in the number or type of students entering GSMD?

RD Every year is different. There was a high number of applicants this year but the quality was variable. Some years, we are spoiled for choice; there are no ways of predicting how any year will turn out. However, music seems to be as important a part of some young people’s lives as it ever was and it is a heart warming fact, that despite the considerable costs incurred these days of studying music, there are plenty of young people who feel sufficiently “called” to try and realise the potential they feel within themselves.

RobertDean

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2015 sees the fourth year of HalswayManorHothouseFestival–aone-day,one-nightfolkartsfestivalfor,andby,youngpeople.

Folkmusichasseenahugeresurgenceinpopularityinrecenttimes.Thistrulyaccessibleandinclusivecommunityartformhasbeentakenoutofthebackroomsofpubsandintothewiderworld,engagingandinspiringanewwaveofyoungperformers.

As well as its regular program of res-identialcourses,HalswayManorhasbuiltareputationfordeliveringavibrantprogrammeofyouthmusic,danceandartsevents;connectingyoungpeoplefromtheregion,nationallyandinter-nationally.HothouseFestival’saimistoprovideaplatformforsomeoftheUK’sbestup-and-comingyoungperformers.Fromstronglytraditionalapproachestomoremodernroots-basedmusic,Hot-houseFestival’sartistshaveonethingincommon-theymakemusicforeveryonetoenjoyandgetinvolvedin! Thisyear’sHothouseartistsarealreadyhugelysuccessfulonthenationalscene-SamKellyfirstfoundhimselfinthepub-liceyewhenhereachedthegrandfinalofBritain’sGotTalent.NownominatedasBestSingerintheSpiralEarthAwards2015hebringshishigh-energyrootstrio,whodrawonthetraditionsofEnglandandthebestincontemporaryacousticmusic.TheElephantSessions(UpandComingArtistoftheYear-MGAlbaScotsTradAwards)havebuiltablisteringreputationintheScottishtradworldwithaninimitableblendoffolktunessupport-edbyedgydrumsandbass.Throughits

SAM KELLY TRIO, THE ELEPHANT SESSIONS, TOM KITCH-ING’S INTERLOPER, MAGIC LANTERN, JESS MCALLISTER, NATALIE HOLMES, SAM AND DYLAN, DANCE WORKSHOPS, SILENT DISCO AND MORE....

workwithBBCIntroducingintheWestHalswaydiscoveredKeynshambasedSinger-SongwriterNatalieHolmesandareverypleasedtowelcomehertoHot-house.FormeryoungfolkawardfinalistandSpiralEarthAwardnominatedTomKitching’sInterloperpullstogethersomeofthehottestticketsintraditionalmusicbringing“analmostindierocksensibility”(TheDailyExpress)tofolkmusic.They’rejoinedbymanymoresuperbnationalandlocalacts.

TheOpenMicCompetitionwillbecomperedbyBBCYoungFolkAwardFinalistKittyMcFarlaneandwillbebiggerthaneverwithanexcitingnewcollaboration.HothouseFestivalwillthisyearteamupwithStogumberFesti-valtoofferOpenMicentrantsachancetowinaperformanceslotsupportingSteveKnightleyatthisyearsStogumberFestival,alongwithsomeotherexcitingopportunities.

FestivalDirectorWillLangsays,‘Thisisasmallfestivalthat’sfullofheart-cre-atedtosupportyoungperformersanditofferssomethingforallthefamily.’

Fromthetop:HothouseFestival2013Hires,HattieBriggs,JessMcAllister,SamKellyBand,Magic

Hothouse Festival Halsway Manor, near Crowcombe, Somerset, TA4 4BD. England UK.

Saturday 4 April, kicking off at 12 noon and continuing until 11.30pm

Tickets are £10 Adults and £2 Children.

B&B £30. Camping (and Breakfast) £10

For information and tickets: 01984 618274 ext 1

www.halswaymanor.org.uk

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Lettice and LovageLettice Duffet, an expert on Elizabethan cuisineand medieval weaponry, is an indefatigable butdaffyenthusiastofhistoryandthetheatre.

AsatourguideatFustianHouse,oneoftheleaststatelyofLondon’sstatelyhomes,she theatricallyembellishes its historical past, ultimately comingupontheradarofLotteSchon,aninspectorfromthePreservationTrust.

NeitherimpressedorentertainedbyLettice’sfree-wheelinghistorylessons,Schonfiresher.Notonehowever,togowithoutafight,Letticeengagesthestoic,conventionialLotteinbattletothedeathofallthatissacredtotheEmpireandthecrown.

ThishitbytheauthorofEquusandAmadeusfea-tured a triumphant award-winning performancebyDameMaggieSmithinLondonandonBroad-way.

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Tostudyaplantindetailistomakeafas-cinatingjourneyofdiscovery.Evenplantswethinkweknowwellwilloftensurpriseusaswelookattheintricacyoftheirstructureandhowtheyareputtogether.Webegintowonderhowtheywork,whatstrategiesenablethemtosurvivedifficultenvironmentalconditionsandhowtheyinterrelate with animals vital for pollina-tionandseeddispersal.

IllustratedthroughoutwithphotographsbyJohnBebbingtonandwater-colour,penandinkstudiesandcleardiagramsbytheauthor,togetherwithselectionofpicturesfromotherartists,thisbookshouldbereadilyaccessibletoanyoneeventhosewithlittlescientificbackground.

Openingchaptersdescribetheevolutionofthefloweringplantsandtheirrela-tionshiptootherplantgroups.Practicaladviceisalsogivenonhowtocarryoutabotanicalstudytogetherwithinforma-tionontechniquesandtools,andotherequipmentusedinbotanicalwork.Theremainderofthebookdescribesindetailthestructureandfunctionofthe

mainpartsofthefloweringplant,high-lightingfeatureswhichareparticularlyimportantinillustrationforbotanicalpurposes.Separatechaptersaredevoted

toroots,stems,leaves,flowers,fruitsandseeds,notonlylookingtheirformandhowtheyareputtogether,butalsocon-sideringhowspecialstrategieshelpthemtosurviveinthenaturalworldwhereenvironmentalconditionsmaybeharshandthebattleforsurvivalfierce.Twospecialchapterslookatsomeofthefas-cinatingwaysinwhichtheplantsachievesuccessfulpollinationandfruitandseeddispersal,mechanismsofteninvolvingcomplexinterrelationshipswithanimalbehaviourorparticularenvironmentalconditions.Attheendofeachchapterprojectsaresuggested,invitingreaderstoassesstheirunderstandingandexplorefurthervariousaspectsofthesubjectscovered.

AnneBebbington

TheAuthorAnneL.D.BebbingtonPhDAnnegainedawideteachingexpe-rienceinhercareerasabotanistandecologytutorfortheFieldStudiesCouncilandherinterestandexpertiseinillustrationhavealwaysformedanimportantpartofherwork.Inretire-ment,asafreelancenaturalhistory

illustrator,sheworksmainlyinpenandink.Sheisalsoverykeentoshareherenthusiasmforplantsand,togetherwithherphotographerhusband,givestalkstolocalgroupsandrunsbotani-calworkshopsforartists.SheisapastpresidentoftheInstituteforAnalyticalPlantIllustration.

UNDERSTANDINGTHEFLOWERINGPLANTS

Tuesday 14 April 2015Talkandslideshow

withAnneBebbingtononUnderstanding the Flowering PlantsBrendonBooks,BathPlace,Taunton

TA14ER01823337742 [email protected]

A book written for botanical artists, photographers and anyone wishing to know more about flowering plants

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PeteLong’sambitionasateenagerwastobeapilot.ThisambitionwasreinforcedbytheStarWarsfilmswhichhewatchedatthecinema.

However,theStarWarsfilmsinfluencedhimanotherway:helovedthemusiconthesoundtrackandstartedmusiclessonsatschool,initiallyplayingSaxandsteelpans.Hehadsomebasicintroductiontoplayingamusicalinstrumentalreadyashehadplayedfluteinthecadetforce.ThenhediscoveredGlenMiller.

Forhimthequalityofthepopmusiconofferatthetimewaspoorandhethinksthatitwasthisthatdrovehiminthisdirection–thatandthefreemusiced-ucationthatwasonoffer.Heisworriedthatwithrecentcutsthiskindofsupportisnolongeravailableasitusedtobe.ItwasCroydenMusicService,supportedbythelocalcouncilthatgavehimtheop-portunitytoplaywiththeCountyWindYouthOrchestra.

Heenjoyedtheexperience,notleastbecauseofthesociallifethatwasonoffer.Hewenttoanallboysschoolandthis gave him the opportunity for the first time to mix regularly with the opposite sex.HismusicaltastehadprogressedfromGlenMillertoBennyGoodmanwhohefoundmoreexcitingandcuttingedge.HedevelopedaninterestintheClarinetandevenhadpiecescomposedespeciallyforhimattheYouthOrchestra.

HisfirstjobhadbeeninNatWestBank.Fromthebeginninghedidnotfeelitwashisnaturalforte.Hissupervisorwhowasmoreableinbankworkdidnotthinksoeitherandremindedhimofhisinferiorstationby,amongotherthingsdrawingobscenepicturesandleavingthemonhisdesk.

Unfortunately,oneofthesefounditswayintoanenvelopeofbankstatementshewassendingoutanditwaspostedtooneofthebanksoldestaccounts.TomakeitworsetheletterwasopenedbyanunoftheConventoftheSacredHeart.HewascalledintotheManag-er’sofficeandaskedtoexplainhimself.HerealisedthebankwasnotforhimandenrolledintheLondonCollegeofMusic.

HisfirstexperienceasabandleaderwaswhenhewaswithHarrowYouthOr-chestra.Thebandleaderhadgonesickandhesteppedintotherole.Heenjoyedtheexperiencethoughhewasnottofulfillthisroleonaregularbasisuntilmuchlater,followingthearrangementsheputtogetherforaDukeEllingtonconcertwhereitbecameanaturalpro-gressionforhimtotakethebandleaderrole.Heparticularlylikesthisrolebecauseofthecontacthehaswiththeaudience.Heenjoysexplainingapieceofmusictoanaudienceandseeingtheirreaction(usuallyenthusiastic)whenthepieceisplayed.

PeteplayedwiththeRumbaShowbandontheQE2andbackathomehebeganplayingwiththeSaxQuartet‘ItchyFingers’.HetouredSouthAmerica,RussiaandAfrica,workingwithmanyofthegreatssuchasDizzyGillespie,JohnScofieldandChicCorea.HealsospentfiveyearswiththeJoolsHollandRhythmandBluesOrchestraandhasworkedwithmanypopsingersofrecentandcurrenttimessuchasTomJones,Lulu,GeorgieFame,LionelRitchie,WillYoungandJossStone.

Inrecenttimeshehasspentagooddealoftimeworkingwithyoungpeople.

Hefindstheactofteachingastudentandthemfinallyunderstandingand‘gettingit’andbeingabletoreproducewhattheyhavelearntonamusicalinstrumentveryrewardingandbelievesithasavaluefarbeyondthefactthattheyhavemasteredamusicalinstrument.

‘Theyhavetobedisciplined,organised,conquerperformancefearsandworkasateam,’heexplains.

Hethinksitisamistakeifwedonotappreciatetheveryrealbenefitsofamusiceducationandareunabletoofferitonawidebasistoouryoung,especiallythedisadvantaged,believingthatmusiccantransformyoungpeopleslives.

LookingforwardtotheDukeEllingtonconcertinAprilhedeclareshimselfinaweofhismusic–nopraiseistoohigh.Hebe-lievesheis‘amusicalmagicianthatspeakstoyourverysoul.’For,hesays,‘IfyoulistentoDukeEllington’smusicyouhaveadirectlinetothe“headofart”.’

Pete Long returns to Taunton on Saturday 18 April for his concert, Echoes of Ellington. We took the opportunity to interview him. He talks about his life, his concerns about the musical opportunities available to the young and looks forward to the concert.

Pete Long’s Echoes of Ellington 7.30pmSaturday18April

Queen’s College, Trull Road, Taunton, TA1 4QS

TicketsJohn Packer or TIC

01823 282386www.johnpacker.co.uk

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LAMP?Make yourself visible

while supporting the promotion of the artistic community in Somerset

LAMP Magazine c/o Brendon Books, Old Brewery Buildings

Bath Place Taunton TA1 4ER01823 337742

[email protected]

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The next two concerts to be present-ed by Taunton Sinfonietta ensembles feature, on Sunday April 12th at 3pm in the Temple Methodist Church, the Beacon Piano Trio, and on Satur-day May 9th at 7.30pm in St James Church, The Taunton Sinfonietta En-semble to include a clarinet quintet.

Founded in 2001, the Beacon Piano Trio consists of Annan Cockroft, violin, Ruth Lass, cello and Joyce Clarke, piano. They will play a varied programme, starting in the baroque era with a stately trio by Telemann, then moving on to classical times with a trio by Haydn, who did so much to develop the genre. The sec-ond half of the programme includes works by the two most famous Czech composers, Bedřich Smeta-na ‘the father of Czech music’ and his later contemporary Josef Suk. The latter is a short Elegy written to commemorate the death of the writer Julius Zeyer, the former a large scale work, surely one of the gems of this repertoire, which was written after the death of Smetana’s daughter, Bedřiška, and contains some tragic, but also some joyful music.

