arts richmond Newsletter of Richmond upon Thames Arts Council April 2009 Great authors at Book Picnic This year’s artsrichmond May Fair Book Picnic features two the ideas involved in the play, is a highly entertaining authors: Lee Langley (this year’s joint marvellous opportunity. For the President of artsrichmond) and Gyles Brandreth – plus the audience, it is a chance to see some chairman’s suitably ‘mystery guest’. It’s on Sunday 10 May in the talented new writers testing out their marquee on Richmond Green from 12.00 pm skills, and some of our best local actors putting their all into making Gyles Brandreth has created a new murder-solving detective, none other than the play successful. Oscar Wilde, and Lee Langley’s next novel has, intriguingly, the heroine of a Puccini opera and an American President among her characters. Previous New Writing competitions have been won by highly talented Oscar Wilde – Christopher Columbus – Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan plays which were capable of building Doyle – Napoleon Bonaparte – Walter Sickert – Voltaire – Franklin D new careers for their writers, so the Roosevelt are all among the famous characters summoned up by our eminent standard to be maintained this year is writers, who will be talking about the perils and joys of using real people in high. their fiction. You can follow them on a detective trail between history and fiction, truth and lies, at the picnic when they discuss researching and writing Tickets for the limited seats in the their books – Gyles with the scintillating world of Oscar Wilde, set in the audience for the competition are London of his time, and Lee with 18 th century France, Venice, Egypt and available from The Orange Tree Japan. Theatre Box Office in advance on 020 8940 3633 or from 12.30 pm on BRING YOUR OWN PICNIC: we provide the marquee, tables and chairs, the conversation, and a Buck’s Fizz on arrival. Tables for ten people can be Sunday 29 March, price £5.00. The reserved in advance. Doors open at 12.30 pm; the conversation will begin at plays will start at 1.15 pm, and the about 1.30 pm. awards are expected to be announced at about 5.30 pm. Tickets £12.50 (£10.00 for Friends of the Arts and Libraries – includes a welcoming glass of Buck's Fizz. More information from 020 8892 9446. Major Shakespeare New Writing March with the first play starting at Exhibition at 1.30 pm. Orleans House Competition The plays are performed in-the-round in the famous Orange Tree Theatre, From 18 April to 7 June, Orleans nce again, arts richmond Richmond, an ideal environment for House Gallery is staging a really top- provides the opportunity for demonstrating the talents involved in class national exhibition to celebrate O talented playwrights to have creating new works. Four expert the 250 th anniversary of the delivery their plays performed and assessed in judges will assess the plays, select of Roubiliac’s statue of Shakespeare a professional theatre. The 2009 the winner, and comment on why to Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare New Writing competition, organised different plays appealed or, perhaps, at Hampton, which set off a decade for arts richmond by Edie Purdue in failed to meet the aspirations of their of Shakespeare celebrations memory of her husband Roy Purdue, writers. The winner receives the Roy culminating in the first Shakespeare who was a leading light in amateur Purdue Salver and is invited to take Jubilee at Stratford-upon-Avon. The dramatics in the borough of part in a creative writing workshop at original statue is now in the British Richmond upon Thames for many the Soho Theatre in London. Library, and Garrick’s Temple has a years, has six short plays by writers For a playwright, working in the face fine copy. The Orleans House which are performed by some of the exhibition follows from the National leading local amateur dramatic of some of the toughest competition in any of the arts, the chance to have Portrait Gallery’s 2006 exhibition groups, giving the chance to see which took the search for the true entertaining, often experimental, your work performed in a theatre, with the actors bringing out the face of Shakespeare up to 1719. The works interpreted by skilled actors exhibition is given added interest by and directors. It’s on Sunday 29 emotions, the humour, the pathos and the claim – disputed by the curators - Orleans House on list for that the ’Cobbe portrait’ is the Petersham Festival original portrait of Shakespeare, top prize painted from life, from which all others were derived. The Orleans House Gallery is on a his year’s Petersham very distinguished long list for the Festival runs from 11 to 