Edinburgh preview shows from two of the top comedians heading to the Edinburgh Festival the following month.

Jo Caulfield: Work In Progress
TV and radio star Jo Caulfield has been dubbed "funniest woman in Britain", she lives up to the title with razor-sharp wit, acerbic observations and scandalous one-liners, all excellently written and impeccably delivered. A Funny Way To Be Comedy regular, Jo always delivers a top class show.

Brennan Reece: Everlong
2016 Edinburgh Best Newcomer Nominee and 2015 English Comedian of the Year returns with a 'powerfully entertaining' (Chortle.co.uk) show about the stars (in the sky), memories (in the mind) and his Nanna (in a home). Tour Support for Joe Lycett and Jason Manford. Sold Out UK/Australian Tour. As seen on BBC, ITV and Channel plus 4. 6 million YouTube hits. "Unstoppable force"...Chortle.co.uk
"A teenage Alan Bennett"...Skinny

Under Northern Skies is an exhibition of sensitively depicted sites that will lead visitors around the Dispensary Gallery, taking them on a journey through the local countryside.

Exhibiting artists Hazel Smith and Jill Eagle both live in, and are inspired by, The Yorkshire Dale. Employing contrasting styles and use of media that complement each other culminating in an exciting exhibition of landscape paintings.

Gallery closed Sundays and Mondays

The Earth's Layers is an exciting exhibition of fine art painting, printmaking, ceramics, paper-cut, and mixed-media installation by a group of artists from across the north of England.

Spanning fine art painting, printmaking, ceramics, paper-cut, and mixed-media installation much of the work in The Earth's Layers exhibition is conceptual, yet all of it is entirely accessible due to physical, tactile nature of the work selected for display. The artists comprise a mix of established and early career artists living and working across the north of England and exhibiting together for the first time in this exhibition. Many of the works are inspired by maps, paths, and topography, whilst others are inspired by naturally occurring geological formations, and other works are inspired by the greater forces of nature, and their related wayfinding systems.

Gallery closed Sundays and Mondays

Performed on the spectacular water stage of Lake Constance in Bregenz (Austria), George Bizet’s Carmen is a story of passion, destiny and obsession. The French composer’s opera is most famous for its Spanish melodies, including the Flower Song, Habanera and the Toreador Song.

On 14 September, experience Carmen like never before – recorded live on the floating stage during the Bregenz Festival. As with their previous spectacular productions, you can expect the staging of this classic tale to have an extravagantly original and innovative design, with the waters of the lake being used as an extension of the stage.

This production of Carmen will be directed by Kasper Holten, Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House in London, with the set designed by the British artist Es Devlin. Her past work includes sets for such stars as Adele, Take That, U2, Pet Shop Boys and Kanye West.

Click here to watch a video

“..hard to believe there’s only one man on stage.” (Rock Society Magazine)
“…a superior fingerstyle troubadour.” (Guitar and Bass Magazine)
“..a prodigiously talented fingerpicking guitarist.” (R2 Magazine)

A talented, committed musician in his youth, Adrian Nation describes his first compositions as "the ramblings of a searching teenager". He may ramble less these days, but his search continues, and he has evolved into one of the most insightful and incisive songwriters of his generation.

Influenced at an early age by the genius of Bob Dylan and the melodic fluidity of Mark Knopfler's haunting guitar, Adrian's teenage eyes and ears were truly opened when the late Isaac Guillory "played the guitar like I had never seen" ("Diamonds in the Stream", Sowing Seeds, 2003). Reflecting on this experience Adrian says, "Suddenly the acoustic guitar was a much bigger instrument than I ever thought it could be. My mind was set."

Adrian's hectic touring schedule is testament to his popularity and quite exceptional guitar playing. The ceaseless cycle of touring and playing has continued unabated since the release of "Sowing Seeds" and has established him as a stalwart of the festival, folk and acoustic scene. It therefore beggars belief that the follow up to "Sowing Seeds" has been written, recorded and is now in post production.

Pivotal to all of this however, is the sublime guitar and voice of Adrian Nation. He is the central pillar around which these performances sit, and the songs are the very foundations upon which the superb "Fall or Fly" stands.

Handmade inspiration for all occasions, bespoke gifts, demonstrations and have a go experiences. The Witham and Designer Makers Market and Vintage Essence offer a creative exploration of wedding possibilities.

