Harrogate district theatre company saved by £24,000 grant

A Harrogate district theatre company has been saved by a £24,383 grant from Arts Council England.

Badapple Theatre Company, which is based in Green Hammerton, was awarded the funding ahead of its 25th anniversary.

The theatre, set up by Kate Bramley in 1998, aims to take productions to harder to reach areas of Yorkshire and across the country.

Ms Bramley said:

“It has been a hard few years for everyone in the arts and for Badapple too.

We were delighted to have survived the covid lockdowns in good shape, making sure we found new ways to keep our communities engaged and upbeat, particularly our youth theatre. 

“But two unsuccessful requests for funding support from the Arts Council across the autumn and winter of 2022 meant we were looking at having to close the company this year. All our reserves of finance and energy had gone, quite frankly.”

She added:

“So this support means a huge amount to us and the small communities that we serve right across the country — on this upcoming project from Somerset to Northumberland — in all the small places where we can spread a bit of theatre joy and bring folk together.”

The funding will also go towards Badapple’s Youth Theatre, which meets weekly in Green Hammerton during term time. 

The company is set to embark on a national tour of the 1960s comedy Eddie and the Gold in April as part of its 25th anniversary.

Read more:

 

Mixing modern and traditional – Harrogate’s Sunday Series concerts 2023

The Harrogate International Sunday Series has announced its line up for next year.

Hosted by Harrogate International Festivals and staged in the Old Swan Hotel, the Sunday Series “coffee concerts” were an annual fixture on Harrogate’s classical music calendar before covid.

Now it is back with a programme that includes the return of a festival young musician alumnus.

The 2023 series opens on Sunday, January 29, 2023, with the current director of music at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Ashley Wass.

The internationally-renowned pianist won the London International Piano Competition in 1997, and was a prize winner at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2000.

Ashley-Wass. Image credit: Patrick Allen, Operaomnia

February features Trio Balthazar, a new chamber group, committed to imaginative, diverse programming.

Since their launch this year at Wigmore Hall, the group has appeared at the City Music Foundation’s Wigmore Hall Gala, the Rye Festival and Petworth Festival.

At the Sunday Series, the Trio present a programme where central masterpieces sit alongside diverse repertoire.

Also in February pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will be making her Harrogate debut.

Jeneba will perform a work for solo piano by Price, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in D major, and an exclusive performance for the Sunday Series.

Read More:

In March there is a performance by Japanese violinist, Coco Tomita, who first gained recognition after winning the BBC Young Musician 2020 strings category.

She will be accompanied by pianist Simon Callaghan, who performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician.

Their programme will include music from Coco’s debut album, Origins, plus works by Ravel and Beethoven.

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals chief executive, said:

“At the heart of the 2023 programme is the idea that innovation goes hand-in-hand with tradition.

“For our latest programme we are joined by a previous Young Musicians, have two of the fastest rising stars in the business making their Harrogate debut – plus it features a brand new ensemble project.

“A key aim of ours is to introduce classical music to new audiences, and I believe the line-up we are bringing to the 2023 Harrogate International Sunday Series will help achieve that.”

For further information about the Harrogate International Sunday Series 2023, and to book tickets, visit the Harrogate International Festivals website. 

Towns at centre of North Yorkshire culture strategy

North Yorkshire County Council has put town centres at the heart of its plans to revitalise culture in the county.

The council has begun to roll out its new cultural framework after two years of consultations across the county.

A report for the framework found that the pandemic had a large impact on town centre visitor numbers.

Along with the growth of online shopping, it argued that high streets needed new ways of staying relevant, with cultural attractions seen as key.

The report states that:

“Town centres traditionally serve their rural hinterland’s needs for retail and civic amenities but as shopping and banking move online culture can help in animating spaces through activity or art, driving footfall and creating a buzz and amplifying sense of identity.”

Ideas on how to do this include promoting different towns’ heritages, installing public art and working with local stakeholders.

Over the last year, more cultural events have returned to the district’s towns as organisers recognise the important role they play in attracting visitors.

In July, Harrogate staged its first carnival since 2019, which saw street theatre, international street food and music performances. In September, the Ripon Civic Society is organising Heritage Open Days across the town and the city is also hosting a four day Poetry Festival which is growing in popularity.

A possible redevelopment of the Royal Pump Rooms Museum in Harrogate was also reported to be in the planning stage.

The 2022 Harrogate Carnival

Read More:

The consultation on the state of culture in North Yorkshire began in March 2020, before the first Covid lockdown.

The framework also recognises the impact that the lockdowns had on people’s wellbeing. It found:

“During the Covid pandemic issues of social isolation and loneliness have been exacerbated. A key factor in reducing loneliness is the social interaction experienced while participating in cultural activity.”

Other aspects of the framework concern regeneration, developing and supporting cultural industries, improving health and wellbeing, and supporting community development.

The plans are to be discussed at the county council’s area committees, including the one for the Skipton and Ripon constituency next week.

