JUNE 28, 2023
Theatre Picks In Bath
Sat 1 Jul. Rondo Theatre. The Marriage of Figaro . 7:30pm. Bath Opera bring Mozart’s comic opera to the city following a short tour. The production is set at Almaviva Studios, a big budget film studio in the 1950s run by a powerful and influential producer who insists on being called “The Count”.
Sat-Sun,1-2 Jul. Egg Theatre. The Snail and The Whale. Various performance times. A play with music inspired by the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Join an adventurous young girl and her seafaring father as they re-imagine the story of a tiny snail’s incredible trip around the world.
Tue 4-Wed 5 Jul. Masonic Hall at Old Theatre Royal The Haunting of Richard the Third. 7:30pm. The eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field: Richard the Third passes an uneasy night, visited by spectres who lead him through the journey of his life. This Richard is neither the villain of Shakespeare nor the hero of romantic fiction. He is driven to tragedy by a love for his family and political circumstances. The play was premiered at the Frome Festival last year by Kairos Theatre, a local company, who are now taking the production on a short tour.
Tue 4-Sat 8 Jul. Mission Theatre. A Streetcar Named Desire. Nightly at 7:30pm with a Sat matinee. Tennessee Williams’ drama set in New Orleans – a powerful portrayal of love, lust and loneliness.
Wed 5-Sat 8 Jul. Rondo Theatre. Henry VI. 7:30pm. Rondo Theatre Company produces William Shakespeare’s trilogy of history plays (adapted by Nic Proud) in support of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. For students of the bard and for those who have not seen this classic of the canon – it’s a don’t miss.
Tue-Sat, 20-22 Jul. Kingswood Theatre, Lansdown. Oliver! With the students of Bath Theatre School who stage the musical version of the Charles Dickens’ novel with Lionel Bart’s Oliver!
Fri 21 Jul. Julian Slade Theatre, Prior Park College. The Marriage of Figaro. Bath Opera bring Mozart’s comic opera to the city following a short tour. The production is set at Almaviva Studios, a big budget film studio in the 1950s run by a powerful and influential producer who insists on being called “The Count”.
12-16 Sep. Theatre Royal Bath. Oliver! Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1838 novel Oliver Twist and the stage musical and film by Bath Light Operatic Group.
Theatre Picks Outside Bath
Wed 5-Thu 6 Jul. Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. Sense And Sensibility. Jane Austen’s story of the Dashwood sisters is brought to the Studio in Cheltenham by Hotbuckle, in this new version by Adrian Preater.
Wed–Sat, 13-15 Jul. Tobacco Factory. The Cherry Orchard. Bristol School of Acting stage Anton Chekhov’s powerful evocation of a world on the brink of immense social change.
Pick of Diary Events in Bath
Sat- Sun, 1-2 Jul. 165 Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3PX. Sculpture to Enhance a Garden. ‘Sculpture to Enhance a Garden’ returns for its 9th year with three amazing sculptors – Daren Greenhow, Steve Mansfield, Jacquie Primrose – who will be exhibiting their work in this Bath in Bloom gold medal winning garden. Opening in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme (NGS) which supports nursing charities this opening will also raise money for The Peggy Dodd Centre in Combe Down which supports those suffering from memory loss and their carers. Delicious homemade cakes, scones and light lunches are served. Pieces of sculpture are for sale. Entrance £5 at the gate or in advance. 07793085267. helen@thehiddengardensofbath.co.uk
Sat 1 Jul-Sat 23 Dec. Old Theatre Royal Tours. Every Tues, Weds, Thurs and Sats. 11am and 2.30pm. A tour of The Masonic Hall in Bath, also know as the Old Theatre Royal. Book with Bath Box Office.
Wed 5 Jul. Mr B’s Emporium. Storytime every Wednesday at 10am. Bookseller Becky brings stories to life.
Wed 5 Jul. Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. The Stench. Air Foul and Fair Through Bath’s History. 7.30pm. The Museum of Bath at Work, Stuart Burroughs talks four-smelling air and worse from the city’s smelly past.
Sat 8 Jul. Bath Carnival. Sydney Gardens. The all day event starts at 10am and finishes in Sydney Gardens at 10pm with a festival featuring live music, workshops, stands and local traders. At 3pm there is a carnival procession from the Recreation Ground and through the streets of the city.
Sat 8 Jul. Bath Abbey. Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Bath Bach Choir. Matthew Brook and Southern Sinfonia. With Laura Lolita Perešivana soprano; Lotte Betts-Dean mezzo soprano; James Way tenor; Matthew Brook baritone; Marcus Sealy continuo.
Sat 8 Jul. Burdall’s Yard. Bath Guitar School Student Showcase. Students from Bath Guitar School return for their bi-annual Student Showcase from 7pm.
Sun 9 Jul. Assembly Rooms meet up. Guided walk in Royal Victoria Park and the Botanical Gardens led by Hugh Williamson, Mayor’s Guide and tree enthusiast. 10.30am. Book on Bath Scape’s website.
Wed 12 Jul. Widcombe Wayfarers Walking Wednesdays. We meet on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, starting at 10am at the west end of Widcombe Parade. Walks last between 1-2 hours and are medium paced. Come dressed for the weather, with suitable footwear and be prepared for a few climbs.Registration not necessary – just turn up!
Wed 12 Jul. Komedia. Edinbuirgh Previews. Rosie Holt and Sooz Kempner warm up shows before heading north. There are a number of stand up comedy shows at the venue this month.
Sat 15 Jul. Fun Day. Larkhall Sports Club. Community event with stalls, activities, and demonstrations from local groups.
Sat 15 Jul. Chapel Arts. Nicki Leighton Thomas. Music from the Bathonian.