Some of the stallholders on the day include:

ALWAYS TIME FOR TEEPEES  -  https://www.alwaystimeforteepees.co.uk/

BROOKES TAILORS  -  http://www.brmaddyookestailors.com/

CLAIRE COLLINSON PHOTOGRAPHY  -  http://www.clairecollinson.co.uk/

GIVE A LITTLE'S  -  https://www.facebook.com/givealittles/

GLASSIC GLASS   -  http://www.glassicglass.com/

IN THE SILVERROOM  -  http://www.inthesilverroom.co.uk/

TAMARA BIBBY INDEPENDANT CELEBRANT  -  https://www.tamarabibbycelebrant.com/

KATHRYN GUY  - https://www.facebook.com/KathrynGuyTextileArtist/

KTEAS CAKES  -  http://www.kteascakes.co.uk/tearoom/

LILYANN  -  https://www.lilyann.co.uk/

MAD ABOUT WOOL  -  https://www.facebook.com/madaboutwool/

SARAH HALL BARQAI  -  https://www.sarahhallbaqai.com/

TIA BULMER DESIGNS  -  https://www.facebook.com/TBsurfacepattern/

VETERANS WOODCRAFT  -  http://veteranswoodcraft.co.uk/

VINTAGE ESSENSE  -  https://www.facebook.com/vintageessenceflowers/

and more . . .

Mozart’s glorious opera The Magic Fluteis brought enchantingly to life in David McVicar’s production with beautiful sets by John Macfarlane. Prince Tamino promises the Queen of the Night that he will rescue her daughter Pamina from the enchanter Sarastro. He begins his quest, accompanied by the bird-catcher Papageno – but all is not as it seems...David McVicar’s classic production embraces both the seriousness and comedy of Mozart’s work. The audience is transported to a fantastical world of dancing animals, flying machines and dazzlingly starry skies. The setting provides a wonderful backdrop for Mozart’s kaleidoscopic score, from the Queen of the Night’s coloratura fireworks to Tamino and Pamina’s lyrical love duets and Papageno’s hearty, folksong-like arias.As well as being a comedy The Magic Flute is an expression of Mozart’s profound spiritual beliefs: Enlightenment concerns with the search for wisdom and virtue are at the heart of this enchanting tale. The Magic Flutewas an instant success with audiences and Mozart’s supposed rival Salieri described it as an ‘operone’ – a great opera.

Approximate running time: 3 hours 10 mins, including one interval | sung in German with English subtitles

King Lear (Kevin McNally) decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, but fails to anticipate the consequences of his actions. His generosity is cruelly repaid. As he comes to realise the false values by which he has lived, he finally encounters his own humanity. Broadcast live to cinemas from the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe, this brand new retelling of one of the Bard’s greatest plays will capture your heart on September 21.

Using carborundum grit and collagraph techniques of scratching, scoring and cutting you will develop a printing plate. Once sealed the plate can be inked, wiped and printed numerous times and in a variety of ways. Multiple prints will then be taken using oil based inks on a printing press.

Penny is a painter printmaker who also prints onto hand built ceramics using relief printing bocks or coloured slips to monoprint onto the surfaces, etching into them before washing with body stains.Work is based on trying to capture the atmosphere and elements in our wild landscapes, particularly around her studio in the Western Dales, where she runs printmaking and ceramic courses.She is an experienced artist and teacher, to see further examples of her work go to www.penny-hunt.co.uk 

Cumbria Printmakers CIO is a Social Enterprise working to champion printmaking through exhibitions, events and outreach activities. The group aims to support artists, promote printmaking and collaborate with our partners and the local community to develop courses and workshops which make printmaking accessible for everyone. Their values of equality, inclusion, sustainability, respect, transparency and supporting local arts drives all that they do.

Like this? Then do please check out the final Cumbrian Craft Workshops of the series.

With a love of early jazz style, Emma Fisk and James Birkett present an entertaining and virtuosic programme inspired by the great jazz violin and guitar partnership: Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang. The duo's debut at Newcastle Jazz Cafe in July was featured as one of The Guardian's 'Editor's Picks'.

The names of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli are familiar to many as pioneers of string-based swing jazz. Less universally known are the names Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang, the Italian-American duo who played hot violin and guitar jazz in the 1920s and 30s until cut short by Lang’s untimely death in 1933. Joe Venuti has been referred to as ‘the father of jazz violin and was a leader in the development of jazz violin techniques and style, while his musical partner Eddie Lang is widely regarded as the first jazz guitar virtuoso.

Bringing together their shared knowledge of early jazz styles and improvisation, Emma Fisk and James Birkett present an entertaining, virtuosic and informative programme of music associated with and inspired by the first great jazz violin and guitar partnership. A typical performance includes  original compositions by Venuti/Lang including Cheese & Crackers, Sunshine, Black and Blue Bottom; jazz standards of the 20s and 30s such as Pardon Me Pretty Baby, Hiawatha's Lullaby, My Honey's Lovin' Arms, Dinah and I've Found A New Baby ; original compositions that explore the duo's soundworld, and some of James and Emma's favourite tunes played a la Joe and Eddie.

