Culture

Rye Studio School students helped to design and produce the sets and costumes for the opera "La Traviata" at the start of the Arts Festival, led by conductor and stage director Alisdair Kitchen and starring Icelandic soprano Rannveig Karadottir in the principal role.

Two young locals from the Rye Wurlitzer Academy, which...

What do you do when your train from Rye is cancelled and you have a bit of time on your hands? Forced to delay his commuting, Dan Scarsy took to composing - a poem

Rye Museum is holding a special exhibition during the festival season illustrating the extraordinary links - both friendly and hostile - between the town and its neighbour across the Channel, Normandy

Sir Donald Sinden who lived in Tenterden has died. John Griffiths pays tribute to the actor who for the last 19 years was president of Rye Conservation Society

Students at Rye Studio School have been heavily involved backstage in preparing for Rye Arts Festival. Their own performance kicks off with a parade. Harley Gentry, a student at the school, has been watching the preparations

Rye Harbour features an art exhibition, a caravan full of crafts and some rocking hot potatoes this weekend as the Arts Festival kicks off

High jinks, high society and hilarity at the annual dinner of the Friends of Tilling, led by Gyles Brandreth at the Mermaid - who will reappear shortly at the Rye Arts Festival on September 21, but in the Milligan Theatre this time... and after lunch.

The first performance of AP Waxkirsh's new one-man play "Spite and Smut and Tales and Lies" will take place at the historic 17th century thatched Barn Theatre, Smallhythe on Saturday September 20th at 7.00pm in the grounds of the early 16th century Smallhythe Place, home of renowned Victorian actress Ellen Terry - now owned by the National Trust. Lord Hervey (pictured) was Vice-Chamberlain at the Court of King George II and Queen Caroline.

Rye Arts Festival opens this Friday for two hectic weeks from Friday September 12th to Sunday September 28th with a free concert at the Community Centre, and some events are already sold out - or the best seats have gone. But many are still available either online from www.ryeartsfestival.co.uk or the Phillips & Stubbs' box office in Cinque Ports Street, open 9.30am to 1pm Monday - Saturday. Charlie Harkness reports on the full programme and there are further reports on our Culture page

As Scotland stands poised to vote for or against independence, a young author talks at Rye Arts Festival about Robert the Bruce, a historic figure in the fight for nationhood.

Live and breathe one man's extraordinary and dramatic journey from escape to finally returning to his homeland to witness Robert Mugabe's betrayal