The Arts
The first ever Victorian Nights Festival to take place in North Norfolk in May 2012
From 18 – 20 May 2012, the North Norfolk towns of Cromer, Sheringham and Wells-next-the-Sea will be transported back to the Victorian Britain thanks to a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The first ever Victorian Nights festival will celebrate the lavish Victorian Age, a significant period in North Norfolk’s history, as it heralded the coming of the railways and marked North Norfolk as the popular holiday destination for tourists it remains today.
Participating venues in the three towns will be opening their doors after-hours for a packed programme of FREE events to entertain and amaze. The programme features Victorian fire eaters, escapologists, an old fashioned photo parlour, fairground attractions, circus acts, a steam train ride, cottage craft workshops, film, guided walks and the chance to meet lots of costumed characters. All the events are aimed at families, the local community and visitors to the area. Most events are drop-in, but some must be pre-booked. See the Victorian Nights leaflet for more details or see the full Victorian Nights Events List.
The festival is part of the national Museums at Night campaign, the annual after-hours celebration of arts, history and heritage. The campaign is co-ordinated by Culture 24, a not-for-profit online publisher, working across the arts, heritage, education and tourism sectors.
The initiative is the work of eight cultural organisations across the three towns: Cromer Museum, RNLI Henry Blogg Museum, Cromer Preservation Society, North Norfolk Railway, The Mo Museum, Sheringham Little Theatre, Sheringham Preservation Society and Wells Maltings. The project is being co-ordinated by Laura Crossley, a freelance museums and heritage consultant.
As well as going along to the exciting events, there are lots of opportunities for local people to get involved with Victorian Nights. The festival’s volunteer programme features a range of interesting roles, from marketing, to photography, to driving a minibus! A special volunteer scheme, in co-operation with the Norfolk Library Service, will see 20 local people attend a certificated literacy and blogging training course, before promoting the festival via fortnightly blogs. A dedicated schools programme will also give local children the opportunity to get involved via a competition and education pack which can be used in schools. The organisers would also like to invite local businesses to take part in the fun by opening late during the festival.
To find out more about this exciting new project, or to get involved, please visit: www.victoriannightsnorthnorfolk.com. Victorian Nights can also be found on Facebook (Victorian Nights North Norfolk) and Twitter (@victoriannights).
Double-Entendre Delight As Soap Stars Take The Stage In Classic Comedy
Funny Peculiar - Craig Gazey as Trevor Tinsley
Prepare for some near-the-knuckle gags and dozens of double-entendres as a host of soap and TV stars take to the Norwich Theatre Royal stage in the revival of a classic comedy.
Mike Stott’s award-winning Funny Peculiar stars soap favourite Craig Gazey who played Graeme Proctor in Coronation Street – which helped him win the Best Newcomer gong in the recent National Television Awards.
He joins an all-star cast in the comedy, which runs from April 30-May 5 and also stars Vicky Entwistle, (who played the feisty Janice Battersby in Coronation Street).
The cast also includes Gemma Bissix who has starred in both Hollyoaks and EastEnders, and Steven Blakeley who was a hit in ITV’s Sunday night TV favourite Heartbeat.
It follows the story of small-town grocer Trevor Tinsley who seems to have it all with a devoted wife and a new baby. Unfortunately, he gets tempted by the charms of his next-door neighbour prompting a host of misadventures bringing him into conflict with his strait-laced community.
John Bultitude, of Norwich Theatre Royal, said: “Mike Stott’s comedies are renowned for celebrating the humour of everyday life and this is no exception. Expect some real laugh-out-loud moments and the chance to relish in the misadventures of some true British characters.
“Bear in mind, this does feature some near-the-knuckle comedy and is very much an adult show with some X-rated themes, so leave the kids at home.”
Funny Peculiar - Gemma Bissix as Shirley Smith and Craig Gazey as Trevor Tinsley.
Funny Peculiar, Monday 30 April-Saturday 5 May at 7.30pm, and Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets £5.50-£22. Contains some strong language and adult humour, and is not suitable for children. Discounts for Friends, Corporate Club and Groups.
BOX OFFICE 01603 630000. Click link for more info or to BOOK ONLINE.
BIG COUNTRY TO PLAY CLASSIC DEBUT ALBUM LIVE FOR 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Big Country, 2012.
Big Country, the cult Scottish rock band who formed in November 1981, kick-off their 30th anniversary celebrations by performing their classic 1983 debut album The Crossing live in its entirety during a thirteen-date tour of the U.K. in February 2012. This includes an appearance at the UEA in Norwich on February 13th.
An international best seller, The Crossing sold over 2 million copies in the UK, spawning 2 Top Ten hits and spending 84 consecutive weeks on the Music Week album chart. Scheduled for release on February 6th 2012, the deluxe edition of the album will come with a wealth of previously unreleased demos and mixes, available on 2CD, double-vinyl and digital download formats.
In announcing the ‘Crossing The Country Tour’, bassist Tony Butler says, “It’s typical to write an album and only play a few songs from it, so to get the opportunity to play an entire album is very cool. This tour will give us the chance to play songs never performed before alongside the well-known ones, songs that were written but didn’t make it on to the album, and the associated ‘b side’ material. We can’t wait.”
Big Country, who on November 19th will receive the inaugural ‘Pride of Scotland Award’ at the annual Nordoff Robbins Tartan Clef event held in Glasgow, reformed with The Alarm’s Mike Peters on lead vocal duties in place of the late Stuart Adamson, who passed away in 2001, for two sold-out UK tours and main stage festival appearances including The Isle of Wight Festival, T in The Park, Oxegen and V Festival during 2011. In addition, Big Country re-united with The Crossing’s producer Steve Lillywhite to release their first single in 12 years, ‘Another Country’.
The Crossing tour will also precede the release of a new studio album, scheduled for release in autumn 2012.
Big Country’s ‘Crossing The Country Tour’ dates are as follows:
Feb. 3: Academy, Manchester, U.K.
Feb. 4: O2 Academy, Liverpool, U.K.
Feb. 6: Barrowland, Glasgow, U.K.
Feb. 7: Alhambra, Dunfermline, U.K.
Feb. 8: O2 Academy, Newcastle, U.K.
Feb. 9: O2 Academy, Leeds, U.K.
Feb. 11: O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, U.K.
Feb. 12: Hexagon, Reading, U.K.
Feb. 13: UEA, Norwich, U.K.
Feb. 15: O2 Academy, Bristol, U.K.
Feb. 16: Rock City, Nottingham, U.K.
Feb. 17: O2 Academy, Birmingham, U.K.
Feb. 18: O2 Academy, Sheffield, U.K.
Tickets are on sale now priced £22.50 from www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk.
The Crossing (2 CD Deluxe Edition) is available to pre-order now on Amazon: http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/111031182341
- 18/05/2012 - Victorian Shell Artistry May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - Shipwrecked! Back to 1897 May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - A Walk Through Time: The Victorians May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - Norwich 20 Group – Looking into 20 – paintings and sculpture at The Forum May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - Tony Foster Paintings/Angela Harding Prints May 18, 2012