Sun 16 Jul. Jane Austen Dancers. Hot Bath Street. From 1pm. Charming public dancing by folk who appear to have stepped out of a Jane Austen novel.
Mon 17-Sat 29 Jul. Pre Edinburgh Festival Comedy Previews. The Hop Pole. Two weeks of stand-up comedy from those off to Edinburgh organised by Bath Comedy.
Fri 21 Jul. Burdall’s Yard. Sexton and Fowler. Sharon Sexton and Rob Fowler Sing the Musicals for fundraising for Dorothy House Hospice.
Sun 23 Jul. Bloomfield Road Allotments. Mikron Theatre’s Twitchers. 1pm. Ornithological themed play.
Sun 6 Aug. Holburne Museum. Music Concert. Featuring a debut of a young and up-coming keyboard player, Domenika Maszczyńska, (pictured) who will play the Holburne’s Schantz fortepiano, accompanied by Sam Brown playing the romantic guitar. They will perform virtuoso music by Schubert, Rossini and Giuliani among others – it promises to be a very special occasion of wonderful music-making. Friends of the Museum event. More at https://www.holburne.org/
Sat 12 Aug. The Boundary Stones of Widcombe History Walk. A walk round part of the old boundary of Widcombe, locating the remaining boundary stones from 1894 and finding out some fascinating local history on the way. The walk will be led by local experts Jeremy Boss and Sian Lewis. The walk is approx 3.5 miles and includes some steep hills. It should take around 2.5 hours. Joining instructions will be found on your booking email which will also be your ticket for the event. There will be refreshments at the end of the walk. Booking is essential. Cost is £6 for WA members / £8 for non-members.
Pick of Diary Events outside of Bath
Sat 1 Jul. St Pauls Carnival Bristol. Bristol’s annual celebration of African and Caribbean culture, St Pauls Carnival, returns this summer to the city’s streets under the theme of Learning from Legends.
7-9 July. Priddy Folk Festival. With a line up of bands including The Drystones and The Jeremiahs plus a free fringe festival, a children’s festival, workshops, food and drink and dance from morris sides and display dance groups and ceilidhs. Priddy is a small village with a famous green in the Mendips. Tickets/info at www.priddyfolk.org
Fri 14-Sun 16 Jul. Bristol Harbour Festival. Free programme of music, dance, circus acts, maritime displays and more. Visitors can visit five performance areas around the harbour. It does get very crowded but always something to see.
Thu 10-Sun 13 Aug. Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Free but not the carpark which can have long queues but with mass ascents of over 100 hot air balloons scheduled for early morning and teatime each day, plus Night Glow shows and fireworks its a family friendly event in the beautiful grounds of Ashton Court Estate.
Exhibition Picks in Bath
American Museum, Bath. Claverton. The Museum features collections from the United States where you can visit room sets that recreate periods of American history giving the feeling that someone has just stepped out, as well as our world-renowned folk art, quilt and map collections. The Exhibition Gallery has a rotating programme of temporary exhibitions with America in Crisis from 11 March to 4 July 2023. America in Crisis brings together over 80 works from 39 top American photographers, exploring social change in the US through the lens of a diverse group of artists from the 1960s till today. Next up is a Lego exhibition called Brick America.
Museum of Bath at Work. Julian Rd, Bath BA1 2RH. A Visual Record of a City at Work exhibition continues with photos and videos. Enter the world of working Bath through a series of authentically reconstructed workplaces, workshops and display galleries. Two thousand years of working life are on display from a Victorian ironmongers and engineering works, a soft drinks making factory and even a Bath Stone mine working, all on show in a former Real Tennis court, dating from 1777. Displays in two galleries: Landscapes and Livelihoods and Knowing Your Place.
Victoria Art Gallery. Kaffe Fassett: Timeless Themes – New Quilts. 1 July 2023 to 1 October 2023. This vibrant exhibition showcases 23 large new quilts and ties in with Kaffe’s forthcoming book, Timeless Themes. Also Candace Bahouth: Enchanted Visions for the same period – Candace Bahouth creates grand rococo mirrors decorated with porcelain and china pieces.
Bath Assembly Rooms. Forest of Imagination. To 14 July. Immerse yourself in multi-sensory installations, join artists’ workshops, and explore a whole host of creative and community projects. Forest of Imagination invites everyone to collectively imagine how things can be different in our world, and explore more hopeful futures..
Herschel Museum of Astronomy. Commemorating 200 years since the death of William Herschel. Star Viewfinders. Come and make a star viewfinder and take part in the National Star Count. Find out how light pollution can affect our views of the constellations and see how many stars you can spot from your back garden. Drop in activity. Free with museum entry. Activity will run daily in the gallery.
Museum of East Asian Art. MEAA’s collections consist of some 2,000 objects. The majority of these are of Chinese origin, spanning from 5,000 BC to the present. The collections also contain artefacts from Japan and Korea and a number of countries in South East Asia.
Burdell’s Yard. Art exhibition. Free.
Exhibition Picks outside Bath
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road. The art of Japanese porcelain. The exhibition examines how Japan became the global leading makers of porcelain between 1640 and 1680. Until 30 July 2023. The Cave Art of Lascaux: a Virtual Reality Experience at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Step back in time 21,000 years and visit the incredible Stone Age cave art of Lascaux in immersive 3D. Until 10 Sept 2023.
Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan is a new exhibition celebrating the rich culture of prehistoric Japan. Through a number of exquisite objects, some seen for the first time outside of Japan, the exhibition tells the story of Japanese settlements and stone circles of the middle and late Jomon periods, roughly the same time when Stonehenge was built and used. Until 20 August 2023.
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