THAME Market Traders are inviting everyone to come and join them for some spooky activities at Thame’s Tuesday Charter Market with two frighteningly fun events!
On Tuesday, October 24, and Tuesday, October 31, head down to the market to guess the weight of the pumpkin, and during half-term week on October 24, children aged 10 and under can enter the ‘best spooky drawing’ competition, with the winner announced on Halloween itself.
The prize will be a hamper of goodies generously donated by our market traders. Stay up to date and join the events on the ‘Thame Market Traders’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ThameMarketTraders
THE Mayor of Thame, Tom Wyse, would like a festive image of St Mary’s Church on the front of his charity Christmas cards this year, and is inviting the community of Thame to send in their photographs.
If you have captured St Mary’s Church in the snow, or perhaps at a particularly festive moment, please send your photo(s) to: rosie.collins@thametowncouncil.gov.uk.
You would be credited on the cards, which will be sold in Thame Information Centre in the lead up to Christmas, with all monies raised going to the Mayor’s charities – the Red Kite Family Centre and Thame & District Day Centre.
THE TAL Festival next week is to play its part in cementing the twinning between Thame and the beautiful Romanian town and mountain resort, Sinaia, also known as the ‘Pearl of the Carpathians’.
Dan Manea, Romanian award-winning architect, author of ‘Sinaia – Land of the Elites’ will cover the origins, destiny and development of the mountain town at Thame’s Barns Centre’s Small Hall on Sunday, October 15, at 1:30 pm.
The audience will hear the extraordinary story of the settlement that gradually became Romania’s summer capital, one of the favourite destinations of the elites, a famous stop-over for the Orient Express and with the most historical monuments per capita in Romania built over a period of 150 years of history. The talk is likely to inspire the audience not only to visit Sinaia for its outstanding natural beauty and beautiful buildings like Peles Castle, but also to discover the history which marked the place.
Dan Manea, former President of the Rotary Club of Sinaia, is connected to a number of local community fundraising projects like “Donate one penny for Caraiman” aimed to restore the 92 ft Heroes Cross on Caraiman Peak, built at 7,500 ft altitude in 1928, to commemorate Romanian soldiers fallen during the First World War. The monument was recognised as the tallest summit cross in the world by Guinness World Records in 2014.
TAL Festival organisers have generously waived the entry fee to Dan Manea’s talk. The event was planned with support from Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association and Sinaia-based ASPE Cultural Association.
WHAT’S your favourite sin? Thame Chamber Choir will offer plenty of choice in its concert at 8p.m. on October 14, in St Mary’s Church, Thame, part of the Thame Arts and Literature Festival.
With the help of local actor Bruce Alexander, well-known for his television appearances in A Touch of Frost, the choir is proud to present an over-indulgent evening of longed-for illicit delights.
Those who attend are guaranteed to be greedy for more, whilst anyone who is too lazy to come will surely envy those who do, and be angry with themselves for missing an evening of music ranging from the unfamiliar to the familiar, from classical to popular, from Madrigals to Musicals: truly something for everyone – and for every sin!
Tickets, price £12, £10 concessions (under 18s free), are available from the TAL Box Office, tel: 0871-288-3420, on line at www.talfestival.org, or at the door.
AS part of her nationwide tour, Stars Are Rising The Live Tour, official number one, best-selling soprano, Joanna Forest is appearing at The Players Theatre, Thame, on Friday, September 29, supported by the Thame Children’s Choir (TCC2).
Described as one of the most exciting and important sopranos performing today, Joanna has performed to millions on the BBC, ITV, Sky and Classic FM and appeared at many prestigious events including The Royal Variety Performance.
At the Players Theatre, Joanna will be performing songs from her critically acclaimed debut album, Stars Are Rising, which made chart history when it was released earlier this year. She became the first independent artist to get to Number one in the Official Classical Album Charts, even managing to knock Alfie Boe off the top spot! The album also claimed Number one spots in the iTunes and Amazon Classical Charts.
Joanna has been working with world-renowned orchestrator, conductor and pianist, Robert Emery, since 2015. They created Stars are Rising, an album that is dramatic in scale, cinematic in style and gathers together an eclectic mix of powerful arias, cinematic classics and crossover versions of popular hits such as Bowie’s Life on Mars and Slade’s How Does It Feel? An animated video of How Does It Feel? went viral on the internet.
After studying at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Joanna made her West End musical debut at just 13, performing at the Dominion Theatre, London in Bernadette The Musical. She also made her straight acting debut when she was cast by Michael Palin in his first play, The Weekend. Joanna broke onto the classical music scene in 2014, when she duetted with Britain’s Got Talent winner and global megastar, Paul Potts, at a charity concert in London’s Palace Theatre. Since then she has been performing across the country in stadiums, theatres and proms shows.
