The art beat of YORKshire
GOOD to be back, good to be back. After a summer break, Graham Chalmers and Charles Hutchinson resume their arts chat with reflections on their return to the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Did Graham’s day out among the 90,000 throng at Leeds Festival pass the test after all that Covid testing?
Verdicts too on Harrogate Theatre’s immersive play, Our Gate, and on British Sea Power’s name change in woke times can be heard in Episode 55 at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1187561/9127399 .
CLOWNS, ominous things, Grayson, James, tango, chamber music, horrible British history and watercolours in teamwork add up to shows aplenty for Charles Hutchinson and normal people alike to check out.
Sketch comedy show of the week: The Dead Ducks: Ducks Out Of Water, Theatre@41 Monkgate, York, tomorrow (3/9/2021), 8pm
UNIVERSITY of York Comedy Society sketch troupe The Dead Ducks make their Theatre@41 debut with Ducks Out Of Water as a cast of five serves up fun scenes that range from the relatable to the ridiculous.
Be prepared for completely original content in a humorous mix of parody and farce with a delectable side order of top-notch acting.
Look out for pirates, cowboys, clowns and assorted animals, alongside Winnie the Pooh, Sherlock Holmes and Mickey Mouse “like you have never seen them before”. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/events/.
Exhibition of the week: Suzanne McQuade, Touch Of Tranquillity, Village Gallery, Colliergate, York, until Octoger 23; open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm
LEEDS watercolourist Suzanne McQuade quit her long-standing customer service job five years ago to take the plunge and become a full-time artist.
“Using watercolours is like teamwork; I have to allow the watercolour to move and merge, and utilise the patterns it creates,” says Suzanne, who loves how this medium’s translucency enables light to flood into her landscapes and seascapes.
Drawing inspiration from the British countryside and coastline, she paints what she finds captivating, from a dramatic sky to underwater rocks. “I try to make the scene in front of me to be as beautiful as possible,” she says.
Open-air theatre show of the week: Small Small Ominous Things, Theatre At The Mill, Stillington Mill, near York, Saturday, 8pm
LOOK out for a tiny red gun hidden in the grass; a picture of a puppy eating a toy dinosaur; a dull feeling in the pit of your stomach; a bug burrowing into your skin.
Welcome to a late-night mix of stories, tales and unsettling considerations from partners Megan Drury and Alexander Wright, Australian actor, writer and creative artist and North Yorkshire writer, theatre-maker and visionary facilitator respectively.
Gather around the fire as they collaborate for the first time live At The Mill, bringing small, small ominous things out into late-summer’s fading light. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/atthemill/
Who-knows-what-to-expect gig of the week: Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People, York Barbican, Monday, 7.30pm
IN his own words, despite being an award-winning artist, Bafta-winning TV presenter, Reith lecturer and best-selling author, Grayson Perry is a normal person – and just like other normal people, he is “marginally aware that we’re all going to die”.
Cue Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People, where Grayson takes you through an enlightening, eye-watering evening wherein this kind of existentialism descends from worthiness to silliness. “You’ll leave safe and warm in the knowledge that nothing really matters anyway,” his show patter promises.
Grayson asks, and possibly answers, these big questions in a show “sure to distract you from the very meaninglessness of life in the way only a man in a dress can.” Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Gig of the week outside York: James, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, September 9, gates open at 6pm
WHERE better for James to play a summer show in the wake of releasing their 2021 single Beautiful Beaches than at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
The Manchester legends will be combining myriad anthemic favourites with selections from their “sweet 16th” album, All The Colours Of You, released in June.
Fronted by Clifford-born Tim Booth, James are completing a hattrick of Scarborough OAT visits after shows in May 2015 and August 18. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com
Well worth the wait: Misatango: Prima’s Tenth Anniversary Celebration, Temple Hall, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York, September 11, 7.30pm
AFTER a year’s delay, Prima Vocal Ensemble director Ewa Salecka is thrilled to be holding the York choir’s tenth anniversary concert at last at a socially distanced Temple Hall.
At the concert’s core will be “the fabulous Misa a Buenos Aires, Misatango, an exhilarating fusion of Tango and Latin Mass”, by Argentinian composer Martín Palmeri, performed with the Mowbray Orchestra string quartet, bandoneon virtuoso Julian Rowlands, pianist Greg Birch and mezzo-soprano soloist Lucy Jubb. Box office: primavocalensemble.com.
Festival of the month: York Chamber Music Festival, September 16 to 18
CANADIAN pianist Angela Hewitt plays YCMF’s opening recital on September 16 and joins fellow festival artists Anthony Marwood and Pablo Hernan, violins, Lilli Maijala, viola, and Tim Lowe, cellist, for the closing gala concert on September 18, both at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York.
Marwood, Hernan, Maijala and Lowe play string quartets by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Schumann at the NCEM on September 17.
Festival director Lowe joins pianist John Paul Ekins for the first 1pm concert at the Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, on September 17; on the next lunchtime, Ekins plays works that connect Beethoven and Liszt. Box office: tickets@ncem.co.uk.
History in the re-making: The Horrible Histories in Barmy Britain, Grand Opera House, York, October 21 to 24
CAN you beat battling Boudicca? What if a Viking moved in next door? Would you lose your heart or head to horrible Henry VIII? Can evil Elizabeth entertain England?
Will Parliament survive gunpowder Guy? Dare you stand and deliver to dastardly Dick Turpin? Escape the clutches of Burke and Hare and move to the groove with party Queen Victoria?
So many questions for The Horrible Histories’ Live On Stage team to answer with the aid of the 3D illusions of Bogglevision as skulls hover, dams burst and missiles fly into the family audience. For tickets for Birmingham Stage Company’s eye-popping, gruesome, scary and unbelievable trip through British history, go to atgtickets.com/york.