The Taunton Sinfonietta ensemble plays in St James in May, with Mary Eade leading, Anna Cockroft second violin, Sarah Wormell viola, Vicky Evans cello and Colin Parr clarinet. The second of Beethoven’s first group of string quartets, opus 18 number 2, shows his mastery of, to him, a new form. Crisantemi, by Puc-cini, has a melancholy theme, written

to commemorate the death of Duke Amedeo of Savoy. Russian compos-ers feature twice in the programme, with the Improvisations for ‘Clarinet Quintet’ by Alexander Glazunov, and an arrangement for string quartet of ‘Two Little Pieces’ by Shostakovitch.

In February, the audience greatly enjoyed the oboe concerto by Chris-topher Ball, and I am sure those who came to that concert will be look-ing forward to hearing his Clarinet Quintet. Colin Parr has played as soloist with the orchestra on many occasions, and never fails to delight us with his mellow tone.

Robin Carpenter of Taunton Sinfonietta looks forward to two spring concerts

Taunton Sinfonietta Spring Concerts

3.00pmSunday12AprilTheBeaconTrioBenefitConcert

TempleMethodistChurch,Taunton

7.30pmSaturday9MayTauntonSinfoniettaEnsembleStJames’Church,Taunton

AllticketsfromTauntonInformationCentre:01823336344

TheBeaconTrioQuartet

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Jack Fieldhouse was born in Shef-field (Brightside) in 1919. He and his brother Bob were educated at the De La Salle College in Sheffield. His father was the Chief Matalurgical Chemist at the British Steel Corpo-ration.

Jack, loathing maths convinced his parents that he should leave school at fourteen and join a decorating firm in Rotherham, where he became ad-ept at cleaning and painting gutters and outside ‘lav’ doors!

At eighteen,with friends he joined an Anti-Aircraft unit based at Wentworth Woodhouse home of Lord and Lady Fitzwilliam, and in 1938 the unit was called up and sent to Hull where they were,after a few weeks equipped with 37 anti-aircraft guns.

‘We were often in action as German bombers attempted to find their tar-gets further inland. We were in action in the midlands and the bombing of Sheffield was a harrowing experi-ence. ‘The unit was shipped to Algeria to

join the Fifth Army. In early 1943 we were in Italy and with the German Air Force reducing in strength we were becoming redundant.’

Jack spent hours loading ammunition a mile away from Monte Cassino where he witnessed the strength of the American Air Force which re-duced the monastery to a pile of rub-ble. The Poles and New Zealanders then took the hill, suffering substan-tial casualties. Ack Ack units were transferred to Infantry where in north Italy he was employed in mopping up the remaining opposition.

They took over from the Russians, the province of Cappadocia, before taking over the whole of Austria. After the war Austria was a holiday, and it was to be until the spring of 1946.

De-mobbed Jack took up his art training at Guildford art College. After three years, with an art degree he took up teaching in which profession he was employed for 27 years.

Jack is married and has seven

children. He has kept bees for about sixty years. He wrote a regular Coun-try Column in the Somerset County Gazette for many years and has published three books in the last four years. They are entitled: Jack Field-house,Beekeeper and Artist- A Visual Journey, Jack the Lad,an Autobiogra-phy and Jack the Lad’s Doggerels. All these titles are available form Bren-don Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER. 01823 337742.

JackFieldhouse

TalkandBooksigning7.00pmThursday30April

BrendonBooks,BathPlace,TauntonTA14ER

Tickets:£501823 337742

[email protected]

Bridgwater countryman, artist, beekeeper and author, Jack Fieldhouse comes to

Brendon Books to talk about his life and work

The Covers of Jack’s three recent books: Artist and Beekeeper, Jack The Lad and Jack the Lads Doggerels

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Barron KnightsBack by popular demand

7.30pm Saturday 18th April 2015

Brewhouse TheatreCoalOrchard,TauntonTA11JL

Box Office: 01823 283244 www.tauntontheatre.org.uk

THEYAREBACK!!!!!andbypopulardemand

Probablythemostentertaininggrouptocomeoutofthe60’sand70’s.Theirmusicianship,theirharmoniesandofcoursetheirhumourmakesthemwhattheirpeerscallthem‘TheGuvnors’.Theyaresupremelytalented,ashowbizphenomenonandthebesttonictheN.H.S.couldgivethepopulation.TheyaretheonlygrouptohavetouredwiththeBeatlesandtwicewiththeRollingStones.Ashownottobemissed.

Over300showsattheLondonPalladium.AperformanceatBuckinghamPalace.

TheBarronKnightsinspiredBillWymantobuyaGuitarbackin1961.

You’llberockinandlaughingaswellasrolling.ApartfromtheoldfavouriteslikecallUpTheGroupstheyplaytheirinimitableversionoftheWilliamtellOvertureandtheirFlamencopartypieceMalaguana.TheirparodyofKillerQueenaboutwillcamillabequeenandthehilarioustakeonofWindmillsofyourmindaboutwhathappenstoyourbodyasyougetolder.Don’tmissthisone.Youwillwalkoutthetheatrewithhappymemories.

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Seventy years ago in 1945 Arthur Temple, head of music at Taunton School, founded the West Somer-set Singers with the intention of performing lesser known works in contrast to the more well known works performed by Taunton Cho-ral Society. At this time the choir had twenty-four singers drawn mostly from the music staff of local schools, and concentrated on cameo, unusual and frequently modern works. ThegreatSoprano,IsobelBaillie,wasalsoasoloistinthosedays,andworkssuchasE.J.Moerans‘SongsofSpringtime’andMalcolmSargent’s‘TheSecondCruxifixion’appearedintheprogrammes.ArthurTempleconductedthechoirforthefirstfifteenyearsorsobeforehandingovertotheleadingso-prano,ElizabethRowe.Threeyearslater,theremarkableBobTullett,themusicaldirectoratBishopFox’sSchool,took

onthebaton.HecoachedthechoirtosuccessatBathMusicFestival.Overtheyears the choirhasseenseveralchangesinconductor,eachofthemenrichingthechoirwithhisorherownuniquetalents,andwethankthemforallfortheirvariedcontributionstoourgrowthandlongevity.ChoirnumbershavefluctuatedthroughoutthedecadesbutArthurTem-ple’soriginalconceptofperforminglittleknownworkshaslargelybeenmain-tained.Moreover,thecommitmentandpassionforsinginghasremained.OnSaturday16thMay2015thechoirwillcelebrateits70thyearwithaspecial

Celebrating seven decades of choral music

concertatTauntonBaptistChurch.IncludedintheprogrammeisRossini’sPetiteMesseSolennelle,achallengingandmovingpiecethatthechoirlastper-formedintheirDiamondJubileeyear.PiecesbyHandel,HolstandaspecialarrangementofPsalm150bythechoir’sownMusicalDirector,DavidKnight,willensurethisspecialanniversaryiscelebratedinstyle. Tickets for the concert cost £10 and will be available from Taunton Tourist Information Office or on the door.

ConcertsintheWestaudienceshavetheopportunitytoseetheDevonborntenorRupertCharlesworthliveatIlminsterArtsCentreon8May. The young singer has won a string of awardssincehegraduatedfromTheRoyalAcademyofMusic.HewasAcademyLaure-ateoftheFestivalD’Aix-en-Provencein2011andfollowedthisupbywinningboththejuryandaudienceprizesatthe2013Han-delSingingCompetition.Thissuccesswasrepeatedatthe2014InternationalSingingCompetitionforBaroqueOperaPietroAntonioCesti.Duringhisshort,butalreadybrightcareerRuperthasperformedonprestigiousEu-ropeanoperaticstagessuchasLaFenice,Venice,theFestivald’Aix-en-Provence,theGlyndebourneFestivalOperaandOperaNorth.HehassunginrolesincludingDa-monfromAcisandGalateafortheFestivald’Aix-en-Provence,Angel3/John(cover)inGeorgeBenjamin’sWrittenonSkinandSoldierinDerKaiservonAtlantisfortheEnglishTouringOpera.

RupertwillbeaccompaniedonthistourbytheacclaimedFrenchpianistEdwigeHerchenroderwhoisalreadyingreatdemandasaleadingsongaccompanist,repetiteurandvocalcoach.Edwigewasawardedthe2011/2012HodgsonFellow-shipattheRoyalAcademyofMusicandhaswonmanyaccompanimentprizes,includingfirstprizeattheOxfordLiederFestivalin2011,aswellasbeingthe2013HSBCPianistLaureateoftheFestivald’Aix-en-Provence.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday 8 May 2015 8pm, IlminsterArtsCentre

atTheMeetingHouse,EastStreet,Ilm-inster,SomersetTA190AN.BoxOffice:01460557839.30am-4.30pmMondaytoFriday(Pre-concertsupperat7pm-

advancedbookingrequired£12)www.themeetinghouse.org.uk

Tickets:£15.Barandcafé,IACandtownparking,pluscarparks,disabled

access.

West Somerset Singers

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HCYMisauniquefacilityintheWestCountywhereyoungaspiringmusicstudentscanbenefitfromtopqualitymusictuitiononSaturdaysintermtime.Tofindoutmore,visithestercombe.com/cymoronFacebook:HestercombeCYM.

Award-winning Wessex Male Choir (www.wessexmalechoir.co.uk) will be coming to Taunton on 13th June with their guest choir, Os Vocalis, an all-female choir from near Bergen in Norway. The choirs will be performing in St Mary Magdalene Church.

The idea of the concert came from Wessex musical director, Katrine Reimers, who was born and brought up here in Taunton and is pleased to have the opportunity to introduce the two choirs to the town.Katrine commented that she enjoyed all the opportunities Taunton offered to develop her musical interest when she was growing up and is pleased that students from Hestercombe Centre for Young Musicians will also be taking part.

It should prove a very entertaining evening, with songs and choral works to salute a West Country summer,

Wessex Greets Norway In song

Wessex Greets NorwayIn song

Sat 13th June StMaryMagdaleneChurch

Taunton at 7:30pm

Ticketscost£12:50foradultsand£6forchildrenandareavailablefromBrendonBooks(01823337742),GillianGreig(01823333317)Music,andTauntonTouristInformationCentre

(01823336344)

with echoes of the beauty of the Nor-wegian fjords.

The concert will raise much-needed funds for Children’s Hospice South West. Chair of the local fund-raising group, Annabel Martin commented that she is delighted that the choirs have chosen CHSW as their charity, and hopes Taunton will give them a very warm welcome. MusicalDirector

Katrine Reimers

WessexMaleChoirWithAledJonesinSheffield

21

ViennaFestivalBallet’s35 Anniversary

GALA



Highlights from the world’s most beloved Tchaikovsky ballets

7th - 9th May 2015 - 7.30pmPlus Saturday Matinee 2.30pm

The Old Brick Workshop, the brain child of Alison Cosserat, houses 9 self contained

artist studios and open-plan, shared spaces for individuals in creative fields.

Only 2 studio spaces left!Shared, open-plan spaces now available

in the new Community Room.Community Room also available for

running workshops/classes.For further information please contact

Alison direct.

The Old Brick Workshop, Higher Poole, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 0HW.

TEL [email protected]

22

ASundayAfternoondis-cussingloveandobsession,withthoughtsbasedaroundTruly, Madly, Deeply &A Streetcar Named Desire.

byDr.LeselDawson

TrulyMadlyDeeply

23

CatherinegrewupinBristolthoughusedtovisitrelationsatCutcombenearExmoorandshefeelsanemotionalattachmentwiththearea.

Poetryhasbeenherfirstloveandshehasanumberofpoemsinanthologies.Shehasalsowrittenshortstoriesandpiecesfortheradio.Infact,TheWell,herfirstfulllengthnovel,wasoriginallyintendedtheasashortstory,thoughsherealisedthatitwastoobigandcomplexastorytobeembracedintheconfinesofashortstory.

Shehaswrotenovellaandacollectionofshortstories‘RoomsoftheMind’in2011.Iaskedherhowtheexperienceofwritinganoveldifferedfromashortstoryandpoetry.

‘Ithinksthatintheorythateverywordinanovelshouldbecarefullyweightedandintherightplaceasinapoem-justthatitisonadifferentscale,’shesaidaftersomethoughtthoughadded,‘Inreality,thismaybedifficulttoachieve.’

Andhowdidtheydifferinpurpose?Ashortstoryismorelikeasnapshotgivingthereaderaninsightinwhichtheycanthenextendtheirowninterpretationwhereasanovelgivesyouthechancetogothroughthewholephotographalbum.’

