And Now For Something Different.

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

WHAT do a singing poet, a failed Benedictine nun and pub-loving quiz addict have in common? They’re all heading for Hebden Bridge this summer as part of the town’s 16th annual Arts Festival.

Alongside the usual fortnight of music, comedy, literature and visual arts, the Festival promises to bring a mix of the quirky and the bizarre to venues round the area. For Co-ordinator Rebecca Yorke, it is the mix of the mainstream and the unusual that gives the Festival its appeal. “Hebden Bridge is often referred to as quirky, funky and a bit different and I think the Festival reflects these elements of the town’s character. It’s a real mix of events and our audiences seem to like that. We know from the bookings that people will book for a classical music recital, an off-the-wall comedy night and a foot-stomping gig at the Trades Club.”

The Festival runs from June 26 to July 12 and kicks off in sensational style at Hebden Bridge Picture House with a performance by The Dhol Foundation, students from Calder High School, Mytholmroyd, and South Asian dance company Diversity Dance. The performance is supported by Arts Council England, Calderdale MBC and Mytholmroyd-based Sweet & Maxwell and promises a spectacular fusion of choreography and sound.

Sure to be a sell-out are performances by Huddersfield poet Simon Armitage and his band The Scaremongers at the Trades Club on Saturday June 27 and BAFTA-nominated comedian, author and columnist Mark Steel with his new show ‘What’s Going On?’ at Hebden Bridge Picture House on Wednesday July 1. And hotfoot from a Canadian tour, singer Barb Jungr (pictured right) will perform the songs of Dylan to an audience at Ted Hughes Theatre in Mytholmroyd on Friday July 10. "The Café Carlyle was the site of a small revolution with the sensational uptown debut of the English cabaret singer Barb Jungr." (New York Times, March 09)

‘Quirky’ offerings include the show ‘Nun the Wiser’ with Triona Adams offering a humorous account of her experiences in an enclosed Benedictine convent. Triona will give local audiences a preview of her Edinburgh Festival-bound show at the Trades Club on Sunday June 28. Self-confessed gadfly Richard DeDomenici who delighted audiences young and old with his credit crunch treasure hunt last year, will take a sideways look at intellectual copyright theft and the problems of plagiarism at AJ’s Restaurant, Hebden Bridge, on Sunday July 5. As to be expected, chips are included in the ticket price!

One of the closing events of the Festival will be writer and pub-addict Ian Marchant’s talk about his love affair with railways and real ale at Moyles, Hebden Bridge, on Sunday July 12. The evening will include a quiz and the chance to sample a pint of two of special Festival Ale.

The Festival runs from
Friday June 26 to Sunday July 12.  

Look over the Festival website or phone 01422 842684 for more information.