FILM and television location manager and photographer Matt Bowden’s exhibition of the natural world at large has re-opened at City Screen, York, after its Covid-enforced premature closure during lockdown.
“Born and bred in York, and growing up with such natural beauty on my doorstep in Yorkshire, meant it was almost inevitable I would develop an appreciation and interest in wildlife from an early age,” says Matt. “My grandfather, Eric Markham, was a keen bird-watcher, often taking me to local nature reserves for days out, binoculars around our necks.
“Taking photographs is a big part of my job as a TV and film location manager, a 20-year career that has afforded me the opportunity to develop both my creative skills and passion as a photographer, while working on such titles as Phantom Thread, The Secret Garden and The Duke.
“But the desire to capture images of wildlife came to me relatively late in life, as my growing interest in photography through my job collided with the joy and fascination that I found in the natural world that surrounded me.”
The reactivated Natural Landscape Of Yorkshire exhibition in the City Screen café bar is bolstered by two new additions, one of a barn owl sitting on a post, the other of an owl in flight against a sunset backdrop.
“I’m incredibly fortunate to live near some amazing natural habitats and reserves, which offer a hugely diverse range of subjects,” says Matt. “I find owls of particular interest, having spent many hours studying their behaviour, feeding routines and hunting grounds.
“I relish the technical challenges inherent with photographing a bird that mostly hunts in very low light, making a successful capture all the more rewarding. I often use a hide, which allows me to get closer to my subject than I ever thought possible.”
Matt has just started location work on Carol Morley’s new film Typist Artist Pirate King, a hive of activity that could not be further removed from his wildlife photography pursuits, where tranquillity and isolation provide “a perfect remedy for the chaotic and often intense lifestyle most of us find ourselves engulfed in”.
“The photographic challenge is not only the hours spent hidden in bushes and hides studying a natural subject, but more so to successfully create an image that proves to be both unique and artistically expressive,” says Matt, whose City Screen exhibition coincides with a pictorial feature in the September edition of Outdoor Photography magazine.
“In my photographs, the environment wherein the subject resides plays as important a role as the subject itself when forming a composition.
“Yorkshire has such a diverse and rich tapestry of nature and landscapes, and that’s why I feel fortunate to be able to call it home.”
Matt Bowden’s exhibition, The Natural Landscape Of Yorkshire, runs at City Screen, York, until September 11.
SNAP chat as Matt Bowden answers CharlesHutchPress’s questions.
Did you take photographs during lockdown and did you notice a difference to nature at that time?
“Lockdown meant I was unable to spend as much time in the field as normal, finding comfort in the garden instead. As restrictions eased however, and I was afforded more time with my camera outdoors, I certainly experienced a heightened awareness of the relevance and importance that wildlife, and the natural landscape, plays in all our lives.
“We’ve become victims to the strains and pressures of our modern world, and if one positive thing emerged from the devastation of the pandemic, it was a universal appreciation of our natural surroundings.
“While I’m certain hitting ‘Pause’ on excessive human activity would have given nature some much-needed breathing space, only time will tell if it has sparked a longer-term effect on the way we value, and consequently treat, the increasingly threatened natural world that surrounds us. I’ve taken some of my best images during the last year.”
Why is nature your favoured subject matter?
“I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and being among nature. It is as complex and baffling as it is beautiful and exists all around us. For me, it’s a constant comfort that asks only for our limited respect and appreciation, in return for boundless joy and fascination. “
How did the feature in Outdoor Photography come about?
“I’ve enjoyed reading the magazine for a number of years now, which is a great means of gathering inspiration from other photographers’ work. Social media has its benefits, but finding creative focus among the sea of visual noise can be time consuming and draining.
“A publication like Outdoor Photography offers a very specific output, showcasing a high standard of work in the field I’m most interested in, without distraction. While I’ve always loved the idea of having my images featured in the publication, it was actually my hugely supportive partner, Grace, who pushed the process over the finishing line, submitting the initial images on my behalf.”
What makes the perfect conditions for a photograph of nature?
“The right light, which is a luxury nature photographers can rarely rely on. There are so many elements that make a successful capture, and while the subject is always front and centre, the right light conditions play a huge part.
“Low, flat light levels provide not only huge technical challenges when trying to achieve high-enough shutter speeds to photograph an unpredictable and often fast-moving subject, but also make for a less-inspired final image.
“The photographs I’m most proud of were taken amid the warmth and beauty of early-evening sun, while it’s low in the sky and still bright enough to sufficiently light the landscape.”
What characteristics are required of the photographer? Patience? Calmness? Instinct?
“An appreciation and love of the natural world is the most important characteristic, along with a creative vision of the final image. My favourite subject is the barn owl, and I always had an idea in my head of the shot I wanted, which allowed me the drive and focus to achieve it.
“While composure, calmness and patience in the field are all important elements, having a passion for your natural surroundings and a clear vision makes this less of a considered discipline.
“That said, the mental challenges inherent with spending hours isolated in the field, with hope and anticipation your only companion, should never be underestimated.”
SUMMER ends with Leeds Festival, apparently, but Charles Hutchinson begs to differ by highlighting plenty more reasons to be cheerful as nights start to lengthen.
Biggest crowd of the week: Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, near Wetherby, tomorrow (27/8/2021) to Sunday
AFTER a gap year in Covid-crocked 2020, Leeds Festival returns from tomorrow with a sold-out crowd at full capacity.
Among the first day’s top acts are headliners Lian Gallagher and Biffy Clyro, Gerry Cinnamon, Wolf Alice, Blossoms and Doncaster’s Yungblud.
Saturday’s names to watch are Stormzy, Catfish And The Bottlemen, AJ Tracey, Mabel, Sam Fender and Sports Team. Sunday promises Post Malone, Disclosure, Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats and Slowthai.