The framework was developed in partnership between the district and county councils, including Harrogate Borough Council.

 

Double the fun with this special Gilbert & Sullivan Festival offer

Sponsored by the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival.

Audiences can double their fun at the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate this year with a special buy one ticket, get one free FESTIVAL TASTER offer.

The 28th festival will open at the stunning Royal Hall on Wednesday, August 10, where it will be for 12 days of outstanding entertainment.

There will be 20 performances at the Royal Hall alongside a memorabilia fair with a programme of lectures, concerts and more.

During the festival you can enjoy shows from the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company.

The company will bring all-time favourite The Pirates of Penzance, an enchanting production of Iolanthe and a lavish, rarely performed production of Utopia Limited.

An incredible crowd in the Royal Hall for the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival.

Opera della Luna, Charles Court Opera and Forbear! Theatre will also bring HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, Patience and an all-singing and dancing production of The Gondoliers.

So, if you have never seen Gilbert & Sullivan before, or your memories flash back to The Play That Goes Wrong in a draughty village hall, then the festival organisers would like you to join in the fun this year and see just how well it can be done.

There’s never been a better time to get involved with a rare buy one ticket, get one free offer. All you need to do is use code TASTER22 on the Gilbert & Sullivan website or by calling 01422 323252. This offer expires on Friday, August 9, 2022.

Knaresborough’s 10-day arts festival set to begin

One of the largest annual arts festivals in the Harrogate district is set to get underway.

Feva, the festival of entertainment and visual arts, takes place at a host of venues in Knaresborough from August 12 to 21.

Supported by Knaresborough Town Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Knaresborough Lions and Piccadilly Motors, this will be its 26th year.

The festival traditionally ends with the free picnic in the park in the grounds of Knaresborough House on the final Saturday.

The picnic is due to take place this year but there will also be a folk festival the following day. Street entertainers will perform in Knaresborough throughout the festival.

Snake Davis

Headline acts include saxophonist Snake Davis (pictured above), who will be appearing with his Alligator Shoes band at King James’s School on August 16.

A new feature this year is a children’s art day.

About 40 events will take place at more than 20 venues over the 10 days.

Read more:

Many shops decorate their windows pink in support of the arts event.

Gwen Lloyd, chairperson of the committee for Feva, which is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers, said:

“The whole ethos of Feva is that it’s a community festival run for the community.

“It encompasses the whole of the town and we try to ensure there are lots of free events.”

Knaresborough FEVA dry land sync swimming

Yorkshire Life Aquatic performed dry land synchronised swimming last year.

Sculpture trail opens at Newby Hall

Newby Hall has opened a new sculpture trail.

Newby22 features work from established and emerging artists in the gardens of the stately home near Ripon.

The exhibition includes 40 pieces from 21 artists in a range of mediums from bronze and stone to resins and galvanised wire or glass.

Newby artist in residence during the Queen’s platinum jubilee Freddy Paske and Knaresborough sculptor and prop maker Ben Greenwoodvare among those exhibiting.

Another Harrogate district artist displaying is Joseph Hayton, from Pateley Bridge.

Ruin by Joseph Hayton

Built in the 1690s, Newby Hall is the Compton family home.

Orlando Compton, son of owners Richard and Lucinda, assembled the collection. He said:

“It is thrilling to be able to stage our sculpture exhibition again after the pandemic enforced a two-year break.

“The exhibition features stunning artworks from artists from across the country and we are delighted to be able to showcase their talent to visitors over the coming months.

“This year’s exhibition is truly spectacular and demonstrates why art and culture are such an important part of life’s experiences.”

Blue Marlin by Graham Anderton

Read more:

This is the 17th year Newby Hall has held a sculpture exhibition.

It is open to the public until October 3. Admittance is included in the ticket price for the hall and gardens.

All the sculptures are for sale directly from Newby Hall.

 

Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to host spectacular fire and light show

Harrogate’s Valley Gardens will host a spectacular series of displays next month that celebrate fire, light and water.

Harrogate International Festivals has teamed up with outdoor events company Culture Creative for the event, which is being billed as ‘The Fire and Light Experience – a trail of blaze and brilliance through the Valley Gardens’.

Taking place from dusk until 10pm on the nights of Thursday, March 24 to Saturday, March 26, it will be HIF’s first event of 2022 and is being part-funded by Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Business Improvement District.

Culture Creative specialises in creating shows in heritage and landscape settings. Its clients include Kew Gardens, Blenheim Palace, The National Trust and English Heritage.

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals’ chief executive, said:

“The town is famed for its waters, and this arts installation will bring all the elements of nature alive – earth, air, water and fire – in a spectacle of brilliance and blaze.

“With covid having cast a dark shadow for almost two years, we wanted to create a magical experience for the whole family to marvel at. And those who venture into the Valley Gardens will find themselves immersed in a trail of discovery, and one where they will be able to reimagine the natural world around them.

“They will lose themselves in the magic of nature, as each twist and turn reveals a new picture of tranquillity and wonder.”

