Mayjunelampwebversion

MAY/JUNE 2014 FREE
Shining a light on literature, art, music and performance in Somerset
This Issue Includes:
Art Exhibition at Hestercombe Under Milk Wood Taming of the Shrew
Art House Project at Som. College Field of Shadows The Walker’s Guide
Race Plan with Jeremy Browne MP Benny Goodman Concert Textile Expressions
The Return of the Blues Band Lindsey Davis Maritime History of Somerset
Roger McGough at Tacchi-Morris Worbey & Farrell How To Be Well Read
Simply English with Simon Heffer Calendar of Events So You Want to Write a Novel
The Boy Who Fell into a Book @2K and Abigail’s Party Poetry Corner & Short Story
Taunton Male Voice Choir Dinah Jefferies My Favourite

Contents
05 Leaping The Fence: First Art Exhibition at Hestercombe House
06 All Systems Go for Somerset College’s Arts House Project
08 Race Plan: MP Jeremy Browne
10 The Blues Band Returns
12 As Far As I Know: Roger McGough
14 Simply English: Simon Heffer
15 The Boy Who Fell Into a Book: Warehouse Theatre, Ilminster
17 Some Enchanted Evening: Taunton Male Voice Choir
18 Under Milk Wood at the Corfe Festival
20 Field of Shadows: Dan Waddell
21 Benny Goodman’s Carnegie Hall Concert
22 Enemies at Home: Lindsey Davis
23 Worbey and Farrell at Yeovil and Weston-Super-Mare
24 Calendar of Events for May and June
28 Art Exhibitions for May and June
29 Workshops, Courses and Classes for May and June
32 @2K Looking Forward to Abigail’s Party
33 The Separation: Dinah Jefferies
34 Taunton Thespians Summer Tour
36 The Walker’s Guide: Tristan Gooley
37 Textile Expressions at Ilminster Arts Centre
39 A Maritime History of Somerset, vol 2
41 How To Be Well Read: John Sutherland
42 So You Want to Write a Novel with Writers Anon
43 Poetry Corner: Elizabeth Rapp
44 Short Story: Tony Woods
45 My Favourite with Victoria Rayson
Editor: Lionel Ward
Copy Editor: Jo Ward
All enquiries:
lampmagazine1@gmail.com
01823 337742
www.lampmagazine.co.uk
c/o Brendon Books,
Bath Place, Taunton
TA1 4ER
The views expressed in Lamp are
not necessarily those of the editorial
team. Copyright, unless otherwise
stated, is that of the magazine or the
individual authors. We do not accept
liability for the content or accuracy
of the magazine including that of the
advertisers.
Welcome to
the May and
June edition
of LAMP.
This one is
jammed-
packed with content - and
we would love to put in
even more. We just need a
bit more advertising so we
can pay for the extra pages
for the worthwhile cause
of highlighting our local
cultural offerings - poten-
tial business advertisers
please note!
We are pleased this
month, in particular, to
be able highlight some of
our hardworking amdram
theatre groups.

4

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Would you like to receive a
weekly email newsletter from
Brendon Books regarding
our extensive range of book
talks and information on the
autumn literary festival as it
becomes available?
If so please send your request
to brendonbooks@gmail.com
or visit Brendon Books at Bath
Place Taunton TA1 4ER or
telephone 01823 337742

5
Hestercombe has always had
a place at the leading edge
of creativity. The beautiful
gardens, ground-breaking in
their time, were designed by
individuals who were artists
as well as gardeners, from
Bampfylde who employed
the artists’ technique of
borrowed views in the land-
scape to Jekyll and Lutyens
with their inspired mix of
architecture and planting
design in the formal gar-
dens. Now the next great
creative step is being made
at Hestercombe.
Thanks to funding from Arts Coun-
cil England and others a year long
programme of arts activity is under-
way, kicking off in late spring with
Hestercombe’s first art exhibition in
Hestercombe House. Open from 24th
May ‘Leaping the Fence’ will celebrate
contemporary art created over the last
25 years and will feature works from
ground breaking artists such as Tracey
Emin, Mark Wallinger, Mark Quinn,
Mike Nelson and Susan Philipsz among
others, many of them Turner Prize win-
ners and nominees. It will cover diverse
art forms ranging from sound, light
and film works, to sculpture and digital
works on paper. Exploring themes such
as the human relationship to landscape
and gardens and broader socio-political
ideas the show will provide a unique
opportunity to engage with thought
provoking pieces rarely seen in the
South West.
This new artistic venture has been made
possible since the reuniting of Hester-
combe House with the rest of the estate
after 60 years of the former being under
local authority control. Sensitive resto-
ration work has created a gallery made up
of simple spaces, stripped to reveal their
architectural heritage, creating a neutral
but elegant backdrop for the exhibition
pieces.
‘The last 20 years at Hestercombe have
involved thousands of hours of work to
uncover the almost lost, astonishingly
beautiful, creative landscape. With this
work all but complete we’re thrilled to be
stepping forward and making this new ex-
ploration of art and beauty. Our long term
intention is to create a stimulating and
relevant gallery space for the South West
and to provide an environment where
new works can also be made; ultimately
creating a future as exciting and inspiring
as our past’ says Chief Executive of the
Hestercombe Gardens Trust, Philip
White MBE.
In addition, art is already in the making
at Hestercombe as artist in residence,
Jo Lathwood gets to work on pieces
inspired by the beautiful setting of the
estate. Visitors can watch her at work in
her studio adjacent to the new gallery.
It promises to be a challenging and ex-
citing year for the Hestercombe Gardens
Trust charity as it makes its mark on the
art world in the South West with the
opening of the new gallery and ‘Leaping
the Fence’ its first exhibition. A second
exhibition will follow in October.
‘Leaping The Fence’ opens to the pub-
lic Saturday May 24th.
Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitz-
paine, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 8LG
01823 413923 www.hestercombe.com
Leaping the Fence
Hestercombe House, recently acquired by the Hestercombe Gardens Trust. The inaugural art
exhibition will take place on 24th May.

6
List of works to appear at Hestercombe Gallery-
from Arts Council Collections
Steve Johnson Binoculars (charm no 9)
Mark Hosking Untitled (Lowland Rice)
Ruth Claxton Nest (Turquoise Loops)
Adam Chodzko Untitled Stile
Spartacus Chetwynd The road to Dover (film) Marc
Quinn Garden x 3 ( nos. 2, 4, 7)
Mark Wallinger Angel (film)
Mike Nelson Taylor
Janice Kerbel Nick Silver Can’t Sleep (Radio Play)
Janice Kerbel Home Climate Gardens x 4 (Launderette;
Victorian Terrace; Indoor Island; Council Flat
Susan Philipsz The Internationale (Sound)
From White Cube
Tracey Emin This is another place 2002
Neon 38 3/16 x 83 7/16 in. (97 x 211.9 cm)
From Roche Court
Bill Woodrow Clockswarm 2001 Bronze and Gold
Leaf
23 x 34.3 x 10 cm / 9 x 13∏ x 4
Tania Kovats Sunk 1999
Acrylic composite, MDF 110 x 60 x 60 cm / 3ft 7 5/16 x
1ft 11 5/8 x 1ft 11 5/8
David Batchelor Colour Chart Painting 33 (green)
20.06.11 2011
Gloss and matt paint on aluminium 106 x 91.5 cm /3ft
5 3/4 x 3ft
Gavin Turk Desert Island Scenario 2003
Mahogany 8 x 103 x 19.5 cm / 3 x 3ft 4 ∏ x 7 ≤
inches
Clare Woods I Am Glad 2013
Oil on aluminium 70 x 55 cm / 2ft 3 1/2 x 1ft 9
Above: A preview of some of the images due to appear at Hestercombe.
Top L: I Am Glad by Clare Woods. Top R: Colour Chart Painting by David
Batchelor. Above L: Desert Island Scenario by Gavin Turk. Above R: Clock-
swarm by Bill Woodrow.
SOMERSET COLLEGE’S
ARTS HOUSE PROJECT-
ALL SYSTEMS GO
The building, which houses Somer-
set College’s School of Art and De-
sign, was originally constructed in
the 1970s; at the time, it was a ground
breaking design which received many
accolades. However, in order to keep
up with the demands of a cutting
edge Art and Design curriculum, the
building is now at the stage where it
requires refurbishment.
Somerset College have successfully
bid to secure funding to help refur-
bish the building which means build-
ing work will begin over the coming
months and is due to open in autumn
2015.
The building will provide a home
for all departments involved in the
College’s cutting-edge training and
education within the creative indus-
tries, including digital broadcasting
for television
and radio, music
production and
a new studio the-
atre.
“We’re delighted
to have secured
funding from the
Skills Funding
Agency and we
have committed
to funding the
remainder required.” said Somerset Col-
lege’s Principal and Chief Executive Ra-
chel Davies. “It is a sign of our growing
importance to Taunton and the wider
region as a provider of first-rate Further
and Higher Education with close links to
commercial partners and a commitment
to employability. We have a strong repu-
tation when it comes to equipping stu-
dents for the world of work. Many of our
Art and Design alumni have progressed
to top jobs in high-profile companies
such as Fat Face, Abercrombie and Fitch,
and Debenhams. With the Arts House
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project, we hope to build on that reputation,
and equip even more people with excellent
workplace skills and great prospects for the
future.”
As well as revamping teaching and studio
spaces, the Arts House Project will see Som-
erset College refine its curriculum. After
extensive consultation with employers and
students, the Art and Design department
will continue developing courses that give
students the best possible start in their cho-
sen career.
Pictured: Architect designs of what the refur-
bished Art & Design building will look like.

7
Oil on board by Clarisse Loxton Peacock, bought for £450
Weekly General Auctions (700 lots from £20)
Six Catalogued Auctions per Year (2000+ lots from just £50)
Full Team of Specialists with 300 years of experience
Home Visits by Appointment
See our sales and read our news at www.lawrences.co.uk
We sold 50,000+ lots in 2013
(01460) 73041
enquiries@lawrences.co.uk
South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8AB

8
As a Foreign Office Minister, Jeremy
Browne witnessed this global revolu-
tion at first hand. Having seen for him-
self the extraordinary scale and pace
of economic development in China,
India and elsewhere, Browne’s message
is stark: the race to secure a favourable
position in the new world order would
be hard enough in the best of times.
Yet, he argues, Britain must now begin
that race in the worst of times, after the
deepest recession in living memory, still
weighed down by high levels of borrow-
ing and debt.
Despite this, Browne remains an opti-
mist. He points to the many advantages
that Britain enjoys:
‘We are a trading nation with a global
disposition; we have a vibrant and in-
ventive population; our elite education
is among the best in the world; we have
a proud tradition of freedom before the
law, our language is the global language;
we sit down between East and West as
a member of the world’s largest single
market.’
However, he argues, we also need to rec-
ognise our weaknesses, exposed by the
recent recession:’ a dangerously large
deficit, an oversized and unresponsive
RACE PLAN
The world order is changing,
incrementally but remorse-
lessly, as wealth and power
move beyond the industri-
alised West to the emerging
economies in Asia and Latin
America.
Jeremy Browne has been the
Liberal Democrat Member of
Parliament for Taunton Deane
since 2005. He was a Minister of
State in the Foreign and Com-
monwealth Office from 2010-12,
where his specific responsibilities
included Pacific Asia and Latin
America. From 2012-13 he was a
Minister of State in the Home Of-
fice. Jeremy lives in Taunton and
London with his partner Rachel
and their daughter Molly.
public sector, high welfare bills, creaking
infrastructure, a long tail of educational
failure and the burgeoning costs of an
ageing population.’
The answer he believes is a race plan that
embraces economic liberalism, ‘a new
and self-confident national attitude that
refuses to accept failure and resolves to
take the difficult decisions we need to
succeed.’
Regarding infrastructure, for example,
he expresses a view which may well find
echoes with the situation locally with re-
gard to development: ‘We cannot afford
our political procrastination that is to
often our default mode when faced with
big decisions,’
Talk Followed by a Book signing
7.00pm Friday 9 May
Race Plan with Jeremy Browne
Venue & Tickets: Brendon Books
Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742
brendonbooks@gmail.com