On the other hand, Yorkshire’s gig of the week is…Shed Seven at The Piece Hall, Halifax, Saturday.
YORK favourites Shed Seven at last can go ahead with their all-Yorkshire bill after 2020’s two postponements and a move from June 26 to August 28 this summer.
The dates may change but the bill remains the same: York’s on-the-rise, rousing Skylights, Leeds bands The Pigeon Detectives and The Wedding Present and the Brighton Beach DJs on the decks.
Never mind the clash with Leeds Festival. “Let’s just say our fans are not their demographic,” says the Sheds’ Rick Witter.
Bird song of the week: Sea View Productions in Nigel Forde’s The Last Cuckoo, Theatre At The Mill, Stillington, tomorrow, 7.30pm.
ON his return home from his irascible ornithologist uncle Harry Baskerville’s ’s funeral, Duncan Campbell begins the slow, sad process of working through its effects in The Last Cuckoo, a one-man show about loss, hope and birds.
As he does so, he finds within the ghostly confines of this remote coastal cottage a way into a world he never knew existed: the entrance into a life he never dared hope for. However, this awareness brings with it costly choices and, most daunting of all, the possibility of real change.
Penned exquisitely by Warter poet and writer Nigel Forde, former presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Bookshelf, this beautiful theatre piece will be performed by Riding Lights Theatre Company alumnus Andrew Harrison, directed for Sea View Productions by Robin Hereford. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/atthemill.
Tribute show of the week: The Carpenters Experience, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Saturday, 7.30pm
IT’S Yesterday Once More as British singer Maggie Nestor and eight musicians capture the smooth American sounds of Richard and Karen Carpenter.
Expect echoes of Karen’s silky contralto, Richard’s pretty piano and seamless harmonies in a big production featuring Close To You, We’ve Only Just Begun, Top Of The World, Rainy Days And Mondays, Solitaire, Goodbye To Love, For All We Know and Only Yesterday. Box office: josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Theatre show of the week in York: Educating Rita, York Theatre Royal, August 31 to September 4
WHEN married hairdresser Rita enrols on a university course to expand her horizons, little does she realise where her journey will take her.
Tutor Frank is a frustrated poet, brilliant academic and dedicated drinker, less than enthusiastic about taking on Rita, but soon they learn how much they have to teach each other.
Directed by Max Roberts, Willy Russell’s comedy two-hander stars Jessica Johnson as Rita and Stephen Tompkinson as Frank. Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Theatre show of the week ahead outside York: Magic Goes Wrong, Leeds Grand Theatre, casting a spell from August 30 to September 4
BACK with another comedy catastrophe, this time dusted with magic, Mischief follow up The Play That Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery with a show created with Penn & Teller, no less.
A hapless gang of magicians is staging an evening of grand illusion to raise cash for charity, but as the magic turns to mayhem, accidents spiral out of control and so does the fundraising target.
On tour for the first time, the show is written Penn Jillette, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields and Teller and directed by Adam Meggido. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or at leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Top of the pots: Fangfest, Fangfoss, September 4 and 5, 10am to 4pm each day
FANGFEST, the celebration of pottery, crafts, art and scarecrows in Fangfoss, ten miles east of York, returns next month after a Covid-enforced hiatus in 2020.
To keep the family event as Covid-safe as possible, much of the festival organised by Gerry and Lyn Grant, of Fangfoss Pottery, will be taking place outdoors.
The weekend combines art, pottery, illustration, jewellery, printmaking, archery, wood carving, textiles, willow weaving, classic cars, East Yorkshire history, food and scarecrows. Entry is free.
Dinosaurs, stones and more in Yorkshire Fossil Festival’s fistful of films: Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, September 10 and 11
FOR the first time, the Stephen Joseph Theatre is teaming up with the Yorkshire Fossil Festival SJT to bring five palaeontology-inspired films to the McCarthy screen.
Highlights include September 10’s 8pm screening of stop-motion wizard Ray Harryhausen’s 1969 dinosaur classic, The Valley Of Gwangi, introduced by palaeo-artist James McKay, who hosts a post-screening Q&A too.
Further films on September 10 will be Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur (2pm) and Jurassic Park (5pm); September 11, The Land Before Time (2pm and 5pm) and Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan (8pm). Box office: 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com.
Meals on wheels, jokes on a plate, here comes George Egg’s cracking tour show…
COMEDY and cooking combine when anarchic cook George Egg serves up his Movable Feast on tour in Yorkshire in October.
Determined to make food on the move, Egg offers his guide to cooking with cars, on rail tracks and in the sky. “It’s time for Planes, Trains and Automob-meals (sorry),” he says.
Sprinkled with handy hacks, the 7.30pm shows conclude with the chance to taste the results on the three plates. Tour dates include Stillington Village Hall, near York, October 10; Pocklington Arts Centre, October 13, and Terrington Village Hall, near Malton, October 17. Box office: georgeegg.com.
FANGFEST, the celebration of pottery, crafts, art and scarecrows in Fangfoss, will return on September 4 and 5 after a Covid-enforced hiatus in 2020.
“We didn’t hold it last year but we carried out a questionnaire around the village to see what the residents thought about holding it this year,” says Lyn Grant, who co-organises the festival of practical arts with husband and fellow potter Gerry Grant in the village ten miles east of York.
“There were a few who didn’t want it to go ahead, but the majority did, and that’s why it’s back! The original idea of Fangfest was to try and get visitors to be involved and perhaps encourage them to pick up a craft or hobby. So, many of the exhibitors will be demonstrating and talking about their work with opportunities for people to have a go themselves.”
To keep Fangfest 2021 as Covid-safe as possible, much of the festival will take place outdoors. “At Fangfoss Pottery, at The Old School, we’re holding a ‘Play with Clay Zone’ in the pottery garden under gazebos, where visitors can have a go on the wheel, paint and decorate a little pot and make their own version of the ‘Lambton Worm’. These activities will be free,” says Lyn.