Emma Fisk has attracted critical acclaim for her performances of Venuti’s repertoire at UK jazz festivals and was featured in the musical role of Joe Venuti with The Jazz Repertory Company at Cadogan Hall as part of the 2015 London Jazz Festival. James has been performing Lang’s repertoire since he was introduced to this music in the late-70s. However, it is only now that he has realised his ambition to recreate the duo repertoire of Lang and Venuti in concert in the original duo setting with Emma.

The duo made its debut at Newcastle Jazz Cafe this summer  but already has gained rave reviews and capacity crowds at the venues they have visited. James and Emma are currently preparing material for an album, which will be ready for release in 2017.

Mendelssohn's beloved Octet (one of the miracles of 19th century music) was written when the composer was only sixteen, and is one of the most popular pieces of chamber music ever written. Royal Northern Sinfonia contrasts this with the rich melodies of Borodin's evocative String Quintet and the stirring brilliance of Shostakovitch's Octet.

Supper Club Option at 6pm

A chance to sit back and relax, enjoy a homemade meal and soak up the atmosphere before enjoying the evening's entertainment. £12 pp, including homemade supper, a drink and tasty little sweet.

Tonight's dish: Delicious Chilli (vegetarian chilli also available)

Handcrafted Boutique Fair with a quality selection of handmade products from around the North East.

When Rodolfo, a penniless poet, meets Mimì, a seamstress, they fall instantly in love. But their happiness is threatened when Rodolfo learns that Mimì is gravely ill. Acclaimed director Richard Jones (Boris Godunov, Il trittico) directs a new production of Puccini’s La bohème. Irresistible in its witty, passionate blend of comedy and tragedy, the opera focusses on the lives of a group of young artists as they eke out an existence on the bohemian fringes of Paris. Jones brings his characteristically acute insight to this much-loved classic, visualized in Stewart Laing’s spectacular setting.Puccini’s romantic depiction of bohemian Paris, with memorable music and a love story drawn from everyday life, has captivated audiences around the world, making La bohème one of the best-loved of all operas. It was first performed in Covent Garden in 1897 and has had more than five hundred performances there since.

Approximate running time: 2 hour 35 minutes, including one interval | sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Dales vet, Neville Turner, shares his passion for music and photography in this compendium of his grand finales from countless presentations over the years. Set to music (from Mozart, Faure and Vivaldi, to Rag-Time and electronic music), he will cover wide-ranging subjects such as swans and hay-meadows to brass bands and markets. The programme, lasting an or so, is interspersed with anecdotes about his subjects.

The James Brothers are not really outlaws, neither are they brothers and only one of them is called James.

They come from the lands down under – Australia and New Zealand to be precise; lands in which the traditional songs and tunes of the British Isles have evolved their own unique characteristics, like musical marsupials. And it’s these songs and tunes, and several of their own making, that The James Brothers have united to play.

The James Brother who is called James is Sydney-born James Fagan – best known as one half of Nancy Kerr & James Fagan(musically and maritally), but also spotted playing guitar and bouzouki in The Cara Dillon Band, the live circus that is Bellowhead and with his parents and sister as The Fagans, where his folk career began (in a decade which has only just become fashionable).

The James Brother who isn’t called James is Jamie McClennan – a Kiwi who found himself in a duo with Scotland’s BBC-award-winningEmily Smith (whom he also married) having chosen not to follow his first bandmates to Ireland, where they formed the much celebrated Gráda. Jamie has been sighted on fiddle, whistle and guitar next to the likes of Sharon Shannon, Beth Nielson Chapman, Jerry Douglasand his mum.  He also likes to run barefoot, but that’s his own business.

While both men are quick to point out that their work with their wives is still the primary passion, The James Brothers allows them to be centre stage – playing the music of their roots and telling jokes without fear of being told off.

For Fagan and McClennan this is about bringing their distinct Antipodean-steeped folk to a new audience, with songs and tunes brought to life by a fraternal bond between two very silly, but captivatingly gifted musicians.

Hair - worn long, worn short, worn wavy or in braids - is the subject of this funny and uplifting dance theatre performance. With a sizzling soundtrack of Ghanaian pop music, join stylists Linda and Riyah who will take you on a hair journey that will have you laughing out loud.

The Head Wrap Diaries is an immersive-interactive dance theatre production that uses comedy to explore, women, beauty, hair and culture. Told through the stories of three female characters we explore community, heritage, womanhood and friendship. This is not a ‘Natural verses Weaves’ it is a celebration of versatility and diversity.