10
Over 20 albums and 35 years have passed
since1979, when Paul Jones and Tom Mc-
Guinness expected a short shelf life for
their idea of forming a pub band to ‘play
the blues for beer money’. But passion is a
currency everyone covets, and The Blues
Band had passion by the bucketful; and
fans know a good thing when they hear
it. The publics eager response to what The
Blues Band thought was a hobby project
took them by surprise, providing a career
for life beyond the boundaries of pop, in
the musical tradition they love. Pubs and
beer money are a thing of the past. The
Blues Band continue to be celebrated
across the media and have played to wildly
appreciativeaudiencesaroundtheglobein
venues ranging from clubs through to civ-
ic halls and theatres. They’ve toured with
Dire Straits and headlined at Glastonbury.
Now they’ve added to their expanding cat-
alogue of recordings with a brilliant new
album, Few Short Lines.
35 years is a long time, but although their
longevity may not be unique, unlike many
of their contemporaries they’ve pulled off
a fine musical balancing act, and having
four gifted singers and song writers in the
line-up certainly helps. There are few Brit-
ish blues performers on today’s scene who
can look back on a career which includ-
ed working as sidemen to legends such
as Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Big
Boy Crudup or Son
House, but mem-
bers of the Blues
Band can, and what
they learned from
those giants comes
into play every
night. Whilst stay-
ing committed to
their authentic blues
roots, their ability
and craftsmanship
enabled them to
explore new direc-
tions and expand
their creative rep-
ertoire. What makes
The Blues Band stand
out from their often over-amplified peers
is their historical understanding of ev-
ery diverse category of the blues. They
demonstrated this in 1994 by releasing
the acclaimed album Wireless, their first
purely acoustic venture. Confirmation of
their open-minded musical resourceful-
ness shone through with the fat, joyful and
punchy big band blues vitality of 1999’s
Brassed Up. Whilst the Chicago-based
electricity of Muddy Waters and John Lee
Hooker remains in their act, they never
the less wowed their many fans yet again
in 2000 with another fine acoustic album,
Scratchin’ on My Screen. In 2002 the clas-
sic 5-piece line-up bounced back, with the
The Blues Band Returns
dynamic vocal and instrumental duo
Paul Jones and Dave Kelly elegantly sup-
plemented by Gary Fletcher and Tom
McGuinness’s increasing vocal contri-
butions.
Eric Clapton once said; ‘When all the
original blues guys are gone, you start
to realise that someone has to tend the
tradition.’ But although they carry the
torch, The Blues Band are no musical
museum. They’re the ultimate good
night out. After thousands of gigs their
passion and showmanship keeps filling
venues around the world. You can ex-
perience it with their latest recording,
Few Short Lines. Check out their stu-
dio guests: Bob Dylan’s keyboardist Al
Kooper, Bruce Springsteen’s sparring
partner Southside Johnny, Linda Lew-
is duetting with Paul Jones Dave Kel-
ly paired with Scotland’s soul queen,
Maggie Bell. If you’re looking for spir-
ited blues with a peerless pedigree, your
search is over.
See the Blues Band
Wed 11 June 7.30
Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil,
Somerset BA20 1UX
Box Office: 01935 422884
www.octagon-theatre.co.uk
The Blues Band: Paul Jones ~ Dave Kelly ~ Rob Townsend ~
Gary Fletcher ~ Tom McGuinness

12
Roger McGough’s most recent collec-
tion, As Far As I Know, explores themes
of memory, love, ageing and youth, all
observed in McGough’s characteristic
style that combines menace and melan-
choly but with plenty of wit and word-
play too.
‘The audience will hopefully be moved
by some of the poems’ says McGough
of his forthcoming appearance at Tac-
chi-Morris Arts Centre, where he will
be reading poems both from As Far As I
Know as well as some even more recent
material. ‘My latest poems are about po-
litical things, ageing, satire and humour.
There are some dark bits but it’s import-
ant to have them lined with humour as
well.’
Although now based in South West Lon-
don, McGough grew up on the outskirts
of Liverpool - a place that continues to
provide inspiration for his work. Indeed
the cover of As Far As I Know shows
Crosby Beach, in Liverpool where artist
Antony Gormley’sAnother Place figures
are seen gazing purposefully out to sea as
the waves roll in.
During the 1960s, McGough was a
member of a collective known as the
Liverpool Poets along with Adrian Hen-
ri and Brian Patten. In 1967 they were
included in a Penguin anthology called
The Mersey Sound which became one of
the best-selling poetry anthologies of all
time. Hits with the Brian Epstein-man-
aged The Scaffold (Thank U Very Much,
Lily The Pink) and college touring with
GRIMMS (a name comprised of the last
initials of John Gorman, Andy Roberts,
Neil Innes, Roger McGough, Mike Mc-
Cartney, Viv Stanshall) were followed by
internationally acclaimed collections of
poems and stories, regular broadcasts and
edited anthologies.
So how does McGough think people’s at-
titudes to poetry have changed over the
years? ‘There’s certainly more around.
When I was in Liverpool there were very
few readings and if there were they tended
to be in clubs. We [the Liverpool Poets]
would do readings in clubs when the Folk
Club was closed on a Monday.
‘People are less afraid of poetry but I still
think it is not used enough in schools. It
is more about dissecting it than actually
reading it, enjoying it and developing your
own opinion of it.’
McGough also believes hearing poems
read aloud is as important as reading po-
ems from a book. ‘By hearing poems it all
makes sense and is an important part of the
writing process.’ McGough recalls a read-
ing by Christopher Logue that he attended
while at the University of Hull ‘The first
time I got into poetry I was really excit-
ed about hearing poetry, but I was also a
closet reader of poetry books and came
across Eliot and Auden at 18 or 19.’Other
influences include Adrian Mitchell, Brian
Patten, Adrian Henri and Philip Larkin -
who was librarian at the University of Hull
while McGough was a student there. Fol-
lowing graduation, McGough sent Larkin
One of Britain’s best-loved poets, Roger McGough will be providing a fitting fina-
le to the Page is Printed Festival at Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in June.
As Far As I Know: Roger McGough
‘Take comfort from this
You have a book in your hand
Not a loaded gun or a parking fine’

13
some of his poems and Larkin respond-
ed encouragingly. ‘But’, says McGough
‘I’ve been influenced more by the poems
than particular poets.’
So what was it about poetry in particular
that appealed to the young McGough? ‘I
read French poets and wrote love poems,
but the humour kept coming in. Then I
wrote short stories and playlets but kept
coming back to poetry. I think it was the
brevity of it. With poems you can duck
and dive and they are like little films
when I read these poems out.’
Dubbed ‘the patron saint of poetry’ by
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Mc-
Gough is no stranger to praise, having
been honoured with a CBE for services
to literature and given the Freedom of the
City of Liverpool ‘for good behaviour’.
On his being newly elected President of
the Poetry Society McGough says ‘It was
very nice to be asked’ and describes his
role as ‘providing a reassuring presence.’
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Litera-
ture, Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John
Moore’s University and an Honorary
Professor at Thames Valley University,
McGough also has an MA from the Uni-
versity of Northampton and D.Litts from
the Universities of Hull, Liverpool, Roe-
hampton and the Open University. He
presents BBC Radio 4’s long-running
Poetry Please and his acclaimed adap-
tation of Molière’s The Misanthrope
travelled recently with English Touring
Theatre. He also a recipient of the presti-
gious Cholmondeley Award.
His specially written poem forAge UK’s
latest TV advert aims to make people
See Roger McGough on Saturday
28th June.
7.30pm. Tickets: £14/£10 Conces-
sions. Suitable for adults and ages
14+.
Venue: Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre,
School Road, Taunton. TA2 8PD.
Box Office: 01823 414141.
Email: info@tacchi-morris.com.
Website: www.tacchi-morris.com.
The Page is Printed Festival is a 3 day event which promises to
be a vibrant celebration of creative writing talent from across the
UK and beyond.
Kick-starting the festival on Thursday 26th June is Page to Stage
which will showcase specially selected plays and extracts by new,
emerging and established playwrights, while The Page is Print-
ed Celebration Evening on Friday 27th June will be a dynamic
evening of spoken word where winners of The Page is Printed
creative writing competition will be announced.
Look out for the next issue of LAMP where the winning text will
be published.An evening of poetry, wit and fun follows with Roger
McGough on Saturday 28th June, where there will be an opportu-
nity to get your book signed by the author.
think differently about getting older and
challenge negative stereotypes about
ageing.
Aside from his poems for adults, Rog-
er McGough has produced a number of
books for children and his poetry has
been widely used in schools. ‘People get
into my work through reading my chil-
dren’s books’ says McGough. ‘As they
grow up they get more into the older
books and pass these onto their children.’
He is twice winner of the Signal Award
for best children’s poetry. An Imaginary
Menagerie and Lucky both feature illus-
trations by the author.
‘Some of the children’s poems are acces-
sible for adults and vice versa’ explains
McGough admitting ‘after writing dark-
er adult poems it’s nice to write a poem
about a giraffe!’
There will be a book signing for As Far
As I Know following the performance
organised by Brendon Books. Copies of
his other books will also be available.
By Sara Loveridge

14
Simon Heffer was born in 1960.
He read English at Cambridge
and took a PhD in modern histo-
ry at that university. His previous
books include: Moral Desper-
ado: A Life of Thomas Carlyle,
The Reinvention of England,
Strictly English, A Short History
of Power and High Minds: The
Victorians and the Birth of Mod-
ern Britain. In a career of nearly
thirty years in Fleet Street, he
has written for and held senior
positions on the Daily Mail, the
Daily Telegraph and the Specta-
tor.
Wilcockson had, Heffer explains in the
introduction, ‘been alerted to some
emails on the Internet that I had written
to colleagues at the Daily Telegraph, for
which I then worked as Associate Editor,
drawing attention to mistakes they had
made in their copy.’
However, Simply English is not an up-
dated version of Strictly English (which
is written in an essay style format),
though some of the material is com-
mon. Rather, Simply English is a ‘dic-
tionary style reference’ work that can be
accessed when someone has a specific
question about the use of En-
glish.
In Simply English Heffer dis-
cusses frequent errors, com-
mon misunderstandings and
stylistic howlers. What is the
difference between amend
and emend, between imply
and infer, and between un-
interested and disinterested?
When should one put owing
to rather than due to? Why should the
temptation to write actually, basically
or at this moment in time always be
strenuously resisted? How does one
use an apostrophe correctly, ensure
that one understands what alibi really
means, and avoid the perils of the dou-
ble negative?
Simply English follows
an earlier book on the
English language, Strict-
ly English, which came
about as the result of
a request from Nigel
Wilcockson of Random
House to Simon Heffer to
write a book on correct
grammar and the use of
English.
Talk Followed by a Book signing
7.00pm Friday 16 May
Simply English with Simon Heffer
Venue: St James’s Church, St James St,
Taunton TA1 1JJ
Tickets: Brendon Books
01823 337742

15
Taunton Concert
Band
Summer Concert
"Music of Stage and Screen"
St James' Church, Taunton
Saturday 9th June, 7.30pm
Tickets £8, £7 concessions,
including light refreshments
Available from:
tcbtickets@hotmail.com