“Inside the pottery, we have re-organised things. For the first time in 46 years, Gerry will move his wheel to enable pottery-throwing demonstrations to take place safely. Outside, there’ll be raku-firing demonstrations.”
The weekend of art and crafts for all the family will combine art, pottery, illustration, jewellery, printmaking, archery, wood carving, textiles, willow weaving, classic cars, East Yorkshire history, food and scarecrows. Entry will be free.
An archaeology display spanning the Stone Age to Victorian times will be on show in St Martin’s Church, featuring artefacts found in the area, with some available to be handled, plus a “Guess the mystery objects” section. Outside the church, members of a history society from Stamford Bridge will discuss their work.
“Fangfoss residents will be showing just how artistic they are when it comes to making scarecrows and there’ll be a scarecrow trail around the village,” says Lyn. “That’s why you’re invited to make a Lambton Worm. Lambton and his worm are going to be my scarecrow this
year.
“There’ll be plenty of art and crafts on display, spread around the village green and down at the Rocking Horse Shop in Main Street. Taking part will be willow workers, felt makers, medieval tilers, stained-glass workers and decorative forged-iron makers, to name but a few.
“At the Rocking Horse Shop, you can watch how rocking horses are made. Beyond the shop there’ll be an opportunity to have a go at archery. Look out too for a small classic car show on The Green.”
Refreshments will be available at the Carpenters Arms and the Jubilee Park
Committee will host a barbecue and serve teas in the Rocking Horse yard.
Fangfest will run from 10am to 4pm each day and will be opened officially by Geoff Sheasby, Pocklington’s Town Crier for 20 years, on the Saturday. He will judge the scarecrows and award a special prize, although a public vote will be held too. Tony Dew will award the best “Fangs” prize.
For more information, go to: facebook/fangfest.
OPEN-AIR cinema and myriad concerts, Proms and wild beasts affirm that summer is not yet over for Charles Hutchinson or for you.
Theatre one-off of the week outside York: Casey Jay Andrews in Every Wild Beast, Theatre At The Mill, Stillington, tonight (19/8/2021) at 7.30pm
FRINGE First award-winning theatre-maker and storyteller Casey Jay Andrews weaves folklore and fable into her magical coming-of-age tale of courage, curiosity and running away from big scary things.
What happens? The stars are empty, the moon has fallen from the sky and the mountains are full of monsters, as Barri collects newspaper clippings and listens to vinyl in her grandmother’s attic, while Sam tries to outrun a community support officer investigating the murder of several domestic badgers.
“If you like your storytelling full of beauty, skill, fable and reality, this will be right up your alley,” says Theatre At The Mill programmer Alexander Wright. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/atthemill.
Coastal concerts of the week: Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Nile Rodgers & Chic, tomorrow (20/8/2021); Keane, Saturday, gates open at 6pm
AFTER Stereophonics, Kaiser Chiefs, Culture Club and Westlife, the Scarborough OAT summer season gathers still more pace by welcoming back Nile Rodgers & Chic, who first played there in 2018, tomorrow night.
Chic co-founder Rodgers and his band will be reactivating such dancefloor fillers as Le Freak, Good Times and Everybody Dance.
Saturday’s headliners, East Sussex chart-toppers Keane, drew a six-year hiatus to a close with their 2019 album Cause And Effect. The Sherlocks will be supporting. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Pomp and circumstance of the weekend: Castle Howard Proms, Castle Howard, Saturday (21/8/2021); gates, 5pm; concert, 7.30pm
YORKSHIRE’S own Forever Tenors, best friends Rob Durkin and Adam Lacey, are confirmed as the opening act at the Castle Howard Proms.
The classical crossover duo joins a bill featuring Welsh tenor Wynne Evans, alias Gio Compario off the telly, soprano Victoria Joyce and the London Gala Orchestra under the baton of Stephen Bell, plus a Spitfire flyover, lasers and a firework finale.
Castle Howard’s concert weekend opens with Café Mambo Ibiza’s sold-out show tomorrow (20/8/2021, gates, 4pm) and concludes with Queen Symphonic on Sunday, when Forever Tenors support again from 5pm. Box office: castlehoward.co.uk.
Film event of the week: The Luna Cinema at York Minster, August 24 to 29; doors, 6.45pm; screenings, 8.15pm
BAZ Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet opens five days of Luna Cinema open-air screenings against the backdrop of York Minster on Tuesday.
To follow will be the Elton John story, Rocketman, on Wednesday; The Greatest Showman on Thursday; Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, next Friday; Dirty Dancing next Saturday and Rian Johnson’s American mystery, Knives Out, next Sunday. Tickets are available from thelunacinema.com/york-minster2.
Theatre one-off of the week in York: LS6 Theatre in 90’s Kids Only and Life Below, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Wednesday, 7.30pm
LS6 Theatre serve up a touring double bill of new theatre: writer-director Spike Woodley and Laurentz Valdes-Lea’s comedy-drama 90’s Kids Only and writer-director Dec Kelly’s gritty mining drama Life Below.
When did the universe begin? 1990. At least according to Ozzy and his friends in 90’s Kids Only, where what starts as a celebration of 1990s’ nostalgia ends in confusion, hysteria and the kidnapping of a beloved TV presenter.
In Life Below, Kelly chronicles two generations of a northern mining family that each had to endure treacherous conditions to stay alive. In 1984, Rosie Gooder fights for her community’s rights under the threat of Margaret Thatcher’s pit closures. Box office: josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Magpies in twos: First a North Yorkshire festival, now a York gig for The Magpies next month
FRESH from hosting their sold-out first festival last Saturday at Sutton Park, Sutton-on-the-Forest, contemporary roots trio The Magpies are off on a 16-date tour next month.
