What's On?

For their summer concert Newbury Chamber Choir will be performing a selection of traditional folk songs of the British Isles.

The centrepiece will be John Rutter's The Sprig of Thyme, a cycle of folk-song settings that draws together long-standing favourites such as The bold grenadier, Willow Song, The miller of Dee, and also includes the beautiful Scottish folk song Afton Water.

Come along to St George's Church for this short early evening summer concert with included refreshments after the concert.

Adults £15, includes refreshments after the concert, Under 18's free, from www.newburychamberchoir.org or on the door

We will be singing Karl Jenkins The Armed Man and Five Days That Changed The World by Bob Chilcott (which focuses on what people can achieve if they work together).

We also have two smaller pieces written, composed or arranged specially for the choir.

We will be accompanied by an organist (Mark Swinton) and pianist (Liz Collins) together with a flautist (Sandrine Jones), a cellist (Ivan Rodriguez Deb), 3 trumpeters (Roy Falshaw, Rob Morgan & Tony Adie) a military background) and 3 percussionists (Chris King, Steve Jobbins & Byron Horne). We also have a solo soprano (Robyn Pullen).

Box_office: https://pangbournechoral.org.uk/pangbourne-choral-choir-next-performances/

This June, New Era Players present a triple bill of amusing, entertaining and touching pieces. It’s a great opportunity to see some new and seasoned talent, as we introduce both actors and directors to our stage.

And It Makes Me Wonder, by Jenni Collins and Mandy Clark, is based on a real-life encounter near Reading in the early 80s. Johnny is in the middle of his exams and torn between his dreams of rock stardom or settling for 'proper' job, until a chance meeting with an old lady at the bus stop makes him rethink his ambitions.

Bed Among the Lentils is a wry and witty monologue from Alan Bennett's ‘Talking Heads’ series. A vicar's wife struggles with both her role and the demands of the parishioners but discovers a surprising new connection with Ramesh at the corner shop.

Another of the Talking Heads completes the evening, with A Lady of Letters. Irene spends much of her time writing letters: to the council, the crematorium, sausage manufacturers and even the Queen. Irene likes to bring her petty complaints to the attention of the relevant authorities, but now she oversteps the mark and finds herself in a spot of bother.

Join in the fun from 12th to 14th and 17th to 21st June 2025 at New Era Theatre, Andover Road, Wash Common, Newbury RG14 6NU. Tickets are £15 each and available online from ticketsource.co.uk/new-era-players. All other enquiries to  boxoffice@neweraplayers.org or phone 07919 916009.

ART EXHIBITION: CHALLENGES!

Come and support our local young artists from schools in the Newbury area and admire their talent on display in this exciting exhibition in the New Era Theatre foyer. There will be works in different media, such as paintings, drawings, photography, prints and raised relief for you to enjoy, with an Open Evening on Friday May 2nd. 

There are two Saturday coffee mornings with drinks and nibbles from 10.30-noon, on June 7th and 21st, plus the exhibition will also be available to view if you are attending New Era VE Day shows on 9th and 10th May, or the June production, Only Connect, between June 12th-June 21st. This exhibition is part of the Open Studio 25 events and is presented with grateful thanks to the young people themselves, their teachers and Patricia McKenna. 

Please contact the curator, Lauraine Klugman, on lauraineklugman@icloud.com for further information or with any queries.