ShehaswrittenforRadio4.Shortfic-tionalpiecesbasedaroundexperiencewith young people with mental health problemsandastoryaboutatravellerboyinamainstreamschool.Herwork

‘Onesummerwasallittookbeforeourdreamstartedtocurlattheedgesandstainlikepickedprimroses.Onenightisenoughtoswallowalifetimeoflives.’

WhenRuthArdinglyandherfamilyfirstdriveupfromLondonintheirgrime-encrustedcarandviewTheWell,theyareenchantedbyajewelofaplace,a farm that appears to offer everything thefamilyaresearchingfor.Anoppor-tunityforRuth.AnescapeforMark.AhomefortheirgrandsonLucien.

ButTheWell’suniqueglorycomesataterribleprice,andquicklyRuth’spar-adisebecomesaprison,Mark’sdreamarecurringnightmare,andLucien’splaygroundagrave.

Withthepaceofathrillerandtheheartofaliterarysmashhit,TheWellisadarkanddevastatingtaleofobsession,motherhoodandthecomplexityoffemalerelationships,wrappedinsideagrippingwhodunit.

HerworkandbackgroundfeedintoTheWellinthemostpowerfulofways,raisingsearchingquestionsonthenatureofmotherhood,communityandresponsibility.

Sometimes the very thing you wish for is the worst thing that can happen . . .

Catherine Chanter’s first novel has already received many plaudits

isveryofteninformedbyherexperi-enceworkingineducationwherehasspecialisedinyoungpeopleexcludedfrommainstreameducationandonmental health issues among the young andwithadoptedchildrenInfact,shewasherselfadopted.IrishbybirthbutbroughtupinEngland,sherecentlyfoundherbiologicalmotherbyplacingananonymousadvertintheGalwayGazette–onlytodiscoverherlivinginCanadaasapoet.Amazingly,theirwritingstyleswerealmostidentical.

Catherine Chanter will be given a talk and reading & answering questions at Brendon Books on Thursday 21 May 7.00 pm.

Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742 [email protected] Tickets: £5

24

BishopsLydeardPapershop

ThePaper Shop is a friendly vil-lage shop with local knowledge-able staff. We are a Newsagentandwestockavastrangeofmag-azines.We can order any specialinterest titlesanddeliver themtoyou or save them in the shop for

collection.

Address: 11 Church St, Bishop’sLydeard,TauntonTA43AT

Phone:01823 432456

25

April Events

31-4 Variety TheGangShow(plusSaturdaymatinee) Brewhouse,Theatre 7.15

1 Music CCS2014/15-EnglishPianoTrio Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

2 Opera DieEntfuhrungAusDemSerail(TheAbductionfromtheSeraglio)Pop-upOperaCompany

Regal,Minehead 7.30

Ballet SwanLake-MoscowBallet Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Poetry PoetryCafeleadbyJohnStuart CIC,Taunton 8.00

3 Music TheMandelringQuartet CastleHotel,Taunton 6.00

4 Music TheMandelringQuartet CastleHotel,Taunton 11am/6pm

Music FolkMusicNight CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music HothouseFestival HalswayManor,Taunton allday

5 Music TheMandelringQuartet CastleHotel,Taunton 11am

6 Music QuartettodiCremona CastleHotel,Taunton 11am

7-8 Pantomime BeautyandtheBeast-Easterpantomime Octagon,Yeovil Various

8-9 Musical TheLittleMermaid Brewhouse,Taunton 11/6

9 Ballet Aladdin-BalletTheatreUK Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

10 Comedy AndrewLawrence-ReasonstoKillYourself BridgwaterArtsCentre 8.00

Comedy StandUpforCiderOpenMicCompetition CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music MikeDenham&hisSunsetCaféStompers IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

Music Jackson-LiveinConcerttribute Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Storytime Freestorysession-CheddarVaelLions,readtoalion CheddarLibrary 2.30

11 Burlesque Shhh!Burlesque-cabaretandburlesque BridgwaterArtsCentre 8.00

Music SKA Night CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music 4PartsGuitar DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00

Children’s SnailandtheWhale Octagon,Yeovil Various

Music TauntonDeanemaleVoiceChoirinconcertwithsoloistHannahDeason StMichaelsCh,Taunton 7.30

12 Music TheBeaconPianoTrioBenefitConcert-Sinfonietta TempleMeth.Ch,Taun. 3.00

12-16 Musical SouthPacific-amateurproductionwithR&HTheatricalsEuropeSaturdaymatinee

Wellesley,Wellington 7.30

14 Talk AnneBebbington:TalkandslideshowonUnderstandingttheFlowering-Plant

BrendonBooks,Taunton 7.00

Music AnIntimateEveningWithRussellWatsonUpCloseandPersonal Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

15-16 Comedy Jethro Octagon.Yeovil 7.30

15-18 Drama Gaslight-BlakeDramaClub BridgwaterArtsCentre 7.45

17 Music HazelO’ConnorwithClareHirstandSarahFisher Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

Music RichardDigance DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00

Music TheFabBeatles(Tribute) Regal,Minehead

Music TinaMay,AlanBarnes,MarkNightingalewiththeCraigMilvertonTrio IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

Comedy JeremyHardyLive Octagon,Yeovil 8.00

18 Music PeteLong’sEchoesofEllington Queen’sCollege 7.30

Music TauntonChoralSociety-HymntoGaiaandRutter’sMagnificat StMary’sCh.,Taunton 7.30

Date Event Details Venue Time

Events in date order. Contact details for most of the venues are given at the end of event listings. Please note, we do not take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Please confirm with venue timings and programme details.

26

18 Music The Barron Knights Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

Music CountryMusicNight CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music PerformanceEvening DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00

19 Music Festival of Song Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Talk Talk&Filmshowingof‘TrulyMadlyDeeply’followedbydiscussion TacchiMorris,Taunton 2.00

20 Music The Fureys Regal,Minehead 7.30

Talk JennyBarron’sTalkonherart CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music TheLevelsCollective:Solarference+DeadRatOrchestra BridgwaterArtsCentre 8.00

Music Projet Brassons CIC,Taunton 7.30

Comedy GrumpyOldWomen-50ShadesofBeige Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

20-25 Musical SisterAct-TauntonAmateurOperaticSociety(Thu&Satmatinee) Tacchi-Morris,Taunton 7.30

21 Variety EssenceofIreland-Musicanddance Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

22 Variety FlyingColoursforYeovil’sWomen’sHospital Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

23 Music Kings of Swing Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

24 Music JazzJamGig IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

25 Children’s HowtheKoalaLearnttoHug-People’sTheatreCompany Brewhouse,Taunton 2.30

Music DireStreets-UKtributetoDireStraits BridgwaterArtsCentre 8.00

Music AcousticMusicNight CIC,Taunton 7.00

Music Spiro DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00

Music Concert-JosienneClarke&BenWalker HalswayManor,Taunton ?

Talk EgyptianSocietyTalkwithJohnBaines FriendsMeetingHse,Taunton

2.00

25-6 Variety LetMeEntertainYou-talentcompetition Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

27 Variety TheMagnificentMusicHall-ThePaperMoonTheatreCompany Brewhouse,Taunton 2.30

28 Drama Lorca:LoveintheGarden-TheatresSansFrontieres Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30Music AnEveningwithJulianLloydWebber Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

29 Music Concert:SteveTurner2015 HalswayManor 7.30Comedy PaulMertonsImproChums Octagon,Yeovil 8.00Drama TheOriginoftheSpecies:Darwin-TangramTheatre Tacchi-Morris,Taunton 7.30

30 Music The Fureys Octagon,Yeovil 7.30Talk JackFieldhousecountryman-Talkabouthisliefandbooks BrendonBooks,Taunton 7.00Debate ElectiondebastewithMartinBellorganisedbyTauntonForward RichardHuish 6.30

30-1 Music TheBestoftheEagles-Talontributeband Brewhouse,Taunton 8.00

April Events Events in date order. Contact details for most of the venues are given at the end of event listings. Please note, we do not take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Please confirm with venue timings and programme details.


27

May Events

1 Music The Neil Burns Trio with Jim Mullen IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

Drama BlueAppleTheatreCompany:‘MuchAdoAboutNothing’ Tacchi-Morris,Taunton 7.30

2 Musical BacktoBroadwayMusicalTheatreShow Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

Variety Bridgwater’sGotTalent!! BridgwaterArtsCentre 7.00

4 Music BlackdownsEarlyMusicProjects2015-GuestDirectorAndrewParrott StJohnBaptist,Wellington 6.30

5 ComedyMusic

AlMurray-OneManOneGuvnorSam Lee

Brewhouse,TauntonBridgwaterArtsCentre

7.308.00

6 Drama HouseofGhosts-BaroqueTheatreCompany Regal,Minehead 7.30

Music CCS2015/2015SinfoniaClassical-EmmaJohnson Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

6-9 Drama LetticeandLovagebyPeterSchaffer WarehouseTheatre,Ilminster 7.30

7 Music TheManfreds-withoriginalfrontmanfromManfredMann Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Poetry FireRiverPoets:PoetryReadingbyChristinaNewson CIC,Taunton 8.00

7-9 Ballet 35thAnnniversaryGala-ViennaFestivalBallet(alsoSatmatinee) Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

8 Music RupertCharlesworth,tenor IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

Music StJohn’sLunchtimeConcert-AdvanceStudentsfromRichardHuish StJohn’sChurch,Taunton 12.45

8-9 Ballet BalletTheatreUK:Aladdin Tacchi-Morris,Taunton 7.30

9 Music ‘TimetoTango’ChamberConcert-TauntonSinfonietta StJames’Church,Taunton 7.30

Music JSBach-StMatthewPassion-BridgwaterChoralSociety StMary’sChurch,Bridgwater 7.30

Music KieranGoss DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00

Music ChamberConcert-Sinfonietta StJames’Church,Taunton 7.30

Variety LetMeEntertainYou Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Music SomersetYoungPerformersGalaConicert TempleMethodistCh,Taunton 7.00

10 Dance TheDemonBarbers-musicanddanceshow Octagon,Yoevil 7.30

11 Talk JeremyHarveyon‘Matisse:TheFinalYears’ SomersetCollege,Taunton 7.00

Comedy JackDee’sHelpDesk Octagon,Yeovil 8.00

12 Drama TheBeaux’Stratagem-BristolOldVic DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00

Drama SexinSuburbia-comedydrama Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

13 Variety We’llMeetAgain Octagon,Yeovil 2.30

13-16 Drama Unearthed-FolioTheatreCompanyComedydrama(Thursdaymatinee) Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

14 Talk TheYCCApresentstheAgeofElegance Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Comedy SrewartFrancisPunGentTour Octagon,Yeovil 8.00

15 Music BenWatersonpianowithhisband Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

Music GabrielleDucomblewithherQuartet IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

Music JoeMcelderry Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

Music AJ’sBigBand:‘TheGoldenYearsofSwing’ Tacchi-Morris 7.30

16 Music OrchestralConcert:BeethovenSymphonyno.8-SomersetCountyOrch. Queen’sCollege,Taunton 7.30

Music RalphMcTell Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

Music DiscoRevival CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music Lisa Knapp DavidHall,SthPetherton 8.00



28

May Events


16 Music Somerset Song Prize semi-final TempleMethodistCh,Taunto 10.30

Music SSAFAConcert.TauntonDeanemaleVoiceChoirinconcertwithYeovil-tonMilitaryWivesChoir.

StJohn’sChurch,Yeovil 7.30

Drama BristolOldVicTheatreSchool:‘TheBeauxStratagem’ Tacchi-Morris,Taunton 7.30

Music 70thAnniversaryConcert-WestSomersetSingers TauntonBaptistChurch 7.30

17 Music SomersetSongPrizeGrandFinal CastleHotel,Taunton 2.30

18-19 Children’s DannytheChampionoftheWorld-LondonContemporaryTheatreAlsoat10.30amonthe19th.

