mayjunelampwebversion

MAY/JUNE 2014 FREE

Shining a light on literature, art, music and performance in Somerset

This Issue Includes:Art Exhibition at Hestercombe Under Milk Wood Taming of the ShrewArt House Project at Som. College Field of Shadows The Walker’s GuideRace Plan with Jeremy Browne MP Benny Goodman Concert Textile ExpressionsThe Return of the Blues Band Lindsey Davis Maritime History of SomersetRoger McGough at Tacchi-Morris Worbey & Farrell How To Be Well ReadSimply English with Simon Heffer Calendar of Events So You Want to Write a NovelThe Boy Who Fell into a Book @2K and Abigail’s Party Poetry Corner & Short StoryTaunton Male Voice Choir Dinah Jefferies My Favourite

Contents05 Leaping The Fence: First Art Exhibition at Hestercombe House06 All Systems Go for Somerset College’s Arts House Project08 Race Plan: MP Jeremy Browne10 The Blues Band Returns12 As Far As I Know: Roger McGough14 Simply English: Simon Heffer15 The Boy Who Fell Into a Book: Warehouse Theatre, Ilminster17 Some Enchanted Evening: Taunton Male Voice Choir18 Under Milk Wood at the Corfe Festival20 Field of Shadows: Dan Waddell21 Benny Goodman’s Carnegie Hall Concert22 Enemies at Home: Lindsey Davis23 Worbey and Farrell at Yeovil and Weston-Super-Mare24 Calendar of Events for May and June28 Art Exhibitions for May and June29 Workshops, Courses and Classes for May and June32 @2K Looking Forward to Abigail’s Party33 The Separation: Dinah Jefferies34 Taunton Thespians Summer Tour36 The Walker’s Guide: Tristan Gooley37 Textile Expressions at Ilminster Arts Centre39 A Maritime History of Somerset, vol 241 How To Be Well Read: John Sutherland42 So You Want to Write a Novel with Writers Anon43 Poetry Corner: Elizabeth Rapp44 Short Story: Tony Woods45 My Favourite with Victoria Rayson

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.

Welcome to the May and June edition of LAMP.

This one is jammed-

packed with content - and we would love to put in even more. We just need a bit more advertising so we can pay for the extra pages for the worthwhile cause of highlighting our local cultural offerings - poten-tial business advertisers please note!

We are pleased this month, in particular, to be able highlight some of our hardworking amdram theatre groups.

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Would you like to receive a weekly email newsletter from Brendon Books regarding our extensive range of book talks and information on the autumn literary festival as it becomes available?

If so please send your request to [email protected] or visit Brendon Books at Bath Place Taunton TA1 4ER or telephone 01823 337742

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Hestercombe has always had a place at the leading edge of creativity. The beautiful gardens, ground-breaking in their time, were designed by individuals who were artists as well as gardeners, from Bampfylde who employed the artists’ technique of borrowed views in the land-scape to Jekyll and Lutyens with their inspired mix of architecture and planting design in the formal gar-dens. Now the next great creative step is being made at Hestercombe.Thanks to funding from Arts Coun-cil England and others a year long programme of arts activity is under-way, kicking off in late spring with Hestercombe’s first art exhibition in Hestercombe House. Open from 24th May ‘Leaping the Fence’ will celebrate contemporary art created over the last 25 years and will feature works from ground breaking artists such as Tracey Emin, Mark Wallinger, Mark Quinn, Mike Nelson and Susan Philipsz among others, many of them Turner Prize win-ners and nominees. It will cover diverse art forms ranging from sound, light and film works, to sculpture and digital works on paper. Exploring themes such as the human relationship to landscape and gardens and broader socio-political ideas the show will provide a unique opportunity to engage with thought provoking pieces rarely seen in the South West.

This new artistic venture has been made possible since the reuniting of Hester-combe House with the rest of the estate after 60 years of the former being under local authority control. Sensitive resto-ration work has created a gallery made up of simple spaces, stripped to reveal their architectural heritage, creating a neutral but elegant backdrop for the exhibition pieces.

‘The last 20 years at Hestercombe have involved thousands of hours of work to uncover the almost lost, astonishingly beautiful, creative landscape. With this work all but complete we’re thrilled to be stepping forward and making this new ex-ploration of art and beauty. Our long term intention is to create a stimulating and relevant gallery space for the South West and to provide an environment where new works can also be made; ultimately creating a future as exciting and inspiring

as our past’ says Chief Executive of the Hestercombe Gardens Trust, Philip White MBE.

In addition, art is already in the making at Hestercombe as artist in residence, Jo Lathwood gets to work on pieces inspired by the beautiful setting of the estate. Visitors can watch her at work in her studio adjacent to the new gallery.

It promises to be a challenging and ex-citing year for the Hestercombe Gardens Trust charity as it makes its mark on the art world in the South West with the opening of the new gallery and ‘Leaping the Fence’ its first exhibition. A second exhibition will follow in October.

‘Leaping The Fence’ opens to the pub-lic Saturday May 24th.

Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitz-paine, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 8LG 01823 413923 www.hestercombe.com

Leaping the Fence

Hestercombe House, recently acquired by the Hestercombe Gardens Trust. The inaugural art exhibition will take place on 24th May.

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List of works to appear at Hestercombe Gallery-from Arts Council Collections

Steve Johnson Binoculars (charm no 9)Mark Hosking Untitled (Lowland Rice)Ruth Claxton Nest (Turquoise Loops)Adam Chodzko Untitled StileSpartacus Chetwynd The road to Dover (film) Marc Quinn Garden x 3 ( nos. 2, 4, 7)Mark Wallinger Angel (film)Mike Nelson TaylorJanice Kerbel Nick Silver Can’t Sleep (Radio Play)Janice Kerbel Home Climate Gardens x 4 (Launderette; Victorian Terrace; Indoor Island; Council Flat Susan Philipsz The Internationale (Sound)From White CubeTracey Emin This is another place 2002Neon 38 3/16 x 83 7/16 in. (97 x 211.9 cm)From Roche CourtBill Woodrow Clockswarm 2001 Bronze and Gold Leaf23 x 34.3 x 10 cm / 9 x 13∏ x 4 Tania Kovats Sunk 1999Acrylic composite, MDF 110 x 60 x 60 cm / 3ft 7 5/16 x 1ft 11 5/8 x 1ft 11 5/8 David Batchelor Colour Chart Painting 33 (green) 20.06.11 2011Gloss and matt paint on aluminium 106 x 91.5 cm /3ft 5 3/4 x 3ftGavin Turk Desert Island Scenario 2003Mahogany 8 x 103 x 19.5 cm / 3 x 3ft 4 ∏ x 7 ≤ inchesClare Woods I Am Glad 2013Oil on aluminium 70 x 55 cm / 2ft 3 1/2 x 1ft 9

Above: A preview of some of the images due to appear at Hestercombe.Top L: I Am Glad by Clare Woods. Top R: Colour Chart Painting by David Batchelor. Above L: Desert Island Scenario by Gavin Turk. Above R: Clock-swarm by Bill Woodrow.

SOMERSET COLLEGE’S ARTS HOUSE PROJECT- ALL SYSTEMS GO

The building, which houses Somer-set College’s School of Art and De-sign, was originally constructed in the 1970s; at the time, it was a ground breaking design which received many accolades. However, in order to keep up with the demands of a cutting edge Art and Design curriculum, the building is now at the stage where it requires refurbishment. Somerset College have successfully bid to secure funding to help refur-bish the building which means build-ing work will begin over the coming months and is due to open in autumn 2015. The building will provide a home for all departments involved in the College’s cutting-edge training and education within the creative indus-tries, including digital broadcasting

for television and radio, music production and a new studio the-atre. “We’re delighted to have secured funding from the Skills Funding Agency and we have committed to funding the remainder required.” said Somerset Col-lege’s Principal and Chief Executive Ra-chel Davies. “It is a sign of our growing importance to Taunton and the wider region as a provider of first-rate Further and Higher Education with close links to commercial partners and a commitment to employability. We have a strong repu-tation when it comes to equipping stu-dents for the world of work. Many of our Art and Design alumni have progressed to top jobs in high-profile companies such as Fat Face, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Debenhams. With the Arts House

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Project, we hope to build on that reputation, and equip even more people with excellent workplace skills and great prospects for the future.” As well as revamping teaching and studio spaces, the Arts House Project will see Som-erset College refine its curriculum. After extensive consultation with employers and students, the Art and Design department will continue developing courses that give students the best possible start in their cho-sen career.Pictured: Architect designs of what the refur-bished Art & Design building will look like.

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As a Foreign Office Minister, Jeremy Browne witnessed this global revolu-tion at first hand. Having seen for him-self the extraordinary scale and pace of economic development in China, India and elsewhere, Browne’s message is stark: the race to secure a favourable position in the new world order would be hard enough in the best of times.

Yet, he argues, Britain must now begin that race in the worst of times, after the deepest recession in living memory, still weighed down by high levels of borrow-ing and debt.

Despite this, Browne remains an opti-mist. He points to the many advantages that Britain enjoys:

‘We are a trading nation with a global disposition; we have a vibrant and in-ventive population; our elite education is among the best in the world; we have a proud tradition of freedom before the law, our language is the global language; we sit down between East and West as a member of the world’s largest single market.’

However, he argues, we also need to rec-ognise our weaknesses, exposed by the recent recession:’ a dangerously large deficit, an oversized and unresponsive

RACE PLANThe world order is changing, incrementally but remorse-lessly, as wealth and power move beyond the industri-alised West to the emerging economies in Asia and Latin America.

Jeremy Browne has been the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane since 2005. He was a Minister of State in the Foreign and Com-monwealth Office from 2010-12, where his specific responsibilities included Pacific Asia and Latin America. From 2012-13 he was a Minister of State in the Home Of-fice. Jeremy lives in Taunton and London with his partner Rachel and their daughter Molly.

public sector, high welfare bills, creaking infrastructure, a long tail of educational failure and the burgeoning costs of an ageing population.’ The answer he believes is a race plan that embraces economic liberalism, ‘a new and self-confident national attitude that refuses to accept failure and resolves to take the difficult decisions we need to succeed.’

Regarding infrastructure, for example, he expresses a view which may well find echoes with the situation locally with re-gard to development: ‘We cannot afford our political procrastination that is to often our default mode when faced with big decisions,’

Talk Followed by a Book signing7.00pm Friday 9 May

Race Plan with Jeremy Browne

Venue & Tickets: Brendon BooksBath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER

01823 [email protected]

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Over 20 albums and 35 years have passed since1979, when Paul Jones and Tom Mc-Guinness expected a short shelf life for their idea of forming a pub band to ‘play the blues for beer money’. But passion is a currency everyone covets, and The Blues Band had passion by the bucketful; and fans know a good thing when they hear it. The publics eager response to what The Blues Band thought was a hobby project took them by surprise, providing a career for life beyond the boundaries of pop, in the musical tradition they love. Pubs and beer money are a thing of the past. The Blues Band continue to be celebrated across the media and have played to wildly appreciative audiences around the globe in venues ranging from clubs through to civ-ic halls and theatres. They’ve toured with Dire Straits and headlined at Glastonbury. Now they’ve added to their expanding cat-alogue of recordings with a brilliant new album, Few Short Lines.

35 years is a long time, but although their longevity may not be unique, unlike many of their contemporaries they’ve pulled off a fine musical balancing act, and having four gifted singers and song writers in the line-up certainly helps. There are few Brit-ish blues performers on today’s scene who can look back on a career which includ-ed working as sidemen to legends such as Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Big

Boy Crudup or Son House, but mem-bers of the Blues Band can, and what they learned from those giants comes into play every night. Whilst stay-ing committed to their authentic blues roots, their ability and craftsmanship enabled them to explore new direc-tions and expand their creative rep-ertoire. What makes The Blues Band stand out from their often over-amplified peers is their historical understanding of ev-ery diverse category of the blues. They demonstrated this in 1994 by releasing the acclaimed album Wireless, their first purely acoustic venture. Confirmation of their open-minded musical resourceful-ness shone through with the fat, joyful and punchy big band blues vitality of 1999’s Brassed Up. Whilst the Chicago-based electricity of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker remains in their act, they never the less wowed their many fans yet again in 2000 with another fine acoustic album, Scratchin’ on My Screen. In 2002 the clas-sic 5-piece line-up bounced back, with the

The Blues Band Returns

dynamic vocal and instrumental duo Paul Jones and Dave Kelly elegantly sup-plemented by Gary Fletcher and Tom McGuinness’s increasing vocal contri-butions.