York guitarist, banjo-player and singer Bella Gaffney, clawhammer banjo player and singer Kate Griffinand fiddle-player and tunesmith Holly Brandon will be showcasing their June 2020 album, Tidings, and latest single I Will Never Marry, a traditional tale of lost love, handed down from woman to woman over the centuries.
Among the dates will be The Crescent, York, on September 10. Tour tickets are on sale at themagpiesmusic.com.
York exhibition of the week: Matt Bowden’s The Natural Landscape Of Yorkshire, City Screen, York, until September 11
FILM and television location manager and photographer Matt Bowden’s exhibition has re-opened at City Screen, York, after its Covid-enforced premature closure during lockdown.
“Growing up in North Yorkshire, with such natural beauty on my doorstep, meant it was almost inevitable I would develop an appreciation and interest in wildlife from an early age,” says Matt. “My grandfather Eric was a keen bird-watcher, often taking me to local nature reserves for days out, binoculars around our necks.
“But the desire to capture images of wildlife came to me relatively late in life, as my growing interest in photography through my job collided with the joy and fascination I found in the natural world that surrounded me.”
When is The Farewell Tour not the farewell tour? When Pyramus and Thisbe Productions revive Holmes and Watson next month
DOMINIC Goodwin thought he had called time on Stuart Fortey’s Holmes And Watson: The Farewell Tour in 2017, but now his double act with Julian Finnegan will have its miraculous Lazarus reawakening, on tour for 18 dates from September 3 to October 9.
Goodwin once more will play Dr Watson opposite Finnegan’s Sherlock Holmes in Kirkbymoorside company Pyramus and Thisbe Productions’ re-enactment of The Case of The Prime Minister, The Floozie and The Lummock Rock Lighthouse, an affair on whose outcome the security of Europe once hung by a thread.
For full details of a tour with 11 North and East Yorkshire performances, go to: pyramusandthisbeproductions.com
HEAD to Episode 54 of Chalmers & Hutch’s arts podcast, Two Big Egos In A Small Car at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1187561/8979897.
Under discussion too are: the London lag and York boom after Step 4; Sharon Latham’s Noel Gallagher exhibition at RedHouse Originals, Harrogate; M Night Shyamalan’s hokum new movie Old, plus futurist novelist Julian Barnes on foreseeing no future for the arts in 1980’s Metroland. Should we be worried?
MAGPIES and mermaids, Shakespeare’s wife and Scarborough romances, Boy George and a Bon Jovi tribute, Aretha & Patti and singer-songwriters at the quadruple are Charles Hutchinson’s tips for what to see.
Festival of the weekend: The Magpies Festival of Music & Arts, Sutton Park, Sutton-on-the-Forest, near York, Saturday, music on bar stage from 1.30pm; main stage, from 2.30pm
SAM Kelly & The Lost Boys headline The Magpies Festival in the grounds of Sutton Park, hosted by The Magpies’ trio of Bella Gaffney, Kate Griffin and Holly Brandon in support of Women’s Aid.
Confirmed for this weekend’s folk-flavoured line-up too are: Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra; Blair Dunlop; fast-rising Katherine Priddy; The Magpies themselves; York musician Dan Webster; East Yorkshire singer-songwriter Katie Spencer; the duo Roswell and The People Versus.
Day tickets and camping tickets are available at themagpiesfestival.co.uk/tickets.
Tribute gig of the weekend: New Jovi: Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Saturday, 7.30pm
LIVIN’ off Livin’ On A Prayer, tribute act New Jovi seek to “bring back the on-stage chemistry and formidable stage presence of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora in what was arguably the New Jersey band’s greatest era”. Arguably? Definitely.
Presented by Pit Bull Productions, Saturday night’s “completely live” set accommodates Always, You Give Love A Bad Name, Runaway, Bad Medicine and many more besides. Box office: josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Gig of the week outside York: Boy George & Culture Club, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Saturday, doors open at 6pm
EIGHTIES’ icon/iconoclast Boy George and Culture Club are off to the Yorkshire seaside this weekend.
Bexleyheath-born frontman, fashion innovator and DJ George O’Dowd, who turned 60 on June 14, will be performing alongside original band members Roy Hay and Mikey Craig in a “stunning live band”.
Expect to hear such New Romantic favourites as Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, fellow chart topper Karma Chameleon, Time (Clock Of The Heart) and Church Of The Poison Mind. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Where there’s a Will: Little Britches Theatre Company in Shakespeare’s Will, outside at Hearts of Ampleforth, Ampleforth, near Helmsley, Sunday, 2.30pm
NORTH Yorkshire duo Josie Campbell and Imogen Hope perform Vern Thiessen’s two-hander Shakespeare’s Will on Sunday, with afternoon tea thrown into the £15 ticket price for good measure.
In this one-hour, pop-up outdoor show about Anne Hathaway’s imagined life with, but mostly without, playwright William Shakespeare, teacher, theatre-maker, performer and erstwhile voiceover artist Josie plays Anne.
Theatre-maker, actor, musician and performing arts teacher Imogen takes the role of Actor-Musician. Tickets: from the café or on 01439 788166; cash only.
Holiday romance of the weekend: Scarbados, Northern Edge Theatre Company, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Sunday, 3pm and 8pm
WELCOME to writer-director Sam Milnes’s new one-act comedy drama about love, life, grief, hope and fish & chips.
Tragic and comic in equal measure, Scarbados tracks six locals and holidaymakers who all go to the same seaside bar, where their lives intertwine in ways no-one expects.