Brewhouse,Taunton 5.30

20-23 Musical BringItOnTheMusical(Satmatinee) Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

21 Talk CatherineChantertalksaboutTheWellatBrendonBooks BrendonBooks,Taunton 7.00

Comedy PaulFoot-HovercraftSymphonyinGammon#Major BridgwaterArtsCentre 8.00

Dance BridgwaterCollegeDance:She Tacchi-Morris 7.00

22 Comedy RichardHerring’sLordoftheDanceSettee Brewhouse,Taunton 8.00

Comedy JimmyCarr–FunnyBusiness WellspringsLeisureCentre 8.00

Music JazzJamGig IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00

Children’s NorwichPuppetTheatre:‘RedRidingHood’ Tacchi-Morris 11am

Comedy GaryDelaney:‘Purist’ Tacchi-Morris 8.00

Music SouthWestRocksthe80s Tacchi-Morris 7.30

23 Music CleverlyEverly Brewhouse,Taunton 7.30

24 Music TheYoung’uns DavidHall,SthPetherton 7.30

Comedy HenningWehn Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

26 Comedy RichHall Octagon,Yeovil 8.00

Children’s DuckinTrouble Brewhouse,Taunton 2.30

28 Talk JeanMoorcroftWilsoononpoetEdwardThomas BrendonBooks,Taunton 7.00

Music Whitney:QueenoftheNight Octagon.Yeovil 7.30

29 Variety PerformanceEvening DavidHall,SthPetherton 7.30Music TheDaveNewtonTriowithAndyPanayiandPercyPersglove IlminsterArtsCentre 8.00Music ThePasadenaRoofOrchestra Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

30 Music AcousticMusicNight CIC,Taunton 7.30

Music CastleCaryChoir50thAnniversaryChoir SherborneAbbey 7.30

Dance Balletzboy:TheTalent Octagon,Yeovil 7.30

31 Music TheSearchers Octagon,Yeovil 7.30


29

Art Exhibitions April/May23February-29March2015.MA and Other Post Graduates 2015.ArtSchoolsparticipating;AberystwythUniversity,BrightonUniversity,FalmouthUniversity,UniversityofGloucestershire,UCLAN(Lancashire),UniversityofLeeds,UniversityofLincoln,UniversityofNorwich,UniversityofPortsmouth,andSladeSchoolofFineArt.AtkinsonGallery,MillfieldSchool,Street,Somerset,BA160YDTel:+44(0)1458444332Email:atkinsongallery@millfieldschool.comMonday23March-Saturday18April.3D2D Contemporary.Whatiscontemporaryart?ComealongtoIlminsterArtsCentreandfindoutforyourself!Ilminster3D2DContemporarybringstogethertheworkof12well-establishedartists,topresentasnapshotofthevibrantcontemporaryartsceneintheWestCountry.IlminsterArtsCentreatTheMeetingHouse,EastStreet,Ilminster,Somerset.TA190ANInformation:0146055783.BoxOffice:0146054973Email:[email protected]:www.themeetinghouse.org.uk26Marchto23April.Colour Me Happy.AnExhibitionofPaintingsbyCarmenVeliz.CarmenVelizwasborninValparaiso,Chile.ShehasstudiedinOhio,USA;LSE;BristolUniversityandPlymouthUniversity(BAinfinearts).ShelivesinBristolandiscurrentlyamemberofartists303,FriendsofRWAandCliftonArtsSociety.ShehasworkheldingalleriesinCheshire,Taunton,Watchet,andLondon.ShehasexhibitedintheWestCountry,BristolandLondon.CreativeInnovationCentre,MemorialHall,PaulStreet,Taunton,SomersetTA13PF01823337477www.creativeinnovationcentre.co.uk7-8April.Stoke Studio.TauntonLibrary,PaulStreet,TauntonTA13XZ0845345917708453459177XZ20April-2May.Taunton Art Group. TauntonLibrary,PaulStreet,TauntonTA13XZ0845345917708453459177XZMonday20April-Saturday16May.The Magnificent Seven.Groupexhibitionfeaturingpaintings,glass,stainedglassengrav-ingandsculpture.IlminsterArtsCentreattheMeetingHouse,EastStreet,Ilminster,TA190AN.0146054973.www.themeet-inghouse.org.uk.Monday20April-Saturday23May.Simon Cook: ‘Views from a Vanishing Point’.OpenMonday-Friday10am-4pm,plusshownights.Free.Tacchi-MorrisArtsCentre,SchoolRoad,Taunton.TA28PD.BoxOffice:01823414141.www.tacchi-morris.com.28April-26May.Jem McCluskey Reflex-One:A ‘cross-cutting’ portfolio.Theportfolioincludesworkoveranumberofyearswithanexplorationofvariousgenres,includingportraiture,landscapes,naturalhistory,still-life,architectureandtravel.Theportfoliowillalsoincludesomeinitialexplorationintofilmwhichwillformanever-wideningareaofworkinthefuture.Cre-ativeInnovationCentre,MemorialHall,PaulStreet,Taunton,SomersetTA13PF01823337477www.creativeinnovationcentre.co.uk11-16May.Friday Afternoon Cometrow Art Group.TauntonLibrary,PaulStreet,TauntonTA13XZ0845345917708453459177XZMonday18May-Saturday30May. Reflections of Cornwall. Adiversecollectionofstill-life,botanicalstudies,landscapeandphotographybytenmembersoftheLizardArtGroupwholiveandworkontheLizardpeninsula.IlminsterArtsCentreattheMeetingHouse,EastStreet,Ilminster,TA190AN.0146054973.www.themeetinghouse.org.uk.26May-6June.Somerset Society of Artists. TauntonLibrary,PaulStreet,TauntonTA13XZ0845345917708453459177XZ

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Taunton Film Society: Love, Loss and Obsession

SundayApril19,2-6pm.Venue:TheSpace,SchoolRoad,

MonktonHeathfield,TauntonTA28PD

Tickets£10,TFSmembers£7.50.Ticketsareavailableonthedoor,or

via our email: [email protected]

Everyonewelcome.Refreshmentsavailable.

There will be a Sunday afternoon dis-cussing love, loss and obsession, with thoughts based around the film ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’, and Tennessee Williams’ play ‘Streetcar Named Desire’. The event is arranged by Taunton Film Society.Love,lossandobsessionaresomeofthethemestobeexploredinrelationtothe1990filmTruly,Madly,DeeplydirectedbyAnthonyMinghellaandtheTennesseeWilliams’playAStreetcarNamedDesire.ThetitleoftheconferenceisTruly,MadlyDeeply:OnLove,LossandObsession.Itwillconsistofascreeningofthefilmaccompaniedbyapapergivenbyourkey-notespeaker,Dr.LeselDawson,aSeniorLectureratTheUniversityofBristol.HertalkwillexplorethedepictionofloveandlossinTruly,Madly,DeeplyandAStreet-

carNamedDesire,relatingtheseworkstocontemporaryideasabouttraumaandrecovery.Therewillthenbeadis-cussionperiodwiththespeaker,chairandtheaudience.

DrDawsonspecialisesin16thand17thcenturyEnglishLiteratureandthehistoryofemotions.Herbook,Love-sicknessandGenderinEarlyModernLiterature,exploresrepresentationsoferoticdesireasanillnessinRenaissancemedicine,philosophy,andtheworksofShakespeareandhiscontemporaries.Sheisalsointerestedinthedynamicrelationshipbetweenliterarytheoryandpsychoanalysisandthewaysinwhichpsychoanalysiscanenhanceourunder-standingofliterature.

DrDawsonisontheBoardofDirectorsforShakespeareattheTobaccoFactoryinBristol.ShewillberememberedastheveryinterestingkeynotespeakeratTauntonFilmSociety’sDayConferencein2012onKazuoIshiguro’sbookandfilmNeverLetMeGo.

30

Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, Street, Somerset BA16 0YD 01458 444322Barn, Obridge House Priorswood, Taunton. Contact: Jeremy Harvey. 01823 276421Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742 [email protected] Theatre & Arts Centre, Coal Orchard, Taunton TA1 1JL 01823 283244 [email protected] Arts Centre, 11-13 Castle Street, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 3DD 01278 422 700 The Castle Hotel, Castle Green, Taunton TA1 1NF 01823 272671Caryford Community Hall, Ansford, Castle Cary, South Somerset BA7 7JJCheddar Library, Union Street, Cheddar BS27 3NB [email protected] or 0845 345 9177Cossington Village Hall Rrivetts Way , TA7 8LH. Cotleigh Brewery Ltd, Ford Road, Wiveliscombe, Somerset TA4 2RE 01984 624086 [email protected] Innovation Centre CIC, Memorial Hall, Paul Street,Taunton TA1 3PF. 01823 337477 [email protected] David Hall, Roundwell St South Petherton. TA13 5AA 01460 240340 [email protected] Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9DT 01460 258648 [email protected] Dunster Tithe Barn 01643 821658 [email protected] Fyne Court, Broomfield, Somerset TA5 2EQ 01823 451587Ginger Fig, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 326798Halseway Manor, Crowcombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 4BD 01984 618274 Hestercombe Gardens, Hestercombe, Taunton TA2 8LG 01823 413 923Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street, Ilminster TA19 0AN 01460 55783 Iminster Parish Hall, North Street, Ilminster, TA19 0DGMuseum of Somerset, Taunton Castle, Castle Green, Taunton Somerset TA1 4AA 01823 255088 www.somerset.gov.uk/museumsMusic in the Quantocks 01823 451162Oake Manor Golf Club,Oake Taunton TA4 1BA 01823 461992 Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil BA20 1UX 01935 422884Parish Church St John, Wellington, 72 High Street Wellington(01823) 662248 Porlock Village Hall, Toll Road (New Rd), Porlock TA24 8QD 01643 862717Queen’s Conference Centre, Trull Road, Taunton Ta1 4QS 01823 272559 [email protected] Regal Theatre, 10-16 The Avenue, Minehead TA24 5AY 01643 706430 [email protected] Huish College, 2 Kings Close, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3XP 01823 320800Silver Street Centre, Silver Street, Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 2PA 01984 623107 Somerset College, Wellington Road, Taunton TA1 5AX 01823 366366Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society, Field Officer, Peter Daniel, 29 Barbers Mead, Taunton, TA2 8PY.Telephone : 01823 339368. E-mail : [email protected] Somerset Rural Life Museum. Abbey Farm, Chilkwell Street, GlastonburySomerset BA6 8DB 01458 831197St John’s Church, Park Street, Taunton TA1 4DG [email protected] St Mary Magdalene Church, Church Square, Taunton TA1 1SA 01823 272441St Mary’s Church, St Mary Street, Bridgwater TA6 3EQ 01278 422437 [email protected] St Mary’s Church, Stogumber [email protected] St Peter & St Paul Church, Moor Lane, North Curry Ta3 6JZ 01823 490255The Swan Theatre, 138 Park Street,Yeovil BA20 1QT [email protected] Arts Centre, School Road, Taunton TA2 8PD 01823 41 41 41 [email protected] Taunton Flower Show http://www.tauntonfs.co.uk/Taunton Forward www.tauntonforward.co.ukTaunton Library, Paul St, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3XZ 0845 345 9177 Temple Methodist Church, Upper High Street, Taunton TA1 3PY (01823) 275765Tyntesfield Wraxall, North Somerset, BS48 1NTUnited Reform Church, SomertonWarehouse Theatre, Brewery Lane, Ilminster, TA19 9AD Tel 01460 57049 Wellesley Theatre, 50-52 Mantle Street, Wellington TA21 8AU 01823 666668 Wellington Arts Centre, Eight Acre Lane, Wellington, TA21 8PS 01458 250655Wellsprings Leisure Centre, Cheddon Road, Taunton TA2 7QP 01823 271271Yeovil Library, The Library, King George Street, Yeovil Somerset BA20 1PY Tel 01823 336370

Contacts List

31

Workshops, Courses & Classes (Jan-March)Listings are for April-May by venue charged at £4.00 per line or part line (up to 110 characters including spaces) or as part of an advertising package. Single individual entries also accepted.

Willow WorkshopsCoates English Willows, Meare Green Court, Stoke St Gregory, Taunton, Somerset TA3 6HY

mailto:[email protected] Telephone: 01823 490249 (Mon-Fri 9-5).April 2015 Saturday11th LivingWillowStructuresWorkshops 9.30am-4pm £50.00Saturday11th SowyStitch FullDay £25.00Friday17th CockerelandChickensculptureday 9.30am-4.30pm 65.00Saturday18th SpringHareSculptureworkshop 9.30am-4.30pm £65.00Saturday18th BasketMakingWorkshops 9.30am-4pm £85.00(includeslunch)May 2015 Saturday02nd2015 SowyStitch FullDay £25.00Friday08th WillowAnimalSculptureDay 9.30am-4.30pm £75.00Saturday09th WillowDeerSculptureDay 9.30am-4.30pm £65.00Saturday16th BasketMakingWorkshops 9.30am-4pm £85.00(includeslunch)Saturday16th PlantSupportsWillowWorkshop 9.30am-4pm £50.00Saturday23rd Duck&GooseSculptureWorkshop 9.30am-4.30pm £65.00

SAGTWorkshopThursday21May7.30DrawingWorkshoponpen&wash.Tutor:JulianFraseratCICCIC,Memorial Hall, Paul Street,Taunton

TA1 3PF. 01823 337477 [email protected]

Regular classes at the Bridgwater Arts Centre: 11-13 Castle Street Bridgwater TA6 3DDWatercolourclass:EveryWednesday10-noon

BridgwaterVoicesCommunityChoir:EveryWednesday7.30-9pmBridgwaterSilverCommunityChoir:EveryTuesday10.30-noon

JazzWorkshop:EveryTuesday7.30-9pm,Salsa:EveryWednesday8-10pm1stThursday-PubQuiz,2ndThursday-FolkSession,3rdThursday-AcousticSession,

4thThursday-JazzSession,Knit’n’knatter:ThursdayFortnightly:10.30-12.30PleasenotethatthesemaybesubjecttocancellationwhenthereisaTheatreeventon.