19 At Orleans House, the bust and full Art Fund Prize for Museums and April, over Easter length figures by sculptors Rysbrack, T Galleries. The citation says ‘ the weekend and week, combining its Scheemakers, Cheere and Roubiliac Gallery [the Stables block] has been now well-established mix of the will be seen alongside each other for transformed from a group of intimate with the highly the first time. The frontispiece decaying buildings into a thriving portraits from all the 18 th century and inspirational community hub for professional. A full list of events editions of Shakespeare will also be heritage, arts and learning, with can be obtained from shown with major paintings by regularly-changing contemporary and www.petershamfestival. org , and Mortimer, Hayman, de Quertenmont historical exhibitions alongside its the box office is at and Kaufmann, with a copy of permanent collection’. [email protected] Gainsborough’s double portrait of (0844 586 7644). Shakespeare and Garrick (destroyed You can support the nomination by in the Stratford Town Hall fire in completing the online form on the Highlights include the John 1946), with an original engraving, website www.artfundprize.org.uk or Williams guitar recital on plus many artefacts and engravings. by sending comments by post/in Monday 13 April in St Peter’s person to Orleans House Gallery and Church at 8.30 pm (sold out); The exhibition is curated by Iain they will placed on the site. Mackintosh, designer of the Orange (children aged 8-16 are invited to Tree Theatre in Richmond and of The winner will be announced on 18 his 15 minute warm-up at 7 pm - theatre spaces such as Glyndebourne June. Congratulations to all the queue up quietly with a and the Cottesloe, and Marcus LBRuT arts team. responsible adult at 6.50 pm), a Risdell, librarian and curator of the Young Writers performance of Handel’s Messiah Garrick Club’s collections. on Tuesday 14 April at 8.00 pm, The arrangements for the 2009 again in St Peter’s, an illustrated Sunday arts richmond competition for young talk for anyone over the age of 7 Shakespeare Shuttle writers, which attracted a record on Thursday 16 April at 11.00 am number of entries in 2008, will be at the Russell School Junior Hall: The Shakespeare Exhibition at announced shortly. The competition Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Orleans House can be combined with runs over the summer, with Beijing , by the wonderful Chinese a visit to Garrick’s Temple at workshops for hopeful participants, Hampton, built by the actor David and culminates in a highly enjoyable bamboo flautist Guo Yue from Garrick on the banks of a fine stretch awards event in the Orange Tree Richmond and his wife Clare of the Thames, with pictures Theatre. Details from 020 8892 9446 Farrow. commemorating Shakespeare and There’s a folk music night on Garrick and the fine life-sized copy Art tent at May Fair of the famous Roubiliac statue. Friday 17 April at 8.00 pm in Once again, arts richmond is inviting Petersham Village Hall with On Sunday afternoons during the painters to show, and offer for sale, Suntrap and Jo Burke, on exhibition a free shuttle bus will take affordable paintings in the Saturday 18 April an illustrated visitors between the Gallery and the arts richmond tent at the Richmond lecture by Andrew Carwood, Temple: they’ll leave the Gallery at May Fair on Saturday 9 May. Director of Music at St Paul’s 2.30, 3.30 and 4.30 and come back at Details are being circulated to art 3.00, 4.00 and 5.00 pm. Light snacks Cathedral, at 3.30 pm, in the societies, and will be available from village hall. That follows the are available both at the North 020 8892 9446 and our website. Stables Café at Orleans House and at prize-giving in the poetry the Temple, providing a fine and Two artsrichmond competition at 2.00 pm there. fascinating afternoon out. summer events The same day there are two short The exhibition is open Sundays from concerts by The Cardinall’s 2.00 to 5.30 pm, Tuesdays to Our Joint President for 2009, Lady Musick in St Peter’s at 6.30 and Saturdays from 1.00 to 5.30 pm. Panufnik, is hosting our summer 9.30 pm, and the festival finishes garden party on Saturday 11 July in on Sunday 19 April with Songs of April mailing her garden at Riverside House. And we have a special event on Thursday Praise in St Peter’s at 6.00 pm. Flyers for events in May 11 June for her photograph In between there are open studios, should be delivered to the exhibition in the Stables Gallery. an egg hunt, a 5 km run, concerts at the Dysart and rock and more arts richmond office on Eel artsrichmond website Pie Island by Thursday 16 at the Fox and Duck, wine tastings, and much more.