Will Sharon have the chance of motherhood she so desperately craves? Will Jen and Alex have their romantic weekend? Can Ian overcome his long-time challenges? Will Vicky find her man? Who is the sixth character? Box office: josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Children’s show of the week: Hoglets Theatre in Sea Storm In A Teacup, Theatre At The Mill, Stillington, near York, Sunday, 3pm
A MERMAID is an amazing gift for a young adventurer, but what do you do when it just will not stop growing? So asks York company Hoglets Theatre in Sea Storm In A Teacup, a new one-hour play written, produced and performed by Gemma Sharp for ages three to seven.
Joining Sharp’s Merry on stage will be Gemma’s husband, Andy Curry, the show’s composer, lyricist and musician in the role of the Sea King, and Thalassa, a puppet made by Sharp.
Sharp’s story of a chance meeting, an act of kindness and an unusual present, leading a lonely young girl on the most unexpected journey to find friendship, promises an epic adventure of mystery, magic, and mermaids. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/atthemill.
Two into one will go: Patti Boulaye, Aretha & Me, Helmsley Arts Centre, September 18, 8pm
SINGER, musical theatre star, New Faces winner and teacher Dr Patti Boualye OBE is resuming her Aretha & Me tour travels, as well as her visiting teaching fellow role at Middlesex University.
In her one-woman but two-women show, British-Nigerian Patti, 67, compares and contrasts her life with that of the late American queen of soul.
Patti, whose updated autobiography The Faith Of A Child is published by Kaleidoscope Publishing this week, will combine Aretha’s Respect, I Say A Little Prayer, Natural Woman, Chain Of Fools and Think with her favourite songs. Box office: helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Four play: Dan Webster, Edwina Hayes, Joshua Burnell and Jess Gardham: Singer-Songwriter Showcase, Pocklington Arts Centre, September 23, 8pm
DAN Webster, Joshua Burnell and Jess Gardham, from York, are joined by Edwina Hayes, from the East Riding, for this all-Yorkshire bill.
Webster plays folk/Americana peppered with more than a dash of country, bluegrass and rock’n’roll; Burnell’s gigs take in stomping, acoustic singalongs, Bowie-style music-hall epics, alt.pop singles and traditional folk themes.
Gardham fuses pop, soul, blues and acoustic in her song-writing and has a belter of a voice equally at home in musical theatre; Irish-born Hayes crafts gentle folk-Americana songs. Box office: pocklingtonarts.co.uk or on 01759 301547.
RYEDALE Open Studios will run over two weekends, tomorrow and Sunday, then August 14 and 15, when 33 artists will take part from 10am to 5pm each day.
The newly formed Vault Arts Centre Community Interest Company, at The Old Bank, Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside, is coordinating the inaugural event, celebrating the creativity and artistic talent of the Ryedale district.
Artists, makers and creators will welcome visitors, offering both an exclusive glimpse into their workplaces and the opportunity to buy art works directly.
Layla Khoo, co-founder of the Vault Arts Centre with Kirsty Kirk and Petra Young, says: “We’re very excited to start our first Ryedale Open Studios this year. After more than a year of seriously hampered activities for many, including artists, we now have the opportunity to show our own community, as well as visitors, the wealth of creativity Ryedale has to offer.’
Participating artist Sue Slack says:“Having taken part in an Open Studios every year for the past 15, it was a great disappointment not to be able to open my studio doors to the public in 2020. The great thing with open studios is the chance to meet with people who are interested in your art; in the processes as well as the finished picture.
“I’m really looking forward to Ryedale Open Studios and am thankful for the opportunity to be able to show my work again in the place it was created.”
Phillip Spurr, Ryedale District Council’s programme director for economic development, business and partnerships, says: “It’s great to see the inaugural Ryedale Open Studios taking place this summer, a testament to the hard work of all those involved. Ryedale is known for its artistic community, and it’s fantastic that so many are participating in what we hope will become a regular event showcasing Ryedale’s creative talent.”
A downloadable map of the artists’ locations can be found at: ryedaleopenstudios.com/map. For full details of all the artists, go to: ryedaleopenstudios.com/
Who are the Ryedale Open Studios artists?
Philip Barraclough, art pencil, watercolours, spanning human forms and landscapes, at Netherby House, Huttons Ambo, near York.
Kate Bentley, oil painting and charcoal drawing, focusing on animals and human subjects, at 22 Dale End, Kirkbymoorside.
Harriet Braithwaite, acrylic painting, at 23, Castlegate, Kirkbymoorside. Graduated in set design for television and film from University of South Wales.
Robert Broughton, photography, at The Courtyard, Dalby Forest Drive, Low Dalby, near Pickering.
Cathartic fine art photography informed by Buddhist philosophy, psychoanalysis and contemplative practices.
Pauline Brown, drawings and paintings around Farndale during lockdown, at The Courtyard, Dalby Forest Drive, Low Dalby, near Pickering
Susan Brunskill, artist, illustrator and animator, at Rutland Grange, Chapel Lane, Harome, by appointment only on 01439 741039 or 07973 331586.
Exhibiting watercolour and oil portraits of people, dogs and horses. Also makes Susel & Co stationery (artisan notecards, greetings cards and original art).
Sarah Cawthray, ceramics for garden, reflecting love of the coast, at West Garth, 23, Castlegate, Kirkbymoorside.
Soon to graduate from York College University Centre with degree in contemporary craft; will then set up ceramic studio at home.
Angela Cole, modern basket designer-maker in woven willow, deeply rooted in heritage skills, at Westow Grange Cottage, Westow, near York.
Makes functional baskets, sculptural woodland baskets and garden plant supports inspired by woodland coppicing style, willow harvest and found wild materials.
Aeva Denham, painting and mixed media, at The Courtyard, Dalby Forest Drive, Low Dalby, near Pickering.
Her work “conveys a message and emotion about social injustices or more personal topics, such as mental health”. Newly graduated from Fine Art BA degree course at York St John University.
Suzie Devey, printmaker, at Vault Studio Space, 5 Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside, studio closed on August 8.