16
It has been a busy and successful year
for the Warehouse Theatre whose
resident theatre company, Ilminster
Entertainments Society have won the
2014 County Drama Festival in the
preliminary rounds of the All England
Theatre Festival National Competition,
adjudicated by Ian Sarginson from the
governing council of G.O.D.A.
“Philip & Rowena” written by Gillian
Plowman and directed by Louise Ad-
ams has also been awarded
The Hope Cup for Best All Round Pre-
sentation,whilst Sheila Bowman won
Best Actress in the Festival.
Thanks to: sponsors Clark’s of Street,
Somerset, dedicated to the SFD’s Drama
The Boy Who Fell Into a Book
Rockfist Slim’s enemies have just plunged
him into yet another desperate situation
when Kevin has to close his detective
book and go to sleep. But his own adven-
ture is only just beginning. Fast moving
and full of special effects, Ayckbourn’s
work brings alive several well-known
children’s books as Kevin and Rockfist
Slim escape the baddies by plunging
into and becoming part of Kidnapped,
Grimms’ Tales, Chess for Beginners and
many other stories.
The inspiration came from an earlier
short piece written for children in 1989
with live action interacting with a slide-
show. Several different genres and types
of book are chosen which means the na-
ture of the dialogue, the characters and
presentation are constantly shifting so
that if one section does not hold a child’s
attention another should. It first came out
in 1998. It received its first London pro-
fessional premiere in 2012 and the musi-
cal will receive its world premiere in July
The Ilminster Warehouse
Theatre will be performing
the wonderfully inventive
play, The Boy Who Fell
Into a Book written by
Alan Ayckbourn, our most
frequently performed dra-
matist.
of this year. It also has been the source of
inspiration for his adult play Improba-
ble Fiction when a writer’s circle is col-
lectively having writer’s block until their
imaginations are unleashed by a young
woman and several different literary
genres are explored.
To the right, photo of cast and
crew, left to right: (F) indicates
front row:Sheila Bowman (F), Peter
Schofield, David Adams, Louise
Adams (F), Liz Hartley, Eric Beck-
ley (F), Brian Perkins, Nicola Della
Valle (F), Val Schofield (F), Dave
Gooding.
Not photographed, Ursula McInlay.
Festivals for many years; and hosts
this year, The Warehouse Theatre,
Brewery Lane, Ilminster.
The theatre has an open morning
(during the Ilminster Experience
week) on Saturday 7th June,
10 - 2pm for those who want to
come and look around.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Ayckbourn

17
Have you been to Bath Place in Taunton recently?
The oldest shopping street in Taunton (located just off
the High Street) where you can find a great selection
of over twenty independent businesses. We are also
planning a Festival on Fri 4th and Sat 5th July. Come
and see us soon!
Like us on Facebook - Bath Place Taunton
www.bath-place.co.uk

18
“To begin at the beginning: It is a spring, moonless
night in the small town, starless and bible-black….”
Thejourneytoputtingonaperformance
hasnotbeenwithoutitsproblems.When
Brian first mooted the idea a year or so
ago among the two acting groups he was
involved with could not find room for
the play in their busy schedule.
However, he was determined ‘as a
Welshman and ardent Dylan Thom-
as fan who had played first voice twice’
that a project would go ahead and an op-
portunity arose when one of the organ-
isers of the Corfe Festival asked if he had
any ideas for an evening entertainment
for the Whitsun Village event. Naturally,
he had. The idea was further cemented
when a friend of his wife’s called to give
hiswifealifttoanartclassandoutofthe
blue volunteered that she had just read
Milk Wood: ‘Isn’t it amazing, it’s like
an abstract painting out into words....I
couldn’t put it down and wouldn’t it be
wonderful to hear all those voices.’ Giv-
en such encouragement, there was no
choice but to go ahead with the project.
However, a further problem presented
itself. In January he discovered that the
licences to perform the play had been
suspended for theatre groups because a
major national and international tour by
Theatr Clwyd was to take place. Howev-
er, a licence was obtained, helped by the
fact he believes, that they were a ‘one off’
group of enthusiasts ‘seeking to perform
it for enjoyment and as a means of rais-
ing dome funds for our village.’
An appeal was made throughout the
parishes of Corfe, Pitminster, Fyffett,
This year marks the centenary of Dylan Thomas’
birth, and the 60th anniversary of Under Milk Wood’s
original radio broadcast. Welshman and Thespian Bri-
an Lewis is ensuring that rural Somerset will not ‘miss
out’ and will mark the anniversary with performances
of Under Milk Wood in the heart of Somerset at the
Corfe Festival when the audience will invited to ‘be-
come Welsh’ for an evening.
Clayhidon, Bishop’s Wood, Churchstan-
ton and Halse and 20 ‘voices’ responded.
In mid April Brian described their prog-
ress in rehearsals, not entirely problem
free, though always rewarded with a sus-
taining tea break:
‘Rehearsals have been fortnightly in the
village hall, since January! There were
some very promising signs at the very
first one. Most people did not know one
another and a couple announced that
they first met, many years ago, at an Un-
der Milk Wood . As there were newcom-
ers to the play, I began by explaining its
themes, the nature of its commentaries
by First and Second Voices, and the ex-
tent of the gossip and innuendo abound-
ing in Llareggub (bugger all – backwards)
– whereupon several people quickly point-
ed out that Llareggub sounded just like
their own Blackdown village! Good omens
for the Village Players I thought.
‘We have worked on pronunciation and
rhythm in each session, and we always fin-
ish with a reading of 20 pages or so. People
have tried hard on the accents, and occa-
sionally become derailed from Welsh into
strong West Country, Northern or Scot-

19
tish accents! The script is funny enough
anyway, but we have enjoyed the added
mirth. It is a great joy just to have twen-
ty people reading through this play and
since January we have delighted in taking
it in turns to read First or Second voice,
or other classic parts such as Nogood
Boyo, Mr Ogmore and Mr Pritchard, Mrs
Ogmore- Pritchard, Mrs Pugh, or anoth-
er favourite, Mrs Dai Bread Two!
Under Milk Wood is a ‘play for voices’
Beginning before sunrise while still
dark you are invited to listen to the
thoughts of the residents of the village:
Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard constantly nag-
ging her dead husbands; Captain Cat
recalling his seafaring adventures; Dai
Bread thinking of horizontal Turkish
girls; Mary Ann Sailor of the Garden
of Eden; the musical obsession of
Organ Morgan and poor Polly garter
pining for her dead lover. We then
observe them as they go about their
daily routines.
It illustrates Thomas’s gift with words,
their rhythm and sound and is perhaps
his most famous and enduring work.
The direct origins of Under Milk
Wood are in the short story Quite
Early One Morning which he wrote for
the BBC in 1944 and broadcast in 1945.
It has the same lyrical voice as Under
Milk Wood and includes the character
of Mrs Ogmore- Pritchard.
However, the idea of the play was
conceived much earlier. In his memoirs,
Dylan Remembered, Bert Trick, the so-
cialist grocer of Brynmill, recalls Dylan
reading to him and his wife in 1933 a
story called at that Llareggub (bugger
all backwards) which is retained as
the name of the village in Under Milk
Wood. In fact, there are uncannily sim-
ilar lines in a piece that Dylan produced
when he was 17 while still at school
when he wrote an article for the Swan-
sea Grammar School Magazine.
Though the play developed over
many years he found great difficulty
in completing it. Thomas read some
of the extracts of the embryo play in
1949 while at a party in Prague. In the
following year he sent the first half of
the play to the BBC though at this time
it is called it The Town That Was Mad.
There were further readings of extracts
at the Institute of Contemporary Arts,
London and the Poet’s Theatre, Cam-
bridge Massachusetts in May 1952
and May 1953. The first finished stage
performance was at the Poetry Center,
New York though he did not complete
the ending until the last half an hour
before the curtain went up at 8.30pm.
He revised it further before the next
performance at the Kaufmann
Theatre, New York. A completed
script was sent to Douglas Clever-
don of the BBC on the 15 October.
Following a performance at the
Poetry Center New York on 24 and
25. Dylan died (on 9 November)
at St Vincent’s Hospital, New York.
There were memorial perfor-
mances in New York and London
and a BBC radio broadcast on 25
January 1954 with Richard Burton
as first voice. This is considered by
many to be the most notable radio
play ever performed. When it was
published in book form later in the
year it sold out in the first month.
Another highlight has been our tea
breaks, during which we listen to a
famous recording of the play with
Dylan Thomas as First Voice. For
tea accompaniment, so far, I have
been baking Welsh cakes or Bara
Brith. For the final run in I intend
expanding my repertoire to include
Teisen Lap .You can’t do two hours
of Under Milk Wood on an empty
stomach!’
Corfe Festival and the Village
Players will present "Under Milk
Wood" by Dylan Thomas (with
music by Daniel Jones)at Corfe
Church on Friday 23rd May at 7pm
and on Sunday 25th May at 7pm.
Tickets available from Brian Lewis
(tel. 01823 421277). Ticket prices:
Adults £6, children £2.

20
The account of the Gentlemen of Worces-
tershire’s cricket tour of Berlin in August
1937 is a tale of triumph, of civility over
barbarity and hope over despair, but also
of the enduring beauty and calm of cricket
set in contrast to the fear and brutality of a
regime gearing up for war.
Berlin 1937: Hitler viewed cricket as a dec-
adent and un-German sport. But some-
how, fanatical cricket lover Felix Menzel
persuaded the Nazi leaders to invite a
crack English side to play his modest band
of part time cricketers.
The Gentlemen of Worcestershire were
the ill-matched group of Englishmen who
were to go out to Berlin, led by former
Worcestershire County Cricket Club cap-
tain Maurice Jewell, and ordered ‘not to
lose’ by the MCC.
Jewell’s side played three unofficial Test
matches against a backdrop of repres-
sion, brutality and rising tensions, but
despite the shadow being cast by the
cataclysmic events which were to follow,
the tour proved to be a memorable
and remarkable experience for the
Englishmen and their German coun-
terparts. It was ten days in which, for
those taking part, the politics and
tensions faded into the background,
and the world was once more a place
of sporting passion and good natured
camaraderie.
‘Cricket is a spell; whatever our
worries, whatever ails us, it all recedes
when we’re on the pitch. Standing
there, with the sun on your back,
watching this occasionally thrilling,
sometimes dull, always compelling
game unfold in front of you, the
world and its problems can seem a
million miles away.’
Two years later and many of those
involved in the series were engulfed
by war. Men such as Captain Robin
Whetherly, who served as a special
ops agent, and the heroic Peter Hun-
tington-Whiteley, great-great uncle of
model Rosie, who led the secret assault
unit created by Ian Fleming.
Perhaps most remarkable of all was
Felix Menzel, a cricket obsessive for
the ages. A man who risked life and
limb to play cricket under the Nazis
and, when the war was done, wandered
from the rubble of Berlin with the
surviving members of his team to ask
a group of astonished English soldiers
for a game.
Dan Waddell is a journalist, novelist
and author of more than a dozen
works of non-fiction. His first crime
novel, The Blood Detective, was
nominated for three debut awards,
including the celebrated CWA New
Blood Dagger, and has been pub-
lished in five countries. He is also
the author of the bestselling guide
that accompanied the award-win-
ning BBC TV series, Who Do You
Think You Are?
An exiled Yorkshireman, Dan has
been a cricket fanatic all his life.
He was a talented junior batsman,
played representative cricket for
Yorkshire and was even one, brief-
ly, on the payroll of the county club
itself. After being lost to journalism
for several years, he made a mis-
guided comeback and now cap-
tains Acton 2nd XI in the Middlesex
County League where, in between
taking painkillers, he tries and fails
to pass on sage advice to young
players. He covered county cricket
for two seasons for the Daily Tele-
graph and his first published book
was the history of BBC TV’s cricket
coverage, And Welcome to the
Highlights, where he got to inter-
view David Gower, Richie Benaud
and his boyhood hero, Geoffrey
Boycott
Talk followed by Booksigning
7.00pm Wednesday 21st May
Field of Shadows
with Dan Waddell
Venue and tickets:
Brendon Books, Bath Place,
Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742
Field of Shadows
The true story of a moment
of sporting history, when an
English cricket team took on
Nazi Germany in the months
leading up to WWII.

