The full programme of the 47th annual Rye Arts Festival has been launched. And the 60 events over a packed fortnight from September 15-30 2018 add up to what promises to be the biggest and best Festival ever.
There will be a mix of classical and contemporary music, literary talks, walks, films, drama and much more, with a mix of world-class performers from around the globe and some notable locals.
This year’s Festival has two underlying themes – the centenary of the end of World War I and the centenary of women’s suffrage – and there will be a number of events that tap into these areas, as well as others which have been put on because they are simply high-quality entertainment.
There will be a special screening of the film ‘Oh! What A Lovely War’ on Friday, September 28 – a musical directed by Richard Attenborough, much of which was shot on Brighton Pier. On Monday, September 17 the British baritone Roderick Williams will be performing songs alongside the poetry of World War I poet Ivor Gurney spoken by the actor Philip Franks.
Local artist, musician and film director Dave McKean will be performing songs and showing artworks inspired by World War I artist Paul Nash in a show called ‘Black Dog – the Dreams of Paul Nash’. The show has been performed around the UK, including Tate Britain, as well in Europe.
On a lighter note, the Festival moves on to World War II for a performance of Dad’s Army Radio Hour on Sunday, September 16. A pair of actors perform the scripts of three classic Dad’s Army episodes doing all the voices of the TV cast members with uncanny accuracy, as well as getting their mannerisms down to a tee. This is guaranteed to be one of the funniest shows seen in Rye since, well, World War II!
These events are just for starters – there are many more and, of course, they are all there simply to entertain!
For the full list of events, go to www.ryeartsfestival.org.uk . Tickets are on sale for members at the moment but go on general sale on Monday, August 6.
Photos: The Other Richard and Rye Arts Festival
Let’s hope this doesn’t remain ‘Rye’s best kept secret’ and money & expertise will be spent on advertising it properly as the Jazz Festival does.