“Don’t miss my Two Tin Cans installation as it’s easy to mistake it for an ordinary red telephone box!” she says. “Inside you will discover a miniature, fully working printmaking studio with everything you need to make your own tiny linocut print.”
Ione Harrison, landscapes and seascapes in watercolour, now incorporating imprints from plants, such as fern or grass, at Vault Studio Space, 5 Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside.
Inspired by sweeping vistas of Yorkshire’s moors and wild hills, her paintings seek to “move beyond the merely physical towards a more metaphysical or spiritual truth”.
Peter Heaton, art photography, and Peter Maris, sculpture, at Courtyard, Low Dalby, Thornton le Dale.
This exhibition is an artist residency collaboration with photographer Heaton and sculptor Maris, commissioned by Forestry England and Arts Council England. Works are inspired by very particular forest environment and how it flourishes and changes through natural processes and human activity.
Christine Hughes, textile designer and home interior designer, at The Gallery, 7 Market Place, Malton.
Specialises in handmade, hand-painted fabric lampshades and soft furnishings. Her collections include tableware, homewares, contemporary pattern design and framed
illustrations and prints.
Alex Jones, oil paintings of British wildlife, at The Little Red House Studio, Abbey Farm, Low Moor, Rillington.
Fascinated by animals’ behaviour, character and form, from the smallest bird to the mightiest stag. “I’m lucky on the farm to see many of the animals I paint on a daily basis: deers, hares, foxes, badgers, barn owls and pheasants,” she says.
Layla Khoo, multi-media 3D artist, specialising in ceramics and site-specific installations, Vault Arts Centre, The Old Bank, Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside.
Often chooses to create her ceramic work for its broad range of historical connotations, from everyday tableware to satire and sculpture.
Yasmin Lari, woven textile designer for Yasmin’s Warp and Weft, at Westgarth, 23 Castlegate, Kirkbymoorside.
Her work combines old and new, inspired by Islamic art, research into her Persian roots and colours in an ever-changing world.
Anna Matyus, printmaker, at Welburn Hall Farmhouse, Flatts Lane, Welburn, Kirkbymoorside.
Inspired by patterns and textures from the natural world and architecture at North Yorkshire historical heritage sites. Specialises in collagraph printmaking, a method that creates layers of texture and a richness of surface.
Carol Messham, watercolour painter and polymer clay artist, at 41 Feversham Drive, Kirkbymoorside.
Draws inspiration from plants, flowers, birds and bees. Trained in landscape architecture; ran garden design business for 20 years.
Heather Niven, painting and ceramic sculpture, at Wayward Studio Gallery, Station House, Kirkham Abbey, Whitwell on the Hill.
After 30 years as a painter and 2D artist, now exploring 3D world of hand-thrown pottery and ceramic sculpture too. Loves colour, dark corners and rhythms of nature.
Alice O’Neill, papercut and collage, at Barmoors, Hutton-le-Hole.
Uses many different types of paper, mostly handmade and hand dyed, from India, China, Japan, Italy and made from grasses, bark and other vegetation. Hand colourist by profession, working for picture framers and book binders.
Amanda Pickles, acrylic and mixed-media paintings, at Allotment Studio, 19 Maundon Avenue, Pickering.
Likes to get the feeling of a place or a moor with the weather, sounds, smells and changing seasons in her work, leading to Deep Earth series.
Jen Ricketts, silversmith and jeweller, at North Croft, Boonhill Road, Fadmoor, York.
Latest work concentrates on making bespoke functional silverware of intricate city skylines, intriguing silhouettes of British countryside and capturing childhood memories of park scenes and fairground carousels.
Meg Ricketts, painter and printmaker, North Croft, Boonhill Rd, Fadmoor, York.
Interested in concept of slowing down and seeing small details in nature – colour, pattern and constant change – as seasons unfold. Favours acrylics and oils; experimenting with painting onto wood.
Rachel Rimell, photography, at Beechwood, 68 Middlecave Road, Malton.
Examines the individual through the prism of transitions and liminal spaces, connections and shared experiences and the human condition. Two self-published books have explored themes of motherhood and identity.
Charlotte Salt, tactile and intuitively made ceramics, at The Gallery, 7 Market Place, Malton.
Enjoys the meditative, grounding processes of handling the clay, a rhythmic physical act involving the senses. Draws on ancient ephemera and passion for collecting found fragments and objects.
Sue Slack, acrylic landscape painter in layered colours, at Barn Studio, Swiveynun, Lockton, Pickering.
Enthusiasm for fell running has taken her to new places, both mentally and physically, influencing work that attracts walkers and cyclists. Upcoming is a four-month sabbatical to embark on new painting journey in Ullapool.
Susan Slann, oil painter and linocut and woodcut printmaker, at 1 Langton Road, Norton-on-Derwent.
Work explores powerful connection between nature, landscape and human emotion.
Patrick Smith, painter and printmaker of landscapes and seascapes, at Nesslyn, West End, Sheriff Hutton, York.
Paints “landscapes of the mind” where poetry and an unfolding process is allowed full reign and “you, the viewer, are co-opted into the image’s final resolution”.
Iona Stock, ceramics, at Hollymead, Snape Hill, Nawton.
Set up her own studio after graduating from University of Sunderland in 2020 with first-class degree in glass and ceramics. Hopes her everyday pieces “bring a little piece of my paradise into your home”.
Ros Walker, ceramics and painting, at Wayward Studio Gallery, Station House, Kirkham Abbey, York.
Creates brightly coloured functional stoneware bowls, mugs and plates; sculptural art ceramic pieces, non-functional vessels and jewellery, plus mixed-media acrylic landscapes.
Susan Walsh, eco-printed textiles and paper, employing botanical mark-making, at Pasture House, Cawton, York.
