WINCHESTER Discovery Centre has announced a varied autumn season ranging from blues and indie music to literary events.
Recently voted `Female Vocalist of the Year’ at the British Blues Awards, Jo Harman visits on October 17. She is widely regarded as the most exciting blues artist to emerge in Europe for decades.
Her soul fuelled show ranges from hard driven rock to intimate, heart warming ballads featuring her own emotive song writing and her take on well known standards.
On 30 October, His Way – The Frank Sinatra Story will tell his remarkable story, including performances of the wonderful songs associated with `Ol Blue Eyes’.
This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of his birth.
One of the best blues slide guitarists, Kent Duchaine, The American Delta Bluesman, has spent his entire adult life playing alongside, travelling with and learning from the masters of blues music, and he visits Winchester on November 6.
Iconic frontman of Echo & The Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch (pictured above) plays the Centre on November 28.
The band gave us hit albums and singles such as The Cutter, Seven Seas, Bring on the Dancing Horses, The Killing Moon and Nothing Lasts Forever.
Ian McCulloch will give for a rare solo performance featuring stripped down versions of classic Bunnymen tracks as well as songs from his own solo catalogue.
The Gallery exhibit Dinosaurs in Your Garden continues until October 3. Then from October 17 to January 17, the gallery presents Ralph Steadman A Retrospective - one of the most important British graphic artists of the last fifty years.
City Space welcomes back the Winchester Art Club Annual Exhibition September 12 to October 4, followed by Chalk hub – Part of 10 Days, the biennial interdisciplinary arts platform across Winchester, October 10 to November 7, and Black to White – wood engravings by four local artists, November 14 to January 10.
On what used to be the rear wall of the Corn Exchange building, WallSpace Gallery exhibits Rob Luckins – Nepali Community Project until September 13; from September 16 to October 14 artist, Chris Riley; 19 October to 15 November Bergina Leka – Street Photography, and from November 18 to December 16, artist, Mike Newlyn.
The season of Family Sundays shows begin with Theo the Mouse on October 11 – a unique family variety show written and devised by Wink Taylor, the writer behind The Basil Brush Show and The Sooty Show.
On October 18 find out What to Do When You Find a Dinosaur. Discover a pre-historic story in this bone-shaking, music-making, belly-aching show for everyone aged 4-8 years.
As part of the Winchester Children’s Book Festival, on Wednesday October 28 Blunderbus Theatre returns with Duck in the Truck, based on the best-selling book by Jez Alborough.
Jo Harman.
Children can take part in the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alan in Wonderland on Sunday November 8. And on Sunday November 15 the classic tale of The Elves and the Shoemaker is brought to life by Theatre of Widdershins.
The Family Sundays season ends with a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s short story The Selfish Giant on November 22. Don’t Go Into the Cellar! Theatre Company, the British Empire’s finest practitioners of theatrical Victoriana in a macabre vein, present The Singular Exploits of Sherlock Holmes on Friday November 20, featuring the great detective recounting highlights of his crime-busting career.
In December the Centre welcomes back Blunderbus with another enchanting children’s production, from the classic children’s book by Jill Tomlinson – The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. (December 17- 24).
The bumper line up of literature events in September stars with Jane Robinson, who in this centenary year of the Women’s Institute talk about her book A Force to be Reckoned With.
The festival season begins October 1-4 when the Winchester Comedy Festival presents Hal Cruttenden – Straight Out of Cruttenden (October 1), Christian O’Connell – You’ve Ruined My Morning…and Other Fan Mail (October 2), Sara Pascoe – Stand Up Lady (October 3), The Noise Next Door on Tour (October 4), and , for the hole family, Comedy Club for Kids (October 4).
This is followed by 10 Days 2015 CHALK from October 10 – November 7. The biennial interdiscliplinary arts platform across Winchester invites you to join over 100 artists and writers in exhibitions and events on the theme of CHALK.
The Winchester Children’s Book Festival runs from October 24 – November 1.
More information at: www.facebook.com/winchesterchildrensbookfestival.
Book by phone on 01962 873603 or at www.hants.gov.uk/wdc.
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