21
Benny Goodman was a huge star of the time
and he handpicked some of the best jazz
players of the period to form a ground-break-
ing racially integrated band. This was the first
time that this had occurred in such a high
profile event. The recording of the event went
on to be the first jazz record to sell a million
copies and is widely regarded as being a pivot-
al moment in jazz history.
Pete Long, who leads the band, is a fantastic
musician often heard on BBC Radio 2 and
Benny Goodman’s Legendary
1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
Comes to Taunton
Benny Goodman’s Legendary 1938
Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
Performed by Pete Long and his Goodmen
Venue: Queen’s College, Trull Road, Taunton
Friday June 6 7.30pm
Tickets for the concert are available from John
Packer Ltd on www.johnpacker.co.uk or calling
01823 282386. They can also be purchased at
Taunton Tourist Information at a price of £15 for
adults, £10 for concessions.
John Packer Ltd of Staple-
grove Road Taunton are or-
ganising a very special event
being held at Queen’s College
on Friday, June 6th; a recre-
ation of the legendary Benny
Goodman Jazz Concert at the
Carnegie Hall in 1938.
with Jool’s Holland and his Rhythm
and Blues Orchestra. Pete will be
joined by a selection of musicians
from his ‘Goodmen’, a collective of
jazz professionals that in the past have
included Tony Fisher and Pete Ripper.
The 15 strong ensemble recreates
not only the sound of the historic
concert, performing the original
music, but also the look and feel
of the show with authentic vintage
dress and stage props.

22
So starts the second in the Flavia Albia
series, the first of which, The Ides of April,
was a bestseller when published in 2013.
It is soon clear to Albia that the murders
of wealthy newlyweds in their Esquiline
apartment and a vicious attack on their
doorman, together with the theft of their
valuable silver, won’t be easy to solve. A
bumbling member of the vigiles has al-
ready snuffed out any trace evidence and
given up on the case. The household
slaves have fled the scene – knowing that
Roman law will have them all executed if
the true culprits cannot be found. They
are holed up in the Temple of Ceres,
and the temple wants to be rid of them.
Their individual stories conflict with the
confused testimony of other witnesses,
then a devious ex-wife causes wild accu-
sations to fly, and the local crooks, who
may be implicated, prove highly danger-
ous. Still, Albia likes a challenge.
Brought into the case by Manlius Faustus,
the magistrate with whom she has an
edgy, electric relationship, she is ham-
pered by Dromo, a disgruntled young
slave. But with painstaking detective
work, slowly the truth emerges. As she
probes, Albia sees there were deep infi-
delities and divisions within the troubled
household of the murdered couple. The
answers are both complicated and tragic.
A delicious, satisfying and involving
piece of detective writing that further es-
tablishes Lindsey Davis at the top of the
historical crime scene. Her stories may
be set in an ancient world, but they are
modern in the telling and very unstuffy
indeed. Flavia Albia is a worthy succes-
sor to her adoptive father, Marcus Didius
Falco – but she is her own woman and a
brilliant investigator in her own right.
Historical novelist Lindsey Davis is
known for The Course of Honour, the
true story of the Emperor Vespasian
and his mistress Caenis, and for her
twenty volume mystery series featur-
ing Roman detective, Falco. Master
and God set the scene for Albia in the
paranoid reign of Domitian. She has
also written Rebels and Traitors, an
epic novel set in the English Civil War
and Commonwealth; this year she
contributes to the Quick Read series,
with A Cruel Fate, also set in the Civil
War.
She has won the CWA Historical
Dagger, Dagger in the Library, and a
Sherlock for Falco as Best Detective.
She has been Honorary President of
the Classical Association, Chair of the
Crimewriters’ Association and Chair
of the Society of Authors. In 2010
the city of Rome gave her the Premio
Colosseo, awarded `for enhancing the
image of Rome` and in 2011 she was
awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond
Dagger for lifetime achievement.
Most recently she was the inaugural
winner of the Barcelona Historical
Fiction Award.
‘There are rules for pri-
vate informers accepting
a new case. Never take
on clients who cannot
pay you. Never do fa-
vours for friends. Don’t
work with relatives.
Think carefully about
legal work. If, like me,
you are a woman, keep
clear of men you find
attractive.
The Aviola enquiry broke
every one of those rules,
not least because the cli-
ents had no money, yet
I took it on. Will I never
learn?’
ENEMIES
AT HOME
Lindsey Davis: Talk and Book Signing. 7.00 pm Wed May 28th
Venue: Museum of Somerset, Taunton Price: £6.00
Tickets: Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823
01823 337742 brendonbooks@gmail.com
Tickets acts as a voucher to set against the cost of Enemies at Home

23
Worbey & Farrell head to
Weston-Super-Mare and
Yeovil for two shows only
as part of their spring
tour 2014. After their
total sell-out Edinburgh
run 2013 they have been
performing all over the
country with their show
for all the family with
wonderful music and
laughter.
Worbey and Farrell are internationally ac-
claimed concert pianists with a wicked sense
of humour. Combining musical thrills with a
deep love of laughter, they have played with
the world’s leading symphony orchestras,
achieved a million hits on YouTube, and enter-
tained audiences all over the globe with their
barnstorming blend of sparky comedy and
utterly sensational piano-playing.
Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell are much more than a traditional piano duet. Their instrument can imitate the tones of a
Spanish guitar, resound with their very own Paganini Variations or pulsate with the passions of the masters of jazz. They per-
form everything from Rachmaninov’s 18th Variation to Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals complete with their own verse.
This exuberant evening is suitable for every age and all musical tastes. Prepare to be moved, excited and amazed. But above all
prepare to laugh with joy at the sheer ingenuity and style of these two masters of musical mayhem.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue The Playhouse, Weston-Super-Mare
Dates Thursday 5th June 2014
Time 8.00pm
Tickets £16.00
Box Office 01934 645544
Venue Octagon Theatre, Yeovil
Dates Friday 6th June 2014
Time 7.30pm
Tickets £14.00 / 12.50
Box Office 01935 422884

24
1 Drama Abigail’s Party - Frome Drama Club Merlin Theatre, Frome 7.45
Drama Othello - Icarus Theatre Collective Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Variety Watch this Space - Performance Showcase by The Space Tacchi Morris 7.30
1-3 Drama The Remarkably Strange Case of Doctor Watson and the Spital-
fields’ Vampires - Waterfront Theatre Company
Regal, Minehead 7.30
Musical Anything Goes by Cole Porter - TAOS. Sat matinee. Tacchi Morris, Taunton 7.30
2 Music The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Playhouse, WSM 7.30
Music Sing-long-a Grease Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music CLASSICAL - Katherine Bicknell, flute and Keziah Thomas,
harp
Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Music Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies. David Hall, S Petherton 8.00
3 Music Goya Classicla Trio GOYA: trios by Beethoven, Turina and
Mendelssohn
Bridgwater Arts Ctre 8.00
Comedy Ed Byrne Playhouse, WSM 8.00
Music Big Band in Concert - Wells Cathedral School Strode College Theatre 7.30
Music Gypsy and Purple Foundation present... Princess Theatre, BOS 7.30
Music Joe McElderry Octagon Yeovil 7.30
4 Ballet Bristol Russian Ballet School present Cinderella Playhouse, WSM 4.00
One Man Show Suggs: My Life Story, in words and music Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Talk The British Establishment - Owen Jones Dillington Hse, Ilminster 2.30
5 Music Blackdowns Early Music St John Baptist, Wellington 6.30
6 Dance Last Man Standing: James Wilton Dance Tacchi Morrism, Taunton 7.30
7 Dance Phoenix Dance Theatre Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
8 Music Pete Cantor Quartet Creative Innovation Centre 7.30
Dance West Somerset Morris Men. 8pm by Yarn Market Dunster Yarn Market, Dunster
8-10 Drama Abigail’s Party - @2K Theatre Sat matinee Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
9 Music A Festival of Bands - Local musicians Regal, Minehead 7.30
Music Blues - Rick Payne Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Music Guitarist Larry Miller Bridgwater Arts Ctre 8.00
Dancing The Folly Mixtures - Burlesque dancing Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
Music Taunton Concert Band Bridgwater Town Hall 7.30
Music BLUES - Rick Payne Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Music Gibby Swaine and Elaine Thorneycroft-Gibb St John’s, Taunton 12.45
Talk Richard Brunning Talk and Tea Museum of Somerset 2.30
9-10 Dance Save the Last Dance - Motiv8 Productions (sat matinee) Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
10 Music Devon Sproule David Hall, S Petherton 8.00
Music A Little Night Music - Taunton Sinfonietta St James’s Church, Taunton 7.30
Music Bridgwater Choral Society Haydn: Creation St Mary’s Bridgwater 7.30
11 Variety Brian Conley Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music Concert with the Carducci String Quartet & Charles Owen Dillington Hse, Ilminster 2.30
Magic Show Bristol Society of Magic: Spellbound Playhouse, WSM 7.00
May Events
Events in date order. Contact details for most of the venues are given at the end of event listings. Please note, we do not
take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Please confirm with venue timings and programme details.
Date Event Details Venue Time

25
May Events (Continued)
12 Talk Jeremy Harvey’s Talk on Van Gogh’s Sketchbook, Drawings and
Letters
Somerset College 7.00
13 Medium Derek Acorah - Enlightenment Tour Playhouse, WSM 7.30
Music Joe Brown in Concert Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Farce BOVTS Presents Sauce for the Goose David Hall, S Petherton 7.30
Music Richard Huish College Advanced Musician’s Recital St John’s Church, Taunton 12.45
13-17 Musical FMTC Presents Hello, Dolly! (also Sat matinee) Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30
14 Dance An Evening with Strictly Come Dancing: Pasha & Katya Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
15 Music Joe Brown In Concert Playhouse, WSM 7.30
Comedy Brazz Comedy Night - MC Stephen Carlin Castle Hotel 9.00
Music Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers Merlin Theatre, Frome 7.45
Opera Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro Ocatgon, Theatre 7.30
Variety Bridgwater College Performing Arts Academies Showcase Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
16 Talk Simon Heffer on his latest book, Simply English: An A-Z of
Avoidable Errors. Tickets from Brendon Books
St James’s Church, Taunton 7.00
Music Classic Clapton 2014 (Tribute) Playhouse, WSM 8.00
Musical Hot Flush! Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music Classical - The Artisans Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
17 Music Broadway and Beyond Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music Kan David Hall, S Petherton 8.00
Music/Comedy David Scheel - Musical Satirist Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music Rod Stewart Tribute Night with Rod’s Faces Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
Music Spring Concert - West Somerset Singers Taunton Baptist Church 7.30
Ventriloquist Steve Hewlett Playhouse, WSM 7.30
Drama Bristol Old Vic Theatre School: Sauce for the Goose Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
19 Music Spiers and Boden - Folk Music Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music Eileen McGann - one of Canada’s foremost songstresses Silver Street Sessions 8.00
Musical Carnaby Street Playhouse, WSM 7.30
19-24 Drama Unravelling The Ribbon Swan Theatre, Yeovil 7.45
20 Children’s
Theatre
Geminus Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 11/2
Dance Theatre Insylum - Bridgwater College level 3 dance students Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
21-24 Drama The Boy Who Fell Into a Book by Alan Ayckbourn Warehouse Theatre, Ilm-
inster
7.30
22 Music Trio Manouche Creative Innovation Ctre 7.30
Psychic Sally Morgan Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music Megson - husband and wife folk duo David Hall, S Petherton 8.00
Music Bless ‘Em All - 40’s music and songs Playhouse, WSM 2.30
Ballet The Little Mermaid - Ballet Theatre UK Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30