Uses leaves, flowers and seeds to create wraps, scarves, wall hangings, framed pieces, journals, cards, cushions and bags.
Justine Warner, textile and mixed-media artist, at Laburnum Cottage, West End, Sheriff Hutton, York.
“The canvas of my work is predominantly made from neck ties,” she says. “The beautiful textures and patterns of the fabric are sewn together to make backgrounds for North Yorkshire and Howardian Hills landscapes that can be mistaken for paintings”. Fabrics, wools and thread are used to layer, blend and paint recycled materials.
GO forth and multiply the chance to see the summer spurt of theatre, musicals and outdoor shows, urges Charles Hutchinson, who also highlights big gig news for autumn and March 2022.
Breaking the library hush: Next Door But One in Operation Hummingbird, in York, today and August 12
YORK community arts collective Next Door But One are teaming up with Explore York for a library tour of Matt Harper-Harcastle’s 45-minute play Operation Hummingbird.
James Lewis Knight plays Jimmy and Matt Stradling, James, in a one-act two-hander that takes the form of a conversation across the decades about a sudden family death, realising an opportunity that we all wish we could do at some point in our life: to go back and talk to our younger self.
Today’s Covid-safe performances are at 3.30pm at New Earswick Folk Hall and 7pm, Dringhouses Library; August 12, York Explore, 2pm, and Hungate Reading Café, 7pm. Box office: nextdoorbutone.co.uk.
Play launch of the week outside York: Esk Valley Theatre in Shirley Valentine, Robinson Institute, Glaisdale, near Whitby, tonight until August 28
ESK Valley Theatre complete a hattrick of Willy Russell plays with Shirley Valentine from tonight, under the direction of artistic director Mark Stratton as usual.
In Russell’s one-woman show, Coronation Street star Ashley Hope Allan plays middle-aged, bored Liverpool housewife Shirley in a story of self-discovery as she takes a holiday to Greece with a friend, who promptly abandons her for a holiday romance. Left alone, Shirley meets charming taverna owner Costas. Box office: 01947 897587 or at eskvalleytheatre.co.uk.
Musical of the week outside Leeds, Heathers The Musical, Leeds Grand Theatre, tonight until August 14
HEATHERS The Musical launches its touring production in Leeds from tonight with choreography by Gary Lloyd, who choreographed the debut York Stage pantomime last Christmas.
Produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills and directed by American screen and stage director Andy Fickman, this high-octane, dark-humoured rock musical is based on the Winona Ryder and Christian Slater cult teen movie.
The premise: Westerberg High pupil Veronica Sawyer (Rebecca Wickes) is just another nobody dreaming of a better day, until she joins the impossibly cruel Heathers, whereupon mysterious teen rebel JD (Simon Gordon) teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it is murder being a somebody. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or at leedsheritagetheatres.co.uk.
Art event of the week: Ryedale Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday and next weekend, 10am to 5pm each day
THE newly formed Vault Arts Centre community interest company, in Kirkbymoorside, is coordinating this inaugural Ryedale Open Studios event, celebrating the creativity and artistic talent of Ryedale and the North York Moors.
Artists, makers and creators will be offering both an exclusive glimpse into their workplaces and the opportunity to buy art works directly. Full details of all 33 artists can be found at ryedaleopenstudios.com; a downloadable map at ryedaleopenstudios.com/map.
Hit and myth show of the week: Eurydice, Theatre At The Mill, Stillington Mill, near York, Saturday and Sunday, 7.30pm
THIS weekend, Serena Manteghi returns to the play she helped to create with writer Alexander Wright, composer Phil Grainger and fellow performer Casey Jane Andrews with Fringe award-winning success in Australia in 2019.
Manteghi, a tour de force in the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s Build A Rocket, will be joined by Grainger for the tale about being a daily superhero and not giving in to the stories we tell ourselves.
Woven from spoken word and soaring live music, Eurydice is the stand-alone sister show to Orpheus; her untold story imagined and reimagined for the modern-day and told from her perspective. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/atthemill/.
Yorkshire gig of the week outside York: Kaiser Chiefs, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Sunday, gates open at 6pm
LEEDS lads Kaiser Chiefs promise a “no-holds-barred rock’n’roll celebration” on their much-requested return to Scarborough OAT after their May 27 2017 debut.
“We cannot wait to get back to playing live shows again and it will be great to return to this stunning Yorkshire venue,” says frontman Ricky Wilson. “We had a cracking night there in 2017, so roll on August 8!”
Expect a Sunday night of such Yorkshire anthems as Oh My God, I Predict A Riot, Everyday I Love You Less And Less, Ruby, Never Miss A Beat and Hole In My Soul. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Comedy gig announcement of the week: Simon Amstell, Spirit Hole, Grand Opera House, York, September 25, 8pm
INTROSPECTIVE, abjectly honest comedian Simon Amstell will play the Grand Opera House, York, for the first time since 2012 on his 38-date Spirit Hole autumn tour.
Agent provocateur Amstell, 41, will deliver a “blissful, spiritual, sensational exploration of love, sex, shame mushrooms and more” on a tour with further Yorkshire gigs at The Leadmill, Sheffield, on September 12 and Leeds Town Hall on October 1.
York tickets are on sale at atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york/; York, Sheffield and Leeds at ticketmaster.com.
York gig announcement of the week: Joe Jackson, York Barbican, March 17 2022
JOE Jackson will play York for only the second time in his 43-year career on his Sing, You Sinners! tour next year.
Jackson, who turns 67 on August 11, will perform both solo and with a band at York Barbican in the only Yorkshire show of his 29-date British and European tour, promising hits and new material.
“We’ve been dealing with two viruses over the past two years, and the worst – the one we really need to put behind us – is Fear,” he says. “Love is the opposite of fear, so if you love live music, come out and support it!” Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.