Brought to us by Highlights Rural Touring Scheme

Using one of the artist’s books as a starting point, on this workshop you will be shown how to make a simple flag book based on the same construction, using a range of papers including some printed and some you will produce yourself using a monoprint technique.

You will also have a demonstration of how to make your own gelli plate at home and how it can be used for your own future work.

See more of Tracy’s work at www.runningloose.com

Cumbria Printmakers CIO is a Social Enterprise working to champion printmaking through exhibitions, events and outreach activities. The group aims to support artists, promote printmaking and collaborate with our partners and the local community to develop courses and workshops which make printmaking accessible for everyone. Their values of equality, inclusion, sustainability, respect, transparency and supporting local arts drives all that they do.

ewellery, prints, jams, toys, cards, scarves, hats, chocolate, soaps, knitted-gifts, puzzles, wooden-gifts, bags, vintage

Based in Cumbria, Northern Crafts are event organisers, running arts, craft, gift and wedding events in Cumbria and the North East of England.

Founded in 2012, they aim to provide local artists and craftspeople with access to good quality venues and events at affordable prices.

They have a wide variety of artists and craftspeople featured on our website and present at our fairs, along with a selection of purveyors of quality gifts and foods.

Come along, or browse the website, and see for yourselves .

A full-throttle war play that revels in the sweat of the battlefield, Coriolanus transports us back to the emergence of the republic of Rome.

Caius Martius Coriolanus is a fearless soldier but a reluctant leader. His ambitious mother attempts to carve him a path to political power, but he struggles to change his nature and do what is required to achieve greatness. In this new city state struggling to find its feet, where the gap between rich and poor is widening every day, Coriolanus must decide who he really is and where his allegiances lie.

Rome Season Director, Angus Jackson, completes the Royal Shakespeare Company’s collection of Shakespeare’s Roman plays with a visceral production which sees Sope Dirisu (One Night in Miami, Donmar Warehouse, 2016) take on the title role.

2nd Thursday of every month
In these relaxed and friendly art sessions, you will be introduced to a different technique each session, allowing you to have a go at a variety of different media. Based on my experiences and interests as an artist and maker these will include a range of textile, paper and up-cycling projects to try your hand at.

So, come and give something new a go; make new friends and enjoy the benefits being creative can bring.

Tickets are £15 and include materials to make a necklace.

Please note refunds cannot be issued except in the case of the session being cancelled.

Tickets Available Via Facebook

Three brilliant African American women at NASA serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world.

"A space-race segregation drama full of star power." The Telegraph

Heather Gillespie is one of UK’s finest glass cutters and engravers. She won the Master of Crafts Award (2012) and is an Associate Fellow of the Guild of Glass Engravers for her services to glass in the UK.

Working from your own design on to a glass form, Heather will guide you through the design and making process. The workshops are suitable for people with no experience of working with glass. This process does get a little messy, so old clothing, and sturdy shoes are required. Heather will brief you on H&S, and protective masks are included because it can get a little sandy!  Sharp objects are involved.

Masterclass fee of £40 per person includes all materials but not lunch. 

The low cost of these workshops are subsidized by trusts and foundations. Please book as places are limited. For further information and to book, contact Karen on 017683 53954 or buy online through the link above.

Luminosity is the 2017 Highlights Rural Touring Craft Tour Exhibition that will visit The Witham for an extended period this year in order to accommodate a programme of exciting education and outreach activities.

Luminosity is name given to the 2017 touring craft exhibition curated by the Highlights Rural Touring, based in Appleby, Cumbria. The exhibition comprises works by artists and makers who create work inspired by light. Touring around the region, the exhibition has been organised in association with Lumiere (Durham Festival of Light). This exciting exhibition and associated education and outreach programme of activities aims to delight, challenge, inspire and amaze audiences. Funding for the tour and outreach programme come from Arts Council England and other charitable trusts and foundations.

My, my, what a big imagination you have!

Retrace Little Red Riding Hood’s path in the woods with two little ones as they play a game of ‘what-if’ and pretend. They run and chase each other through the story, playing all the parts, but both desperate to take on the role of Mr Wolf …or is that…Miss Wolf?

Join the duo as they turn the pages in a light-hearted story filled with new discoveries at every turn.

Enter the belly of the wolf and experience the tale of Little Red Riding Hood like never before.

For ages 3 - 8 years

In this workshop you will spend the day in a relaxed and creative environment learning mixed media techniques and creating two stunning canvases to take home with you at the end of the day.