Tickets for the event, priced at £12 for adults, £6 for 5-16-year-olds, and under-fives go free. You can buy tickets from the Harrogate International Festival website.

Read More: 

 

Harrogate competitive festival returns seeking new competitors

The Harrogate Competitive Festival for Music, Speech and Drama is set to return this year after a break due to covid.

The festival, which featured nearly 2,000 competitors when it was last held in full in 2019, will run over three weekends in March. The deadline for submitting entries is this Saturday.

Previous winners have gone on to perform in West End shows and compete in BBC Young Musician and BBC Radio 2 Chorister of the Year.

This year, young champions of music, speech and drama have the added incentive of a £250 prize and an invitation to a residential course in their respective disciplines.

The competition was cut short in 2020 by the first national lockdown and was cancelled in 2021.

With nearly 200 different categories to enter, festival chairman Paul Dutton hopes there is something for everyone this year:

“We have missed being part of Harrogate’s cultural legacy, it is one of the most prestigious arts events in Harrogate but, this year we are back with a bang. We really don’t want people to miss this opportunity to be part of our amazing festival.”

Paul Dutton

Paul Dutton

The festival began in 1936 as a music competition run by the borough council and a voluntary committee. Since then, the categories have expanded into speech and drama and the festival is now run entirely by volunteers as a registered charity.

The festival will take place at Harrogate High School over the first three weekends of March.

Further information is available here and hard copies of the syllabus can be found at local music shops and libraries.

 

All-female cast to perform first show by new Harrogate theatre company

A new theatre company is to give its first performances this month with an all-female cast.

Actor Tony Kirkland set up HG1 Productions last year after he moved to the area and wanted to get involved with the local arts community.

The company aims to produce lesser-known plays about topical issues.

The first shows, called Doris Day and Fatal Light, are two short plays performed by an eight-person cast depicting the realities women face in the criminal justice system.

Doris Day, written by E V Crowe and directed by company member Fiona Hunt, follows the lives of two new female police officers as they negotiate the subtle misogyny they encounter every day.

Fatal Light, written by Chloe Moss and directed by Tony Kirkland, looks at the life of a struggling single mother who falls through the cracks of social services and the justice system.

Both plays last around 45 minutes and will be performed at St Wilfrid’s Church in Harrogate on January 21 and 22.

Ms Hunt said:

“The aim was to create something unique and I think we’ve done that. It’s really exciting for me — similar to Tony I moved to Harrogate last year and wanted to get involved in the arts community.

“I’ve found HG1 Productions to be a really good way to do that, there’s already a lot of great arts groups here but we’re hoping to do something a little different.”

Read more:

The female cast ranges in age from 12 to 50s. It is hoped the company’s debut performances will generate an eagerness for further productions.

Mr Kirkland said he is always looking for more people to get involved in future shows, both backstage and on stage. He can be contacted at kirklandanthony@hotmail.com.

To find out more about the forthcoming shows, click here.

Rural art studio in Knaresborough a hub for creativity and mindfulness

Hopewell Studios in Knaresborough is a unique space in the district that offers a vast array of classes from photography, painting, drawing and floristry to dance.

Creating the studios has been a labour of love for photographer and artist Edward Webster.

He recently converted three sheds on his brother’s farm on Hay-a-Park Lane into the space.

Mr Webster wants the rural and rustic setting to encourage not just creativity but wellness and mindfulness too.

Hopewell Studios

‘A lifelong passion’

Dotted around the studios are 35mm, medium format and large format cameras. Some date back to the 19th century.

But they are not just ornaments, Mr Webster has rescued and rebuilt them to teach people how to use them. He said:

“It’s a lifelong passion”.

Photography has never been more instant thanks to smartphones, but Mr Webster wants to demystify film and show that it is accessible too. The studio has what he believes is the only professional darkroom in the district to create high-quality photos.

“Once you know about how film photography works you can work with it really creatively. It’s just a tool, same as a chisel, a paintbrush or pencil. You can let your creativity flow and if you teach it properly it’s accessible to anybody.”

Read more:

When the Stray Ferret visited the studio, Mr Webster printed our logo using a process called salt printing. It’s one of the oldest forms of photography and dates back to the 1830s.

Mr Webster still enjoys the “magic” of film.

“That’s why I still like teaching it. It’s real and tangible. We see so many images today. One every second on Facebook. You’re looking and not seeing them.”

Edward Webster in the darkroom

Photographer Alex Heron helps out with social media and web design for the studio. She added:

“Film’s had a resurgence. It’s a huge thing now for young people who are so into shooting film. It’s cool and trendy.”

‘Enjoying the magic’

As well as the indoor studios, visitors can also make the most of a private woodland to use nature and wildlife as a muse.

They are also currently building a kiln to teach ceramics.

Mr Webster said he hopes visitors can find inspiration through traditional artistic processes taught by experienced teachers.

Find out more about classes here.

Mr Webster added:

“It’s about coming in here and enjoying the magic”

Mr Webster used salt printing to reproduce our logo.