Rye Arts Festival, now in its 54th year, brings talent from not just the UK but the world, but it also showcases the amazing local talent. The stars who are on our doorsteps. And this year the festival, which runs from 11 to 28 September has an outstanding array of local talent.
Andy McConnell takes time out from BBC’s Antiques Road Show to share his passion for glass with us on Friday, September 12, talking about the amazing and unexpected finds he has experienced.
Martin Bruce, a resident of Rye Harbour who flies a drone and does wonderful photography in his spare time, will return to his great passion – the church organ, and will serve up a real lunchtime treat on Wednesday, September 24 at St Mary’s Church. A varied programme including Walton and Vaughan Williams will be performed and tickets are free! So just pop in to the pipes – at St Mary’s!
And a former mayor of Rye, councillor Mike Boyd, will once again provide an evening of wonderful entertainment on the pianola and reproducing piano in St Mary’s on Tuesday, September 16. Mike will give, quite probably, the world’s first ever public performance of Elgar’s Enigma Variations on the Duo-Art piano! He will also give us Fats Waller and other greats from the golden age of jazz. Unmissable!
Isabel Ryan will once again provide a fabulous morning for kinds on Saturday, September 13, with a free Captain Pugwash animation workshop for kids. It’s free, it’ll be fun and it’s at the St Mary Centre in Lion Street.
And on Saturday, September 27 Graham Ellis will reprise his free workshop for kids and adults helping you to learn to juggle. There will be plenty of hanky tossing and even clubs at the Tilling Green Community Centre at noon, and it will also be free.
Tuesday 23 will see a festival first – never before has East Guldeford church been used by the festival as a venue and it will be the setting for an engrossing talk by Chris Mills about the pith helmet. Chris has moved to London from Rye, but come along to see him talk about military and colonial headgear!
And the festival wraps up with the return of the one and only Timberlina on September 28 and his big, brash, beautiful bingo show. There can be no better way to spend a late Sunday afternoon in Rye Community Centre. Remember the date, it’s ‘in a state’ or ‘a swan and a fat lady’!
For more information and to book tickets for these and the many other events go to www.ryeartsfestival.org.uk
Image Credits: Rye Arts , Rye Arts Festival .