Eric Clapton once said; ‘When all the original blues guys are gone, you start to realise that someone has to tend the tradition.’ But although they carry the torch, The Blues Band are no musical museum. They’re the ultimate good night out. After thousands of gigs their passion and showmanship keeps filling venues around the world. You can ex-perience it with their latest recording, Few Short Lines. Check out their stu-dio guests: Bob Dylan’s keyboardist Al Kooper, Bruce Springsteen’s sparring partner Southside Johnny, Linda Lew-is duetting with Paul Jones Dave Kel-ly paired with Scotland’s soul queen, Maggie Bell. If you’re looking for spir-ited blues with a peerless pedigree, your search is over.

See the Blues BandWed 11 June 7.30Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil,Somerset BA20 1UXBox Office: 01935 422884www.octagon-theatre.co.uk

The Blues Band: Paul Jones ~ Dave Kelly ~ Rob Townsend ~ Gary Fletcher ~ Tom McGuinness

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Roger McGough’s most recent collec-tion, As Far As I Know, explores themes of memory, love, ageing and youth, all observed in McGough’s characteristic style that combines menace and melan-choly but with plenty of wit and word-play too.

‘The audience will hopefully be moved by some of the poems’ says McGough of his forthcoming appearance at Tac-chi-Morris Arts Centre, where he will be reading poems both from As Far As I Know as well as some even more recent material. ‘My latest poems are about po-litical things, ageing, satire and humour. There are some dark bits but it’s import-ant to have them lined with humour as well.’

Although now based in South West Lon-don, McGough grew up on the outskirts of Liverpool - a place that continues to provide inspiration for his work. Indeed the cover of As Far As I Know shows Crosby Beach, in Liverpool where artist Antony Gormley’s Another Place figures are seen gazing purposefully out to sea as the waves roll in.

During the 1960s, McGough was a member of a collective known as the Liverpool Poets along with Adrian Hen-ri and Brian Patten. In 1967 they were included in a Penguin anthology called The Mersey Sound which became one of

the best-selling poetry anthologies of all time. Hits with the Brian Epstein-man-aged The Scaffold (Thank U Very Much, Lily The Pink) and college touring with GRIMMS (a name comprised of the last initials of John Gorman, Andy Roberts, Neil Innes, Roger McGough, Mike Mc-

Cartney, Viv Stanshall) were followed by internationally acclaimed collections of poems and stories, regular broadcasts and edited anthologies.

So how does McGough think people’s at-titudes to poetry have changed over the years? ‘There’s certainly more around. When I was in Liverpool there were very few readings and if there were they tended to be in clubs. We [the Liverpool Poets] would do readings in clubs when the Folk Club was closed on a Monday.

‘People are less afraid of poetry but I still think it is not used enough in schools. It is more about dissecting it than actually reading it, enjoying it and developing your own opinion of it.’

McGough also believes hearing poems read aloud is as important as reading po-ems from a book. ‘By hearing poems it all makes sense and is an important part of the writing process.’ McGough recalls a read-ing by Christopher Logue that he attended while at the University of Hull ‘The first time I got into poetry I was really excit-ed about hearing poetry, but I was also a closet reader of poetry books and came across Eliot and Auden at 18 or 19.’ Other influences include Adrian Mitchell, Brian Patten, Adrian Henri and Philip Larkin - who was librarian at the University of Hull while McGough was a student there. Fol-lowing graduation, McGough sent Larkin

One of Britain’s best-loved poets, Roger McGough will be providing a fitting fina-le to the Page is Printed Festival at Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in June.

As Far As I Know: Roger McGough

‘Take comfort from thisYou have a book in your handNot a loaded gun or a parking fine’

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some of his poems and Larkin respond-ed encouragingly. ‘But’, says McGough ‘I’ve been influenced more by the poems than particular poets.’

So what was it about poetry in particular that appealed to the young McGough? ‘I read French poets and wrote love poems, but the humour kept coming in. Then I wrote short stories and playlets but kept coming back to poetry. I think it was the brevity of it. With poems you can duck and dive and they are like little films when I read these poems out.’

Dubbed ‘the patron saint of poetry’ by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Mc-Gough is no stranger to praise, having been honoured with a CBE for services to literature and given the Freedom of the City of Liverpool ‘for good behaviour’. On his being newly elected President of the Poetry Society McGough says ‘It was very nice to be asked’ and describes his role as ‘providing a reassuring presence.’

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Litera-ture, Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moore’s University and an Honorary Professor at Thames Valley University, McGough also has an MA from the Uni-versity of Northampton and D.Litts from

the Universities of Hull, Liverpool, Roe-hampton and the Open University. He presents BBC Radio 4’s long-running Poetry Please and his acclaimed adap-tation of Molière’s The Misanthrope travelled recently with English Touring Theatre. He also a recipient of the presti-gious Cholmondeley Award. His specially written poem for Age UK’s latest TV advert aims to make people

See Roger McGough on Saturday 28th June.

7.30pm. Tickets: £14/£10 Conces-sions. Suitable for adults and ages 14+.

Venue: Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre, School Road, Taunton. TA2 8PD. Box Office: 01823 414141.Email: [email protected]. Website: www.tacchi-morris.com.

The Page is Printed Festival is a 3 day event which promises to be a vibrant celebration of creative writing talent from across the UK and beyond.

Kick-starting the festival on Thursday 26th June is Page to Stage which will showcase specially selected plays and extracts by new, emerging and established playwrights, while The Page is Print-ed Celebration Evening on Friday 27th June will be a dynamic evening of spoken word where winners of The Page is Printed creative writing competition will be announced.

Look out for the next issue of LAMP where the winning text will be published. An evening of poetry, wit and fun follows with Roger McGough on Saturday 28th June, where there will be an opportu-nity to get your book signed by the author.

think differently about getting older and challenge negative stereotypes about ageing.

Aside from his poems for adults, Rog-er McGough has produced a number of books for children and his poetry has been widely used in schools. ‘People get into my work through reading my chil-dren’s books’ says McGough. ‘As they grow up they get more into the older books and pass these onto their children.’ He is twice winner of the Signal Award for best children’s poetry. An Imaginary Menagerie and Lucky both feature illus-trations by the author.

‘Some of the children’s poems are acces-sible for adults and vice versa’ explains McGough admitting ‘after writing dark-er adult poems it’s nice to write a poem about a giraffe!’

There will be a book signing for As Far As I Know following the performance organised by Brendon Books. Copies of his other books will also be available.

By Sara Loveridge

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Simon Heffer was born in 1960. He read English at Cambridge and took a PhD in modern histo-ry at that university. His previous books include: Moral Desper-ado: A Life of Thomas Carlyle, The Reinvention of England, Strictly English, A Short History of Power and High Minds: The Victorians and the Birth of Mod-ern Britain. In a career of nearly thirty years in Fleet Street, he has written for and held senior positions on the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the Specta-tor.

Wilcockson had, Heffer explains in the introduction, ‘been alerted to some emails on the Internet that I had written to colleagues at the Daily Telegraph, for which I then worked as Associate Editor, drawing attention to mistakes they had made in their copy.’

However, Simply English is not an up-dated version of Strictly English (which is written in an essay style format), though some of the material is com-mon. Rather, Simply English is a ‘dic-tionary style reference’ work that can be accessed when someone has a specific

question about the use of En-glish.

In Simply English Heffer dis-cusses frequent errors, com-mon misunderstandings and stylistic howlers. What is the difference between amend and emend, between imply and infer, and between un-interested and disinterested? When should one put owing to rather than due to? Why should the temptation to write actually, basically or at this moment in time always be strenuously resisted? How does one use an apostrophe correctly, ensure that one understands what alibi really means, and avoid the perils of the dou-ble negative?

Simply English follows an earlier book on the English language, Strict-ly English, which came about as the result of a request from Nigel Wilcockson of Random House to Simon Heffer to write a book on correct grammar and the use of English.

Talk Followed by a Book signing7.00pm Friday 16 May

Simply English with Simon Heffer

Venue: St James’s Church, St James St,Taunton TA1 1JJ

Tickets: Brendon BooksBath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER


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Taunton Concert Band

Summer Concert"Music of Stage and Screen"

St James' Church, TauntonSaturday 9th June, 7.30pmTickets £8, £7 concessions,

including light refreshments

Available from: [email protected]

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It has been a busy and successful year for the Warehouse Theatre whose resident theatre company, Ilminster Entertainments Society have won the 2014 County Drama Festival in the preliminary rounds of the All England Theatre Festival National Competition, adjudicated by Ian Sarginson from the governing council of G.O.D.A.

“Philip & Rowena” written by Gillian Plowman and directed by Louise Ad-ams has also been awarded

The Hope Cup for Best All Round Pre-sentation,whilst Sheila Bowman won Best Actress in the Festival.

Thanks to: sponsors Clark’s of Street, Somerset, dedicated to the SFD’s Drama

The Boy Who Fell Into a Book

Rockfist Slim’s enemies have just plunged him into yet another desperate situation when Kevin has to close his detective book and go to sleep. But his own adven-ture is only just beginning. Fast moving and full of special effects, Ayckbourn’s work brings alive several well-known children’s books as Kevin and Rockfist Slim escape the baddies by plunging into and becoming part of Kidnapped, Grimms’ Tales, Chess for Beginners and many other stories.The inspiration came from an earlier

short piece written for children in 1989 with live action interacting with a slide-show. Several different genres and types of book are chosen which means the na-ture of the dialogue, the characters and presentation are constantly shifting so that if one section does not hold a child’s attention another should. It first came out in 1998. It received its first London pro-fessional premiere in 2012 and the musi-cal will receive its world premiere in July

The Ilminster Warehouse Theatre will be performing the wonderfully inventive play, The Boy Who Fell Into a Book written by Alan Ayckbourn, our most frequently performed dra-matist.

of this year. It also has been the source of inspiration for his adult play Improba-ble Fiction when a writer’s circle is col-lectively having writer’s block until their imaginations are unleashed by a young woman and several different literary genres are explored.

To the right, photo of cast and crew, left to right: (F) indicates front row:Sheila Bowman (F), Peter Schofield, David Adams, Louise Adams (F), Liz Hartley, Eric Beck-ley (F), Brian Perkins, Nicola Della Valle (F), Val Schofield (F), Dave Gooding.Not photographed, Ursula McInlay.

Festivals for many years; and hosts this year, The Warehouse Theatre, Brewery Lane, Ilminster.

The theatre has an open morning (during the Ilminster Experience week) on Saturday 7th June,10 - 2pm for those who want to come and look around.

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Alan Ayckbourn

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Have you been to Bath Place in Taunton recently? The oldest shopping street in Taunton (located just off the High Street) where you can find a great selection of over twenty independent businesses. We are also planning a Festival on Fri 4th and Sat 5th July. Come and see us soon!

Like us on Facebook - Bath Place Taunton

www.bath-place.co.uk

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“To begin at the beginning: It is a spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black….”

The journey to putting on a performance has not been without its problems. When Brian first mooted the idea a year or so ago among the two acting groups he was involved with could not find room for the play in their busy schedule.

However, he was determined ‘as a Welshman and ardent Dylan Thom-as fan who had played first voice twice’ that a project would go ahead and an op-portunity arose when one of the organ-isers of the Corfe Festival asked if he had any ideas for an evening entertainment for the Whitsun Village event. Naturally, he had. The idea was further cemented when a friend of his wife’s called to give his wife a lift to an art class and out of the blue volunteered that she had just read Milk Wood: ‘Isn’t it amazing, it’s like an abstract painting out into words....I couldn’t put it down and wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear all those voices.’ Giv-en such encouragement, there was no choice but to go ahead with the project.However, a further problem presented itself. In January he discovered that the licences to perform the play had been suspended for theatre groups because a major national and international tour by Theatr Clwyd was to take place. Howev-er, a licence was obtained, helped by the fact he believes, that they were a ‘one off ’ group of enthusiasts ‘seeking to perform it for enjoyment and as a means of rais-ing dome funds for our village.’ An appeal was made throughout the parishes of Corfe, Pitminster, Fyffett,

This year marks the centenary of Dylan Thomas’ birth, and the 60th anniversary of Under Milk Wood’s original radio broadcast. Welshman and Thespian Bri-an Lewis is ensuring that rural Somerset will not ‘miss out’ and will mark the anniversary with performances of Under Milk Wood in the heart of Somerset at the Corfe Festival when the audience will invited to ‘be-come Welsh’ for an evening.

