Jan. 2004

 Time

 Winter Programme Events

 Where?

Wednesday 28th.

10.30am

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
"The Water Babies"

Armstrong Hall

Bristol Old Vic Waterbabies cast surround
two members of audience.

Photo Courtesy of Thornbury Gazette

An enthusiastic audience of nearly 200 children from 4 Thornbury Primary Schools enjoyed the production of Charles Kingsley's "The Water Babies".

The players brought the injustices and inequalities of the Victorian Age to life, taking the children on an extraordinary voyage, following the journey of the ill treated chimney boy Tom to the Other end of Nowhere.

Festival secretary Barbara Ray said "The in-the-round production was very accessible and the underlying social and moral message was sure to stimulate further discussion among the children, many of whom were seeing live theatre for the very first time".

 March 2004

 Time

 Winter Programme Events

 Where?

  22nd - 23rd March

   Various

 Speech and Drama Eisteddfod

Sponsored by
The Lions Club of Thornbury

 Sheiling School

  7th - 20th March

   Various

 Music Eisteddfod

Sponsored by
The Lions Club of Thornbury

Sheiling School, 
Castle School
and St. Mary's Church

   March 2004

Time

 Winter Programme Events

 Where?

  Sunday 28th March

2.30pm

 Eisteddfod Concert
Showcasing some of the top young performers in Thornbury

Armstrong Hall

2002 Best overall vocal
Thornbury Cymrodorian Cup Presentation
    

The judging for the various Eisteddfod classes will take place over an 17 day period in three venues.

For details of times of Music classes etc.,
please ring Barbara Ray on 01454 412272
or                Trish Wilcock on 01454 883763.

For details of times of Speech and Drama classes etc., please ring 01454 413887.

Selected class winners from the Eisteddfod will be invited on stage at the Eisteddfod Concert on Sunday March 28th, performing, singing or playing, for an appreciative audience.

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 May 2004

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

 6.30 pm

 Opening reception - Invitation Only

Cossham Hall

"Corsets to Camouflage "
 Kate Adie

Supported by the Bank Cottage Practice

Kate Adie is well known in the West of England having anchored the BBC's "Points West" early on in her Television career.

So it was with some pride that local viewers saw Kate rise to national prominence for her courageous front line journalism from the world's trouble spots, and this at a time when many people questioned whether women should become engineers or firefighters, or even bus drivers!

We became so familiar with Kate's breathless reporting as she took cover from incoming fire that a conflict without her presence almost seemed to be of little consequence.

Kate is now a trustee of the Imperial War Museum and has published the illustrated history of women's role in uniform "Corsets to Camouflage"; Kate will present her story and then take questions from the audience in the second part of the evening, she will be available afterwards to sign copies of her book which will be available for purchase.

 Time

 Where?

"Fairy Tales 2"
with Rainbow Theatre West

Suitable for Children from 3 to 8 years old
( - but grown-ups are very welcome too)

The performance, in the round, introduces children to the magic of live theatre in the unique Rainbow style filled with music, songs, audience participation, laughter and excitement.

Following last year's success, "Rainbow" return with a new set of tales; The Golden Goose, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Hare and the Tortoise, and The Emperor's New Clothes.

 Time

 Where?

"The Special Magic of Louis Armstrong"
Terry Lightfoot's Jazzmen

Supported by the Berkeley Vale

Terry Lightfoot and the "All Stars" were invited to share the bill during Louis Armstrong's triumphant 1965 UK tour, so it is most appropriate that he heads this celebration of Satchmo's work.

The show celebrates the life of Louis Armstrong from the hot jazz style with "King Oliver", "The Hot Five" etc. to the later period of the popular songs "Hello Dolly" , "Wonderful World" etc. all played in Terry's own swinging style.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"An Evening of Entertainment"
Presented by the Rotary Club of Thornbury

The Rotary Club of Thornbury present an Evening of Entertainment featuring local people. A very special evening is in prospect.

The Northavon Youth Theatre will showcase their talent and enthusiasm following the success of this year's spring production "The Boy Friend"

After a lifetime studing, playing and teaching the piano and appearing at a wide range of venues around Bristol, Ralph Holbrook returns to the concert platform in Thornbury with a selection of popular classical music.

The Octopus Theatre Group are well known in Thornbury and appear tonight with a selection from their wide repertoire of panto, comedy, song, and drama.

During Rotary International's centenary year each Rotary Club is supporting a local community project; Thornbury Rotary Club is running a valuable "promises auction" during the show in support of their chosen project - the young children's new play area on Streamleaze Green.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"The Severn Princess"
Tim Ryan - with slides

Supported by Thornbury Magazine

Tim Ryan presents a remarkable tale, illustrated with current and old clips and slides, about the recovery of the long abandoned "Severn Princess" from a neglected mooring in a remote Irish quay to her current restoration at a floating mooring near her home jetty at Beachley.

The tale of the fraught journey home and the memories of those who worked on her together with the stories of the passengers who were ferried across the Severn over a period of 35 years are woven into a fascinating and humorous narrative - living heritage at its very best.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"Folk Tales"
The Thornbury Orchestra play works by Brahms, Dvorak, and Cantelube,
with soprano Louise Hambly-Smith

Supported by Magnox Generation

The Thornbury Orchestra was formed a year ago by a group of local musicians who were tired of having to drive into Bristol in order to play in an orchestra. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, running on the wonderful enthusiasm of its conductor Chris Hill, and its forty members. The orchestra is looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd and repeating the success of their previous concert in Thornbury last December.