26
2 Drama Private Peaceful - Heathfield School Stage 3 Theatre Co. Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.00
4 Drama Tha Ballad of Martha Brown - Angel Exit Theatre Co. Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
3-6 Drama Murdered To Death - Civic Players Swan Theatre, Yeovil 7.45
5 Music Worbey and Farrell - Deviations on The Piano Playhouse, WSM 8.00
6 Music Worbey and Farrell: Deviations on a Piano Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Comedy Comedy Club stand-up Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
Music CLASSICAL - Alasdair Beatson Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Music Rock ‘n’ Roll Paradise - tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30
7 Musical Satire Mitch Benn is the 37th Beatle Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music Joe McElderry – The Set Yourself Alive Tour Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30
June Events
22-24 Comedy Drama Plaza Suite by Neil Simon - Minehead Dramatic Society Regal, Minhead 7.30
23 Music Jazz - The Matt Wates Sextet Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Music Family Tribute Night with Only One Direction Oake Manor, Taunton 6.00
Hoedown May ceilidh hoedown Tyntesfield, Wraxall 7.00
Music Nights on Broadway - Bee Gees tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30
Music Elvis vs Jerry Lee Lewis THE SHOWDOWN! - tribute Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
23-24 Children’s Show The Gruffalo Octagon, Yeovil Vari-
ous
24 Music Local band’s night Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music Buddy Presley Band - tribute to Buddy Holly & Elvis Presley Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
27 Music Jeremy Hugget’s Harlem Five Cotleigh Brewery 7.00
Children’s Old MacDonald Had A Farm Palyhouse, WSM 2.30
28 Talk Lindsey Davis on her latest book, Enemies at Home. Tickets
from Brendon Books
TBC 7.00
29 One man show The Adventures of Andy Kershaw Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music Buddy Holly and the Crickets tribute Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
30 Music ‘Arris’s Music ‘All Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Comedy Dr Phil Hammond - Games to Play With Your Doctor Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30
Magician Paul Stockman Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
Talk Celebration in Ancient Egyptian Art with Lucia Gahlin Dillington Hse, Ilminster 1.00
Music Johnny Cash Roadshow - tribute Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
30-
1June
Summer Singing Weekend
30th May to 1st June 2014
Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster vari-
ous
31 Music Rachel Newton - Scottish fiddler and singer. Silver Street Sessions 8.00
Music Tarras - six piece band David Hall, S Petherton 8.00
Science Show Science Showoff (Bridgwater Science Festival) Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music 70’s and 80’s night Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
May Events (Continued)

27
Music An evening of wine and jazz Tyntesfield, Wraxall 7.00
Open Morning Theatre open day Ilminster Warehouse Theatre 10-2
Variety SHINE 2014 Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
8 Music Dick Gaughan - folk singer David Hall 8.00
Music Taunton Concert Band Wellington Park 2.30
Comedy Grumpy Old Women Live Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music Tenors Un Limited - The Rat Pack of Opera Playhouse, WSM 7.30
10 Variety A Night in Vegas - Wessex Academy of Performing Arts Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
11 Music The Blues Band Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
12 Talk Jeremy Harvey’s talk on Van Gogh’s aketchbooks Som. College, Conference Ctre 7.00
Music The Rolling Clones tribute Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
Music Let’s Hang On: Music of Frnakie Valli & 4 Seasons Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
12-14 Drama The Devil at Midnight (Sat Matinee) Playhouse, WSM 7.30
13 Talk Tim Hill - The Island of Noise - outdoor music making Halsway Manor 8.00
Musical Carnaby Street Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Children’s
Theatre
How Cold My Toes - Travelling Light & Bristol Old Vic Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 11/5.30
Music JAZZ - Themen, Weller & O’Higgins with The Dave
Newton Trio
Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Variety Heathfield Summer Show Tacchi Morris, Taunton 7.00
Talk Jen Hill on the archaeology of Hinckley Point Muesum of Somerset 2.30
14 Music The Songs of Leonard Cohen performed by Keith James Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music Blackbeard’s Tea Party - funky folk tunes David Hall 8.00
Music Petherton Folk Fest 2014 South Petherton All day
Music The Searchers in Concert Frome Memorial Theatre 7.30
Music Orchestral Concert - Somerset County Orchestra Queen’s College, Taunton 7.30
Music Summer Concert - The Poenix Singers Tithe Barn, Dunster 7.00
Variety Dance, Dance, Dance Octagon, Yeovil 2/7.00
15 Music Abbamania Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music WESAYYEAH! Cliff through the years... - tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30
Music An Evening of Noel Coward - Peter Gill Ilminster Warehouse Theatre 7.30
Variety Bridgwater College Performing Arts Academies Showcase Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
Music Dave Martin’s Jabbo Five Cotleigh Brewery, Wiveliscombe 7.00
17 Music Concert: Steve Turner Halsway Manor 8.00
21 Music Green Angels - Traditional Bretton dance tunes David Hall 8.00
Music Taunton Concert Band: Music for Screen and Stage St James’s Church 7.30
Mediumship Colin Fry - The Voices from Heaven Show Playhouse, WSM 8.00
Drama Outdoor theatre: Wuthering Heights Tyntesfield, Wraxall 7.00
Drama The Boy Who Fell Into a Book - Alan Ayckbourn Ilminster Warehouse Theatre 7.30
June Events (Continued)

28
Music The Illegal Eagles - tribute Playhouse, WSM 7.30
24 Drama DramaFest - Somerset schools drama festival Octagon, Yeovil 7.00
25 Dance Jazz Dance Company: Circus of Dreams Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music The Bon Jovi Experience - tribute Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
26 Music The Darktown Strutters (part of Cotleigh Anniverary event) Cotleigh Brewery, Wiveliscombe 7.00
27 Glamour Show The Dreamboys Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Music JAZZ - Craig Milverton, Nigel Price and Sandy Suchodolski Ilminster Arts Centre 8.00
Musical Simon and Garfunkel Story Playhouse, WSM 7.30
28 Music Elvis Presley/Buddy Holly tribute Bridgwater Arts Centre 8.00
Music Concert: Paul Hutchinson and guests Halsway Manor 8.00
Music Summertime - Taunton Sinfonietta St James’s Church Taunton 7.30
Music Money for Nothing - Dire Straits Tribute Oake Manor, Taunton 7.30
Poetry Roger McGough: As Far As I Know Tacchi-Morris, Taunton 7.30
Rock Variety That’ll Be The Day Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
29 Music Lee Mead Octagon, Yeovil 7.30
Monday 28th April to Saturday 17th May Ilminster Arts Centre. Sculptor, print-maker and painter. Richard Langford - Sculp-
tor Tessa McKintyre - Print-maker David Brackston - Painter Meet the Artists...
19th May to Saturday 31st May Ilminster Arts Centre Textile ExpressionsMonday
Friday 25th April – Monday 5th May
Distance travelled: Martyn Lintern. A series of mixed media sculptures exploring the subjectivity and judgment that inform our sense of the
distances travelled by a socially mobile population. Open Weds-Sun, and bank holiday Monday, 10am-4pm.
Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ. www.containsart.co.uk
Friday 9th May – Sunday 18th MayRob Jordan. An interactive installation using vibrantly lit surfaces within the inner blackness of the ship-
ping container. Open Weds-Sun, 10am-4pm. Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 OAQ. www.containsart.co.uk www.
rob-jordan.info
Wed 21st May – Sunday 1st June.
From Porlock Weir to Kilve Beach: Leo Davey. An exhibition of works exploring some familiar and some undoubtedly unfamiliar parts of the
remarkable West Somerset coast. Open daily, 10am-4pm.
Gallery at Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ
www.containsart.co.uk www.leodavey.com
Wed 21st May – Sunday 1st June. Leah Hislop. New site-specific work created by Leah as recipient of the 2014 Contains Art Golsoncott Foun-
dation residency. Open daily, 10am-4pm. Courtyard at Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ. www.containsart.co.uk
http://leahartspider.blogspot.co.uk/
Monday 2nd June to Saturday 14th June Ilminster Arts Centre COAST and COUNTRY CAROLINE TREVASKIS AND MARK
STEVENS Meet the Artists Sunday 1st June 3pm to...
Wed 4th June – Sun 15th June (sculptural works will remain on display until 13th July)
Found, Now Missing: Fiona Campbell. Large sculptural works of skeletal/exotic sea forms created from reclaimed metal and found ob-
jects, created for, from and in the boatyard, atop and within the containers. Open weds-sun 10am-4pm.
Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 0AQ. www.containsart.co.uk
From 16 May: I, the Frame Historic Somerset Photographs, Musuem of Somerset, Castle Green, Taunton
June Events (Continued)
Art Exhibitions May/June
Monday 16th June to Saturday 28th June Ilmiinster Arts Centre UK Coloured Pencil Society REGIONAL EXHIBITION of
the UK COLOURED PENCIL SOCIETY Meet the Artists Sunday 22nd June 3pm to 5pm...

29
The Barn. Drawing Workshop with Julian Fraser 7.30pm £5.00/6.00 Members/non-members
The Barn.Obridge Rd, Taunton TA2 7QA 01823 276421
Workshops, Courses & Classes (May/June)
May 24, 2014 - September 14, 2014 Contemporary Art Gallery @ Hestercombe Category Hestercombe Events Next Date May
24, 2014 Event
Monday 30th June to Saturday 26th July Ilminster Arts Centre FLOWERS, FRUIT and COUNTRY MATTERS CHARO RICHIE, DAVID
HOOK, LEE ALLEN Meet the Artists...
Wed 18th June – Sun 29th June England Expects: Kosmo VinylAs World Cup excitement reaches fever pitch, this exhibition will feature col-
lages by Kosmo Vinyl that revisit England's great, memorable, and if-only-they-were-forgettable World Cup Tournaments across the decades.
Open weds-sun 10am-4pm. Contains Art, East Quay, Watchet Harbour, Somerset, TA23 OAQ www.containsart.co.uk
Dillington House Courses and Workshops dates. For further Information please contact Dillington House,Ilmin-
ster,Somerset, TA19 9DT 01460 258648 www.dillington.com
Recorder Weekend 2-4 May 2014
The Power of Baroque 2-4 May 2014
Chinese Brushpainting - Flower and Insects on Unsized Silk 2-4 May 2014
Demystifying Cryptic Crosswords 2-4 May 2014
Fathers of the Constitution: Hobbes, Locke, Smith and Mill Saturday 3 May 2014
Jewellery Making with UV Resin Saturday 3 May 2014
Family History Research Day Saturday 3 May 2014
Great British Gardeners Saturday 3 May 2014
Confidence in Spanish Tuesday 6 May for 4 weeks
Art Deco Saturday 10 May 2014
The Jury: Is There Still a Place for it in Our English Legal System? Saturday 10 May 2014
Archaeological Landscapes of South West England Saturday 10 May 2014
Rush Basketmaking Saturday 10 May 2014
Sounds of the Carpenters Monday 12 May 2014
AA316 - Nineteenth Century Literature Revision Course - 12 - 15 May 2014
The Etruscans - A Forgotten Civilisation Tuesday 27 May 2014
Friday Friends: A Celebration in Ancient Egyptian Art Friday 30 May 2014
The Archaeology of the Homeric Epics 30 May - 1 June 2014
RHS Rosemoor & Hestercombe Gardens 30 May - 1 June 2014
The Ptolemies in Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra 30 May - 1 June 2014
The World of Samuel Pepys & John Evelyn Part Two 30 May - 1 June 2014
Europe Divided: The Final Audit: Autumn 1913 Saturday 31 May 2014
Dvorak - His Years in America Saturday 31 May 2014
A History of Architecture in Venice Saturday 31 May 2014
Researching Your Family History Introductory Day Tuesday 3 June 2014
Book Club Tuesday 3 June 2014
Walking the River Parrett Trail Wednesday 4 June 2014
Between Two Wars: Music from 1918-1939 20-22 June 2014
Miniature Painting For Beginners and Improvers 20-22 June 2014
Bridge for Absolute Beginners 20-22 June 2014
Sarajevo 1914 - The Match that lit the Powder Keg Saturday 21 June 2014
Great Women Reformers - William, Catherin & Saly Saturday 21 June 2014
Digial Photography: Getting Practical with Your Camera Saturday 21 June 2014
The Alexander Technique Saturday 21 June 2014
Second World War Defences - Along the River Axe Saturday 21 June 2014
Social Realism and Victorian Art 27-29 June 2014
Goldwork Embroidery 27-29 June 2014
Shakespeare: The Wooden 'O' and Henry V 27-29 June 2014
Life & Death in the Age of Stonehenge 27-29 June 2014
iPad Art Second Steps Saturday 28 June 2014
Painting Buildings in Pen & Wash Saturday 28 June 2014
Ukulele Workshop - Improvers Course Saturday 28 June 2014
Listings are for May and June by venue charged at £3.00 per line or part line (up to 110
characters including spaces). Single individual entries also accepted.