Clayhidon, Bishop’s Wood, Churchstan-ton and Halse and 20 ‘voices’ responded. In mid April Brian described their prog-ress in rehearsals, not entirely problem free, though always rewarded with a sus-taining tea break:‘Rehearsals have been fortnightly in the village hall, since January! There were some very promising signs at the very first one. Most people did not know one another and a couple announced that they first met, many years ago, at an Un-der Milk Wood . As there were newcom-ers to the play, I began by explaining its themes, the nature of its commentaries by First and Second Voices, and the ex-

tent of the gossip and innuendo abound-ing in Llareggub (bugger all – backwards) – whereupon several people quickly point-ed out that Llareggub sounded just like their own Blackdown village! Good omens for the Village Players I thought.‘We have worked on pronunciation and rhythm in each session, and we always fin-ish with a reading of 20 pages or so. People have tried hard on the accents, and occa-sionally become derailed from Welsh into strong West Country, Northern or Scot-

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tish accents! The script is funny enough anyway, but we have enjoyed the added mirth. It is a great joy just to have twen-ty people reading through this play and since January we have delighted in taking it in turns to read First or Second voice, or other classic parts such as Nogood Boyo, Mr Ogmore and Mr Pritchard, Mrs Ogmore- Pritchard, Mrs Pugh, or anoth-er favourite, Mrs Dai Bread Two!

Under Milk Wood is a ‘play for voices’Beginning before sunrise while still dark you are invited to listen to the thoughts of the residents of the village: Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard constantly nag-ging her dead husbands; Captain Cat recalling his seafaring adventures; Dai Bread thinking of horizontal Turkish girls; Mary Ann Sailor of the Garden of Eden; the musical obsession of Organ Morgan and poor Polly garter pining for her dead lover. We then observe them as they go about their daily routines.

It illustrates Thomas’s gift with words, their rhythm and sound and is perhaps his most famous and enduring work.

The direct origins of Under Milk Wood are in the short story Quite Early One Morning which he wrote for

the BBC in 1944 and broadcast in 1945. It has the same lyrical voice as Under Milk Wood and includes the character of Mrs Ogmore- Pritchard.

However, the idea of the play was conceived much earlier. In his memoirs, Dylan Remembered, Bert Trick, the so-cialist grocer of Brynmill, recalls Dylan reading to him and his wife in 1933 a story called at that Llareggub (bugger all backwards) which is retained as the name of the village in Under Milk Wood. In fact, there are uncannily sim-ilar lines in a piece that Dylan produced when he was 17 while still at school when he wrote an article for the Swan-sea Grammar School Magazine.

Though the play developed over many years he found great difficulty in completing it. Thomas read some of the extracts of the embryo play in 1949 while at a party in Prague. In the following year he sent the first half of the play to the BBC though at this time it is called it The Town That Was Mad. There were further readings of extracts at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London and the Poet’s Theatre, Cam-bridge Massachusetts in May 1952 and May 1953. The first finished stage performance was at the Poetry Center, New York though he did not complete the ending until the last half an hour before the curtain went up at 8.30pm. He revised it further before the next

performance at the Kaufmann Theatre, New York. A completed script was sent to Douglas Clever-don of the BBC on the 15 October. Following a performance at the Poetry Center New York on 24 and 25. Dylan died (on 9 November) at St Vincent’s Hospital, New York. There were memorial perfor-mances in New York and London and a BBC radio broadcast on 25 January 1954 with Richard Burton as first voice. This is considered by many to be the most notable radio play ever performed. When it was published in book form later in the year it sold out in the first month.

Another highlight has been our tea breaks, during which we listen to a famous recording of the play with Dylan Thomas as First Voice. For tea accompaniment, so far, I have been baking Welsh cakes or Bara Brith. For the final run in I intend expanding my repertoire to include Teisen Lap .You can’t do two hours of Under Milk Wood on an empty stomach!’

Corfe Festival and the Village Players will present "Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas (with music by Daniel Jones)at Corfe Church on Friday 23rd May at 7pm and on Sunday 25th May at 7pm.

Tickets available from Brian Lewis (tel. 01823 421277). Ticket prices: Adults £6, children £2.

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The account of the Gentlemen of Worces-tershire’s cricket tour of Berlin in August 1937 is a tale of triumph, of civility over barbarity and hope over despair, but also of the enduring beauty and calm of cricket set in contrast to the fear and brutality of a regime gearing up for war.

Berlin 1937: Hitler viewed cricket as a dec-adent and un-German sport. But some-how, fanatical cricket lover Felix Menzel persuaded the Nazi leaders to invite a crack English side to play his modest band of part time cricketers.

The Gentlemen of Worcestershire were the ill-matched group of Englishmen who were to go out to Berlin, led by former Worcestershire County Cricket Club cap-tain Maurice Jewell, and ordered ‘not to lose’ by the MCC.

Jewell’s side played three unofficial Test matches against a backdrop of repres-sion, brutality and rising tensions, but despite the shadow being cast by the cataclysmic events which were to follow,

the tour proved to be a memorable and remarkable experience for the Englishmen and their German coun-terparts. It was ten days in which, for those taking part, the politics and tensions faded into the background, and the world was once more a place of sporting passion and good natured camaraderie.

‘Cricket is a spell; whatever our worries, whatever ails us, it all recedes when we’re on the pitch. Standing there, with the sun on your back, watching this occasionally thrilling, sometimes dull, always compelling game unfold in front of you, the world and its problems can seem a

million miles away.’

Two years later and many of those involved in the series were engulfed by war. Men such as Captain Robin Whetherly, who served as a special ops agent, and the heroic Peter Hun-

tington-Whiteley, great-great uncle of model Rosie, who led the secret assault unit created by Ian Fleming.

Perhaps most remarkable of all was Felix Menzel, a cricket obsessive for the ages. A man who risked life and limb to play cricket under the Nazis and, when the war was done, wandered from the rubble of Berlin with the surviving members of his team to ask a group of astonished English soldiers for a game.

Dan Waddell is a journalist, novelist and author of more than a dozen works of non-fiction. His first crime novel, The Blood Detective, was nominated for three debut awards, including the celebrated CWA New Blood Dagger, and has been pub-lished in five countries. He is also the author of the bestselling guide that accompanied the award-win-ning BBC TV series, Who Do You Think You Are?

An exiled Yorkshireman, Dan has been a cricket fanatic all his life. He was a talented junior batsman, played representative cricket for Yorkshire and was even one, brief-ly, on the payroll of the county club itself. After being lost to journalism for several years, he made a mis-guided comeback and now cap-tains Acton 2nd XI in the Middlesex County League where, in between taking painkillers, he tries and fails to pass on sage advice to young players. He covered county cricket for two seasons for the Daily Tele-graph and his first published book was the history of BBC TV’s cricket coverage, And Welcome to the Highlights, where he got to inter-view David Gower, Richie Benaud and his boyhood hero, Geoffrey Boycott

Talk followed by Booksigning

7.00pm Wednesday 21st May

Field of Shadows with Dan Waddell

Venue and tickets:Brendon Books, Bath Place,

Taunton TA1 4ER01823 337742

[email protected]

Field of Shadows

The true story of a moment of sporting history, when an English cricket team took on Nazi Germany in the months leading up to WWII.

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Benny Goodman was a huge star of the time and he handpicked some of the best jazz players of the period to form a ground-break-ing racially integrated band. This was the first time that this had occurred in such a high profile event. The recording of the event went on to be the first jazz record to sell a million copies and is widely regarded as being a pivot-al moment in jazz history.

Pete Long, who leads the band, is a fantastic musician often heard on BBC Radio 2 and

Benny Goodman’s Legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

Comes to Taunton

Benny Goodman’s Legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

Performed by Pete Long and his Goodmen

Venue: Queen’s College, Trull Road, TauntonFriday June 6 7.30pm

Tickets for the concert are available from John Packer Ltd on www.johnpacker.co.uk or calling 01823 282386. They can also be purchased at Taunton Tourist Information at a price of £15 for adults, £10 for concessions.

John Packer Ltd of Staple-grove Road Taunton are or-ganising a very special event being held at Queen’s College on Friday, June 6th; a recre-ation of the legendary Benny Goodman Jazz Concert at the Carnegie Hall in 1938.

with Jool’s Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Pete will be joined by a selection of musicians from his ‘Goodmen’, a collective of jazz professionals that in the past have included Tony Fisher and Pete Ripper.

The 15 strong ensemble recreates not only the sound of the historic concert, performing the original music, but also the look and feel of the show with authentic vintage dress and stage props.

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So starts the second in the Flavia Albia series, the first of which, The Ides of April, was a bestseller when published in 2013.

It is soon clear to Albia that the murders of wealthy newlyweds in their Esquiline apartment and a vicious attack on their doorman, together with the theft of their valuable silver, won’t be easy to solve. A bumbling member of the vigiles has al-ready snuffed out any trace evidence and given up on the case. The household slaves have fled the scene – knowing that Roman law will have them all executed if the true culprits cannot be found. They are holed up in the Temple of Ceres, and the temple wants to be rid of them. Their individual stories conflict with the confused testimony of other witnesses, then a devious ex-wife causes wild accu-sations to fly, and the local crooks, who may be implicated, prove highly danger-ous. Still, Albia likes a challenge.

Brought into the case by Manlius Faustus, the magistrate with whom she has an edgy, electric relationship, she is ham-pered by Dromo, a disgruntled young slave. But with painstaking detective

work, slowly the truth emerges. As she probes, Albia sees there were deep infi-delities and divisions within the troubled household of the murdered couple. The answers are both complicated and tragic.

A delicious, satisfying and involving piece of detective writing that further es-tablishes Lindsey Davis at the top of the historical crime scene. Her stories may be set in an ancient world, but they are modern in the telling and very unstuffy indeed. Flavia Albia is a worthy succes-sor to her adoptive father, Marcus Didius Falco – but she is her own woman and a brilliant investigator in her own right.

Historical novelist Lindsey Davis is known for The Course of Honour, the true story of the Emperor Vespasian and his mistress Caenis, and for her twenty volume mystery series featur-ing Roman detective, Falco. Master and God set the scene for Albia in the paranoid reign of Domitian. She has also written Rebels and Traitors, an epic novel set in the English Civil War and Commonwealth; this year she contributes to the Quick Read series, with A Cruel Fate, also set in the Civil War.

She has won the CWA Historical Dagger, Dagger in the Library, and a Sherlock for Falco as Best Detective. She has been Honorary President of the Classical Association, Chair of the Crimewriters’ Association and Chair of the Society of Authors. In 2010 the city of Rome gave her the Premio Colosseo, awarded `for enhancing the image of Rome` and in 2011 she was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement.Most recently she was the inaugural winner of the Barcelona Historical Fiction Award.

‘There are rules for pri-vate informers accepting a new case. Never take on clients who cannot pay you. Never do fa-vours for friends. Don’t work with relatives. Think carefully about legal work. If, like me, you are a woman, keep clear of men you find attractive.The Aviola enquiry broke every one of those rules, not least because the cli-ents had no money, yet I took it on. Will I never learn?’