Louise Hambly-Smith has sung at the Festival in the past with "Voices of Lyrica" and, of course, was music organizer at last year's Thornbury Eisteddfod.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"The History of Fry's"
with Mr P Goodchild - with slides

Supported by Thornbury Magazine

Peter Goodchild, former public relations Officer at Frys, Somerdale recounts with archive slides and an Optiscope the fascinating history of the oldest firm in the chocolate industry.

Founded in 1728, J S Fry and Sons was based in the heart of the city of Bristol for over 200 years where the tall inscribed chimney was a familiar landmark in the Pithay Distict until Frys moved to their current "garden" site at Keynsham. After amalgamations in the industry, the factory is now known as Cadbury Trebor Bassett.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"Common Source "
Ben Osbourne - a musical talk

He presents a celebration with specially commissioned poetry, music and superb photography ot the two great rivers the Severn and the Wye which rise within a mile of each other.

The journey begins near Plynlimon high in the Cambrian Mountains and follows the Severn to the sea before turning inland through the deep cut valley of the Wye through some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"Laughing Stock"
with Phil Domaille, Peter Wiggins & Sarah Glew

Supported by Thornbury Magazine

"Not the 4 of us", Phil Domaille and his company bring to the Cossham Hall audience a delightful selection of excerpts from contemporary comedies.

Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"A night ot the Opera"
The Garden Consort - with Musical Director Roy Gregory

Supported by Bonds

Carol Kewley   Soprano
Mary Hamilton  Mezzo-soprano
Phillip Slane  Tenor
Micheal Lessiter   Baritone

Artistes from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, together with their accompanist formed the Garden Consort in 1991.

The company have since achieved considerable success presenting scenes from a selection of well known operas.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"The Orient Express"
Mr C Bayliss - with slides

Supported by Thornbury Magazine

The glamour and mystery of this fabled railway journey from Paris to the Bospherus is brought to life with this entertaining presentation.

Those who come to find out "who did it" may well be disappointed!

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

Peter Gale, Susanne Collini and Jennifer Partridge

John Clare's poetry, evoking visions of the English countryside is as relevant today as when it was written some 150 years ago.

Many of the beautiful poems have been set to music by composers such as Richard Rodney-Bennnet, Peter Warlock and Northamptonshire composer Trevor Hold.

Share, in the historic setting of the United Reformed Church, in words and music reflecting upon the innocence and passion that was John Clare's life story

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

Live Classical Music with Burak Besir and Javier Negrin, soloists from "Making Music"

           Javier Negrin             Burak Besir

Burak Besir (Flute) Burak was born and trained in Cyprus, after further study in Turkey he moved to Scotland to study with David Nicholson at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He continues his studies and participates in master classes under Robert Dick and Wissam Boustany.

Javier Negrin (Piano) Javier was born in Tenerife and studied under the late Irina Zaritskaya and Yonty Solomon at the Royal College of Music where he in now a Junior Fellow. The winner of several major College prizes, Javier has given concerts in Spain, Glasgow and London including the Wigmore Hall.

Burak and Javier have performed many concerts together and are both winners of the Phillip and Dorothy Green Award.

The Philip & Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists 2003.
The Award for Young Concert Artists was created in 1962 and has helped to launch the careers of dozens of young musicians. It has made possible by the generosity of the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"The Eden Project"
with Tim Smit - Eden Project founder

Supported by Four Pillars Hotel Group

The Eden Project, unlike many other Millenium attractions has a permanent place in the country's culture, it is now a focus for pioneering scientific work and a major force in the regeneration of the South West.

Hear how the idea came to the project founder Tim Smit, how the project developed from a disused china clay pit into today's major tourist attraction and learn of the plans for the future.

Tim also retains an enthusiastic interest in his original project the restoration of the "Lost Gardens of Heligan"

Presented in assocaition with Clive Conway Celebrity Productions Ltd.

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

Not suitable for children under 5.
"The Snow Queen"  A puppet play
The Sheiling Puppeteers

Thorn Hall
Sheiling School

A magical experience for children and adults alike

"The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen tells the story of Gerda on a long and daunting quest to rescue her dearest friend Kai from the forces of winter cold, darkness and evil led by the awsome figure of the Snow Queen herself.

The puppet theatre group from the Sheiling school presents the ever-popular story with a large cast of beautifully-crafted hand puppets in a performance based on the traditional Japanese doll theatre "Bunraku"

Music by Greig, Mendelson, Schumann.

Storyteller Peter Bateson   Pianist Peter Stephenson

Adapted and Directed by Peter Bateson

The performance last for 1 hour

 Time

 Festival Week Events

 Where?

"The Sleeping Beauty"
Independent Ballet Wales

Supported by Essilor Ltd.

Photo - Peter Teigen        

The new raised seating at the Armstrong Hall provides a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the art of ballet which makes a welcome return to Thornbury after an absence of many years.

Independent Ballet Wales, directed by Darius James, is a young company of dancers which is breathing new life into touring ballet.

The company perform "The Sleeping Beauty" to Tchaikovsky's familiar music with original choreography and vibrant new sets and stunning costumes by Welsh designer Yvonne Greenleaf.

This is a young, vital group of dancers pushing back the barriers of classical ballet; a perfect way to enjoy the highest possible standard of dance and storytelling which makes the evening an ideal introduction to classical ballet for young people.

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