Have you noticed pairs of red and blue balloons are appearing around Rye at prominent sites in the Citadel? And then disappearing almost as quickly as they have floated?
Far from signalling the start of a World War I artillery barrage the balloons have gone up around town as notice that Rye Arts Festival starts on September 15. And one of the main themes of the 2018 Rye Arts Festival is the commemoration of the centenary of the ending of the Great War, so what more appropriate than flying a pair of balloons ahead of the action?
Even more to the point the red and blue balloons have been taken from the poster of the opera Les Mamelles de Tiresias, which has performances in the Milligan Theatre at Rye College on Saturday September 22 and Saturday September 29. And balloons, and their release, play a central role in the action, which is all about a country devastated by war and with a shortage of men, leading to the women taking control and turning into men!
For more information about the opera and the 60 other events at this year’s Festival go to www.ryeartsfestival.org.uk or drop into the Box Office at Phillips & Stubbs.
Image Credits: Rye Arts Festival .