You will create one 30cm x 30cm deep edged canvas and one 50cm x 20cm canvas. You will learn different techniques to create both dramatic and subtle textures, including how to create a crackled effect, how to produce rusty peaks and using stencils with structure paste.

There will be examples to guide and inspire you, but you will also be given space and encouragement to work to your own design and style if you would prefer. You will be able to chose from a range of colour palettes to create a piece of work that will fit with any room in your house.

This workshop is run by visual artist, Abigail Lagden. All materials will be provided for you, just bring your imagination.

Please visit www.curiously-contrary.co.uk/workshops for more information and to book your place.

20 stalls of handmade gifts and goods.

Jewellery, prints, jams, toys, cards, scarves, hats, chocolate, soaps, knitted-gifts, puzzles, wooden-gifts, bags, vintage

Based in Cumbria, Northern Crafts are event organisers, running arts, craft, gift and wedding events in Cumbria and the North East of England.

Founded in 2012, they aim to provide local artists and craftspeople with access to good quality venues and events at affordable prices.

They have a wide variety of artists and craftspeople featured on our website and present at our fairs, along with a selection of purveyors of quality gifts and foods.

Come along, or browse the website, and see for yourselves

At a garden party on a sunny afternoon, Alice is surprised to see her parents’ friend Lewis Carroll transform into a white rabbit. When she follows him down a rabbit hole events become curiouser and curiouser... As Alice journeys through Wonderland, she encounters countless strange creatures. She’s swept off her feet by the charming Knave of Hearts, who’s on the run for stealing the tarts. Confusion piles upon confusion. Then Alice wakes with a start. Was it all a daydream?

Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland burst onto the stage in 2011 in an explosion of colour, stage magic and inventive, sophisticated choreography. Joby Talbot’s score combines contemporary soundworlds with sweeping melodies that gesture to ballet scores of the 19th century. Bob Crowley’s wildly imaginative, eye-popping designs draw on everything from puppetry to projections to make Wonderland wonderfully real.

Alice encounters a cast of extraordinary and instantly recognizable characters, from the highly strung Queen of Hearts – who performs a hilarious send-up of The Sleeping Beauty's famous Rose Adage – to a playing-card corps de ballet, a sinuous caterpillar and a tap-dancing Mad Hatter. But the ballet does not avoid the darker undercurrents of Lewis Carroll’s story: a nightmarish kitchen, an eerily disembodied Cheshire Cat and the unhinged tea party are all here in vivid detail. The delicious result shows The Royal Ballet at its best, bringing together world-class dance with enchanting family entertainment.

Approximate running time: 2 hour 50 minutes, including two intervals

Create scary monster masks, lanterns, bats and more from up-cycled materials, all created especially to spook your friends.

Join artist maker Kathryn Guy and get crafty for Halloween making masks, lanterns and bats from up-cycled materials.

Painter, author, tutor and illustrator, Linda Birch, M.S.I.A.D shares her fascinating tales from her varied and wonderful career - from working as a much-loved children's illustrator (Simon and the Witch, Jackanory, Bagpuss) to painting and tutoring today. Learn more about the stories behind the pictures and meet the artist herself. Includes a Q & A session.

Disney's 2017 live action re-telling of the classic animation, Beauty & the Beast refashions the characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience. The film stays true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs.

"Beauty and the Beast review: Emma Watson dazzles in Disney's show-stopping chocolate box of a remake" The Telegraph ****

In rural England, 1865, a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage to a much older man begins a passionate affair with a man her own age.

"Florence Pugh is lethally charismatic in William Oldroyd's daring journey into the darkest corners of the world of bonnets and bows." The Guardian

The Castle Players present Peter Shaffer's ingenious comedy. When a couple throw a party to impress her father and gain the patronage of a billionaire art critic, they little expect the chaos that ensures.

Academy Award® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock, The Imitation Game) takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy.

Now seen by over 750,000 people worldwide, the original 2015 NT Live broadcast returns to cinemas.

As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralysed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state. Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Posh, Chimerica) and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.

Starring Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling, a business owner reunites with his first love after a letter and a diary force him to confront the past.

"An elegant adaption of Jullian Barnes's Booker prize-winning novel". The Guardian

Fancy a homemade Christmas this year? This workshop will get you started with a whole host of fun and festive upcycling crafts to adorn your home and create gifts for friends and family. Work with designer maker Kathryn Guy to make this Christmas extra special.

20 stalls of handmade gifts and goods.

Jewellery, prints, jams, toys, cards, scarves, hats, chocolate, soaps, knitted-gifts, puzzles, wooden-gifts, bags, vintage

Based in Cumbria, Northern Crafts are event organisers, running arts, craft, gift and wedding events in Cumbria and the North East of England.