Barasfollows:WeareopeneveryWednesdayandThursday,pluseventnights.WhenwedonothaveatheatreeventwehavesocialeventsinourBacroomBar

Halsway Manor, Halsway Lane, near Crowcombe, Somerset, TA44BD

Telephone: 01984 618 274 office@halswaymanor.org.ukHalswayManorEasterDanceParty2015Sunday5thApril-Friday10thApril2015

IrishSetDancingWeekend2015Friday10thApril2015-Monday13thApril2015 ContraandSquareDanceWeek2015Monday13thApril2015-Friday17thApril2015

BillandMeg’sTraditionalSongWeekend2015Friday17thApril2015-Sunday19thApril2015 AngloScottishDanceWeekMonday20thApril2015-Friday24thApril2015 AcousticGuitarMasterclass2015Friday24thApril2015-Sunday26thApril2015

Arts&CraftsWeekendWorkshops2015Friday24thApril2015-Sunday26thApril2015Basketry-oneroundbase,manybaskets2015Monday27thApril2015-Friday1stMay2015

Storytelling-PutaSpringinYourTelling!Tuesday28thApril2015-Friday1stMay2015MayDayCelebrations2015Friday1stMay2015AdayforlocalschoolstovisitHalswayManor

SocietyforInternationalFolkDance2015Friday1stMay2015-Tuesday5thMay2015ViolinMakingCourseSpring2015Friday8thMay2015-Monday11thMay2015

AmericanContraWeek2015Monday11thMay2015-Friday15thMay2015RecordersWeekend2015Friday15thMay2015-Sunday17thMay2015

WalkingandSingingWeekMay2015Monday18thMay2015-Friday22ndMay2015BeyondPlayford2015Friday22ndMay2015-Sunday24thMay2015

WhitsunVoices,ViolsandRecorders2015Sunday24thMay2015-Friday29thMay2015 FolkMusicians’Weekend2015Friday29thMay2015-Sunday31stMay2015

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Vienna Festival Ballet35th ANNIVERSARY GALA

Vienna Festival Bal-let celebrates 35 years with an Anniversary Gala. They will pres-ent highlights from the world’s most beloved Tchaikovsky ballets which have featured in their reper-toire over the years.

Highlights will include the legendary Rose Adagio and the Bluebird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty, as well as Clara’s journey to the glittering land of snow in The Nutcracker. Gershwin’s ground breaking Rhapsody in Blue is also featured, as is the famous lake-side scene from Swan Lake, including the Dance of the Cygnets, which opens the second act. The highly suc-cessful Hip Hop scene from Vienna Festival Ballet’s Snow White also ap-pears here, as does the Dance of the Mirlitons and the Trepak Dance from the Nutcracker. The gala closes with the beautiful Corn pas de deux from

Coppélia and a spec-tacular grand finale.

The Vienna Festival Ballet tours extensively throughout the UK, bring-ing well known classics to both big cities and small towns. As Artistic Director Peter Mallek ex-plains, “A lot of the bigger companies cannot perform in smaller venues. We have tailored our productions so that we are able to adjust the ballet to fit all different sizes of stage. This means we can bring ballet as close

Vienna Festival Ballet35th Anniversary Gala



7th - 9th May 2015 - 7.30pmPlus Saturday Matinee 2.30pm

to home for our audiences as possible, so they don’t have extra travel costs and long journeys. They can see a

very high standard of ballet at an affordable price, right on

their doorstep.”

Vienna Festival Ballet’s reflection on 35 years of performing all over the world promises to take you on an un-forgettable journey through the best of ballet in one magical evening.

TheDanceoftheMirlitons Snow White

33

Named as one of the top 50 of all

bookshops in the UK by the

Independent Newspaper in February 2012

01823 337742 [email protected]

Forthcoming talks and book signings for April and MayAll talks take place a 7.00 pm except where otherwise stated

Children’s event: Saturday 11 April, 11am Julia Copus, Hog and the Shrew and the HullabalooTuesday 14 April Understanding the Flowering Plants, Anne Bebbington

Thursday 30 April Jack Fieldhouse, His life and booksFriday 8 May Marc Morris, King John, Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta

Thursday 21 May Catherine Chanter, The WellThursday 28 May, Jean Moorcroft Wilson, Edward Thomas: From Adlestrop to Arras

Sign up to our weekly e-newsletter and event reminder service for talks organised by Brendon Books

Emailcontactdetailsto:[email protected]

Books: New and Old

Classical CDs and cards

School Supply with free delivery to local schools

34

ThelatestHestercombeGalleryexhibi-tionfocusesonthepersonalpassionsofartcollectorChrisIngram,andshowcas-esimportantworksfromthetwentiethcenturytothepresentday.MorerecentcontemporaryworksbyartistssuchasPeterHowson,KenCurrie,RayRichard-sonandSukiChanjuxtaposesModernBritishluminariessuchasDameElisa-bethFrink,CarelWeight,LynnChad-wick,KennethArmitage,DavidBombergandFrankAuerbach.Theexhibitionfeaturessculpture,worksoncanvasandpaperaswellasfilm.

Sincehestartedcollectingin2002ChrisIngramhasbuiltwhatisoneofthiscountry’sforemostandmostsignifi-cantcollectionsofModernBritishart.Continuallyevolvingandgrowing,ithasbeencreatedwithexemplaryvisualflairandanunerringeyeforquality.TheCollectionisabletodemonstratetheconnections,contrastsanddevelopmentoftheavant-gardeinBritain.Thereisaparticularemphasisonthepost-Warperiod,withworksthatshowartists’responsestotheexistentialanxietiesandchallengesofthecontemporaryworldandtheirsearchfornewvisuallanguageswithwhichtoexpressthem.

ThisexhibitionnotonlyattemptstoanalyseChrisIngram’scollectorseye,butitbringstogetherface-to-facesuchhistoricandcontemporaryworksasAleahChapin’snude‘TheTempest’from2013withJacobEpstein’s‘SunitaReclining’from1930.SimilarlyTristramHillier’s‘TheCruci-fixion’,paintinginSomersetin 1952 resonates with Peter Howson’smonumentalpaintingofthe‘Resurrection’from1999,bothofwhich,suggestsIngram,seemtohaveanuncannyrele-vancetotoday’sworldevents. Hestercombehasalwayshadaplaceattheleadingedgeofcreativity,fromCWBamp-fyldeandhisborrowedviewsintheeighteenthcenturytoJeykyllandLutyenspushingtheboundariesofgardendesignandplantingintheearly1900s.This,thefourthexhibi-tionatHestercombeGallery,isnoexception.CuratedbyTimMartin,itaimstousethereclaimedspacestoshowcasetheseimportanthistoricandcontemporaryworkssidebysideinaseriesofthemedroomstopresentnewwaysofseeing. ChrisIngram’sgrowinginterestincontemporaryandemergingartists,hasseenhimprovidesupportforMAstu-dentsfromthemajorartschoolsinLon-don,aswellaslookingatnewwaysofsupportingandpromotingthearts.ThisapproachchimeswithHestercombe’scommitmenttodevelopinganartistinresidenceandeducationprogrammeandbuildingagalleryofregionalsignifi-cance.TheHestercombeGallery,whichopenedin2014inHestercombeHouse,aimstoshowcasenationalandinter-

A Personal PassionThe Ingram Collection of Modern British

and Contemporary Art at Hestercombe House

DameElisabethFrink,Bird,1958©FrinkEstateandimagecourtesyofTheIngramCollection

nationalcontemporaryart.Thegalleryismadeupofsimplespaces,strippedtorevealtheirarchitecturalheritage,provid-inganinterestingandthought-provokinggalleryfortheregion.

A Personal Passion: The Ingram Collection of Modern British and

Contemporary Art

willbeexhibitedfrom25thApril–5thJuly2015.

TheGalleryisopensevendaysaweekfrom11am–5pm.

To find out more about Hestercombe, visit the Hestercombe website:

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Jean Moorcroft Wilson is an eminent literary biogra-pher, a lecturer at Birkbeck College and a leading expert on First World War Literature. She is the author of biographies of Siegfried Sassoon, Charles Hamilton Sorley and Isaac Rosenberg and the niece of Virginia Woolf.

Along with Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, Edward Thomas is by any reckon-ing a major First World War poet.

A war poet is not one who chooses to commemorate or celebrate a war, but one who reacts against having a war thrust upon him. His great friend Rob-ert Frost wrote ‘his poetry is so very brave, so unconsciously brave.’

From Adlestrop to Arras

Apart from a most illuminating understanding of his poetry, Dr Wilson shows how Thomas’ life alone makes for absorbing reading: his early marriage, his dependence on laudanum, his friendships with Joseph Conrad, Edward Garnett, Rupert Brooke and Hilaire Belloc among others. The novelist Elea-nor Farjeon entered into a curious menage a trois with him and his wife. He died in France in 1917, on the first day of the Battle of Arras. This is the stuff of which myths are made and posterity has been quick

In Memoriam (Easter 1915)

The flowers left thick at nightfall in the woodThis Eastertide call into mind the men,Now far from home, who, with their sweethearts, shouldHave gathered them and will do never again

Jean Moorcroft Wilson:Edward Thomas: From

Adlestrop to Arras

Talk followed by signingat Brendon Books

at 7.00 pm on Thursday 28 May

Tickets £8.00Brendon Books, Bath

Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742

[email protected]

to oblige. But this has tended to ob-scure his true worth as a writer, as Dr Wilson argues.

Edward Thomas’s poems were not published until some months after his death, but they have never since been out of print. Described by Ted Hughes as ‘the father of us all’, Thomas’s distinctively modern sensi-bility is probably the one most in tune with our twenty-first century outlook. He occupies a crucial place in the development of twentieth century poetry. This is the extraordinary life of a poetic genius.

The first new book on Edward Thomas for 30 years by eminent biographer Jean Moorcroft Wilson is

looked forward to with great anticipation

36

The Old Brick workshop is a new creative space in Wellington. Judging by the response so far, it is fulfilling a need for reasonably priced spaces for those in the creative industry to work on their own or share a space with other artists.

TheworkshopisnexttoViridor,notfarfromPooleWasterecyclingCentreandyoumaybeforgivenfornotconsideringthistheobviouschoiceforartwork-shops.

Infact,sittinginoneoftheworkshopareastalkingtoAlisonCosserat,whosebrainchildthisis,Iwasstruckbyhowquietitwasand,infact,whatanimagi-nativeuseitwasforabrown-fieldsite.

Itisspacious,ontwofloors.Therearenineself-containedartiststudiosandopenplansharedspacesforthoseinthecreativefields.Thereisalsocommunalroomforartiststomeetandshareideasandplansforagalleryintheautumn.ThisisduetoopenintimeforSomersetArtsWeekinSeptemberandAlisonwelcomesenquiriesfromprospectiveexhibitorsforSomersetArtsWeek.

TheCommunalworkspaceisavailableonamonthlybasisineightfourhour

slotssotheirwillbeoptionsformorn-ing,afternoonoreveningsessions.Securestoragewillalsobeprovided.Theworkspaceswillbeavailableat£40permonth.

Alisoncameupwiththeideawhenshehadtomovefromherpreviousstu-diowhichwaslocatedontheoldFoxBrotherssite(thecurrentFoxBrothersbusinesstradesfromanewsite).AlisonfoundtheOldBrickWorkshopsite,es-tablishedherownstudioandthenbeganworkwiththeideaofofferingspacestoothersinthecreativefield.Ithasnotbeenaneasytask.Anumberofchang-eswererequired;wallswereknockeddownandpartitionserected.Alisonhasmanagedthisallvirtuallysingle-handedthoughshestruckluckywith,James,herfirsttenantwhoprovedtohaveusefulbuildingskillsandhasprovedtobejustthekindofcommunitymindedtenantsheislookingfor.Likemanyotherofthetenantsthathavetakenupastudio,hehadcomefrompursuingafounda-tiondegreeatSomersetCollege.

Alison,whogrewupinSomerset,alsotookthefoundationdegreeatSomersetCollegeanumberofyearsagobefore

goingontoLancasterUniversitytostudyFineArt.Followingherdegree,andafteraperiodinFrance,shesuccessfullyappliedforajobrestoringantiquefurnitureinTaunton.Eventuallyshebecameselfem-ployedandnowspecialisesintheresto-rationofdecorativesurfacesonantiquefurniture,specialisingingoldleafandlacquerwork.

Hervisionistocreateaharmoniouscommunityofco-workingartists.Fellowartistswillbeencouragedtoruntheirowncourses–suchasadrawingworkshoporaprintworkshops.

Shebelievesitisarewardingexperiencemixingwithartistsandthoseinthecre-ativefield.Shemay,even,shebelievesbetemptedtoreturntoherfineartandpaintagain.

Aswewenttopress,onlyacoupleofthestudiosremainedforhiresoitlooksasthoughAlisonhasalreadygonealongwaydowntheroadtoachievinghervision-andadedicatedgalleryspaceisamuchneedadditonfortheWellingtoncommu-nity.

TheOldBrickWorkShop

Oneofthestudios

Alisonatwork

37

Historian Marc Morris comes to Taunton to talk about his latest book, King John: Treachery Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta, published to coin-cide with the 800 year an-niversary of Magna Carta.

