Tag Archives: Gallows Productions

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Win Guide to May

In Mays gone by Machiavelli was born, the Renaissance came to an end, England and Scotland formed a union and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister.  So, let’s see what Wintonians have to look forward to in May 2016…

Democracy will have its day on Thursday 5 May so don’t forget to visit your polling stations to cast your vote in the local elections and Police and Crime commission elections.  For more details visit the Winchester City Council website.

hamlet-sattfShakespeare at the Tobacco Factory are touring a repertory season of Hamlet and All’s Well That End’s Well to the Theatre Royal,  3-7 May.  If you feel like a particularly theatrical week, you can book to see both productions for £33.50 to commemorate 400 years since the Bard’s death.

rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are-dead-v2In fact Shakespeare has some other incarnations at the Theatre Royal this month. Gallow’s Productions will be presenting an abridged version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, 9-10 May, Tom Stoppard’s beloved tragicomedy.  Or 18-21 May, Winchester Musical and Operatic Society will be presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The fairy folk will be brought alive with original music from Peter Theobald.

Time for some loud laughter in the library, with the Barnstormers Comedy night on the 20 May, 8pm.  The night features three top acts from the London comedy circuit.  For more information or to book cheaper tickets in advance, visit the Barnstormers website here.

Aled-Jones1‘We’re Walking in the Air’ celebrated singer Aled Jones MBE will be touring to Winchester Cathedral on the 26 May, as part of his Cathedral tour.  Tickets are available to book online. Later in the month on the 31 May, Tim Daykin (BBC) will chair ‘Reimagining Europe’, a reflection on how Europe might look with or without the UK in the lead up to the referendum.  Free tickets are available to book via the Cathedral Box Office. Alternatively, you can join in the discussion on Twitter.

800px-Mercury_transit_2A reminder for the astronomically inclined, the transit of Mercury will be taking place on the 9 May. The Astrosoc at the University of Southampton are kindly extending an invitation to view the relatively rare phenomenon through their Solar telescopes from 1pm – 6pm.  For more information or to register your interest, visit the event page.

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Win Guide to January

January – the month of belt tightening and post-festive blues. Here are a few suggestions from the Win Guide to brighten the month:

Fugitive OrchestraTreat yourself to a meal at the Winchester Canteen on 12 January and you’ll be entertained whilst eating by the ‘Fugitive Orchestra’ described as a fusion of Alternative, Jazz-infused, Bluesy Hip-Pop, which draws inspiration from the likes of Paul Simon, Jeff Buckley, Elvis Costello, Kate Bush and many others. Music Set times are 7.15 – 8pm and 8.15pm- 9pm.

Cirque du Glow8-10 year olds are in for a treat by the sounds of it with Cirque du Glow at the Discovery Centre.  Creative Palaver have put together a programme over 10 weeks offering coaching in outdoor performance skills, circus skills, graffiti, costume making and much more.  All that sounds a bargain at £30 for 10 weeks.  Visit here for more details.

Fancy joining the Green Man Book Club?  A group meet and chat over a glass of something on the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7.45pm at, you’ve got it, the Green Man Pub on Southgate Street. Drop an email in advance to organisers, with full details available here.

Reindeer MonologuesGallows Productions return to the Theatre Royal with the Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode.  Definitely an adult comedy, put the festivities well and truly behind you with some reindeer rumours about the real North Pole.  Tickets are a tenner and performances are at 7.30pm on 19 & 20 January.

Sparsholt College will be holding a Lambing weekend on the 30 – 31 January. It’s a fun family event offering the chance to see the fluffy bundles of joy as they enter the world and also explore the college tractors and farm machinery, whilst having your face painted, riding a pony and enjoying a selection of food.  Visitors are warned to wrap up warm as it’s getting a bit wintry out there. Entry is £6 for Adults and £4 for children, or family tickets are available at £16 for 2 Adults and  2 Children, under 3’s are allowed in for free.

Bouncy Cathedral

It’s the first ever “Bouncy Cathedral” on 31 January in the nave at Winchester Cathedral, with giant games, puppets, drumming and a picnic area. The event will launch ‘Children’s Church’, a brand new Sunday school initiative for 4-11 year olds which will take place on Sundays during term-time.

Stay warm Winchester and enjoy the fun…

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Win Guide to January

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It’s official. Christmas is over, New Year’s Eve passed in a blur of bubbles and bongs and a grey, dreary January has nudged its way in to break up the revelry.

Parkrun
Parkrun

So how to combat the winter blues? Well, to work off some of the festive indulgence and get involved in some outdoor fitness, why not join in with Parkrun every Saturday at 9am in the North Walls Recreation Ground? It’s open to all runners, from nervous beginners to spandex-clad pros, and it is an entirely free community endeavour to get people outdoors for a 5k run against the clock. All you have to do is register (once only is all that’s necessary) and bring along your printed bar code so you can get your time. It’s about fun rather than pressure, so not a bad way to get fit without the commitment of a gym membership if that isn’t your thing.

THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES
THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES

If you aren’t quite ready to let the festive theme go, then you could consider Jeff Goode’s ‘The Eight: The Reindeer Monologues’ by local theatre company Gallows Productions on 12th & 13th January at the Theatre Royal. The shows are dark and definitely adult in content so not a family panto affair. Tickets are a fiver or £7 with some mulled wine thrown in for those who aren’t on the wagon for January – or feel like falling off.

The Winchester Chamber Orchestra New Year concert takes place on the 10th January at St Paul’s Church. The programme includes Mozart’s piano concerto, Haydn’s symphony number  103 and Brahm’s St Anthony Variations. Later in the month the Winchester City Festival choir will be performing a concert on 31st January at St Swithun’s School. The programme includes Tsunami Requiem by Chris Williams, a dramatic commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Asian tsunami.

Cllr Eileen Berry, Mayor of Winchester
Cllr Eileen Berry, Mayor of Winchester

The Office of the Mayor of Winchester is one of the oldest mayoralties in England. The city was first given permission during the reign of Richard the Lionheart to create the role. The current Mayor, Cllr Eileen Berry, is the 815th on the historical roster and she has a busy start to the year. There’s the 6th annual Mayor’s Charities Quiz Night at the Winchester Guildhall on 9th January. Tickets are available from the Tourist Information office. Or, further up the hill, she’ll be opening her Mayors Choice art exhibition at the Discovery Centre featuring important local work from 31st January.

Twin Wild at The Railway
Twin Wild at The Railway

The Railway Inn has a great line-up of live music and comedy for January. Acts include rock quartet Twin Wild on 29th January, described by BBC Radio 1’s Edith Bowman as “The love child of Bastille and Biffy Clyro”. Or why not pop along to Roots and join in with Winchester’s longest running open mic night? Entry is free every Monday at 8.30pm and all levels of artists are welcome, from seasoned pros to first time gig’ers. Alternatively, banish the Sunday blues twice a month with the Late Train open mic comedy night. Again, entry is free with a donation bucket.

Plenty to do on a budget to brighten up a drab, cold January.