Founded in 2012, they aim to provide local artists and craftspeople with access to good quality venues and events at affordable prices.

They have a wide variety of artists and craftspeople featured on our website and present at our fairs, along with a selection of purveyors of quality gifts and foods.

Come along, or browse the website, and see for yourselves 

Teesdale Christmas Art Fair presents an exciting opportunity to purchase unique, locally made fine art in time for the festive season.

Following the success of the inaugural Teesdale Christmas Art Fair in 2016 we are delighted to announce dates for the second Teesdale Christmas Art Fair that will take place for an extended period of time giving visitors more of an opportunity to visit the exhibition and purchase unique gifts.

Teesdale Christmas Art Fair is a large, group exhibition of carefully selected art work by artists from across the region whose work will be displayed in exhibition spaces throughout The Witham. The exhibition comprises original works of art spanning fine art painting, drawing, sculpture, textile art, and limited edition prints in addition to applied art that will be on display and available to buy in the Shop at The Witham.

The Teesdale Christmas Art Fair will also form part of The Witham's vibrant programme of Christmas activity that sees visitors of all ages flock to the arts centre for activities and entertainment.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

In these relaxed and friendly art sessions, you will be introduced to a different technique each session, allowing you to have a go at a variety of different media. Based on my experiences and interests as an artist and maker these will include a range of textile, paper and up-cycling projects to try your hand at.

So, come and give something new a go; make new friends and enjoy the benefits being creative can bring.

Tickets are £15 and include materials to make a necklace.

Please note refunds cannot be issued except in the case of the session being cancelled.

With their unique approach to harmony singing, intelligent and thoughtful arrangements of both traditional repertoire and original compositions, Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans harness and celebrate their united voice. Whether unearthing a feminist twist hidden in a traditional tale, delivering a poignant anti-war ballad, or showcasing their immense multi-instrumental talents in original compositions that draw on a myriad of musical influences, Lady Maisery are skilful explorers of the power, beauty and vitality of song. Over the last five years, the trio have toured widely, performing sell-out shows across the UK and Europe.

Underpinning every performance are Lady Maisery’s distinctive harmonies: sometimes lush and rich, sometimes dark and invigorating, they intertwine with assured precision. The trio are also one of the foremost English proponents of mouth music, or “diddling” – once common in England, and still found across parts of southern and northern Europe, this form of singing without words is a perfect showcase for their sheer musicality. Each also an accomplished instrumentalist, many songs are expertly accompanied by a rich tapestry of Rowan’s fiddle, banjo and bansitar, Hazel’s harp and concertina and Hannah’s accordion and foot percussion.

Since the release of their debut album in 2011, ‘Weave and Spin’ (named Album of the Week by the Independent newspaper), Lady Maisery have attracted substantial attention, including being nominated for the Horizon Award at the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and regularly appearing live on national radio. Their second album ‘Mayday’ (2013), a darker and more politically coloured record, cemented their growing reputation as a truly unique band on the English folk scene, with five star reviews from the likes of The Financial Times newspaper, music critics called it an album full of “ideas, purpose and urgency…powerful, enthralling work" (Songlines). Their much anticipated third album Cycle was released in October 2016 with a sell-out 23 date tour and more rave reviews from the national press. The Guardian called it "some of the most some of the most exquisite, thrilling vocal harmony work in the English folk scene".

Supper Club Option at 6.30pm

A chance to sit back and relax, enjoy a homemade meal and soak up the atmosphere before enjoying the evening's entertainment. £12 pp, including homemade supper, a drink and tasty little sweet.

Tonight's dish: Mouthwatering Paella (vegetarian paella also available)

Korky Paul, the energetic illustrator welcomes you to the wonderful world of Winnie the Witch! In this fast-paced, fun-filled reading aloud workshop, Korky demonstrates how to draw in a way that is colourful, witty, and animated. Magical things always happen when Korky puts his pens and paints to paper.

For ages 5 - 11 years.

Bring your class to meet Korky Paul, the lively illustrator of Winnie the Witch! In this fast-paced, fun-filled reading aloud workshop, Korky demonstrates how to draw for the children that is colourful, witty, energetic, and animated. Magical things always happen when Korky puts his pen to paper. For 5 - 11 year olds with group discounts and school staff come free!  Please contact The Witham about other workshop times throughout the day.

Spend a fun-filled day creating your very own hare sculpture for display in either your home or your garden.

You will spend the first part of the day building the base structure of your hare, before learning fabric sculpting techniques which will allow you to 'dress' your hare in whatever style you choose. Once dressed and dried, you will use a dry brushing technique to colour your hare and enhance all of the fabulous textures of the fabrics.