MarcMorrisspecialisesinmedievalhistory.KingJohnfollowsanumberofsuccessfulbooks:NormanConquest,EdwardIandCastle(whichaccompaniedasuccessfulchannel4seriesofthesamesubject).Hisinterestinmedievalhistory

stemsfromhisundergraduatestud-iesatKing’sCollege,London.OneoftheadvantagesofUni-versity,hefound,isthatyoucanchoosewhicheratostudy.WhenhelookedatwhatwasonofferatUniversity,itwasmedievalhistorythatattractedhimandhasfascinat-edhimeversince.Helikedthefactthatitwasdifferenttothemodernperiodthathadbeenmainlyonoffertohimatschoolwhileatthesametime,unlikethestudyoftheancientworld,forexample,wherecustomsandritualsaretotallyalientowhatweknowtodayyouarestudyinginmanycasesthefoundationsofourmodernworld,

for example in the formation of shires andcountiesandtheoriginsofourlawsystem.Therewasalsosomethingineffa-ble,anaffinitywhichhefeltwithstoriesofoldentimesfromchildhood.

Therewasalsoanagoodrangeofsourc-esonofferbutnotsomuchaswithmorerecentperiodswherethereisanuntoldwealthofresources–somuchsothatitisimpossibletoreadeverythingthatisonoffer.Heissatisfiedthatwhenhestudiesaparticulareventinhistoryhehasreadmoreorlessallthematerialthatisavailableonthesubject.

HisMAwaspartlyontheMagnaCartasohecomestothesubjectofKingJohnandMagnaCartawellprepared.

ThereisnodoubtthatJohnwasambi-tiousandrelentlessandasayoungmanthereweremanyplotsandintriguesonhiswaytogainingthecrown.HavinglosthislandstoFrancehebattledtogetthemback,invadedScotlandandWalesandmadeenemiesofthosewhowereformerlyhisfriends.Inordertoachievehisendsheimposedheavyfinesandtaxes.AquarrelwiththePopeInnocent

III,resultedinJohn’sexcommunication.Thedeadwereburiedinunconsecratedgroundandthechurchbellsnolongerrang.Hisrulewastyrannicalandper-ceivedasunjustresultinginconspiracyandrevoltandtheMagnaCarta.

John is familiar to us as the villain from thetalesofRobinHood–greedy,cow-ardlyandcruel-buthowfaristhisatrueimageofhimandhowfarwashisreigndirectlyresponsiblefortheactionsthatledtotheMagnaCarta?MarcMorrisdrawsoncontemporarychroniclesandtheKing’sownletterstobringtherealJohntolife.

Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta

Marc Morris King John, Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta

TalkandBooksigningFriday8Mayat7.00pm

Venueandtickets:BrendonBooks,BathPlace,Taunton

TA14ER0182301823 337742

[email protected]

38

Foundedin1955byasmallgroupofchurchmusicenthusiasts,whoseaimwastobringtothechurchesofSomersetpartofthechoralheritageoftheChurchofEngland,thechoirwasfirstknownastheRuralChurchSingers.Theybecamewell-knowntomanysmallcountrycongregationstowhomtheytravelledtosingChoralEvensongs.Thoseearlydayswerenotwithoutincident.Re-cordstellofthetimewhentheeveningcanticlestobesungwerechangedatthelastmomentowingtochoirbalance,butthedecisiondidnotreachtheorganistintheorganloft.Onanotheroccasion,acertainpipe-smokingtenorcaughtfireasthechoirwaitedtoprocessintoachurch.

Todayundertheirnewname,InEcclesia,adoptedin1995,thechoirisstillfulfillingthatoriginalaim,buthasalsotravelledfarbeyondtheSomersetborderstosinginmanyoftheCountry’sfinestchurches,includingWestminsterAbbey,andmorerecentlythecathedralsofSalisburyandChristChurch,Oxford.TherehavealsobeentripsabroadtothecathedralsofStPatrickandChristChurchinDublin,andtoFrancetosingin12thcenturychurchesinPoitou-Cha-

rentes.Onethingthatneverappearstohavechangedovertheyearsisthefeelingofcamaraderiethathasexistedinthechoir,makingitsactivitiessoenjoyable.

TheuniquenatureofInEcclesiadoesmeanthatmakingendsmeetisnoteasy,asthechoirdoesnotbenefitfinanciallyfromitschurchorcathedralbasedper-formances,whicharethechoir’sraisond’être.Inordertoraisefundstosupple-mentmember’ssubscriptionsandthe

60 years of Evensong

generoussupportofitsFriends,thechoirthereforegivestwoconcertseachyear.Thechoir’sAnniversaryConcertthisyear,undertheirconductor,LaurenceBlyth,willtakeplace,appropriately,atStMi-chael’sChurch,Milverton,whichiswheretheRuralChurchSingerssangtheirfirstEvensongon31May1956.Theconcerton6JunewillincludeFauré’sRequiem,andthefirstperformanceofanewworkbyJohnBodiley,whohasbeendirec-torofmusicatthechurchesofStMary,Bridgwater,andHolyTrinity,Taunton.HissensitiveaccompanyingskillshavesupportedmanyastudentfromRichardHuishCollegeintheirexamsandhehasworkedwithInEcclesiaasanoccasionaldirectorandorganist. ThecrowningeventofInEcclesia’sAnni-versaryyearwillbeaweek-endofservicesatYorkMinsterinOctober.

Formoreinformationaboutthechoiranditsactivitiesvisittheirwebsiteatwww.inecclesia.org.uk.

Next Concert: 6 June, 7.30pm. Anniversary Concert at St Michael’s Church, Milverton.

As Taunton based choir In Ecclesia celebrates its 60th Anniversay, In Ecclesia member Christopher Markwick looks back on its origins and development and to future performances.

InEcclesiainrehearsal

InEcclesiaatSalisbury

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Gabrielle Ducomble Quartet SaturdayMay16th8.00pm(doorsfrom6.45pm) RisingstarGabrielleisrapidlyputtinghersophisticatedGallicstampontotheBritishjazzscene.TechnicallygiftedandartisticallyathomeinstylesrangingfromcontemporaryjazztoFrenchpopularsong,Gabrielleoozessophisticationandcharm,andwillseduceyouwithhereleganceandjoiedevivre.

Soallowyourselftobetransportedbacktotheshadynight-clubsofMontmartreandtheinfamousPigalle.FromFrenchChansons,throughpassionateTango,LatinAmericanclas-sics,BossaNovaandtheeraofbeautyandtragedyinfindesiecleParis,totheelegantstandardsfromthegreatsongbooks,itpromisestobeanunmissableevening

AsPiafstates:NON,JENEREGRETTERIEN 01278 451187 or [email protected]

Reserved seats £15.00 (inc. a Bucks Fizz reception and French style tasty treats from Roger Collett

OBITUARY: HUGH CYRIL PRUDDEN (1929-2015)The following is adapted from a longer obituary provided by fellow geologists Andy King and Denis Parsons of the Som-erset Geology Group and Somerset Heritage Centre respectively.

HughwasborninBedfordinJanuary1929andgainedanMACantabinGeographyfromCambridgeUniversityin1952.TaughtGeographyandGeologyinTunbridgeWells,CheltenhamandKeynshambeforemovingtoSomersettoteachatYeovilGrammarSchoolandlateratYeovilSixthFormCollegewherehewasalecturerfrom1974-89.Atthesametimehecontributedtomanygeographypublications,wasinvolvedinexaminationboards,theUniversityofBristolandwasamemberoftheEarthScienceTeachersAssociation.WhenhemarriedLornain1960andtheysettledinMontacutehewelcomedvisitingacademicsandprofessionals.HiscontributiontothefieldofGeographywasimmense.HeassistedinmanyBritishGeologicalAssociationmemoirs,ledmanygeographicalfieldtripsinSomersetandDor-setandassistedattheInternationalFieldSymposiumontheBritishJurassicheldinWeymouthin1969.HedevelopedaparticularinterestintheGeologyandLandscapeofYeovil,TheBlackdownHillsandtheValeofTaunton.HealsodevelopedadetailedknowledgeofSomersetbuildingstonesandcontributedtotherecentrevisionofthelocalPevsnerandthenationalStrategicStoneStudycoveringSomersetandEx-moorNationalPark.Hewasalsoknownforhisinstrumentalworkrecordingtemporarygeologicalsections.Hughwasamemberofmanygeologicalandnaturalhistoryorganisations,includingtheGeologists’Association,DevonshireAssociation,DorsetGAGroup,SomersetArchaeologicalandNaturalHistorySocietyandtheSomersetWildlifeTrust.FormanyyearshewasalsoaCommitteememberoftheUssherSocietyandwasOrganisingSecretaryfortheirMineheadconfer-ence.HughbecameamemberoftheSomersetGeologyGroupuponitsfoundationbyProfessorDesmondDonovanin1984;hewastheGroup’sSecretaryandConvenersince1992,diligentlyorganisingtheregularmeetingsandcirculatingtheSGGNewslettertosome70recipients.Inrecognitionofhiseffortsandcontributiontogeology,HughwasfirstawardedTheGeolo-gists’AssociationHalsteadMedal(1994)andlatertheR.H.WorthPrizefromTheGeologicalSociety(2007).InallHughwasinvolvedinnearly70publications,manyofthemwritteninretirement.Theyincludedscientificpapers,leaf-letsandbooks,includingGeologyandLandscapeofTauntonDeane(2001)whichwasawardedsecondprizeintheLasmo.Asidefromgeographyandgeologyhewasalsoanenthusiasticgardener,likedbeagling,captainedalocalskittlesteamatThePhelipsArmsandenjoyedmusic.Hughdiedon8thJanuary2015,his86thbirthday.Hehadbeensufferingpoorhealthforsometimeandfoundhisincreasinglackofmobilityextremelyfrustrating.Hewillbesorelymissedandfondlyrememberedbymanypeople.Hugh’slastwisheswerethathiscomprehensivecollectionofgeologicaldocuments,papers,records,loggedsectionsandmapsshouldbedepos-itedintheSomersetHeritageCentre(wheretheywillbeavailableforalltostudyinthe‘HughPruddenArchive’)andthattheSomersetGeologyGroup,ofwhichheremainedSecretarytotheveryend,shouldactivelycontinueandflourish.HeleavesawifeLorna,asonMark,adaughterJenny,andthreeadultgrandchildrenHarry,TobyandChloe.Copies of Geology and Landscape of Taunton Deane are still available from: Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER

40

Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre has just launched two competitions that aim to celebrate the work of talent-ed writers from the south west and beyond.

Tocelebratetherewillbeaweekofliteraryeventsplannedinclud-ing two opportunities for writers to share theirworkinfrontofaliveaudience,aperformancebyReducedShakespeareCompanyandaneveningcalledPartnersinCrimewherelocalcrimewriterChrisEwanwillbeinter-viewingauthorof‘Vera’and‘Shetland’AnnCleeveandaward-winninghistoricalcrimeauthorAndrewTaylor.Sowhatareyouwaitingfor?Putpentopaperandgetcreativeorsimplycomealongandenjoythefestivalatmosphere.

ThePageisPrinted-Tacchi-MorrisArts

Centre’sannualcreativewritingcompe-titioncentredaroundtheA4page-isacelebrationofcreativewritingandspokenwordandentriescanbeinanygenrewhetheritbealoveletter,ashortstory,apoem,acourtsummonsorevenashoppinglist!TheonlyrulebeingyourentrymustbecontainedonjustonesideofA4paperandentries(online,byemail,orbypost)mustbereceivedby9amonFriday1stMay.

Theesteemedpanelofjudgeswillbelookingforsomethingbold,imaginativeandoriginalthatcomesto life when it is readaloud!Sodaretobedifferentandletyourcreativityrunwild.Foradultsthere is a first prize of£200,asecondprizeof£100,andathirdprizeof£50tobewon.Forunder18sthereare three prizes of

£50upforgrabs,plusallthoseenteringthecompetitionwillreceiveacompli-mentarytickettoThePageisPrintedCelebrationEveningonFriday19thJune.CuratedbyGraemeRyan,thehuge-lyentertainingThePageisPrintedCelebrationEveningfeatureswritersofallagesfromacrosstheUK,poet-ry,rap,shortstoriesandlivemusicinthebar.Thestageisopentoab-solutelyanyonesobringalongyour

Creative Writing Festival at Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre

Calling all creative writers and playwrights!