30
Willows and Wetlands Further Information: P H Coate & Son,Meare Green Court,Stoke St Gregory,Taunton,
SomersetTA3 6HY Email: sales@englishwillowbaskets.co.ukTel: 01823 490249 (Mon-Fri 9-5).
May 2014
Saturday 10th 2014 Boxing Hares sculpture day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00
Saturday 17th 2014 Boxing Hares sculpture day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00
Saturday 17th 2014 Basket Making Workshop 9.30am - 4pm £85.00
Saturday 31st 2014 Willow Deer Sculpture Day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00
Saturday 31st 2014 Felting- Seamless Bag 10am-4pm £35.00
June 2014
Saturday 07th 2014 Willow Deer Sculpture Day 9.30am-4.30pm £60.00
Saturday 07th 2014 Basket Making Workshop 9.30am - 4pm £85.00
Saturday 28th 2014 Felting- Summer Evening Wrap 10am-4pm £35.00
Hatty’s Attic Workshops – Lampshade Making & Furniture Painting
For further details visit www.hattysattic.co.uk or email claire@hattysattic.co.uk or call 07736 472185
Sunday 4th May at 1.30pm Bring Your Own Furniture Taunton Deane Cricket Club, Taunton
Saturday 10th May at 10am Lampshade Making Café Culture, Taunton
Saturday 10th May at 1pm Bespoke Lamp Café Culture, Taunton
Thursday 15th May at 6.15pm Lampshade Making Perfectly Lovely Interiors, Williton
Friday 23rd May at 10.30am Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Café Culture, Taunton
Thursday 29th May at 6.15pm Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Perfectly Lovely Interiors, Williton
Thursday 5th June at 6.15pm Lampshade Making Perfectly Lovely Interiors, Williton
Friday 6th June at 10.30am Bespoke Lamp Café Culture, Taunton
Sunday 15th June at 1.30pm Bring Your Own Furniture Taunton Deane Cricket Club, Taunton
Saturday 21st June at 10am Lampshade Making Café Culture, Taunton
Saturday 21st June at 1pm Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Café Culture, Taunton
Thursday 26th June at 6.15pm Beginner’s Furniture Painting Techniques Perfectly Lovely Interiors, Williton
WHAT ABOUT THAT BOOK YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE? NEED A PLATFORM?
I’m a published author and qualified teacher and run groups in Taunton and Somerton
Start in May. Interested? Phone Andrew Puckett 01823 324552

31
Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, Street, Somerset BA16 0YD 01458 444322
Barn, Obridge House Priorswood, Taunton. Contact: Jeremy Harvey. 01823 276421
Bath Central Library 01225 394041
The Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1JZ 01934 645493
Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 337742 brendonbooks@gmail.com
Bridgwater Arts Centre, 11-13 Castle Street, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 3DD 01278 422 700
The Castle Hotel, Castle Green, Taunton TA1 1NF 01823 272671
Caryford Community Hall, Ansford, Castle Cary, South Somerset BA7 7JJ
Cossington Village Hall Rrivetts Way , TA7 8LH.
Cotleigh Brewery Ltd, Ford Road, Wiveliscombe, Somerset TA4 2RE 01984 624086 info@cotleighbrewery.com
Creative Innovation Centre CIC, Memorial Hall, Paul Street,Taunton TA1 3PF. 01823 337477 info@creativeinnovationcentre.co.uk
The David Hall, Roundwell St South Petherton. TA13 5AA 01460 240340 info@thedavidhall.org
Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9DT 01460 258648 dillington@somerset.gov.uk
Dunster Tithe Barn 01643 821658 info@dunstertithebarn.org.uk
Frome Memorial Theatre - Christchurch Street West, Frome, Somerset BA11 1EBTel: 01373 462795
Fyne Court, Broomfield, Somerset TA5 2EQ 01823 451587
Ginger Fig, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER 01823 326798
Halseway Manor, Crowcombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 4BD 01984 618274
Hestercombe Gardens, Hestercombe, Taunton TA2 8LG 01823 413 923
Holburne Museum, Bath 01225 388569
Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street, Ilminster TA19 0AN 01460 55783 
Iminster Parish Hall, North Street, Ilminster, TA19 0DG
Merlin Theatre, Bath Road, Frome, Somerset BA11 2HG 01373 465949
Museum of Somerset, Taunton Castle, Castle Green, Taunton Somerset TA1 4AA 01823 255088 www.somerset.gov.uk/museums
Music in the Quantocks 01823 451162
Oake Manor Golf Club,Oake Taunton  TA4 1BA 01823 461992
Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil BA20 1UX 01935 422884
Parish Church St John, Wellington, 72 High Street Wellington(01823) 662248
The Playhouse Theatre,High Street,Weston super Mare,BS23 1HP 01934 645544
Porlock Village Hall, Toll Road (New Rd), Porlock TA24 8QD 01643 862717
Queen’s Conference Centre, Trull Road, Taunton Ta1 4QS 01823 272559 contact@queenscollege.org.uk
Regal Theatre, 10-16 The Avenue,  Minehead TA24 5AY 01643 706430 mail@regaltheatre.co.uk
Richard Huish College, 2 Kings Close,  Taunton, Somerset TA1 3XP 01823 320800
Silver Street Centre, Silver Street,  Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 2PA 01984 623107
Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society, Field Officer, Peter Daniel, 29 Barbers Mead, Taunton, TA2 8PY.
Telephone : 01823 339368. E-mail : peter.daniel51@btinternet.com
Somerset Rural Life Museum. Abbey Farm, Chilkwell Street, GlastonburySomerset BA6 8DB 01458 831197
St Catherine’s Church Hall, Park Road, Frome, BA11 1EU
St John’s Church, Park Street, Taunton TA1 4DG secretary@stjohnstaunton.org.uk
St. John’s Church Rooms, Yeovil, BA20 1HE
St Mary Magdalene Church, Church Square, Taunton TA1 1SA 01823 272441
St Mary’s Church, St Mary Street, Bridgwater TA6 3EQ 01278 422437 saintmarybridgwater@gmail.com
St Mary’s Church, Stogumber office.qtb@btinternet.com
St Peter & St Paul Church, Moor Lane, North Curry Ta3 6JZ 01823 490255
Shapwick Village Hall Shapwick
The Swan Theatre, 138 Park Street,Yeovil BA20 1QT swantheatre@gmail.com
Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre, School Road, Taunton TA2 8PD 01823 41 41 41 info@tacchi-morris.com
Taunton Flower Show http://www.tauntonfs.co.uk/
Taunton Library, Paul St, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3XZ 0845 345 9177
Temple Methodist Church, Upper High Street, Taunton TA1 3PY (01823) 275765
Tyntesfield Wraxall, North Somerset, BS48 1NT
United Reform Church, Somerton
Warehouse Theatre,  Brewery Lane, Ilminster, TA19 9AD Tel 01460 57049
Wellesley Theatre, 50-52 Mantle Street, Wellington TA21 8AU 01823 666668
Wellington Arts Centre, Eight Acre Lane, Wellington, TA21 8PS 01458 250655
Wells Museum (admission by side entrance) off Cathedral Green, Wells BA5 2UE
Wellsprings Leisure Centre, Cheddon Road, Taunton TA2 7QP 01823 271271
Yeovil Library, The Library, King George Street, Yeovil Somerset BA20 1PY Tel 01823 336370
Contacts List

32
‘The idea was born from our desire to
bring an extra dimension to drama in
Taunton and from our numerous experi-
ences at the National Operatic and Dra-
matic Arts (NODA) Summer schools and
from being members of many other local
groups, we decided that we would like
to share our experiences and set up our
own group. This was easy the hard bit was
deciding the name, we spent many hours
racking our brains until @2k was suggest-
ed. This name came from the amount of
money that Jane and I had put in to start
the group (£2k) and the @ symbol which
is the abbreviation for “at” which stands
for amateur theatre.
‘ Now we had fixed our name, opened
a back account, insured ourselves we
were ready to start, but how? @2k were
unknown.
Although Jane and I had both been in-
volved with many local productions over
the years, the group had no history. So we
decided to raise our profile by entering
the Somerset Fellowship of Drama, One
Act Festival competition with a play called
“The Edge”, we rustled up some actors,
Chloe Stepney, Richard Hockey and
myself. We didn’t expect to win, although
we were surprised when we received the
award for “Best En-deavour” and so our
journey had begun . We continued with
some local events in and around Wivelis-
combe and a further entry into the fol-
lowing years One Act play festival with a
play called Gilly’s Gem and provided some
spooks for the National Trust at Dunster.
‘We were now getting to be a merry
band, a bit like Chaucer and his mer-
ry players, so we now wanted to do
something bigger to really get our name
‘in lights’ so to speak. This would be
a huge challenge for us, as we had no
rehearsal space, no area to build sets and
no wardrobe full of costumes or props
and no idea what play to choose! So
what do we do next? It was decided that
we wanted something that was familiar
to potential audiences and would be “a
bums on seat” type production. After
scouring the reviews and feedback from
friends we decided that we would plump
for the stage version of the hit TV series
‘Allo Allo’.
‘So now that decision had been made,
we just needed to source fifteen or so
actors, a cafe, two blow up Hitlers, a
talking cockatoo and an complete set to
act within…. definitely a challenge!
Luckily we had a great supportive group
of enthusiastic members that were will-
ing to give this idea a go.
‘As an added bonus we discovered that
the ‘Little Theatre Company’ in Exeter
were staging ‘Allo ‘Allo a few weeks be-
fore us and kindly agreed that we could
hire their set.
‘We then booked the Tacchi Morris
Arts Centre, Taunton, found a space
to rehearse and along with sourcing
costumes and props we gradually put
together our first show…. and had a
fabulous time!
‘Staging ‘Allo ‘Allo was extremely hard
work but the culmination of all our
efforts paid off with full audiences laugh-
ing in the aisles!
We also received some recognition for
our work from the Somerset Fellowship
of Drama with @2k’s Alison Jenkinson
being nominated as “Best supporting
Actress” for the role of ‘Helga and Pete
Wilmott receiving a “Best Lighting”
nomination. “Allo ‘Allo was also nom-
inated for “Best Comedy” by NODA
South West, which was an excellent
achievement for our first large produc-
tion.
‘The success of ‘Allo ‘Allo has created
another dilemma… what do we do next?
‘After discussion within our member-
ship we decided that we needed to keep
up the momentum and have chosen
to stage ‘Abigail’s Party’ in May again
at The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre and
rehearsals are well underway with a
fabulous cast. We have also booked our
space there for another production in
late September which will be directed by
Ray Court and we will be holding play
readings and then auditions very shortly,
so if you want to be involved please let us
know. As well as these productions @2k
have also been working with The Na-
tional Trust, to provide spooky actors for
their Halloween ‘Ghost Tours at Dunster
Castle and we will be again haunting the
castle in October.
‘The aim of our group is to get people
involved so they feel they are part of
decision making. We believe its very
important to feel that you are adding
something to the group and we always
welcome new members.
‘If you would like to join our group
either acting, backstage, lighting, front of
house, publicity etc then please contact
our membership Secretary Nikki Court
(at2k@icloud.com) who would love to
hear from you.
Its been a tough few years finding our
way into the theatre scene in Taunton
but it has been worth every minute!’
Three years ago a new drama
group was formed in Taunton.
Chairman David Northey ex-
plains its genesis, their achieve-
ments and what comes next.
@2KLooking Forward to Abigail’s Party
Abigail’s Party
8-10 May 7.30pm
Saturday Matinee 2.00pm
Venue:
Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre
Box Office: 01823 414141
Amber Samuels (Evette) and Charlotte Briggs
(Mimi) Allo Allo 2013