ENEMIES AT HOME

Lindsey Davis: Talk and Book Signing. 7.00 pm Wed May 28thVenue: Museum of Somerset, Taunton Price: £6.00Tickets: Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 01823 337742 [email protected]

Tickets acts as a voucher to set against the cost of Enemies at Home

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Worbey & Farrell head to Weston-Super-Mare and Yeovil for two shows only as part of their spring tour 2014. After their total sell-out Edinburgh run 2013 they have been performing all over the country with their show for all the family with wonderful music and laughter.Worbey and Farrell are internationally ac-claimed concert pianists with a wicked sense of humour. Combining musical thrills with a deep love of laughter, they have played with the world’s leading symphony orchestras, achieved a million hits on YouTube, and enter-tained audiences all over the globe with their barnstorming blend of sparky comedy and

utterly sensational piano-playing. Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell are much more than a traditional piano duet. Their instrument can imitate the tones of a Spanish guitar, resound with their very own Paganini Variations or pulsate with the passions of the masters of jazz. They per-form everything from Rachmaninov’s 18th Variation to Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals complete with their own verse. This exuberant evening is suitable for every age and all musical tastes. Prepare to be moved, excited and amazed. But above all prepare to laugh with joy at the sheer ingenuity and style of these two masters of musical mayhem. LISTINGS INFORMATION

Venue The Playhouse, Weston-Super-MareDates Thursday 5th June 2014Time 8.00pm Tickets £16.00Box Office 01934 645544

Venue Octagon Theatre, YeovilDates Friday 6th June 2014Time 7.30pm Tickets £14.00 / 12.50Box Office 01935 422884

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1 Drama Abigail’s Party - Frome Drama Club Merlin Theatre, Frome 7.45

Drama Othello - Icarus Theatre Collective Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Variety Watch this Space - Performance Showcase by The Space Tacchi Morris 7.30

1-3 Drama The Remarkably Strange Case of Doctor Watson and the Spital-fields’ Vampires - Waterfront Theatre Company

Regal, Minehead 7.30

Musical Anything Goes by Cole Porter - TAOS. Sat matinee. Tacchi Morris, Taunton 7.30

2 Music The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Playhouse, WSM 7.30

Music Sing-long-a Grease Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music CLASSICAL - Katherine Bicknell, flute and Keziah Thomas, harp

Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00

Music Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies. David Hall, S Petherton 8.00

3 Music Goya Classicla Trio GOYA: trios by Beethoven, Turina and Mendelssohn

Bridgwater Arts Ctre 8.00

Comedy Ed Byrne Playhouse, WSM 8.00

Music Big Band in Concert - Wells Cathedral School Strode College Theatre 7.30

Music Gypsy and Purple Foundation present... Princess Theatre, BOS 7.30

Music Joe McElderry Octagon Yeovil 7.30

4 Ballet Bristol Russian Ballet School present Cinderella Playhouse, WSM 4.00One Man Show Suggs: My Life Story, in words and music Octagon, Yeovil 7.30Talk The British Establishment - Owen Jones Dillington Hse, Ilminster 2.30

5 Music Blackdowns Early Music St John Baptist, Wellington 6.306 Dance Last Man Standing: James Wilton Dance Tacchi Morrism, Taunton 7.307 Dance Phoenix Dance Theatre Octagon, Yeovil 7.308 Music Pete Cantor Quartet Creative Innovation Centre 7.30

Dance West Somerset Morris Men. 8pm by Yarn Market Dunster Yarn Market, Dunster8-10 Drama Abigail’s Party - @2K Theatre Sat matinee Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

9 Music A Festival of Bands - Local musicians Regal, Minehead 7.30Music Blues - Rick Payne Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00Music Guitarist Larry Miller Bridgwater Arts Ctre 8.00Dancing The Folly Mixtures - Burlesque dancing Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30Music Taunton Concert Band Bridgwater Town Hall 7.30Music BLUES - Rick Payne Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00

Music Gibby Swaine and Elaine Thorneycroft-Gibb St John’s, Taunton 12.45

Talk Richard Brunning Talk and Tea Museum of Somerset 2.30

9-10 Dance Save the Last Dance - Motiv8 Productions (sat matinee) Octagon, Yeovil 7.3010 Music Devon Sproule David Hall, S Petherton 8.00

Music A Little Night Music - Taunton Sinfonietta St James’s Church, Taunton 7.30

Music Bridgwater Choral Society Haydn: Creation St Mary’s Bridgwater 7.30

11 Variety Brian Conley Octagon, Yeovil 7.30Music Concert with the Carducci String Quartet & Charles Owen Dillington Hse, Ilminster 2.30Magic Show Bristol Society of Magic: Spellbound Playhouse, WSM 7.00

May 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.

Date Event Details Venue Time

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May Events (Continued)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.

12 Talk Jeremy Harvey’s Talk on Van Gogh’s Sketchbook, Drawings and Letters

Somerset College 7.00

13 Medium Derek Acorah - Enlightenment Tour Playhouse, WSM 7.30

Music Joe Brown in Concert Octagon, Yeovil 7.30Farce BOVTS Presents Sauce for the Goose David Hall, S Petherton 7.30

Music Richard Huish College Advanced Musician’s Recital St John’s Church, Taunton 12.45

13-17 Musical FMTC Presents Hello, Dolly! (also Sat matinee) Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30

14 Dance An Evening with Strictly Come Dancing: Pasha & Katya Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

15 Music Joe Brown In Concert Playhouse, WSM 7.30

Comedy Brazz Comedy Night - MC Stephen Carlin Castle Hotel 9.00

Music Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers Merlin Theatre, Frome 7.45

Opera Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro Ocatgon, Theatre 7.30

Variety Bridgwater College Performing Arts Academies Showcase Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

16 Talk Simon Heffer on his latest book, Simply English: An A-Z of Avoidable Errors. Tickets from Brendon Books

St James’s Church, Taunton 7.00

Music Classic Clapton 2014 (Tribute) Playhouse, WSM 8.00

Musical Hot Flush! Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music Classical - The Artisans Ilminster Arts Centre 8.0017 Music Broadway and Beyond Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music Kan David Hall, S Petherton 8.00

Music/Comedy David Scheel - Musical Satirist Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00

Music Rod Stewart Tribute Night with Rod’s Faces Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30

Music Spring Concert - West Somerset Singers Taunton Baptist Church 7.30

Ventriloquist Steve Hewlett Playhouse, WSM 7.30Drama Bristol Old Vic Theatre School: Sauce for the Goose Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

19 Music Spiers and Boden - Folk Music Octagon, Yeovil 7.30Music Eileen McGann - one of Canada’s foremost songstresses Silver Street Sessions 8.00Musical Carnaby Street Playhouse, WSM 7.30

19-24 Drama Unravelling The Ribbon Swan Theatre, Yeovil 7.4520 Children’s

TheatreGeminus Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 11/2

Dance Theatre Insylum - Bridgwater College level 3 dance students Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.3021-24 Drama The Boy Who Fell Into a Book by Alan Ayckbourn Warehouse Theatre, Ilm-

inster7.30

22 Music Trio Manouche Creative Innovation Ctre 7.30

Psychic Sally Morgan Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music Megson - husband and wife folk duo David Hall, S Petherton 8.00

Music Bless ‘Em All - 40’s music and songs Playhouse, WSM 2.30

Ballet The Little Mermaid - Ballet Theatre UK Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

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2 Drama Private Peaceful - Heathfield School Stage 3 Theatre Co. Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.00

4 Drama Tha Ballad of Martha Brown - Angel Exit Theatre Co. Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

3-6 Drama Murdered To Death - Civic Players Swan Theatre, Yeovil 7.45

5 Music Worbey and Farrell - Deviations on The Piano Playhouse, WSM 8.00

6 Music Worbey and Farrell: Deviations on a Piano Octagon, Yeovil 7.30Comedy Comedy Club stand-up Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

Music CLASSICAL - Alasdair Beatson Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00

Music Rock ‘n’ Roll Paradise - tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30

7 Musical Satire Mitch Benn is the 37th Beatle Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00

Music Joe McElderry – The Set Yourself Alive Tour Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30

June 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.

22-24 Comedy Drama Plaza Suite by Neil Simon - Minehead Dramatic Society Regal, Minhead 7.30

23 Music Jazz - The Matt Wates Sextet Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00

Music Family Tribute Night with Only One Direction Oake Manor, Taunton 6.00

Hoedown May ceilidh hoedown Tyntesfield, Wraxall 7.00

Music Nights on Broadway - Bee Gees tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30

Music Elvis vs Jerry Lee Lewis THE SHOWDOWN! - tribute Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

23-24 Children’s Show The Gruffalo Octagon, Yeovil Vari-ous

24 Music Local band’s night Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00

Music Buddy Presley Band - tribute to Buddy Holly & Elvis Presley Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30

27 Music Jeremy Hugget’s Harlem Five Cotleigh Brewery 7.00

Children’s Old MacDonald Had A Farm Palyhouse, WSM 2.30

28 Talk Lindsey Davis on her latest book, Enemies at Home. Tickets from Brendon Books

TBC 7.00

29 One man show The Adventures of Andy Kershaw Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00Music Buddy Holly and the Crickets tribute Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

30 Music ‘Arris’s Music ‘All Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00

Comedy Dr Phil Hammond - Games to Play With Your Doctor Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30

Magician Paul Stockman Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30

Talk Celebration in Ancient Egyptian Art with Lucia Gahlin Dillington Hse, Ilminster 1.00

Music Johnny Cash Roadshow - tribute Octagon, Yeovil 7.3030-1June

Summer Singing Weekend30th May to 1st June 2014

Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster vari-ous

31 Music Rachel Newton - Scottish fiddler and singer. Silver Street Sessions 8.00

Music Tarras - six piece band David Hall, S Petherton 8.00

Science Show Science Showoff (Bridgwater Science Festival) Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00

Music 70’s and 80’s night Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30

May Events (Continued)

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Music An evening of wine and jazz Tyntesfield, Wraxall 7.00

Open Morning Theatre open day Ilminster Warehouse Theatre 10-2Variety SHINE 2014 Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

8 Music Dick Gaughan - folk singer David Hall 8.00

Music Taunton Concert Band Wellington Park 2.30

Comedy Grumpy Old Women Live Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music Tenors Un Limited - The Rat Pack of Opera Playhouse, WSM 7.30

10 Variety A Night in Vegas - Wessex Academy of Performing Arts Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

11 Music The Blues Band Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

12 Talk Jeremy Harvey’s talk on Van Gogh’s aketchbooks Som. College, Conference Ctre 7.00

Music The Rolling Clones tribute Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30

Music Let’s Hang On: Music of Frnakie Valli & 4 Seasons Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

12-14 Drama The Devil at Midnight (Sat Matinee) Playhouse, WSM 7.30

13 Talk Tim Hill - The Island of Noise - outdoor music making Halsway Manor 8.00

Musical Carnaby Street Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Children’s Theatre

How Cold My Toes - Travelling Light & Bristol Old Vic Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 11/5.30

Music JAZZ - Themen, Weller & O’Higgins with The Dave Newton Trio

Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00

Variety Heathfield Summer Show Tacchi Morris, Taunton 7.00

Talk Jen Hill on the archaeology of Hinckley Point Muesum of Somerset 2.30

14 Music The Songs of Leonard Cohen performed by Keith James Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00

Music Blackbeard’s Tea Party - funky folk tunes David Hall 8.00

Music Petherton Folk Fest 2014 South Petherton All day

Music The Searchers in Concert Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30

Music Orchestral Concert - Somerset County Orchestra Queen’s College, Taunton 7.30

Music Summer Concert - The Poenix Singers Tithe Barn, Dunster 7.00

Variety Dance, Dance, Dance Octagon, Yeovil 2/7.00

15 Music Abbamania Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music WESAYYEAH! Cliff through the years... - tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30

Music An Evening of Noel Coward - Peter Gill Ilminster Warehouse Theatre 7.30

Variety Bridgwater College Performing Arts Academies Showcase Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

Music Dave Martin’s Jabbo Five Cotleigh Brewery, Wiveliscombe 7.00

17 Music Concert: Steve Turner Halsway Manor 8.00

21 Music Green Angels - Traditional Bretton dance tunes David Hall 8.00

Music Taunton Concert Band: Music for Screen and Stage St James’s Church 7.30

Mediumship Colin Fry - The Voices from Heaven Show Playhouse, WSM 8.00

Drama Outdoor theatre: Wuthering Heights Tyntesfield, Wraxall 7.00

Drama The Boy Who Fell Into a Book - Alan Ayckbourn Ilminster Warehouse Theatre 7.30

June Events (Continued)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.

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Music The Illegal Eagles - tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30

24 Drama DramaFest - Somerset schools drama festival Octagon, Yeovil 7.00

25 Dance Jazz Dance Company: Circus of Dreams Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music The Bon Jovi Experience - tribute Octagon, Yeovil 7.3026 Music The Darktown Strutters (part of Cotleigh Anniverary event) Cotleigh Brewery, Wiveliscombe 7.0027 Glamour Show The Dreamboys Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Music JAZZ - Craig Milverton, Nigel Price and Sandy Suchodolski Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00Musical Simon and Garfunkel Story Playhouse, WSM 7.30

28 Music Elvis Presley/Buddy Holly tribute Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00

Music Concert: Paul Hutchinson and guests Halsway Manor 8.00

Music Summertime - Taunton Sinfonietta St James’s Church Taunton 7.30

Music Money for Nothing - Dire Straits Tribute Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30

Poetry Roger McGough: As Far As I Know Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

Rock Variety That’ll Be The Day Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

29 Music Lee Mead Octagon, Yeovil 7.30

Monday 28th April to Saturday 17th May Ilminster Arts Centre. Sculptor, print-maker and painter. Richard Langford - Sculp-tor Tessa McKintyre - Print-maker David Brackston - Painter Meet the Artists...

19th May to Saturday 31st May Ilminster Arts Centre Textile ExpressionsMonday

Friday 25th April – Monday 5th MayDistance travelled: Martyn Lintern. A series of mixed media sculptures exploring the subjectivity and judgment that inform our sense of the distances travelled by a socially mobile population. Open Weds-Sun, and bank holiday Monday, 10am-4pm.Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ. www.containsart.co.uk

Friday 9th May – Sunday 18th MayRob Jordan. An interactive installation using vibrantly lit surfaces within the inner blackness of the ship-ping container. Open Weds-Sun, 10am-4pm. Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 OAQ. www.containsart.co.uk www.rob-jordan.info

Wed 21st May – Sunday 1st June. From Porlock Weir to Kilve Beach: Leo Davey. An exhibition of works exploring some familiar and some undoubtedly unfamiliar parts of the remarkable West Somerset coast. Open daily, 10am-4pm.Gallery at Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQwww.containsart.co.uk www.leodavey.comWed 21st May – Sunday 1st June. Leah Hislop. New site-specific work created by Leah as recipient of the 2014 Contains Art Golsoncott Foun-dation residency. Open daily, 10am-4pm. Courtyard at Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ. www.containsart.co.uk http://leahartspider.blogspot.co.uk/Monday 2nd June to Saturday 14th June Ilminster Arts Centre COAST and COUNTRY CAROLINE TREVASKIS AND MARK STEVENS Meet the Artists Sunday 1st June 3pm to...