Joanna is a keen supporter of charity and, having survived breast cancer at the age of just 21, now dedicates any free time she has to her role as an ambassador ‘Boobette’ for breast cancer awareness charity, CoppaFeel! (https://coppafeel.org/). £1 from every copy of Stars Are Rising sold is being donated to the charity.
Stars Are Rising, The Live Tour, Joanna Forest performs at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame OX9 2DP on Friday, September 29, at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £10 from Spear Travels, Greyhound Walk, Thame, telephone 01844 217228 or online from www.thameplayers.co.uk
Thame Children’s Choir (TCC2) TCC2 was founded in November 2010 with administrative and financial support from the highly regarded Thame Chamber Choir. Directed by local professional conductor Duncan Aspden, the choir offers a special opportunity for boys and girls aged from 7 years upwards to learn to sing and enjoy a wide variety of music. Members come from a wide area in and around Thame so joining the choir is a great chance to make new friends.
CoppaFeel!
CoppaFeel! ® is a registered charity that exists to educate and remind every young person in the UK that checking their boobs isn’t only fun, it could save their life. They are the first breast cancer charity in the UK to create awareness amongst young people, with the aim of instilling a new healthy habit that could one day save their life. For more information go to https://coppafeel.org/.
Thame Players is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers offering a varied range of productions all year round, from serious theatre to comedy and pantomime, including their own productions, visiting shows, and film screenings by Thame Cinema 4 All. For more information about Thame Players and how to join as a member or a friend, call 07938 857291 or visit www.thameplayers.co.uk
THIS year, as part of Thame Arts & Literature Festival (TAL), Thame will host its first ever ‘Art Crawl’, giving festival goers the chance to stroll around Thame between events and explore the different venues celebrating art in the town centre. Running from Wednesday 10 – Saturday 14 October, the Art Crawl includes the ‘Sparksartists’ event shown in the TAL brochure. It will also feature established galleries, artist and makers shops; pop up art exhibitions at nine different venues; live art activities where you can watch an artist at work, and even get involved yourself; and a showcase of community arts groups, to inspire everyone to get creative.
Thame has a wealth of artistic talent and this event hopes to be the first of many that celebrate this. For more information please visit: www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/thame-art-crawl where events are being added and updated regularly.
Thame Town Centre shops are also getting involved in TAL by dressing their windows to celebrate the festival. The theme this time is ‘Jane Austen’, to celebrate the bi-centenary of her death.
THE Browning Version of one of Terence Rattigan’s best-known plays, with its subtext worthy of Pinter and pathos befitting a Greek tragedy.
L to R, Chris Jackson (Frank Hunter), Jayesh Turvey (John Taplow), Adam Hurst (Andrew Crocker-Harris)
Since it was first performed in 1948, the play has achieved huge success, including two film versions and at least four TV adaptations. For their next production, Thame Players are staging a new production, opening on Tuesday, September 12, at the Players Theatre in Nelson Street, Thame.
The Browning Version is set on the last day of a classics master’s final term at an English boys’ school. Andrew Crocker-Harris (or ‘The Crock’ as he’s nicknamed) is academically brilliant but rather stuffy and inflexible as a person. He started his job with high hopes and great ambitions 18 years earlier, but he’s not popular and is generally disliked. Now poor health is forcing him to retire. His wife is altogether different as a character, vivacious and popular – and not just with the students. What does the future hold for this couple and will they face it together or apart? The play exposes a sad and poignant, yet ultimately inspiring and restorative, tale of love and longing.
Phil Byrom, director of this production for Thame Players, recalled: “When I first came across The Browning Version, I was captivated by Rattigan’s understanding of people with their complex relationships and motivations. The characters are beautifully wrought studies of humanity, painted in vivid hues that draw us into the drama, making their turmoil almost tangible. I believe Rattigan belongs in the first rank of playwrights who tell us so much about human nature, particularly the nature of love, rendering his plays timeless – irrespective of the era in which they’re set.”
Rattigan’s hit comedies and dramas include Flare Path, The Winslow Boy, The Deep Blue Sea and Separate Tables, plus many film scripts. By the early 1950s, Rattigan was Britain’s most successful playwright, both critically and financially.
“Since his death in 1977, Rattigan’s reputation has continued to rise,” continued Phil, “and today, with his penetrating understanding of the joy and the pain of love and the need to be needed, he is widely regarded as the English Chekhov.”
The Browning Version at the Players Theatre
Performances at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame OX9 2DP run from Tuesday 12th until Saturday 16th September inclusive, at 7.45pm each evening. Tickets cost £9, concessions £8, and are available from Spear Travels, Greyhound Walk, Thame, telephone 01844 217228 or online from www.thameplayers.co.uk
Biographical Note on Phil Byrom
Phil first took to the stage at school. He subsequently joined an amateur club, directing productions including Priestley’s An Inspector Calls and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. This is Phil’s directorial debut for Thame Players, but he has acted in previous Thame Players shows including Yes, Prime Minister, Journey’s End and Macbeth. In directingThe Browning Version, which is driven by the actors in terms of characterisation and relationships, Phil brings his acting experience to bear on his role as director. Above all, Phil loves to tell a good story and hopes everyone will enjoy the show.
