Summer of Arts in Shrewsbury
From photography exhibitions to the Shrewsbury Folk?Festival, Shropshire has a busy summer of arts events to look forward to, says Andy Richardson.
An eclectic line-up of events will thrill Shropshire residents during an extended season of arts in Shrewsbury this summer.
The Shrewsbury Summer Season will feature an exhibition by one of Shrewsbury's greatest photographers, an arts festival in a local suburb, a series of concerts and performances of Shakespearian plays at Shrewsbury High School and much, much more.
Jenna Blair, spokeswoman for the Shrewsbury Summer Season, said the aim of the event was to provide art for all.
People from further afield were welcome and it was hoped arts enthusiasts from across Shropshire would take part in a number of events.
Ms Blair said: "It'll be great. The season will feature plenty of events and there'll be lots of highlights. One of the most eagerly-aniticipated events will be a performance of As You Like It at Shrewsbury High School on August 13.
"It will be performed by The Lord Chamberlain's Men at an ourdoor theatre in the grounds of Shrewsbury High School. Tickets and tickets are just £12 for adults or £5 for children at www.wegottickets.com.
"There will be plenty of highlights – but I'd urge people to get in quick for that particular performance, it promises to be a real stand-out performance."
The fun will start in the next week, with the launch of the Belle Vue Arts Festival, which runs from June 7 to June 23. The event is located in the leafy Shrewsbury suburb, near Coleham, and will feature a variety of events including a scarecrow trail, garden trail, art and photography exhibitions and much more.
A spokesman for the Belle Vue Arts Festival said: "The theme for this year will be X – people can interpret this with the full force of your imagination in any way you like.
"They can feel free to be inspired."
Scarecrows will feature throughout Belle Vue, with many popping up in local front gardens and featuring on a map available to locals. The festival is run entirely by volunteers.
Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra will stage a Summer Concert on June 19 at Shrewsbury Abbey, in Abbey Foregate from 7.30pm.
The programme will feature Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture, Chabrier Espana Symphony, Vaughan Williams Lark Ascending with soloist David Joyce and Elgar Symphony No 1.The roots of the Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra (Shrewsbury Orchestral Society) extend back more than a century.
Landscape
The organisation presents concert performances of orchestral music in the area in and the orchestra currently has a regular playing strength of about 45 members, together with other guest players who are invited to augment it from time to time.
An exhibition of photography by the late Danny Beath will take place from August 1 to September 9 at The Hive, in Belmont, from 9am to 5pm each day.
Danny Beath was a multi-award-winning landscape and wildlife photographer and botanist. He was renowned for his images of Scottish, Welsh and Shropshire flora and fauna, in particular butterflies and fungi.
After graduating from the University of Reading in 1987 with a BSc in Botany, Beath went on to study for a PhD in Tropical ecology at the University of Aberdeen between 1989 and 1993. During his post-graduate and post-doctoral period, he travelled extensively through the rainforests of the Old and New World, including several years' experience in West Africa and Central America.
Like his great uncle Ivo Peters, Beath's main passion in life was photography. During 2010 he was commissioned to write a monthly feature about Shropshire photography through the seasons in Shropshire Life magazine. He entered and won various competitions and was awarded two prizes posthumously after his death in 2013.
The summer season will also feature a Funday Monday on August 5 at The Square, in Shrewsbury, from 11am to 4pm and the Shrewsbury Flower Show, on August 9 and 10, is also featured as part of the line up.
As You Like It will follow on August 13 and there will also be an SYT Summer School at The Hive, in Belmont, from August 14-17 each day from 10am to 4pm.
Participants will be able to take part in activities focused on Here to Save the Universe, where they devise a brand new theatre piece and develop their performance skills. Tickets cost £45 and are available from www.hiveonline.org.
The Shrewsbury Folk Festival, which runs from August 23-26 and the Shrewsbury Steam Rally, which runs on August 25 and 26, will complete the line-up.
Details on all events are available from www.shrewsburysummer.co.uk or from brochures in local outlets.