Wed 4th June – Sun 15th June (sculptural works will remain on display until 13th July)Found, Now Missing: Fiona Campbell. Large sculptural works of skeletal/exotic sea forms created from reclaimed metal and found ob-jects, created for, from and in the boatyard, atop and within the containers. Open weds-sun 10am-4pm.Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ. www.containsart.co.uk

From 16 May: I, the Frame Historic Somerset Photographs, Musuem of Somerset, Castle Green, Taunton

June Events (Continued)

Art Exhibitions May/June

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.

Monday 16th June to Saturday 28th June Ilmiinster Arts Centre UK Coloured Pencil Society REGIONAL EXHIBITION of the UK COLOURED PENCIL SOCIETY Meet the Artists Sunday 22nd June 3pm to 5pm...

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The Barn. Drawing Workshop with Julian Fraser 7.30pm £5.00/6.00 Members/non-membersThe Barn.Obridge Rd, Taunton TA2 7QA 01823 276421

Workshops, Courses & Classes (May/June)

May 24, 2014 - September 14, 2014 Contemporary Art Gallery @ Hestercombe Category Hestercombe Events Next Date May 24, 2014 Event

Monday 30th June to Saturday 26th July Ilminster Arts Centre FLOWERS, FRUIT and COUNTRY MATTERS CHARO RICHIE, DAVID HOOK, LEE ALLEN Meet the Artists...

Wed 18th June – Sun 29th June England Expects: Kosmo VinylAs World Cup excitement reaches fever pitch, this exhibition will feature col-lages by Kosmo Vinyl that revisit England's great, memorable, and if-only-they-were-forgettable World Cup Tournaments across the decades. Open weds-sun 10am-4pm. Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 OAQ www.containsart.co.uk

Dillington House Courses and Workshops dates. For further Information please contact Dillington House,Ilmin-ster,Somerset, TA19 9DT 01460 258648 www.dillington.com

Recorder Weekend 2-4 May 2014The Power of Baroque 2-4 May 2014Chinese Brushpainting - Flower and Insects on Unsized Silk 2-4 May 2014Demystifying Cryptic Crosswords 2-4 May 2014Fathers of the Constitution: Hobbes, Locke, Smith and Mill Saturday 3 May 2014Jewellery Making with UV Resin Saturday 3 May 2014Family History Research Day Saturday 3 May 2014Great British Gardeners Saturday 3 May 2014Confidence in Spanish Tuesday 6 May for 4 weeksArt Deco Saturday 10 May 2014The Jury: Is There Still a Place for it in Our English Legal System? Saturday 10 May 2014Archaeological Landscapes of South West England Saturday 10 May 2014Rush Basketmaking Saturday 10 May 2014Sounds of the Carpenters Monday 12 May 2014AA316 - Nineteenth Century Literature Revision Course - 12 - 15 May 2014The Etruscans - A Forgotten Civilisation Tuesday 27 May 2014Friday Friends: A Celebration in Ancient Egyptian Art Friday 30 May 2014The Archaeology of the Homeric Epics 30 May - 1 June 2014RHS Rosemoor & Hestercombe Gardens 30 May - 1 June 2014The Ptolemies in Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra 30 May - 1 June 2014The World of Samuel Pepys & John Evelyn Part Two 30 May - 1 June 2014Europe Divided: The Final Audit: Autumn 1913 Saturday 31 May 2014Dvorak - His Years in America Saturday 31 May 2014A History of Architecture in Venice Saturday 31 May 2014Researching Your Family History Introductory Day Tuesday 3 June 2014Book Club Tuesday 3 June 2014Walking the River Parrett Trail Wednesday 4 June 2014Between Two Wars: Music from 1918-1939 20-22 June 2014Miniature Painting For Beginners and Improvers 20-22 June 2014Bridge for Absolute Beginners 20-22 June 2014Sarajevo 1914 - The Match that lit the Powder Keg Saturday 21 June 2014Great Women Reformers - William, Catherin & Saly Saturday 21 June 2014Digial Photography: Getting Practical with Your Camera Saturday 21 June 2014The Alexander Technique Saturday 21 June 2014Second World War Defences - Along the River Axe Saturday 21 June 2014Social Realism and Victorian Art 27-29 June 2014Goldwork Embroidery 27-29 June 2014Shakespeare: The Wooden 'O' and Henry V 27-29 June 2014Life & Death in the Age of Stonehenge 27-29 June 2014iPad Art Second Steps Saturday 28 June 2014Painting Buildings in Pen & Wash Saturday 28 June 2014Ukulele Workshop - Improvers Course Saturday 28 June 2014

Listings are for May and June by venue charged at £3.00 per line or part line (up to 110 characters including spaces). Single individual entries also accepted.

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Willows and Wetlands Further Information: P H Coate & Son,Meare Green Court,Stoke St Gregory,Taunton,SomersetTA3 6HY Email: [email protected]: 01823 490249 (Mon-Fri 9-5).May 2014Saturday 10th 2014 Boxing Hares sculpture day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00Saturday 17th 2014 Boxing Hares sculpture day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00Saturday 17th 2014 Basket Making Workshop 9.30am - 4pm £85.00Saturday 31st 2014 Willow Deer Sculpture Day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00Saturday 31st 2014 Felting- Seamless Bag 10am-4pm £35.00

June 2014Saturday 07th 2014 Willow Deer Sculpture Day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00Saturday 07th 2014 Basket Making Workshop 9.30am - 4pm £85.00Saturday 28th 2014 Felting- Summer Evening Wrap 10am-4pm £35.00

Hatty’s Attic Workshops – Lampshade Making & Furniture PaintingFor further details visit www.hattysattic.co.uk or email [email protected] or call 07736 472185

Sunday 4th May at 1.30pm Bring Your Own Furniture Taunton Deane Cricket Club, TauntonSaturday 10th May at 10am Lampshade Making Café Culture, Taunton Saturday 10th May at 1pm Bespoke Lamp Café Culture, TauntonThursday 15th May at 6.15pm Lampshade Making Perfectly Lovely Interiors, WillitonFriday 23rd May at 10.30am Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Café Culture, TauntonThursday 29th May at 6.15pm Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Perfectly Lovely Interiors, WillitonThursday 5th June at 6.15pm Lampshade Making Perfectly Lovely Interiors, WillitonFriday 6th June at 10.30am Bespoke Lamp Café Culture, TauntonSunday 15th June at 1.30pm Bring Your Own Furniture Taunton Deane Cricket Club, TauntonSaturday 21st June at 10am Lampshade Making Café Culture, TauntonSaturday 21st June at 1pm Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Café Culture, TauntonThursday 26th June at 6.15pm Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Perfectly Lovely Interiors, Williton

WHAT ABOUT THAT BOOK YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE? NEED A PLATFORM?I’m a published author and qualified teacher and run groups in Taunton and SomertonStart in May. Interested? Phone Andrew Puckett 01823 324552

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Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, Street, Somerset BA16 0YD 01458 444322Barn, Obridge House Priorswood, Taunton. Contact: Jeremy Harvey. 01823 276421Bath Central Library 01225 394041The Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1JZ 01934 645493Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742 [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 7JJCossington 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] Frome Memorial Theatre - Christchurch Street West, Frome, Somerset BA11 1EBTel: 01373 462795 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 923Holburne Museum, Bath 01225 388569Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street, Ilminster TA19 0AN 01460 55783 Iminster Parish Hall, North Street, Ilminster, TA19 0DGMerlin Theatre, Bath Road, Frome, Somerset BA11 2HG 01373 465949Museum 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 The Playhouse Theatre,High Street,Weston super Mare,BS23 1HP 01934 645544Porlock 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 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 Catherine’s Church Hall, Park Road, Frome, BA11 1EUSt John’s Church, Park Street, Taunton TA1 4DG [email protected] St. John’s Church Rooms, Yeovil, BA20 1HESt 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 490255Shapwick Village Hall ShapwickThe 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 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 250655Wells Museum (admission by side entrance) off Cathedral Green, Wells BA5 2UEWellsprings Leisure Centre, Cheddon Road, Taunton TA2 7QP 01823 271271Yeovil Library, The Library, King George Street, Yeovil Somerset BA20 1PY Tel 01823 336370

Contacts List

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‘The idea was born from our desire to bring an extra dimension to drama in Taunton and from our numerous experi-ences at the National Operatic and Dra-matic Arts (NODA) Summer schools and from being members of many other local groups, we decided that we would like to share our experiences and set up our own group. This was easy the hard bit was deciding the name, we spent many hours racking our brains until @2k was suggest-ed. This name came from the amount of money that Jane and I had put in to start the group (£2k) and the @ symbol which is the abbreviation for “at” which stands for amateur theatre. ‘ Now we had fixed our name, opened a back account, insured ourselves we were ready to start, but how? @2k were unknown.Although Jane and I had both been in-volved with many local productions over the years, the group had no history. So we decided to raise our profile by entering the Somerset Fellowship of Drama, One Act Festival competition with a play called “The Edge”, we rustled up some actors, Chloe Stepney, Richard Hockey and myself. We didn’t expect to win, although we were surprised when we received the award for “Best En-deavour” and so our journey had begun . We continued with some local events in and around Wivelis-combe and a further entry into the fol-lowing years One Act play festival with a play called Gilly’s Gem and provided some

spooks for the National Trust at Dunster. ‘We were now getting to be a merry band, a bit like Chaucer and his mer-ry players, so we now wanted to do something bigger to really get our name ‘in lights’ so to speak. This would be a huge challenge for us, as we had no rehearsal space, no area to build sets and no wardrobe full of costumes or props and no idea what play to choose! So what do we do next? It was decided that we wanted something that was familiar to potential audiences and would be “a bums on seat” type production. After scouring the reviews and feedback from friends we decided that we would plump for the stage version of the hit TV series ‘Allo Allo’. ‘So now that decision had been made, we just needed to source fifteen or so actors, a cafe, two blow up Hitlers, a talking cockatoo and an complete set to act within…. definitely a challenge! Luckily we had a great supportive group of enthusiastic members that were will-ing to give this idea a go. ‘As an added bonus we discovered that the ‘Little Theatre Company’ in Exeter were staging ‘Allo ‘Allo a few weeks be-fore us and kindly agreed that we could hire their set. ‘We then booked the Tacchi Morris Arts Centre, Taunton, found a space to rehearse and along with sourcing costumes and props we gradually put together our first show…. and had a fabulous time! ‘Staging ‘Allo ‘Allo was extremely hard work but the culmination of all our efforts paid off with full audiences laugh-ing in the aisles!

We also received some recognition for our work from the Somerset Fellowship of Drama with @2k’s Alison Jenkinson being nominated as “Best supporting Actress” for the role of ‘Helga and Pete Wilmott receiving a “Best Lighting” nomination. “Allo ‘Allo was also nom-inated for “Best Comedy” by NODA South West, which was an excellent achievement for our first large produc-tion. ‘The success of ‘Allo ‘Allo has created another dilemma… what do we do next? ‘After discussion within our member-ship we decided that we needed to keep up the momentum and have chosen to stage ‘Abigail’s Party’ in May again at The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre and rehearsals are well underway with a fabulous cast. We have also booked our space there for another production in late September which will be directed by Ray Court and we will be holding play readings and then auditions very shortly, so if you want to be involved please let us know. As well as these productions @2k have also been working with The Na-tional Trust, to provide spooky actors for their Halloween ‘Ghost Tours at Dunster Castle and we will be again haunting the castle in October. ‘The aim of our group is to get people involved so they feel they are part of decision making. We believe its very important to feel that you are adding something to the group and we always welcome new members. ‘If you would like to join our group either acting, backstage, lighting, front of house, publicity etc then please contact our membership Secretary Nikki Court ([email protected]) who would love to hear from you. Its been a tough few years finding our way into the theatre scene in Taunton but it has been worth every minute!’

Three years ago a new drama group was formed in Taunton. Chairman David Northey ex-plains its genesis, their achieve-ments and what comes next.