33
Those who have experience of booksell-
ing and publishing are aware that most
novelists struggle to make a living, even if
they are given the rare opportunity to be
taken on by a publisher. Many more resort
to self publishing and very often end up
subsidising their own work. However, this
was Dinah Jefferies’, some would say, irra-
tional response following early retirement
to Spain where she and her husband lost
almost everything following the economic
crash of 2008.
A novel had been there at the back of her
mind, but was a project never realised.
‘Suddenly the idea of actually writing the
novel I has always threatened to do seemed
like a very good idea,’ she explains. ‘It
would take my mind off my predicament,
and who knows, I might even be able to get
it published’.
She succeeded better than she could have
hoped for and was taken on by what is
now, since its merger with Random House,
the largest publisher in the world, Penguin
- or Penguin Random House, as we must
now learn to style it.
The Separation is a work of fiction, though
her own story and experience provide the
background for the novel which is set
during the time of the emergency in Ma-
laya in the 1950s. ‘Mother’s memories, her
memoirs, and her wonderful photograph
albums were the inspiration for many of
the locations in the book.’
In addition she found the internet, and
You Tube in particular and the Colonial
Film Catalogue, invaluable resources.
Then, of course there are her own
memories of growing up in Malaya and
the experience of several different lo-
calities as they moved with her father’s
job in developing and restoring the
postal service, eight times in as many
years. She remembers, for example, her
mother singing in a hotel in Singapore,
stumbling into a waxwork museum,
swimming in a natural plunge pool,‘ the
houses on stilts, the lizards that left their
tails behind, and so much more of the
smells, sounds and sights of Malaya.’
Experiencing her financial loss helped
her develop the central character of Lyd-
ia, a woman left alone with no money,
job or financial independence in 1950’s
Malaya at a time when very few women
had their own bank account.
Dinah also had the experience of her
own tragic loss of her fourteen year
old son, who severed his carotid artery
when, by accident, he drove his friend’s
motorcycle though a glass door.’
‘I didn’t want to write about that,’ she
explains, ‘ but I did want to write about
loss.’
She conceived the idea of the charac-
ters in her fictional family vanishing in
the thick of the Malayan emergency . ‘A
time of ambushes, guns piled high in
the hallway of our family home, shoot-
ings and grenades thrown into crowd-
ed places.’ The British were fighting a
war against terror in a post war Malaya
that had most of its communications
destroyed when it was overrun by the
Japanese during the war.
She had all the ingredients of her nov-
el. Sitting down to write it she imme-
diately struck lucky with Penguin: ‘That
was the moment I shrieked until I was
hoarse, and I am still pinching myself.’
They have bought her second novel
which she is delighted about. And per-
haps, in these difficult and austere times
there is a lesson for all of us, ‘that for-
tunes can change suddenly for good or
for bad. It’s a matter of ups and downs.’
Despite the difficult times she is grate-
ful for the way things have turned out
and concludes, ‘I never could have
imagined that in my sixty fifth year I
would be writing books for Penguin,
nor that after all these years I’ve finally
discovered the thing I really love to do.’
What would you do
if you lost almost
everything? Write a
novel, of course.
A photo of the young Dinah in Malaya holding her
Chinese doll
Dinah Jefferies
Talk and Book signing
7.00 pm Tuesday 3rd June
Venue and Tickets:
Brendon Books,
01823 337742

34
The Taming of the Shrew
‘The Taming of the Shrew has never before
been performed by the Taunton Thes-
pians, but includes one of the best loved
Shakespeare scenes (when Petruchio meets
Katerina for the first time). That scene has
gorgeous dialogue, seductive elements
and shows the two to be equally witty and
intelligent. It’s been viewed as a difficult
play because its subject matter - how can
the audience have empathy with the male
lead, if he tames his wife by, (it is inferred)
depriving her of food, clothes and sleep.
Overall, this is a play that discusses the
nature of relationships (in society and in
private) between men and women, fathers
and daughters, suitors to innocent girls and
husbands and wives.
‘There’s a lot to be enthusiastic about
directing there - it’s my hope that everyone
will come away from this play having an
opinion - is the story applauding the archa-
ic view of womens’ place in Shakespeare’s
time, or is there more to it than that?
‘When I submitted the bid to the RSC
Open Stages programme in August last
year, I hoped for TT to be involved not
only because I think that we will learn
from the professionals, but also the lure of
the RSC and transfer of skills workshops
such as movement, stage combat and
text interpretation would tempt a higher
percentage of local people and our current
members to become more involved in
bringing productions to the stage. Being
involved in am dram should be fun and
it should provide people with a chance to
learn. Something that this opportunity
does in spades. With the Brewhouse being
recently reopened due to the massive hard
work and commitment of a large number
of local people, and the involvement of the
RSC in our latest Summer Tour, this is an
exciting era for theatre in Somerset.’
Director Rachell Buttell looks forward to the Taunton Thespians
summer touring production of the Taming of the Shrew which
has included rehearsal time at Stratford as part of the Royal
Shakespeare Company’s Open Stage Programme.
Top: Rob Adam (Petruchio) and (Katherina) Martine Davies in rehearsal
at The Place in Taunton. Bottom: The cast in rehearsal at Stratford.

35
Misogyny, farce....or an example of how not to be-
have towards women.
The main plot is concerned with Petru-
chio wooing the unwilling Katherina
through various psychological devices
then, once he has married her ‘taming
‘ her so that she becomes obedient.
Though not always, included the play
includes an induction where by a noble-
man for a joke tricks a drunken tinker
called Christopher Sly into believing he
is himself a nobleman. The nobleman
then has the play performed for Chris-
toper Sly’s benefit.
Since its inception in 1592 (or perhaps
a little earlier, as usual there is disagree-
ment about which date it was written
and the extent of Shakespeare’s author-
ship), there is evidence of controversy
over its apparently misogynistic theme.
There was a contemporary alternative
ending where Christopher Sly is beaten
by his wife ‘for dreaming here tonight’
at the end of the play. A sequel by John
Fletcher who took over Shakespeare’s
role as playwright for the King’s Men is
called The Woman’s Prize or The Tamer
Tamed in which a remarried Petru-
chio is himself tamed by his wife.
Some feminists have argued that by
means of exaggeration Shakespeare is
showing us how not to behave towards
women and that it is therefore not mi-
sogynist in intent. Others have argued
that the play is a farce and that this
is reinforced by the induction scene,
the argument being that if it is a play
put on for the benefit of the drunken
tinker it had to be a farce and, there-
fore, not to be taken seriously. Others
have taken it that it simply reflects the
prevailing attitudes towards women at
the time.
Tour dates and venues (all July 2014):
Tue 15 Bishop’s Hull House
Wed 16 Maunsel House
Thu 17 Taunton Museum
Fri 18 Compton House, Axbridge
Sat 19 Muchelney Abbey
Tue 22 Dillington House
Wed 23 Taunton Museum
Thu 24 Mount Somerset Hotel
Fri 25 To be confirmed
Sat 26 Hartwood House, Cr. Heathfield
The Taunton Thespians play is set
in 1930s Italy. According to the
director, The purpose of setting it
during that time is to illustrate the
difference between conformity and
non conformity. It is 10 years since
Mussolini came to power....
Tickest available from:
Ticketsource - online booking service
Taunton Tourist Information Centre, in per-
son or by phone – (01823) 336344
From the individual venues.

36
The Walker’s Guide to
Outdoor Clues and Signs
The origins of Tristan’s fascination with
navigation date back to a family holiday
in the Isle of Wight when he was just
10 and when his mother signed him up
for a five day dinghy course. When on
the final day he was given the choice of
where to go by his instructor of where to
go it sparked the radical thought that he
could determine his own destination by
dint of his navigational skills which led
him eventually to sailing singlehanded
across the Atlantic.
In the time in-between, electronic
navigation had made navigation more
accurate and safer but for Tristan it had
also made it more dull. Rather than
electronic navigation, he turned towards
developing a sophisticated version of
natural navigation developing skills such
as using the sun, moon,stars,weather, the
plants and animals.
Tristan has led expeditions in five con-
tinents, climbed mountains in Europe,
Africa and Asia, sailed small boats
Tristan Gooley is
returning to Taunton
to talk about his new
book, The Walker’s
Guide, the result of
two decades of pi-
oneering outdoors
experience and six
years of instructing,
researching and
writing.
across oceans and piloted small aircraft to
Africa and the Arctic. He has walked with
and studied the methods of the Tuareg,
Bedouin and Dayak in some of the remot-
est regions on Earth.
He is the only living person to have both
flown solo and sailed singlehanded across
the Atlantic and is a Fellow of the Royal
Institute of Navigation and the Royal
Geographical Society.
Tristan set up his natural navigation
school in 2008 and as well as his new
book is the author of The Natural Naviga-
tor, How to Connect with Nature.
With the Walkers Guide Tristan has
gone into further depth on the subject of
natural navigation. In it, for example, you
can not only learn how to use the north
star as a means of determining direction
but tell the date and time, forecast the
weather and work out the distance to
nearby towns. The moon can be used as
a direction finder too, but also to work
out the tides, including on the other side
of the world in Australia.
He has written for the Sunday Times, the
New York Times, the BBC, Geographical
Magazine, Yachting Monthly, The Finan-
cial Times and many other periodicals.
He has appeared on TV and radio pro-
grammes in the UK and internationally,
including The Today Programme, Night
Waves, Countryfile, BBC Stargazing
Live, Country Tracks, Ramblings, Open
Country, Shipwrecks and All Roads
Lead Home.
Tristan Gooley
Talk and Book signing
7.00 pm Friday 13th June
Venue and Tickets:
Brendon Books,
01823 337742