ReducedShakespeareCompany

ThethreePartnersinCrimeauthorswhowillbeappearingatthefestival.Fromtheleft:ChrisEwen,AndrewTaylorandAnnCleeves

41

competitionentrytoshareoranotherpieceofwriting(maximumonesideofA4)andexpectanightofcollectivecre-ativitylikelytomakeyoulaugh,possiblypullatyourheartstringsandmostdefi-nitelyliftyourspiritsandenrichyoursoul!ThewinnersofThePageisPrintedcompetitionwillalsobeannounced.Forbuddingplaywrightswithaplottheyareburningtotaketothestage,thereisaspecialcompetitionjustforyou.PagetoStageofferswriterstheuniqueopportunitytodeveloptheirworkwiththreebursariesof£100upforgrabs,andachancetostagethework-in-progressatTacchi-MorrisArtsCentreonThursday18thJune.Playscriptsandexcerptsareinvitedofnomorethan20pagesinlength,or20minutesinperformancetime.ScriptswillbereadbyaprofessionalteamandselectedplaywrightswillbeawardedbursariesandtheopportunitytoutiliseTacchi-MorrisArtsCentre’sprofes-sionalrehearsalfacilities.Playwrightswillneedtosourcetheirownactinganddirectingcastandthedeadlineforentries(byemailorbypost)is9amon

Event InformationThe Page is Printed CompetitionDeadline for entries: 9am, Friday 1st May 2015.Entry Fee: Adults: £4 (single entry), £10 (up to three entries per person). Under 18’s: Free (for up to three entries per person). Everyone who enters the com-petition is eligible for a complimentary ticket to attend The Page is Printed Cel-ebration Evening on Friday 19th June. Enter online: www.tacchi-morris.com/whats-on/the-page-is-printed-compe-tition. By email: [email protected] or by post to the address below.

Page to Stage CompetitionDeadline for entries: 9am, Friday 1st May 2015.Entry Fee: Adults: £10 per script. Under 18’s: Free. Everyone who enters the competition is eligible for a com-plimentary ticket to attend the Page to Stage Evening on Thursday 18th June.Submit your script by email: [email protected] or by post to the ad-dress below (marking envelope for Page to Stage Competition)

The Page is Printed Celebration Eve-ning Takes place on Friday 19th June. Participant registration takes place in the foyer from 7pm, the event starts at 7:30pm. Tickets £4. Free to entrants of The Page is Printed Competition.Page to Stage EveningTakes place on Thursday 18th June at 7pm. Tickets: £4. Free to entrants of the Page to Stage Competition.

Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete Works of William Shake-speare (abridged) [revised]. Saturday 20th June at 7.30pm. Tickets: £16 / £14 Concessions.Partners in CrimeWednesday 24th June at 7:30pm. Tick-ets: £8 / £5 Students. Books will be on sale for the individual authors.

At Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre, School Road, Taunton. TA2 8PD.Box Office: 01823 414141. Email: [email protected].

Friday1stMay.AllentrieswillreceiveafreetickettothePagetoStageEventonThursday18thJune,where there will also beachancefortheaudienceandjudgestofeedbacktothewinningplaywrights. The festival gathers pacecometheweek-endwhenReducedShakespeareCom-pany treat us to The CompleteWorksofWilliamShake-speare(abridged)[revised]onSaturday20thJune.Expectafast-pacedrompthrough all 37 of the Bard’splaysinjust97minutes!WrittenbyAdamLong,Dan-ielSingerandJess

Winfield,anddirectedbyReedMartinandAustinTichenor,don’t

missthechancetojointhesemadcapmenintightsastheyweavetheirwickedwaythroughallofShakespeare’scome-dies,historiesandtragediesinonewildridethatwillleaveyoubreathlessandhelplesswithlaughter.Appreciatorsofgreatstoriespackedwith mystery will thoroughly enjoy PartnersinCrimeonWednesday24thJune.HostedbybestsellingTauntonau-thorChrisEwan,thisthrillingeveningfeaturesinterviewswithaward-winningauthorAnnCleeves,whosenovelsVeraandShetlandhavebothbeenadaptedintomajortelevisionseries’,andacclaimedhistoricalcrimenovelistAndrewTaylor-authorofnumberonebestsellerTheAmericanBoyandTheTimesBookoftheYear,TheSilentBoy.Therewillbeachancetochattothetrioaftertheshowandgetyourbookssigned.BookswillbeavailabletobuyonthenightcourtesyofBrendonBooks,Taunton.

BySaraLoveridge

Above:EntryfromlastyearforFromPagetoStageandsomeofthewiinnersoflastyearsThePageisPrintedcompetition

42

by Paul Tobinhttp://writersanontaunton.wordpress.com/

So,you’vewrittenthefirstthirtythousandwordsinthatinitialflushofcreativity.Whatnow?Thisisthedifficultpart;findingstrategiestokeepyouwriting.Andwhat’smore,thereisnoeasyanswer.

IwasrecentlytalkingtoPaulMortimer,thepoetandauthorofthesciencefictionbestsellerRavenheart.Hesaidthatonre-flection,whenheaddeduphowlongittookhimtowritehisnovel,itwaseasilyayearandhewasintheluckypositionofbeingabletowritemostdays.PaulwentontosaythatRaven-heartconsumedhiscreativeenergiesforallofthattime.Hispoetryhadtogoonthebackburner.

Ittakestimetowriteanovel.Whataboutthoseofuswhohavetoworkfulltimeandcannotwriteasandwhenwewouldliketo?Well,youhavetoarriveatsomepointofcompromise.Weover-estimatewhatwecanachieveinayearandunderestimatewhatwecanachieveinten.Youhavetodecidewhatyoucanrealisticallydoinadayandnotsetyourselfunreachablegoals.

You’reinforthelonghaul,asanovelist,sopaceyourself.Setarealisticgoalofwhatyoucandoineachday,oreveryweek.Mycolleague,Chella,writesfivehundredwordseveryday.Itisatargetthatshefeelsshecanreach.Youcouldbeginbyaskingyourselfwhatisdoableinaweek?Thedangerissettingyourselfaridiculouslyoptimistictargetthatyou

cannotreachandthatleadsyoutoaban-doningtheenterprise.

Youcouldjoinawritinggroup.OursmeetsthesecondandfourthWednes-daysofeverymonthattheCastleHotel,hereinTaunton.Westartat7.30pm.TheYeovilWritersGroupmeetregular-lyattheOctagonTheatre.WellshasawritinggroupandyoucancontactthemthroughFacebook.Therearemanydif-ferentgroupsoutthereandmanymoreonline.

Whataretheadvantagestojoiningawritinggroup?Well,itgivesyouastruc-ture,andadeadline,youhavetowritesomethingforeachmeeting.Youlearnhowtoofferandreceiveconstructivefeedback.Ifindthatdiscussingotherpeople’sworkcastslightonmyownprocessandIhavelearntmuchfromthediscussionsIhavehadwithotherauthors.Writingisasolitaryexperienceandjoiningagroup,whetherlocaloronline,isameansofbecomingpartofasupportivecommunity.Itgivesyouaplatformtodiscussthoseissuesthatariseasyouplanandexecuteyournovel.

Therehasbeenagrowthinthenumberofcoursesthataredesignedtosupportyoutowriteyournovel.TheArvonFoundationhaveafullprogrammeofdifferentsessionstailoredtohelpthebuddingnovelist.Ifyoulookonlineyoucanseethat there are many other providersouttherenow,includingTheGuardian.

Ineednowtotalkaboutplotting.Howdetailedisyourstoryoutline?Ifyouhaveaclearideaofhowthestory progresses then you

areaheadofthegame.Itmakesiteasier.Ifyoudonothaveaplanthenitismuchmoredifficulttoconstructthestoryinstopsandstarts,instolenhalfhourshereandthere,andyourtaskisalltheharder.

Perhapsthefirstthingyoucandoistowriteabriefdescriptionoftheeventsthatstillhavetotakeplaceinyournovel.Perhapsyoucanchartthemovementsofthemaincharacters?Someauthorshaveliterarychartsaroundthewallsoftheirstudies,mappingthejourneys(bothphysicalandemotional)oftheircharac-ters.Othersbreakthestorydownintochaptersandthechaptersintoevents.

Havingamapmakesiteasiertogetwhereyouwanttogo.Also,trykeepingawritingjournal,allowingyoutoreflectonwhatworksandwhatdoesn’tforyourwritingprocess.Thismayhelpyoumain-tainafluidapproachtowriting,reducingtheriskofyoubecomingdiscouragedandgivingup.Beeasyonyourselfandkeepgoing.

Writers Anon: Keeping on keeping on The latest in the series of writing tips on ‘how to write’.

43

Short Story

Goodmorning,youblue.

Doesn’tthemindgetslum-like,whenyourhead’sbeenonwardrollingwithtoolittle-toomuchsleep,toomuchthought,toomanyburn-outexperiences(ignitedbythebottle)?

Ohmy.Indeed.NOpillowseemssoftenoughtosinkmyrazed-upbrain.Andwiththis,sunlight,wellandtrulypass-ingthrough.

AndI’mtrulyawakenow,too.I’mscrabblingmyhandsouttofingermyphone,andeeeesh,thisflatisfrozen.Mytoe-tips,blue,aresuretestamenttothis,soswifttheyretreat,andmythrob-bingearscatchthesoundoftheboilerouttheback.Yeah,thereitis,reverbinginsomedesperatestrain,thuddingbroke.Ohhell,WHYandno,no,nottobedealtwith,nottoday.

IforgetthethingsI’vedonethesepastfewdays.Imayremembertherewasaspinning,andsomepeopleIkissed(orwantedto),foulwordsIthrewaround.ItwasagonestateIwasin,thoughitfeltfunatthetime.AtleastIthinkitdid.Butnowmyday-time’sjarringonme,andmyspiritissallow,andIwishtherealfeltmoreliketheunreal.Ordowegettochoosewhichwayroundwewantitt’be,anyhow?

That’swhatsomeliketoclaim.But,y’see,IknowallthosethingsIpushrightdown,in-tomygut,insideandout,atleastbynow.Andisn’tit,aday’sworkofstruggle,everysingleday,tomakethislifeseemalittlesweeterthenitoftenseemstobe?

Weallstrivetohold*oursel’es*togeth-erlikefused,taintedhoneycomb,andhopethesunshinesbrightdownuponus.Oratleast,Ido,butthenwhenit

comesdowntoit,thepeople,‘They’,isn’tit,theyputitdowntoperception,to‘glasses’.

Thatviewisabittoosimplifiedformytastes.AllIknowisthatItry,whenIfeelit.Ido,Itry,thoughmyfingersnowadaysarebitrightthrough,butthenI*beengnawingthemdownsinceIcouldchew.It’stheruminant’swant.

What’sthathere?Thatdooristhudding,whichmeanssomeone’sbehindit.Theblinkofmywatchandtheclickofmywindowoutwardssaysit’stwo-thirty-four,nomorningafterall,butbrightblueafternoon,soIbettergetmylongsocksonupovermychillyknees,andseewhothatshapeis.

MyplaceiscleanerthanIthought,thoughthere’rebundlesoffluffbuild-inginthecorners,butwecan’tlookatthose,nottoday,youcanabsorbtoomuchdamntimetryingtokeepaplaceperfectlyclean.Someexpandedjumperupovermyshoulders,dropsbelowmywaist,belowthebowofmyspine–bills,bills,no,alldone,nothingordered?

Nooneexpected,not‘tillateranyhow,andthewholecharadewillstartagain,withtheyellowlightandyellowwater–Iflutterthesleepoutofmyeyesandrattlethekey,thedoorswingsopenandIputmybest,settledexpressionover–

“Goodafternoon.Areyoutheresidentatnumber35?Apologiesforwhatmustseemaverybanalquestion,butthenumberingsystemalwaysgoesabithaywirewhenitcomestoflats,it’sthecity’shistory-hewn,haphazardway…”

“Yeees.CanIhelpyouwithsomething?”Iask,unfailinglypolite,forthispersonisbuildingthemselvesuptoplungingintowhereverthey’reheaded.“I’mnotentirelysurewheretostart.Howlonghaveyoulivedhere,atnum-ber35?”

I’mbristling(alittle),buthedoesn’tseemtobeontheoffensive,soI’monlyhug-gingmytorsoloosely,andI’lllethimrunwithit.Idon’tthinkI’mthetypewhogetseasilyshocked.“Seven,eightmonths?Why,thisisallverymysterious,WHEREareyoufrom?”

Thislastjoltofverbaltheatricsgetshimshiftingfromonefootontotheother.Icantellhe’softheofficiouskind,buthe’snotunkind.Heknowshowtomove.

“I’mfromtheauthorities.Conservation.Idon’tknowwhetheritwasmadecrystal-ly-cleartoyouinyourtenancyagreementthatI,er–doyoulikeanimals?–”

Makenomistake,mybrain’sclamber-ingoveritselfnow,andyeeees,Idolikeanimals,Isay,butit’sonlythen,throughmymind’sfog,Icanseehe’sholdingaslim-longbag,breathable,madeofthatkindofblack-outmaterialtostopoutthelight,andIcouldreallydowithgettingsomeofthatstuffformywindowsforwhenthesunbreaksin,butIalsoseehe’slightly smoothing over several pairs of shiningblackclaws,hingedoverthelipofthebag.

“OK.OK.Howabout…bats?”He’sgotmywideningeyes’fullattentionnow,andIdolikebats.Icovetthefiercewaveoftheirwings,sure,but“What’sthatgottodowithanything?”