@2KLooking Forward to Abigail’s Party

Abigail’s Party

8-10 May 7.30pmSaturday Matinee 2.00pm

Venue:Tacchi-Morris Arts CentreBox Office: 01823 414141

Amber Samuels (Evette) and Charlotte Briggs (Mimi) Allo Allo 2013

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Those who have experience of booksell-ing and publishing are aware that most novelists struggle to make a living, even if they are given the rare opportunity to be taken on by a publisher. Many more resort to self publishing and very often end up subsidising their own work. However, this was Dinah Jefferies’, some would say, irra-tional response following early retirement to Spain where she and her husband lost almost everything following the economic crash of 2008. A novel had been there at the back of her mind, but was a project never realised. ‘Suddenly the idea of actually writing the novel I has always threatened to do seemed like a very good idea,’ she explains. ‘It would take my mind off my predicament, and who knows, I might even be able to get it published’. She succeeded better than she could have hoped for and was taken on by what is now, since its merger with Random House, the largest publisher in the world, Penguin - or Penguin Random House, as we must now learn to style it. The Separation is a work of fiction, though her own story and experience provide the background for the novel which is set during the time of the emergency in Ma-laya in the 1950s. ‘Mother’s memories, her memoirs, and her wonderful photograph albums were the inspiration for many of

the locations in the book.’ In addition she found the internet, and You Tube in particular and the Colonial Film Catalogue, invaluable resources. Then, of course there are her own memories of growing up in Malaya and the experience of several different lo-calities as they moved with her father’s job in developing and restoring the postal service, eight times in as many years. She remembers, for example, her mother singing in a hotel in Singapore, stumbling into a waxwork museum, swimming in a natural plunge pool,‘ the houses on stilts, the lizards that left their tails behind, and so much more of the smells, sounds and sights of Malaya.’ Experiencing her financial loss helped her develop the central character of Lyd-ia, a woman left alone with no money, job or financial independence in 1950’s Malaya at a time when very few women had their own bank account. Dinah also had the experience of her own tragic loss of her fourteen year old son, who severed his carotid artery when, by accident, he drove his friend’s motorcycle though a glass door.’ ‘I didn’t want to write about that,’ she explains, ‘ but I did want to write about loss.’ She conceived the idea of the charac-

ters in her fictional family vanishing in the thick of the Malayan emergency . ‘A time of ambushes, guns piled high in the hallway of our family home, shoot-ings and grenades thrown into crowd-ed places.’ The British were fighting a war against terror in a post war Malaya that had most of its communications destroyed when it was overrun by the Japanese during the war. She had all the ingredients of her nov-el. Sitting down to write it she imme-diately struck lucky with Penguin: ‘That was the moment I shrieked until I was hoarse, and I am still pinching myself.’ They have bought her second novel which she is delighted about. And per-haps, in these difficult and austere times there is a lesson for all of us, ‘that for-tunes can change suddenly for good or for bad. It’s a matter of ups and downs.’ Despite the difficult times she is grate-ful for the way things have turned out and concludes, ‘I never could have imagined that in my sixty fifth year I would be writing books for Penguin, nor that after all these years I’ve finally discovered the thing I really love to do.’

What would you do if you lost almost everything? Write a novel, of course.

A photo of the young Dinah in Malaya holding her Chinese doll

Dinah JefferiesTalk and Book signing7.00 pm Tuesday 3rd June

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

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The Taming of the Shrew

‘The Taming of the Shrew has never before been performed by the Taunton Thes-pians, but includes one of the best loved Shakespeare scenes (when Petruchio meets Katerina for the first time). That scene has gorgeous dialogue, seductive elements and shows the two to be equally witty and intelligent. It’s been viewed as a difficult play because its subject matter - how can the audience have empathy with the male lead, if he tames his wife by, (it is inferred) depriving her of food, clothes and sleep. Overall, this is a play that discusses the nature of relationships (in society and in private) between men and women, fathers and daughters, suitors to innocent girls and husbands and wives. ‘There’s a lot to be enthusiastic about directing there - it’s my hope that everyone will come away from this play having an opinion - is the story applauding the archa-ic view of womens’ place in Shakespeare’s time, or is there more to it than that? ‘When I submitted the bid to the RSC Open Stages programme in August last year, I hoped for TT to be involved not only because I think that we will learn from the professionals, but also the lure of the RSC and transfer of skills workshops such as movement, stage combat and text interpretation would tempt a higher percentage of local people and our current members to become more involved in bringing productions to the stage. Being involved in am dram should be fun and it should provide people with a chance to learn. Something that this opportunity does in spades. With the Brewhouse being recently reopened due to the massive hard work and commitment of a large number of local people, and the involvement of the RSC in our latest Summer Tour, this is an exciting era for theatre in Somerset.’

Director Rachell Buttell looks forward to the Taunton Thespians summer touring production of the Taming of the Shrew which has included rehearsal time at Stratford as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Open Stage Programme.

Top: Rob Adam (Petruchio) and (Katherina) Martine Davies in rehearsal at The Place in Taunton. Bottom: The cast in rehearsal at Stratford.

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Misogyny, farce....or an example of how not to be-have towards women.

The main plot is concerned with Petru-chio wooing the unwilling Katherina through various psychological devices then, once he has married her ‘taming ‘ her so that she becomes obedient. Though not always, included the play includes an induction where by a noble-man for a joke tricks a drunken tinker called Christopher Sly into believing he is himself a nobleman. The nobleman then has the play performed for Chris-toper Sly’s benefit.

Since its inception in 1592 (or perhaps a little earlier, as usual there is disagree-ment about which date it was written and the extent of Shakespeare’s author-ship), there is evidence of controversy over its apparently misogynistic theme. There was a contemporary alternative ending where Christopher Sly is beaten by his wife ‘for dreaming here tonight’ at the end of the play. A sequel by John Fletcher who took over Shakespeare’s role as playwright for the King’s Men is called The Woman’s Prize or The Tamer

Tamed in which a remarried Petru-chio is himself tamed by his wife. Some feminists have argued that by means of exaggeration Shakespeare is showing us how not to behave towards women and that it is therefore not mi-sogynist in intent. Others have argued that the play is a farce and that this is reinforced by the induction scene, the argument being that if it is a play put on for the benefit of the drunken tinker it had to be a farce and, there-fore, not to be taken seriously. Others have taken it that it simply reflects the prevailing attitudes towards women at the time.

Tour dates and venues (all July 2014):Tue 15 Bishop’s Hull House Wed 16 Maunsel House Thu 17 Taunton MuseumFri 18 Compton House, Axbridge Sat 19 Muchelney Abbey Tue 22 Dillington HouseWed 23 Taunton Museum Thu 24 Mount Somerset Hotel Fri 25 To be confirmed Sat 26 Hartwood House, Cr. Heathfield

The Taunton Thespians play is set in 1930s Italy. According to the director, The purpose of setting it during that time is to illustrate the difference between conformity and non conformity. It is 10 years since Mussolini came to power....

Tickest available from:

Ticketsource - online booking service Taunton Tourist Information Centre, in per-son or by phone – (01823) 336344From the individual venues.

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The Walker’s Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs

The origins of Tristan’s fascination with navigation date back to a family holiday in the Isle of Wight when he was just 10 and when his mother signed him up for a five day dinghy course. When on the final day he was given the choice of where to go by his instructor of where to go it sparked the radical thought that he could determine his own destination by dint of his navigational skills which led him eventually to sailing singlehanded across the Atlantic.

In the time in-between, electronic navigation had made navigation more accurate and safer but for Tristan it had also made it more dull. Rather than electronic navigation, he turned towards developing a sophisticated version of natural navigation developing skills such as using the sun, moon,stars,weather, the plants and animals.

Tristan has led expeditions in five con-tinents, climbed mountains in Europe, Africa and Asia, sailed small boats

Tristan Gooley is returning to Taunton to talk about his new book, The Walker’s Guide, the result of two decades of pi-oneering outdoors experience and six years of instructing, researching and writing.

across oceans and piloted small aircraft to Africa and the Arctic. He has walked with and studied the methods of the Tuareg, Bedouin and Dayak in some of the remot-est regions on Earth.

He is the only living person to have both flown solo and sailed singlehanded across the Atlantic and is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographical Society.

Tristan set up his natural navigation school in 2008 and as well as his new book is the author of The Natural Naviga-tor, How to Connect with Nature.

With the Walkers Guide Tristan has gone into further depth on the subject of natural navigation. In it, for example, you can not only learn how to use the north star as a means of determining direction but tell the date and time, forecast the weather and work out the distance to

nearby towns. The moon can be used as a direction finder too, but also to work out the tides, including on the other side of the world in Australia.

He has written for the Sunday Times, the New York Times, the BBC, Geographical Magazine, Yachting Monthly, The Finan-cial Times and many other periodicals.He has appeared on TV and radio pro-grammes in the UK and internationally, including The Today Programme, Night Waves, Countryfile, BBC Stargazing Live, Country Tracks, Ramblings, Open Country, Shipwrecks and All Roads Lead Home.

Tristan GooleyTalk and Book signing7.00 pm Friday 13th June

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

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‘Textile Expressions was started in 1991 by Diploma students from the London Col-lege of Fashion’ explains Pat. ‘Since then the group has expanded and is now formed of diverse and contemporary textile artists committed to exhibiting and working to educate and promote interest in embroi-dery.’ The group regularly exhibit together and have shown work as part of the 4x4 group at The Mall Galleries and The Menier Gal-lery in London, as well as The Knitting and Stitching Show in London and Harrogate. ‘The majority of our exhibitions have been in London and have been concentrated in a fairly small area’ explains Pat. ‘When I moved to Crewkerne I knew of the Ilmin-ster Arts Centre and the group then decid-ed to exhibit in the South West.’ The exhibition at Ilminster Arts Centre encompasses the group’s many and var-ied approaches to the medium of textile art, from batik, basketry, felt and tapestry to slashed, stitched, painted and collaged layers of paper and fabric. Some of the artists incorporate natural materials and found objects into their work, and the re-sults range from hangings to framed or 3D pieces which may be partly decorative, express feelings, convey a message or ask questions. Inspired by colour, texture and move-ment, especially pertaining to the sea and coastline, Pat’s aim with her own work is to ‘try to portray what I see and how I feel in different natural environments using stitch and mixed media.’ Her introduction to textile art came by accident after a friend asked her along to a summer school tak-ing place at Missenden Abbey, Bucks. Af-ter that she became hooked and went onto study the subject further at East Berkshire College, Windsor, graduating with a Diplo-ma in Stitched Textiles (Distinction). Just over a year ago, she became a volunteer gallery steward at Ilminster Arts Centre. ‘I volunteered as previously I had set up and managed a gallery and when I retired and moved to South West I missed the inter-action that I had between the public and

artists.’ As well as Pat Clayton, the artists tak-ing part in the exhibition include: Audrey Critchley, Carole Waddle, Christine Rol-litt, Delia Pusey, Gilda Baron, Jill Dian Izzard, Joan Lamb, Joan West, Margaret Talbot, and Shelagh O’Gorman. Audrey Critchley studied Textile Design and Screen Printing at Art School during her teens. Her early work was influenced by her travels around Australia, and visits to the Art Gallery of New South Wales with its amazing collection of ancient Aborigi-nal Art. More recently, the architecture and politics of the City of London have inspired a mixed media piece on the credit crunch, and visits to the RHS Headquar-ters at Wisley have seen Audrey experi-menting with colour, print and stitch, al-

lowing pattern and texture to bring new images to light. The artist is currently in the process of exploring landscapes us-ing mono printing and mark making to inform new pieces of work. Carole Waddle’s embroidery interest was reawakened in 1984 after enroll-ing on an Experimental Textiles eve-ning course. She then joined her local Embroiderers’ Guild Branch and from 1986-92 she completed a City and Guilds course in Creative Embroidery at the London College of Fashion, where she gained a distinction. Carole’s work ranges from felting, experimental tapes-try weaving, hand/machine stitching to beading and wire-work. She often com-bines different techniques and media to create sculptural 3D pieces, or as a tex-

The Textile Expressions Group will be exhibiting their work at Ilminster Arts Centre in May. Member Pat Clayton offers an insight into the origins of the group and their work.