37
‘Textile Expressions was started in 1991 by
Diploma students from the London Col-
lege of Fashion’ explains Pat. ‘Since then
the group has expanded and is now formed
of diverse and contemporary textile artists
committed to exhibiting and working to
educate and promote interest in embroi-
dery.’
The group regularly exhibit together and
have shown work as part of the 4x4 group
at The Mall Galleries and The Menier Gal-
lery in London, as well as The Knitting and
Stitching Show in London and Harrogate.
‘The majority of our exhibitions have been
in London and have been concentrated in
a fairly small area’ explains Pat. ‘When I
moved to Crewkerne I knew of the Ilmin-
ster Arts Centre and the group then decid-
ed to exhibit in the South West.’
The exhibition at Ilminster Arts Centre
encompasses the group’s many and var-
ied approaches to the medium of textile
art, from batik, basketry, felt and tapestry
to slashed, stitched, painted and collaged
layers of paper and fabric. Some of the
artists incorporate natural materials and
found objects into their work, and the re-
sults range from hangings to framed or
3D pieces which may be partly decorative,
express feelings, convey a message or ask
questions.
Inspired by colour, texture and move-
ment, especially pertaining to the sea and
coastline, Pat’s aim with her own work is
to ‘try to portray what I see and how I feel
in different natural environments using
stitch and mixed media.’ Her introduction
to textile art came by accident after a friend
asked her along to a summer school tak-
ing place at Missenden Abbey, Bucks. Af-
ter that she became hooked and went onto
study the subject further at East Berkshire
College,Windsor,graduatingwithaDiplo-
ma in Stitched Textiles (Distinction). Just
over a year ago, she became a volunteer
gallery steward at Ilminster Arts Centre. ‘I
volunteered as previously I had set up and
managed a gallery and when I retired and
moved to South West I missed the inter-
action that I had between the public and
artists.’
As well as Pat Clayton, the artists tak-
ing part in the exhibition include: Audrey
Critchley, Carole Waddle, Christine Rol-
litt, Delia Pusey, Gilda Baron, Jill Dian
Izzard, Joan Lamb, Joan West, Margaret
Talbot, and Shelagh O’Gorman.
Audrey Critchley studied Textile Design
and Screen Printing at Art School during
her teens. Her early work was influenced
by her travels around Australia, and visits
totheArtGalleryofNewSouthWaleswith
its amazing collection of ancient Aborigi-
nal Art. More recently, the architecture
and politics of the City of London have
inspired a mixed media piece on the credit
crunch, and visits to the RHS Headquar-
ters at Wisley have seen Audrey experi-
menting with colour, print and stitch, al-
lowing pattern and texture to bring new
images to light. The artist is currently in
the process of exploring landscapes us-
ing mono printing and mark making to
inform new pieces of work.
Carole Waddle’s embroidery interest
was reawakened in 1984 after enroll-
ing on an Experimental Textiles eve-
ning course. She then joined her local
Embroiderers’ Guild Branch and from
1986-92 she completed a City and
Guilds course in Creative Embroidery
attheLondonCollegeofFashion,where
she gained a distinction. Carole’s work
ranges from felting, experimental tapes-
try weaving, hand/machine stitching to
beading and wire-work. She often com-
bines different techniques and media to
create sculptural 3D pieces, or as a tex-
The Textile Expressions Group will be exhibiting their work at Ilminster
Arts Centre in May. Member Pat Clayton offers an insight into the origins
of the group and their work.
Textile Expressions
Above, artwork from the followingTop Left: Delia Pusey Top Right: Pat Clayton
Bottom Left: Gilda Baron Bottom Right: Margaret Talbot

38
tural base to stitch into. Inspiration comes
both from natural forms such as land-
scapes and rock strata and the man-made
particularly modern organic architecture.
Fine Art trained Christine Rollitt focuses
on stitch as a mark making statement and
addsdyesandcolourstoherfabricswhich
are used alongside bought fabrics and
found objects. She likes to combine paint-
erly qualities with her stitched textiles as
she builds up layers, patching and piecing
together elements and embellishing with
stitch. An experienced tutor, Christine
has taught Creative Stitched Textiles and
Creative Embroidery in London Adult
Education Centres and on outreach proj-
ects.
Delia Pusey grew up in a family occu-
pied with loom fringe weaving, court
dressmaking and millinery, so unsurpris-
ingly sewing and dressmaking have been
an important part of her life. During her
time spent as a studio technician in Sec-
ondary education, Delia studied City and
Guilds Embroidery at The London Col-
lege of Fashion, completing the course in
1991. Her current work takes inspiration
from symbols of Chinese culture such as
tranquil gardens filled with plants, flow-
ers, towers and temples, with backdrops of
misty mountains and landscapes.
Using many techniques in her work to
create unique and distinctive pieces, Gilda
Baron produces stunning land and sea-
scapes which burst with life, colour and
texture. Best-selling author of the book ‘
The Art of Embroidered Flowers’, Gilda has
also made a programme for Sky TV and
has recently led a four week course at Lon-
don’s V&A Museum. A much in-demand
artist and teacher, Gilda has been invited
to display her work and teach all over Eu-
rope, and has been featured in many British
and European magazines, often producing
projects for them.
Jill Dian Izzard has been stitching and
creating artworks after being taught by her
mother as a child. She gained distinctions
in Creative Textiles as a mature student at
The London College of Fashion. Her recent
projects are based on this love of stitch and
incorporate vintage lace and buttons using
the running stitch technique. The historical
research of textiles, traditional techniques
and the arts of other cultures all provide
stimulus for Jill’s own artwork, which in-
corporates weaving, felt making, stitching,
beading, cording, smocking, pleating, rug
making, and more.
Memories of her time spent as a nurse
in Africa inspire Joan Lamb. The sights,
sounds, colour and lights of places such
as Kenya and Uganda fill her work. In
recent years Joan has developed her love
for painting, printing and stitch onto
cloth and this is evidenced in her vibrant
exhibition pieces.
It is form rather than function that Joan
West finds interesting when creating her
basketry pieces. As both an embroider-
er and basket-maker she likes to try out
ways of combining stitch and weave,
using soft materials such as sisal, jute
and hemp to make flexible structures
that can be manipulated by twisting or
crushing. The resulting shapes break
away from the more traditional ves-
sel-shapedbasketryofthepast.Joan’sac-
ademic achievements include a City and
Guilds in Creative Basketry and Creative
Embroidery at the London College of
Fashion.
Based in Cambridge, Margaret Talbot
teaches textiles throughout England.
Graduating with a Diploma from East
Berkshire College, Windsor, Margaret is
the author of the book ‘Medieval Flush-
work of East Anglia’. Since gaining a
teaching certificate more than ten years
ago, Margaret has been a full time tex-
tile artist and tutor who leads workshops
and summer schools all over England.
Her own work uses mixed media and
digital images.
With so many styles and techniques
on display visitors to the exhibition at
Ilminster Arts Centre are sure to be in
for a real treat, and there promises to be
something for everyone to discover and
enjoy.
By Sara Loveridge
Textile Expressions Exhibition
From Mon19th - Sat 31st May.
Open Mon - Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm,
Sat 9.30am - 2.30pm. Free entry.
At Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street,
Ilminster.TA19 0AN.
Email: info@themeetinghouse.org.
uk. Website: www.themeetinghouse.
org.uk. Box Office: 01460 54973.
Above, artwork from the followingTop Left: Carol Waddle Top Right: Audrey Critchley.
Bottom Left: Jill Dian Izzard Bottom Right: Christine Rollitt

39
The Somerset Archaeological and Natural
History Society (SANHS) have just pub-
lished the second volume in their series on
the Maritime History of Somerset. Edited
by local author, Dr Adrian Webb, volume
two contains a wide variety of informa-
tion detailing aspects of Somerset’s much
neglected maritime past. Six authors have
contributed years of research into this
volume which contains chapters on:
· Travel along the Somerset coast
· Tourism in Somerset
· River ferries at Pill and Rownham on
the River Avon
· The development of Minehead har-
bour
· Sea fishing off the Somerset coast
Covering over a thousand years of
history, discover the fate of the men who
operated the ferry across the River Avon
until the motor car and the Avon Bridge
put an end to their livelihood. Or sto-
ries of the experiences from a few of the
travellers who journeyed down the Bristol
Channel, skirting the Somerset coast,
many of them to find new lives in the
New World. Many travellers were not so
lucky and many wrecks were the sad result
of their attempts at finding a new life.
The importance of Minehead and Pill as
staging points for passengers to and from
Ireland is also explored.
Devastating storms at the end of the
seventeenth century forced the Luttrells
to rebuild their pier at Minehead. In order
to do so a civil engineer was employed
who rode from London to Minehead to
survey the scale of the work needed. His
detailed letters, accounts and drawings
are included in this book, along with a
chapter on sea fishing. Sadly, what was
once a source of income for hundreds of
Somerset folk has today almost slipped
out of the public eye. Only a brave handful
earn a living from sea fishing but back in
the seventeenth century Minehead had its
own fleet!
Of a more cheerful nature is the chapter
on Somerset’s seaside tourism. Traced
from the eighteenth century, local his-
torian, Sue Berry, has unearthed tales
of tourists’ experiences who braved the
Somerset seaside. Minehead, Burnham,
Weston and Clevedon all cashed in on the
hoards of visitors before foreign holidays
became the preferred destination for those
who could afford it.
This book is an A4 softback and contains
225 pages, and 159 colour and black and
white images. The foreword has been
written by Lady Gass.
Exclusively available in Taunton at
Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton at
£20. Available by post from http://www.
freewebstore.org/SANHS
Maritime History of Somerset Volume 2
Talk followed by Book signing
7.00pm Thursday 19 June
A Maritime History of
Somerset
Volume Two
Venue and tickets:
Brendon Books, Bath Place,
Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742
NB This is a free event but please
reserve a place as room is limited.
Cass Caswell Trio with guest Sinead McCabe
Venue Cossington Village Hall Trivetts Way
Cossington Bridgwater TA7 8LH
Date Saturday June 7th Time 8.00pm
(doors 7.00pm )
Founded in 1999 this trio of fine musicians take
audiences by storm with their fine renderings of many
jazz standards. They have played major theatres and
numerous jazz festivals throughout the U.K All have
been members of television orchestras – pianist John
Martin with Scottish TV, guitarist John Gibson with
BBC Pebble Mill and Cass Caswell with Westward TV.
Their range of music encompasses many styles of jazz,
from Traditional /Dixieland through mainstream to modern and bebop. They are joined by singing starlet Sinead McCabe
who is fast becoming the West Country’s number one jazz singer..Her unique voice and distinctive style will be compliment-
ing the fine works of Otillie Patterson..
Reserved seats £ 10.00 (which includes interval tasty treats ) from host Roger Collett 01278 451187 or email rogercollett.
sounds@talktalk.net

40
Those who have never visited Dillington House, near Ilm-
inster, have missed one of the gems of Somerset. A Tudor
mansion , tastefully restored in the nineteenth century by
Lord North, Dillington offers a wealth of day and residen-
tial courses in a variety of subjects from Ukelele tuition
to a study of Greek and Latin languages.. It offers regular
concerts by world famous musicians also a series of talks
by experts in their own fields, including Kate Adie, Michael
Wood ,and Jim Al-kalili. The meals are superb too !
For those interested in literature there are study days on a
variety of themes such as the Development of the Epic , starting with Homer ; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; the Dymock
poets Edward Thomas and Robert Frost.
The creative writing days aim to provide stimulus and encouragement to beginners and experienced writers alike . Each work-
shop has a theme , such as Autumn, the Sea, Light , using music , poetry, paintings and natural objects to enable people to
access their treasure trove of memories and experiences of life and express their individual gifts..Writing in a group, instead of
alone, offers support, friendship and constructive criticism and energy by sharing exciting adventures with language and the
many forms of writing such as haiku, quinquaine and sonnet. Our sessions are interactive with lively discussions and shared
life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and openness.
All comers are warmly welcome in a supportive atmosphere.and we look forward to seeing you at Dillington and remember, if
you want to be a good writer--", then go ahead and write!" as Epictetus urged in the 1st century A.D." To be utterly oneself---
that is all the muses care for " W.B. Yeats. Come and find out for yourself ! For further details or to book a place, please see
the website or phone (details above).
Elizabeth Rapp
DILLINGTON HOUSE
Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9DT
01460 258648 dillington@somerset.gov.uk
Why Not
Advertise in
LAMP?
Make yourself visible while
supporting the promotion of the
artistic community in Somerset
LAMP Magazine
c/o Brendon Books,
Old Brewery Buildings
Bath Place Taunton TA1 4ER
01823 337742
lampmagazine1@gmail.com

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