Your hare will be ready to take home at the end of the day but will need three weeks curing time before it can go outside and survive the British weather. Your hare will measure approximately 35-40cm tall.

'Unique handcrafted goods, direct from the maker.'

Designer Makers Market showcases the very best regional designers and craftspeople, with original work and a strong up-cycled theme. Meet the designer makers and buy handcrafted goods of gallery quality. Some will be demonstrating their skills and others will be running 'have-a-go' sessions.

Widely considered Britain’s most popular artist, David Hockney is a global sensation with exhibitions in London, New York, Paris and beyond, attracting millions of visitors worldwide.

Now entering his 9th decade, Hockney shows absolutely no evidence of slowing down or losing his trademark boldness.

Featuring intimate and in-depth interviews with Hockney, this revealing film focuses on two blockbuster exhibitions held in 2012 and 2016 at the Royal Academy of Art in London.

Director Phil Grabsky secured privileged access to craft this cinematic celebration of a 21st century master of creativity.

The outstanding young talent of Ceara Sutton-Jones will perform a Violin Concerto by Saint Saens. The mighty violin skills of Nathan Barker will also be shown off in Danse Espagnole in D (Lamentation). Extracts from Dido and Aeneas make up the second half of the concert.

Handcrafted Boutique Fair with a quality selection of handmade products from around the North East.

Like rare single malts, each member of Blazin’ Fiddles draws the distinct flavour of music from their part of the Highlands and Islands.

‘We Are The Lions, Mr. Manager!’ is the story of the Grunwick Film Processing Factory Strike of 1976-78 and the inspirational strike-leader Jayaben Desai, one of many newly arrived British passport-holding Asian Gujurati workers expelled from Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa four years before.

In 1976 a group of workers in a backstreet London factory, in Willesden, stood up to their bosses and kick-started one of the longest and most important industrial disputes in British history. Led by Asian women, the Grunwick strike challenged stereotypes, changed the face of traditionally white, male trade unions, and inspired others to speak out against injustice.

Grunwick wasn’t just a strike about wages and conditions – it was about something much more important than that: it was about dignity. Dignity at work. These women had been employed by the Grunwick factory bosses in the belief that they would be easy to handle, to browbeat and to exploit. Yet, they found their own distinctive voice in the course of the struggle to secure their rights.

The strike leader, Jayaben Desai had the measure of the most brutish and charmless of her managers, when she told them: ‘What you are running here is not a factory, it is a zoo. But in a zoo there are many types of animals. Some are monkeys who dance on your fingertips, others are lions who can bite your head off. We are the lions, Mr. Manager!’

Grunwick made history:

1. it focused the issue of the exploitation of immigrant workers
2. it nailed the myth that Asian workers were passive
3. it showed how a section of totally unorganised workers, ignorant of trade unionism and insecure in a foreign land can develop militancy and attract huge solidarity
4. it defined the trade union and political lives of tens of thousands from across the nation who came to the streets of Willesden to back the Grunwick workers.
5. it showed too that all the forces of the state, the media, the police, the courts, employers, racial prejudice and women’s inequality can be swept aside by the freshness and dynamism of determined struggle.

This is social history presented in Townsend Productions’ imaginative, particpatory, engaging style with songs and music of the 1970s.

Grunwick still poses questions to today’s generation about the role in society of women, workers and immigrants. And the strike still carries a challenging message about the need for human dignity.  Brought to us by Highlights Rural Touring Scheme

In 1947, British statesman Lord Mountbatten serves as India's last Viceroy and is charged with handing India back to it's people. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson and Michael Gambon.

"An gripping political drama with a populist edge". The Guardian

Handel's 'Messiah' comes to life on stage with conductor Simon Dearsley featuring Soprano: Philippa Dearsley, Alto: Tamsin Davidson and Bass: Neil Turnbull with the fantastic Barnard Castle Choral Society

The young Clara creeps downstairs on Christmas Eve to play with her favourite present – a Nutcracker doll. But the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer is waiting to sweep her off on a magical adventure. After defeating the Mouse King,  the Nutcracker and Clara travel through the  Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets,  where the Sugar Plum Fairy treats them to  a wonderful display of dances. Back home,  Clara thinks she must have been dreaming – but doesn’t she recognize Drosselmeyer’s nephew? Peter Wright’s nigh-on definitive production for The Royal Ballet ranks as one of the most enduring and enchanting versions of The Nutcracker. With its festive period setting, dancing snowflakes and enchanting stage magic, Lev Ivanov’s 1892 ballet has become the perfect Christmas entertainment, with Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous, sugar-spun music the most recognizable of all ballet scores.