Textile Expressions

Above, artwork from the followingTop Left: Delia Pusey Top Right: Pat Clayton Bottom Left: Gilda Baron Bottom Right: Margaret Talbot

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tural base to stitch into. Inspiration comes both from natural forms such as land-scapes and rock strata and the man-made particularly modern organic architecture. Fine Art trained Christine Rollitt focuses on stitch as a mark making statement and adds dyes and colours to her fabrics which are used alongside bought fabrics and found objects. She likes to combine paint-erly qualities with her stitched textiles as she builds up layers, patching and piecing together elements and embellishing with stitch. An experienced tutor, Christine has taught Creative Stitched Textiles and Creative Embroidery in London Adult Education Centres and on outreach proj-ects. Delia Pusey grew up in a family occu-pied with loom fringe weaving, court dressmaking and millinery, so unsurpris-ingly sewing and dressmaking have been

an important part of her life. During her time spent as a studio technician in Sec-ondary education, Delia studied City and Guilds Embroidery at The London Col-lege of Fashion, completing the course in 1991. Her current work takes inspiration from symbols of Chinese culture such as tranquil gardens filled with plants, flow-

ers, towers and temples, with backdrops of misty mountains and landscapes. Using many techniques in her work to create unique and distinctive pieces, Gilda Baron produces stunning land and sea-scapes which burst with life, colour and texture. Best-selling author of the book ‘ The Art of Embroidered Flowers’, Gilda has also made a programme for Sky TV and has recently led a four week course at Lon-don’s V&A Museum. A much in-demand artist and teacher, Gilda has been invited to display her work and teach all over Eu-rope, and has been featured in many British and European magazines, often producing projects for them. Jill Dian Izzard has been stitching and creating artworks after being taught by her mother as a child. She gained distinctions in Creative Textiles as a mature student at The London College of Fashion. Her recent

projects are based on this love of stitch and incorporate vintage lace and buttons using the running stitch technique. The historical research of textiles, traditional techniques and the arts of other cultures all provide stimulus for Jill’s own artwork, which in-corporates weaving, felt making, stitching, beading, cording, smocking, pleating, rug

making, and more. Memories of her time spent as a nurse in Africa inspire Joan Lamb. The sights, sounds, colour and lights of places such as Kenya and Uganda fill her work. In recent years Joan has developed her love for painting, printing and stitch onto cloth and this is evidenced in her vibrant exhibition pieces. It is form rather than function that Joan West finds interesting when creating her basketry pieces. As both an embroider-er and basket-maker she likes to try out ways of combining stitch and weave, using soft materials such as sisal, jute and hemp to make flexible structures that can be manipulated by twisting or crushing. The resulting shapes break away from the more traditional ves-sel-shaped basketry of the past. Joan’s ac-ademic achievements include a City and Guilds in Creative Basketry and Creative Embroidery at the London College of Fashion. Based in Cambridge, Margaret Talbot teaches textiles throughout England. Graduating with a Diploma from East Berkshire College, Windsor, Margaret is the author of the book ‘Medieval Flush-work of East Anglia’. Since gaining a teaching certificate more than ten years ago, Margaret has been a full time tex-tile artist and tutor who leads workshops and summer schools all over England. Her own work uses mixed media and digital images. With so many styles and techniques on display visitors to the exhibition at Ilminster Arts Centre are sure to be in for a real treat, and there promises to be something for everyone to discover and enjoy.

By Sara Loveridge

Textile Expressions Exhibition

From Mon19th - Sat 31st May. Open Mon - Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm, Sat 9.30am - 2.30pm. Free entry.

At Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street, Ilminster.TA19 0AN. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.themeetinghouse.org.uk. Box Office: 01460 54973.

Above, artwork from the followingTop Left: Carol Waddle Top Right: Audrey Critchley. Bottom Left: Jill Dian Izzard Bottom Right: Christine Rollitt

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The Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society (SANHS) have just pub-lished the second volume in their series on the Maritime History of Somerset. Edited by local author, Dr Adrian Webb, volume two contains a wide variety of informa-tion detailing aspects of Somerset’s much neglected maritime past. Six authors have contributed years of research into this volume which contains chapters on: · Travel along the Somerset coast· Tourism in Somerset· River ferries at Pill and Rownham on the River Avon· The development of Minehead har-bour· Sea fishing off the Somerset coast Covering over a thousand years of history, discover the fate of the men who operated the ferry across the River Avon until the motor car and the Avon Bridge put an end to their livelihood. Or sto-ries of the experiences from a few of the travellers who journeyed down the Bristol Channel, skirting the Somerset coast, many of them to find new lives in the New World. Many travellers were not so lucky and many wrecks were the sad result of their attempts at finding a new life. The importance of Minehead and Pill as staging points for passengers to and from Ireland is also explored. Devastating storms at the end of the

seventeenth century forced the Luttrells to rebuild their pier at Minehead. In order to do so a civil engineer was employed who rode from London to Minehead to survey the scale of the work needed. His detailed letters, accounts and drawings are included in this book, along with a chapter on sea fishing. Sadly, what was once a source of income for hundreds of Somerset folk has today almost slipped out of the public eye. Only a brave handful earn a living from sea fishing but back in the seventeenth century Minehead had its own fleet! Of a more cheerful nature is the chapter on Somerset’s seaside tourism. Traced from the eighteenth century, local his-torian, Sue Berry, has unearthed tales of tourists’ experiences who braved the Somerset seaside. Minehead, Burnham, Weston and Clevedon all cashed in on the hoards of visitors before foreign holidays became the preferred destination for those who could afford it. This book is an A4 softback and contains 225 pages, and 159 colour and black and white images. The foreword has been written by Lady Gass. Exclusively available in Taunton at Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton at £20. Available by post from http://www.freewebstore.org/SANHS

Maritime History of Somerset Volume 2

Talk followed by Book signing7.00pm Thursday 19 June

A Maritime History of Somerset

Volume TwoVenue and tickets:

Brendon Books, Bath Place,Taunton TA1 4ER


NB This is a free event but please reserve a place as room is limited.

Cass Caswell Trio with guest Sinead McCabe

Venue Cossington Village Hall Trivetts Way Cossington Bridgwater TA7 8LHDate Saturday June 7th Time 8.00pm (doors 7.00pm )Founded in 1999 this trio of fine musicians take audiences by storm with their fine renderings of many jazz standards. They have played major theatres and numerous jazz festivals throughout the U.K All have been members of television orchestras – pianist John Martin with Scottish TV, guitarist John Gibson with BBC Pebble Mill and Cass Caswell with Westward TV. Their range of music encompasses many styles of jazz,

from Traditional /Dixieland through mainstream to modern and bebop. They are joined by singing starlet Sinead McCabe who is fast becoming the West Country’s number one jazz singer..Her unique voice and distinctive style will be compliment-ing the fine works of Otillie Patterson.. Reserved seats £ 10.00 (which includes interval tasty treats ) from host Roger Collett 01278 451187 or email [email protected]

40

Those who have never visited Dillington House, near Ilm-inster, have missed one of the gems of Somerset. A Tudor mansion , tastefully restored in the nineteenth century by Lord North, Dillington offers a wealth of day and residen-tial courses in a variety of subjects from Ukelele tuition to a study of Greek and Latin languages.. It offers regular concerts by world famous musicians also a series of talks by experts in their own fields, including Kate Adie, Michael Wood ,and Jim Al-kalili. The meals are superb too !

For those interested in literature there are study days on a variety of themes such as the Development of the Epic , starting with Homer ; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; the Dymock poets Edward Thomas and Robert Frost.

The creative writing days aim to provide stimulus and encouragement to beginners and experienced writers alike . Each work-shop has a theme , such as Autumn, the Sea, Light , using music , poetry, paintings and natural objects to enable people to access their treasure trove of memories and experiences of life and express their individual gifts..Writing in a group, instead of alone, offers support, friendship and constructive criticism and energy by sharing exciting adventures with language and the many forms of writing such as haiku, quinquaine and sonnet. Our sessions are interactive with lively discussions and shared life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and openness.

All comers are warmly welcome in a supportive atmosphere.and we look forward to seeing you at Dillington and remember, if you want to be a good writer--", then go ahead and write!" as Epictetus urged in the 1st century A.D." To be utterly oneself--- that is all the muses care for " W.B. Yeats. Come and find out for yourself ! For further details or to book a place, please see the website or phone (details above).

Elizabeth Rapp

DILLINGTON HOUSE Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9DT

01460 258648 [email protected]

Why NotAdvertise in

LAMP?Make yourself visible while

supporting the promotion of the artistic community in Somerset

LAMP Magazine c/o Brendon Books,

Old Brewery BuildingsBath Place Taunton TA1 4ER


41

How to be Well Readwith John Sutherland

John Sutherland has worked in aca-demia for the past 50 years and while he overall welcomes the increase in sharper critical focus that takes place in English studies at University at the same time he regrets ‘the relegation of the of the “common reader” with whom, unlike Dr Johnson, the academic reader no longer always rejoices to concur,’ for ‘being well-read nowadays is not the unqualified term of praise it once was.’

This then is a companion to literature ‘not a guide, a reference book or a “best of ” compilation.’ His intention is to share ‘a lifelong enthusiasm for that wonderful human invention, the prose novel. And, most importantly, to regis-ter the many different kinds of pleasure the prose novel can give.’

In the course of over 500 wittily infor-mative pieces he gives us his own very personal take on the most rewarding, most remarkable and, on occasion, most shamelessly enjoyable works of fiction ever written - the perfect reading list for the would-be literary expert.

His taste is impressively eclectic. An appreciation of Apuleius’ The Golden Ass - arguably the first-ever novel - is followed by a consideration of Ian Flem-ing’s Goldfinger. The Handmaid’s Tale is followed by Hangover Square, Jane Eyre by Jaws. There are imposing Victori-an novels, entertaining contemporary thrillers and everything in between, from dystopian works to romance.

At the same time, John Sutherland shows how the work fits into a broader context - whether that of the author’s life or of other books from the same genre or period. And he offers endless

snippets of intriguing information: did you know, for example, that the Nazis banned Bambi or that William Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying on an upturned wheelbarrow; that Voltaire completed Candide in three days, or that Anna Sewell was paid GBP20 for Black Beauty? Encyclopedic and entertaining by turns, this is a won-derful dip-in book, whose opinions will inform and on occasion, no doubt, infuriate.

Interestingly, for someone who has involved with literature for so long on a day to day basis, he feels that he has not yet read enough and that he along

with us all can be better read , to add, as he describes it, ‘more fish in one’s net on life’s long reading trawl. He refers to Thomas Gray’s jest that, ‘if heaven existed it would be a comfort-able sofa and an endless supply of new novels. If so,’ he concludes, ‘My life has been a foretaste of heaven.’

John Sutherland had been professor of literature for a long time and in many places, most consistently at the Cali-fornia Institute of Technology and at UCL, where he is currently emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor. In addi-tion to How to be Well Read, he is the author of numerous books including the puzzle collection Is Heathcliff a Murderer? (probably, yes), and the en-cyclopaedic Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. In recent years he has written voluminously on a variety of literary and non-literary topics in, principally, the Guardian, The Times and the Financial Times.

John SutherlandTalk and Book signing7.00pm Wed 25th June

Venue TBCTickets:Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742 [email protected]

42

You’ve had this idea kicking around your head for the last couple of years and now it’s time to get it on with it. So how do you do it?

Well, there is no one way. There are as many different methods as there are people who write. The secret is finding what suits you.

A word of warning at the outset though; it will take you longer than you imagine. We tend to overesti-mate what we can achieve in a year and underestimate what we achieve in ten. If you are writing in your spare time, prepare for the long haul.

A map or a meander?

Some authors begin by imagining the whole story. James Ellroy, the Amer-ican crime novelist, has said that he works out the whole of the plot before he starts. He writes the title of each scene on a note pad and sketches in the details before writing a word of the story.

Other authors take a character and let them grow as they write, or place

them in an unusual situation. Mari-on Campbell (author of the Iron Age fantasy, The Dark Twin) told me that she had dreamed episodes and writ-ten them down on waking. For her the story grew like pearls, and writing the novel was akin to stringing pearls onto a necklace.

It is important to get something down on paper. It doesn’t have to be the start of the story. If it is easier to start half way through, then start half way through. If you know where you want the central character to end up then the fun is in back-filling the steps. If you’re in love with the world you have created, its new words and customs, then your characters can grow out of their environment.

You need to structure time to write into your daily routine. That first heady outpouring of words comes easily, but you need to stick at it. It takes time, so figure how you can build some space into your day. What type of person are you? A morning person or an owl? Play to your strengths. If you can get up an hour earlier in the morning and write 500 words, then do it. If you are at your best once the work has been done and the kids are asleep, write at night. Think of J. K. Rowling and how she wrote her first Harry Potter story

This issue sees the start of a new series by the writers group, Writers Anon. This first article discusses some of the issues involved and the help available...

in coffee shops, in snatched five minutes here and there.

Be prepared to rewrite, be pre-pared to remove whole scenes and characters that you love. Never show the first draft to any-one. Get the first draft written then leave it for a couple of weeks. Go back to it and try to approach it as if you hadn’t sweated blood to complete it. Try to read it as though you were not the author. Be ruthless. Rewrite.