Gentlysteppinginwards,pasttherustedkeyofmydoor,themanfromconserva-tiontellsmeofthecleverruseheandhisfather,conservationistbeforehim,wellover34yearsago,plotted,toprotectacurious,rarecocoonofunconventional,Boroughbats,whowereonthecuspofbeingshakenoutoftheirurbanwood.Heandhe,withtheirpowersofpersuasion,temptedthemtotakeatanearbyhousingcomplex.

Backthen,abrittlewinterwassettlingin,soitwasurgent,withanewhousingde-velopmentfellingthetreesandcutting

Good morning, You Blue. by L.M. Westwood

44

theturfinthenewyear.Fromthefifteenpairsthatweresettledathisfather’s(flatnumber1),camenewgenerations.

Theneachyear,tospreadtheirseedlings,heandhisPa(nolongerinthepicture)woulddoatransferofyoung,fromonehousetothenext,innumericalorder.Andhewasproudtoreportthattheirdomesticatingofthissharp-toothedflockhaddonethetrick.

Howmanynow?Iprobe,unfurlingsluggisharms.

“Hundreds”,heresponded,withhisshiningsmile,“AndIassureyou,withoutashadow,notoneresidentinallour35yearshasobjected,orrejected,thesesterlingcreatures.

“Theyjustseemtotakeandsurvive,happytoliftuptheglitterandthegumpffromyourfloorboards,slashyourspi-ders,stealsomemilkfromtimetotime,andyoumightjustfindthemfacedowninyourtreacle,butthey’reperfectlyclean”,muchlikehe,inhisspick-spanbottlegreentrenchcoat.

“Justtreattheirearskindly–don’tusethatsubwoofer–anddon’tshineabrightlightdeadintheireyes,orthey’llpeckyoursout,”heswiped,fondly.

Thiswasabombardment,anepictale,sowell-dressedanarrative,thatitheldmybrainsuspendedinreverie,andIwasforgettingtofeelmybodywithinhisnextchapter–myflat.

Meantime,thefurrynymphshadwres-tledfromtheirbag,andhookedheav-ilyinmyjumper,eyessealed,awaitingwarmth,spyingacatch.

Butitwasdone,andtheconservationistwasalreadywalkingon,I,helplesstorespondorinterveneinhisplans,feelingmyself no more the righteous owner of flatnumber35thanthesesmall,prick-le-hairyfiends.

Andnow,itbeingonlythree-o-five,whatelseistheretodo?I’lllayathicklayeroftreacleonmykitchenside,gentlypeeloffthatjumper,throwdownmyblinds,andcoilmyselfagaininthehazybeautyofthoughtlesssleep.

The Book ClubAn original new comedy, The Book Club, is being premiered at Hatch Beauchamp near Taunton in April.

The play focuses on two con-secutive meetings of the Beau-champ Bookworms.

Initially we see the Bookworms meeting to consider the merits of ‘Sink Hole’, a best-seller written by Gillian and Julian Giles, a divorced couple who refuse to have anything to do with each other.

The second meeting sees the Bookworms preparing to receive a talk from one of the authors on the writing of Sink Hole.

Surely there couldn’t possibly be a mix-up at the publishers, whereby both authors turn up on

the appointed night.

The Book Club, by Rod Han-cox, is being staged by mem-bers of HATS (Hatch Amateur Theatre Society) for one night only at Hatch Beauchamp Village Hall on Friday, April 24, at 7.30pm.

Alternating with the scenes on stage will be a prize quiz fea-turing book-related questions, and there will also be a raffle and a bar.

Tickets are £7/£5 children, available in advance from Gill on 01823-480767 or from Do-reen on 01823-480386.

Proceeds from the evening will go to The Beacon Centre in Taunton.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ascenefrom‘ChapterOne’ofHATS’2015springproductionof‘TheBookClub’,tobestagedatHatchBeauchampVillageHallonFriday,April24.PicturedfromleftareRodHarrington,SueYoung,ImogenGraham,MaryHarringtonandKaronHarvey.CastmembersnotpicturedareDavidDer-byshire,ChristineWilliamsandSueMcKen.Photo:Simon Young

45

Five O’clock Five O’clock, the clock says so,The starling relates all joy….On this most perfectOf May days.

The zephyr sighs; the water falls,Tumbling and babbling nearby.

Only the bumblebees apparently know…That even, as the daylight hours subside,There is yet so much to do.

The pond is cleared; the frogs return;The neighbours dig their land.

Clouds roll in from the eastTo cancel out the blue.

A dog barks; rooks take wing;The low, silent swifts speak rain.

A transience belies the pressing calm…

And soon, as must, the time is ripeWhen I must also… go.

Sonnet for my LoveHow I love her beyond the bright rainbow,This golden daughter of the Seasons’ care,She understands the logic of water,The fragrant kisses of the summer air,The tumbling mirth of the brown autumn leaves,The coolness of the wintry sun’s harsh eye.She follows the ripples in the shallows,The rugged flight of the white butterfly,Drifting of the cloudlets at heaven’s height,Feckless in the largeness of the blue sky.She dances in the sweet silken meadows,

Poetry CornerHughLoxdale,scientistandpoet,recentlymovedtoSomersetwithhiswifeNicola,co-founderwithHughin2002ofBramblebyBooksLtd,whichspecialisesinnaturalhistory,poetryandleisure.TheybothlovetheareaandHughnowdrawsnewinspiration,ashesays,fromlivinginSomersetwithitswonderfulland-andseascapes,people,historyandnaturalhistory.Anentomologistbyprofession,hestartedwritingpoetryasateenager.Hehaspublishedninecollectionsofpoetry,onmanythemes(mainlynaturalhistory)andinmanystyles,includingZoooo:LivingPoetryforChildren.Hispoemshaveappearedinmagazinesandonline,includingtheBBC,andmostrecentlyaboutcloudsontheCloudAppreciationSocietyWebsite.

Adrift with a myriad coloured blooms,Sighs at the sad passing of the geese flocks,And then weeps when the distant thunder booms.

Youth Clutch the future with those untarnished hands,Embrace you bright souls of the young.Enjoy the music your parents never sung,Race along without a care ‒For the hell of it, or for the dare.Dance the night away until you drop,Until your ringing ears almost pop.Wear strange fashions that ever shock,Pierce your flesh with rings…And lock away all that is old and tired.With new zest and when inspired,Endorse weird ideas, skip and jump,Bang the drum and shout and thump.Climb mountains when the snow is down..,When wise heads gasp and frown.Overtake and ‘never say die’;Challenge old dogmas, disprove the lie.Stare into Beauty’s glass, that reflecting pool;Play the hero, act the fool.Only when with trembling hand,You actually survive and sometimes win,Do not accept that awful sin ‒Middle age and worse to come.

HughLoxdale’spoetrybooksarestockedbyBrendonBooks,BathPlace,TauntonTA14ER(Tel:01823337742),andarealsoavailableonlineat:bramblebybooks.co.uk

46

My Favourite...A Taunton resident since 1972, Martin Dormer was a teacher of English for 30 years before leaving the pro-fession to become a freelance writer. Here he briefly outlines his favourite pieces of literature, art, music and performance.

OneofmythreeALevelsatQueen’sCol-legewasEnglish,andinthosedayswestudiedsomeprettychallengingworks.OnewasKingLear.Likeany17yearold,Iinitiallystruggledtograspthisrichandcomplexpiece,butthemoreIstudiedit

themoreIcametounderstandandap-preciateit.Inmyopinion,thisisShake-speare’smostprofoundwork,oneinwhichheexploresessentialaspectsofthehumancondition,suchasyouthandage,familyandfriends,loveandbetrayal,inthegreatestoflanguage;indeed,Ithink

theplaymightbeconsideredthegreat-estpieceofwritingevercommittedtopaper.Assuch,KingLearrepaysendlessre-readingbut,forsuchadifficultpiece,

italsoworksextremelywellonstage;theplayhasaprimitivepowerandintensitythatmakesforgripping,ifuncomfort-able,viewing.

Mytasteinarttendstobeconvention-al.Myfavouritepainting,however,isperhapslessconventional.ItisDali’sMétamorphosedeNarcisse.Visually,thereissomuchgoingoninthis,andIlovetheinterplayofrichcoloursand

dramaticshapes;thewater,withitscrystalclearreflections,lookssoinviting,almostreal,whichisratherironicreally.Intellectually,thereisalsoalotgoingon,andinterpretingDali’svisionisgreatfun.Thecentralimageofthetwocontrasting“hands”holdingthe“egg”isagoodstart-ingpointfordelvingintoDali’smind,butallthediverseimagesinvitecloserstudy;theyareeclectic,weirdandendlesslyfascinating.

Iamgoingoutonalimbinmychoiceoffavouritemusic,whichisapop/rockbandcalledLatinQuarter.Commer-cially,theywere“onehitwonders”(withRadioAfrica,1984),andthatrecorddefinestheirstyle,ablendoftunefulandinnovativemusicalarrangementswithintelligentandthought-provokinglyrics.

Theyarestillaround(dooldrockerseverdie?),andhaveabouttenalbumstotheirname.30yearson,theirsongscontinuetoappealonfirstlistening,butalsostaywithyoubecausetheyactuallyhavesomethingtosay.Tasteinmusicisverypersonal,butsampleafewtracksandseewhatyouthink.Theydeservetobealotbetterknownthantheyare.

Finally,performance.I’veattendedcountlessplays,bothtraditionalandmodernballet,takeninoperasandpan-tomines,butformethereisonlyONEperformance:Aida.Ihaveseenthistwice:once,aliveproductionbytheWNO,and,asecondtime,arecordedperformancestagedatthepyramidsinCairo,andbothtimesitjuststaggeredme.Itisthemostperfectblendofexotictale,blood-stir-

ringmusicanddramaticspectacle.WhendoneonagrandscaleitisaCecilBDe-milleepicthatsweepsyouaway,combin-ingplay(literature),artandmusicallinone.Whatmorecouldoneaskfor?

“KingLearandtheFoolintheStorm”byWilliamDyce(1806–1864)

CoverofanAidalibretto,Milan1890

47

Monday 3 – Friday 7 August, 9.30am – 3.30pm

Queen’s College, Taunton

OverthesummerQueen’sCollege,Taunton,inassociationwithBMWWest-erlyBridgwater,willbeleadingavarietyofinspirationalcoursesandactivityforchildrenandyoungpeopleagedfrom4to16years.Coveringeverythingfromcook-erytokayaking,dancingtorugbycoach-ing,thepackedprogrammeofactivityisimpressive.OnesuchcoursebeingheldthissummeristheCreativeWritingMasterClass.Duringtheweeklongcourse,childrenwilldeveloptheircreativewritingskillswhilstwritingandillustratingtheirownstoriesundertheguidanceofaward-winninglecturerandauthorBrionyGoffin.Theirworkwillthenbepublishedintheirveryownindividualbooks.BrionyGoffinteachescreativewritingatCardiffUniversity.Shealsorunswork-shopsinschools,hospitals,carehomes,

artgalleries,museumsandcommunitycentresaswellasfamilyworkshopsforSkyArtsatTheHayFestival.Brionyhascreatedseveralanthologiesandpublishedwidelyontheartofteachingcreativewritingandsupportingthestudentwritertofulfiltheircreativepotential.In2012,shewasawarded‘InspirationalTutoroftheYear’byNIACE.InMarch2014shespokeliveatTEDxCardifftoaglobalaudienceonthesubjectofWritingasTribute.BrionywasdelightedtobeinvitedtoQueen’storunthecourse,“Wearereallylookingforwardtoworkingwithsomewonderfulyoungwriters,build-ingconfidence,nurturingtalentandsettingimaginationsalight.”BrionywillbeassistedbyGethinWallace,anexperiencedprimaryschoolteacher,withaparticularinterestinwriting.In2014hecreatedaliteracyandnumeracyresource,whichhasbeenshortlistedforanationaleduca-tionaward.Heisapassionateadvocateforthecreativedevelopmentofyoung

peopleandforusingimaginativeandfunlearningtechniques.Forthreeyearsrun-ning,hehasbeenajudgefor500Words,theRadio2creativewritingcompetitionforchildrenfor13yearsandyounger.

Thecourse,whichrunsdailyfromMon-day3–Friday7August,isopentoanychildagedfrom7to12years.Forfurtherdetails,ortobookaplace,[email protected]

Summer @ Queen’s:Creative Writing Master Class for Children

BrionyGoffin,whowillbeteachingthecourse

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Book talk, reading, slideshow and signing with best selling authorJulia Copus

on Saturday 11 April between 12 and 1.00 pmBrendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742

Intheirsecondadventure,HarryandLilmustworkoutwhatonearthismakingtheHullabaloooutsideHarry’swindowinthemiddleofthenight.WhendeepsleepingHarryiswokenbyastrangenoise,hecallsonhisbestfriendCandyStripeLilforhelp.Buteverytimetheythinkthey’vecrackedit,outsideisanewnocturnalanimalmakingadifferentsound.Ifit’snotjustFrog,orjustBadger,orjustOwl,whatonearthcoulditbe?

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