Loosely based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the ballet opens with a lively Christmas party, its Victorian setting captured in opulent detail by Julia Trevelyan Oman’s designs. Wright’s choreography ingeniously incorporates surviving fragments of the ballet’s original material, including the sublime pas de deux for the Sugar Plum  Fairy and her Prince. But in emphasizing the relationship between Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, the production also gains a touching subtext of first love.

Approximate running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one interval.

Rory Kinnear (The Threepenny Opera, Penny Dreadful, Othello) is Marx and Oliver Chris (Twelfth Night, Green Wing) is Engels, in this new comedy written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London, the production  is directed by Nicholas Hytner and reunites the creative team behind Broadway and West End hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors.

1850, and Europe’s most feared terrorist is hiding in Dean Street, Soho. Broke, restless and horny, the thirty-two-year-old revolutionary is a frothing combination of intellectual brilliance, invective, satiric wit, and child-like emotional illiteracy.

Creditors, spies, rival revolutionary factions and prospective seducers of his beautiful wife all circle like vultures. His writing blocked, his marriage dying, his friend Engels in despair at his wasted genius, his only hope is a job on the railway. But there’s still no one in the capital who can show you a better night on the piss than Karl Heinrich Marx.

Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas.

New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves.

Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (The Comedy of Errors).

Winner of Academy, Tony, Grammy and Olivier awards, Sondheim’s previous work includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.

Ross Wilson presents his Celtic lullabies and Caledonian Soul that are 'elegant, eloquent and immensely stirring'. AMPPICKER. Enjoy latest songs on the release of Ross's upcoming album, The Water of Leith.

In the space of only a short few years and two stellar albums, Blue Rose Code, Edinburgh-born Ross Wilson, has gone from song-writing in the obscurity of an East London flat to being celebrated by the industry and fans alike as a legacy artist whose work stands alone. As BBC Radio 3 broadcaster Mary-Anne Kennedy said recently, “Blue Rose Code is one of those rare artists whose work makes you sit up and listen”.

The Ballads Of Peckham Rye, Blue Rose Code’s second record, was nominated for the prestigious Scottish Album Of The Year Awards in 2014 and featured a roll-call of remarkable talent, including Danny Thompson, Karine Polwart, John Wetton, Aidan O’Rourke and Kathryn Williams.

'GRATEFUL', the first single from the new album was released at the end of 2015 and was playlisted on BBC Radio Scotland for a full five weeks. Truly remarkable for an act without the backing of a label or a heavy management deal.

Further praise has come from the most unexpected of quarters in Hollywood A-lister, Ewan McGregor. Ewan explained, “My uncle Denis Lawson, (star of Local Hero) gave me a copy of The Ballads Of Peckham Rye, it’s beautiful and I can’t stop listening to it.”

Performing live he is stunning, and this reputation led Edith Bowman to personally ask Ross to perform on the launch show of BBC At The Quay with Texas and Stornoway. Edith described Ross’ performance with a nine-piece band, including guest Karine Polwart, as “truly special and beautiful”.

In these relaxed and friendly art sessions, you will be introduced to a different technique each session, allowing you to have a go at a variety of different media. Based on my experiences and interests as an artist and maker these will include a range of textile, paper and up-cycling projects to try your hand at.

So, come and give something new a go; make new friends and enjoy the benefits being creative can bring.

Please note refunds cannot be issued except in the case of the session being cancelled.

Another performance at 7.30 pm

Join The Castle Players for this traditional family treat. Scrooge is all about hoarding and keeping, but with mulled wine, mince pies, carol singers, and excited children, there's no escape from Christmas.

Supper Club Option at 1.30pm and 6pm

A chance to sit back and relax, enjoy a homemade meal and soak up the atmosphere before enjoying the evening's entertainment. £12 pp, including homemade supper, a drink and tasty little sweet.

Tonight's dish: Pre-Christmas treat of Pie and Roast Vegetables for both the Matinee and evening performance.

Times to be arranged with schools

The Holly and Ivy workshop is a concert lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, presenting songs, stories, dances and customs associated with Midwinter, Christmas and the New Year. It's lively, informal, participatory, and highly professional. It helps children and teachers gain deeper insights into the significance of many of our midwinter customs and traditions. Schools receive a detailed participatory letter and a teachers' notes pack, giving background information and words and music for some of the material.

Workshops suitable for Primary aged children and open to whole school performances. Times to be arranged with schools.

The Holly and Ivy roadshow is a concert presenting songs, stories, dances and customs associated with midwinter, Christmas and the New Year. It's lively, informal, participatory and highly professional. With a special contribution from Teesdale's Cream Tees.