You can get support from a writ-ers group. There are many across Somerset or online. Find one you are comfortable with. Listen to the feedback. Rewrite.

Over the coming issues we shall be looking at the different steps you will take in more detail. Until then - get writing.

Written by Martine Lillycrop, Chel-la Ramanan & Paul Tobin of Writ-ers Anon Taunton. Why not join them every other Wednesday at The Castle, Taunton or visit Writers Anon Taunton’s blog for writing tips, tricks and inspiration www.writersanontaunton.word-press.com

So you want to write a novel.

43

Poetry Cornerwith Elizabeth Rapp

A Little Night Music

my house eaves musicround me while I sleep

stones sigh stir and settle old bones on the earth

the dry cough of floorboardsas weightless feet pass by

skin flakes from the deadsettle in my lungs

blot up the day’s wet inka rose taps a secret code on glass

but down the stairs beyond the lintelI hear the clack of the treadle

hiss of spit on ironthe soft swish of a fallen dress

clatter of clogs on the flagsa sighing fall of ash on the hearth

Elizabeth Rapp has been running creative workshops for fifteen years now and has won the Trewithin , Envoi and A.A. Saunders prizes and her latest collection, Danc-ing on Bones, was launched at Dartington Literary festival and the Poetry Cafe in London.

She has also been leading the Roadside Writers Group since 2009 which she formed when she moved in that year form Devon to Somerset and this year has produced a booklet from her ‘gifted group of 15 men and women. It is entitled Trav-els with Roadside Writers and includes the poem The Little Night Garden below. The booklet is available from Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742 and is priced £4.00.

Ice Garden

I begged him for a garden,hollyhocks and delphiniums.He gave me grottoes of ice.No birds sing here: only the soundof moonlight dreaming snow at midnight. I have become bone carved from ice.I spin on a needle’s point,watched by an angel huddledin snow with icebound wings;his stricken face as I twirl and twirl. Those dark and subtle handshave locked me in this kingdom,this palace of death-white ice.Floors are as slippery as his lies.I wander through cubes of refracted light where indigo and jade dance on my silver dress,turn into birds of paradise.But today a small brown birdperched on my wrist, thengave me a pomegranate seedfrom his beak.

44

They usually ask me to be at any meetings where foreigners are ex-pected. Especially norteamericanos. Mexicans know that they, too, live in North America but here norteamerica-no always stands for “from the USA”. If you say estados unidos they’ll un-derstand what you mean but they’ll point out that you’re in the United States of Mexico. Outside the UN hardly anyone except Mexicans uses the full version. I don’t think they’d care about that – except for politicians they nearly always use the short one themselves – but it irritates the hell out of them that the rest of the world uses the first half of the name of their country to mean their, not altogether cherished, northern neighbour. It may not be true that Porfirio Diaz once said, ‘Poor Mexico. So far from God and so close to the United States of America,’ but I’ve lost count of the people who’ve quoted it to me since I got here.

It’s not in the contract, so I don’t have to do it, but it’s hard to refuse. The supplement this government organi-sation adds to my salary, as a visit-ing foreign academic in the National Polytechnic, is more than the salary itself. Haníbal Naranjo is the official who signs the cheques and he ex-pects me to provide breakfast every three months or so to tell him how I’ve been earning the money. That’s

not as bad as it sounds; every cafe in the capital offers special breakfast options for work meetings.

His first name tells me Haníbal has humble origins. Like many he com-pensates by always using an aca-demic title, Ingeniero in his case. “Engineer” is the dictionary equiva-lent but that term does not express the full significance of Ingeniero used as an honorific, nor its true fla-vour. Here, everyone with a degree of any kind in science, engineering, and many other disciplines is an “engineer”. An agronomist is inge-niero agrónomo, a navel architect is ingeniero naval, and so on. Anyway, to me he is Haníbal, it’s just too de-licious, and I have to work hard to remember to address him with his official designation.

I could just say I’ll be there and not turn up. Mexicans do it all the time but they don’t expect an English-man to behave like that. (I’ve given up trying to tell them that a guy from Glasgow would prefer a different de-notation. “Glaswegian” was never going to work - Mexicans can’t han-dle w – and the only word they have for “Scottish” is the one they already use for whisky.)

When I ask for Ingeniero Naranjo the receptionist takes me straight to the meeting room. Several of the usu-als have arrived already, including Haníbal, and there’s still five minutes before the scheduled start.

‘I was beginning to think you were going to be late, Doctor Gwilson.’The gall of the man. I always turn

up a few minutes before the official time of the meeting- I’ve a reputation to sustain for “English” punctuality – which means I usually have to sit alone for at least half an hour, some-times much longer. (Don’t worry about my surname. I’m Joe Wilson. It’s that problem of Mexicans and w.) It turns out today’s yanquis are a delegation from some philanthropic entity, of the kind that flourishes in the USA like nowhere else, and it seems they’ve been talking large sums of money. So Haníbal is excited.The others have a pile of papers in front of them but there’s nothing for me. Doesn’t bother me. I know I’m here as translator disguised as a Professor of Mathematics. That way, Haníbal and his colleagues can con-sult me without losing face when they have a language problem.

There is someone present I have nev-er seen before, someone to whom all the others defer. Haníbal introduces us. The new person is Ingeniero Var-gas, the Deputy Director, the boss of everyone else in the room, bar me. They must be expecting something special from the meeting. When we sit down after the introductions, Var-gas nods to Haníbal who goes out and returns in a few moments with the visitors.

There are four of them, all male. One, clearly the chief, is fiftyish; the others are around thirty. They are dressed so alike it could be a uniform: pale suit, white shirt, discreet tie and lustrous black shoes. They have short, fairish hair and scrubbed, clean-shaven fea-tures.

It’s not the Ps and Qs, it’s the As and Es

by Tony Woods

Short Story

45

Haníbal welcomes them and intro-duces us in his limited, though fairly accurate, English. One of the young-er men responds in grammatically perfect Spanish which I can see the Mexicans struggling manfully (they, too, are all male) to understand. It’s the accent. I don’t place it until later, when one of them speaks English. North Carolina. Lots of diphthongs.

I’m an expert on the problems an accent can cause. I grew up not far from Glasgow, attended a state school in Dumbarton and studied for my first degree in Glasgow Univer-sity. I graduated well enough to pick up a grant for a postgraduate course in London. Nobody there understood me. Not my supervisor, not my fel-low students. When I was delivering my first seminar the Prof stopped me five minutes in and suggested it be postponed until I could supply a verbatim text for the audience. Now I live in the phonetic no man’s land occupied by many self- exiled Scots: my English neighbours consider me an educated Scot (i.e., one they can understand easily) and when I visit my sister, who still lives in Glasgow, she introduces me to her friends as “my English brother”.

When the wholesome young man has finished the introductions he launches into a eulogy concern-ing their organisation and its goals, which he directs at Ingeniero Var-gas. A few sentences are sufficient to make it clear that they are emis-saries of a creationist missionary enterprise with huge resources with which they want to provide new sci-ence texts for Mexican High Schools

and to fund the development of new courses for Higher Education.

If there were ever an Olympic sport where a contest could be won by an intense and extended display of in-scrutability then Mexico would be a strong contender for the gold med-al. A few minutes into the young man’s speech, the shutters come down. Smiles disappear, hands be-come still, faces lose all expression. The only exception is Vargas. Per-haps that’s why he holds a senior position; he retains a half-smile and an appearance of interest. I think that’s what encourages the leader of the delegation, Charles Carter, to speak up.

‘I must apologise for my lack of Spanish’ (because of his accent even his English isn’t all that easy to follow) ‘but I’d like to follow up Morton’s explanation with a few comments of my own. You see, Mr Verga, . . . ‘ His next few words pass me by. I’m too interested in the reaction of the Mexicans. Vargas’ smile is wiped away. The tension is palpa-ble among his juniors.

Carter might have got away with the distorted vowel if he had been care-ful about the final s. But there is no doubt about it: over and over again he addresses the Deputy Director, Ingeniero Vargas, as Mr Verga. The whole delegation is beginning to realise something is wrong but I suppose even the fluent Spanish speaker has never come across the offending word before.

At the umpteenth “Mr Verga”, Var-gas rises, turns and strides out of the room. Haníbal talks loudly over the Americans’ questions to tell them that his secretary will see them out then he leaves, taking his colleagues with him. The Americans crowd around me, all talking at once. I hold up my hand and point to Carter.‘What happened here?’ he asks. ‘Why have they walked out?’‘Please tell me the name of the last person you were speaking to.’‘You mean Mr Verga?’ ‘Well, Mr Carter, that’s almost correct. His name is Varr-gass.’ Now comes a moment I will savour for a long time. ‘Verga’ (I say the word in my best at-tempt at a North Carolina accent) ‘is the Spanish word for penis.’

Tony Woods has spent his adult life writing textbooks, reports and training materials. His career as a statistician took him to more than twenty countries and into applica-tions as diverse as the study of weeds in Africa and the de-velopment of a supply system for a major British retailer. He started writing fiction when he retired in 2010 and has produced a satisfying number of short stories, many based on his travel experiences. He has recently begun his first novel.

46

In October of 2011 I was fortunate enough to watch the live broadcast of the National Theatre’s Frankenstein from within the cosy walls of The Little Theatre in Bath. Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my favourite novels and so I went in to the performance praying that it would do the tale justice, particularly when taking in to consideration the num-ber of poorly delivered adaptations that the story has suffered in recent years. Need-less to say, it definitely did not disappoint. Benedict Cumberbatch’s rendition of the guilt-stricken Victor Frankenstein along-side Jonny Lee Miller’s depiction of his in-nocent creation were flawless. Every aspect of the performance, from the acting to the lighting, was carefully constructed to create the chilling, yet eerily beautiful atmosphere that I always associated with the novel.

Of course, as both an avid reader and grad-uate of English Literature, choosing a single novel to focus on for this piece proved to be quite a task. The winner of my internal debate was Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, a post-apocalyptic novel set (appar-ently) in the not too distant future.

This novel follows Atwood’s protagonist, Jimmy, as he comes to terms with being the seemingly sole survivor of a worldwide epidemic. I loved this novel not only for its fascinating array of characters – particular-ly the enigmatic Crake – but also for its ev-ident environmental message, which leaves

the reader with the same thought that strikes Jimmy as he watches the dysto-pian society around him crumble. “How much is too much? How far is too far?”

Glasgow-based artist Louise Scott also grabbed my attention through her ap-preciation of the environment and love for native British species. My favourite piece by Louise, “Otter and Dragonfly,”

gives the otter an almost mythical qual-ity, intensified by the rich shades of blue and green that compliment both it and the dragonfly beautifully. The swirling shapes that Louise creates in so many of her art pieces makes her work seem al-most spiritual. I feel that this, alongside

her choice to base all of her etchings on native animal species, evokes a feeling that we are still intrinsically linked with both the creatures and ancient land-scapes of the British Isles.

I was surprised to find that choosing a piece of music for this review was almost as hard as choosing a piece of literature, perhaps because my taste in music is so varied. For this reason, I chose not my favourite band, but one that I felt truly deserved to be talked about and shared. The entire album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83 is a surreal experience and one that I will never forget hearing for the first time. The nostalgic 80s vibe alongside electronic tones evokes within the listener themes such as space travel and discovery, making for a unique se-lection of songs and instrumental pieces that are nothing short of genius. I think the overall beauty of this album comes from the fact that it doesn’t try to be “the next best thing.” It’s lonely, it’s hopeful, it’s timeless.”

My Favourite...We asked Victoria Rayson to choose her favourite piece of liter-ature, music, art and performance. Victoria has recently returned to Taunton after having studied English Literature at Bath Spa University. She is a keen reader with a love for the environment.

47

BOOKS: New & Old Ordnance Survey Map Stockists

Named as one of the top 50 of all bookshops in the UK

by the Independent Newspaper in February 2012


www.brendonbooksonline.co.uk

Presenting a series of book talks this May and June.......

9 May Jeremy Browne: Race Plan16 May Simon Heffer: Simply English21 May Dan Waddell: Field of Shadows28 May Lindsey Davies: Enemies at Home3 June Dinah Jefferies: The Separation13 June Tristan Gooley: The Walker’s Guide 19 June SANHS: A Martime History of Somerset Vol 2 25 June John Sutherland: A Guide to 500 Great Novels

All talks start at 7.00pm. All bookings and enquiries to Brendon Books

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Entertainment & Humor

hestercombe house

art exhibitions

contemporary art

shrew art house project

diverse art forms

bath place taunton ta1

brendon books

ilminster arts centre