Biographical Note on Terence Rattigan
Rattigan experienced his first success with First Episode in 1933, which enjoyed a rapid transfer to the West End. During the next two years Rattigan wrote six plays, but none were produced. In November 1936 a comedy, French without Tears, became an unexpected smash hit, running for over 1000 performances and turning its author and little-known cast – including Rex Harrison and Trevor Howard – into stars. When war came, Rattigan wrote hit comedies and dramas while off-duty in RAF Coastal Command. They include Flare Path The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, The Deep Blue Sea, Separate Tables, plus many film scripts. By the early 1950s, Rattigan was Britain’s most successful playwright, both critically and financially. With the arrival of a younger generation of actors and writers in the 50s, Rattigan’s fortunes changed. Out of favour with the critics, Rattigan devoted much of the rest of his life to writing highly paid film scripts, but also wrote three of his finest plays, Man and Boy, In Praise of Love, and Cause Célèbre .
Thame Players is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers offering a varied range of productions all year round, from serious theatre to comedy and pantomime, including their own productions, visiting shows, and film screenings by Thame Cinema 4 All. For more information about Thame Players and how to join as a member or a friend, call 07938 857291 or visit www.thameplayers.co.uk
SOURCE: Contributed
For more forthcoming shows at The Players Theatre, visit our EVENTS PAGE
Thame Choral Society’s Director of Music, Helen Swift
THAME Choral Society and its Director, Helen Swift, welcome new and returning singers to join them for the new season, which starts on Wednesday, September 6, when rehearsals for TCS’s Christmas Concert begin.
This year, as well as the usual carols and Christmas songs, the Christmas concert will include works by Handel, Mozart and Vaughan Williams. The Spring Term 2018, will be dedicated to Mendelssohn’s great oratorio, Elijah, culminating with a full performance with orchestra and soloists in April.
Rehearsals are held on Wednesdays from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm at the Methodist Church, Haddenham, and full details can be found on the TCS website at www.thamechoralsociety.org.uk.
Everyone is welcome and you won’t be asked to audition.
IN a beautiful English garden in Thame this afternoon, a typical scene of friends enjoying scones with jam and cream on bone china plates, with pots of steaming tea. Nothing particularly unusual in that, but this afternoon was special for members of Thame and District Twinning Association.
For this afternoon was, what has become a regular late summer get-together, to discuss the passing of the year and to hear plans for the group’s annual visit to Thame’s twin town of Montesson, near Paris in two weeks’ time. News of future fund-raising activities, like the Montesson Christmas Market in late November, and Thame Twinning’s quiz with quizmaster Sue Boyle, on November 3, was received with great enthusiasm.
Despite the shock of the Brexit vote in June 2015, the twinning between Thame and Montesson remains strong, and the Thame ‘twinners’ were pleased to welcome Phillipa Tawn from the recently formed Thame for Europe Group and her two young daughters.
Thame District and Twinning Associations Chairperson, Linda Emery, thanked David and Cynthia Jackson for hosting the afternoon in their stunning garden, and particularly Cynthia for baking dozens of scones! Linda then presented the Jacksons with a very unusual potted Cyclamen plant as a token of the group’s appreciation.
Anyone interested in finding out more about Thame and Montesson twinning, can contact Linda Emery via: lindaemery@btinternet.com
THAME CINEMA FOR ALL have published their Autumn programme of films – and there are some real treats in store for you film fans out there.
Sunday September 24 – Hidden Figures – Celebrates the untold story of three brilliant African-American women, and their crucial contribution to the NASA space mission. Certificate PG. View trailer here.
Saturday September 30 – Frantz – Sumptuous romantic drama set in Germany and France, in the immediate aftermath of WW1. Certificate 12A. View trailer here.
Saturday October 7 – Their Finest – Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton lead an all-star cast in funny and moving crowd-pleaser, about the the Ministry of Information’s propaganda film unit. Certificate 12A. View trailer here.
Saturday October 14 -In association with Thame Arts and Literature Festival, we present A Monster Calls and A Quiet Passion. For details and to book visit www.talfestival.org.
Saturday October 21- Letters from Baghdad – Dramatised documentary based on the life and letters of the extraordinary Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire, and her role in re-shaping the Middle East after WW1. Certificate U. View trailer here.
Friday October 27 – The Other Side of Hope – Hilariously deadpan comic take on the refugee crisis: a Syrian asylum seeker escapes from a Finnish detention centre and finds refuge with a dour poker playing restauranteur. Certificate 12A. View trailer here.
