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A Rural Review 2016: Week 14!

So it looks like we have some explaining to do…  The sincerest apologies from us here at Rural Review HQ for the enforced break from posting: as you will know, here at Rural Arts we are constantly doing different, new and exciting things, but the sheer amount of things that happened over the last couple of weeks means that our lovely blog got left slightly by the wayside. However, we have now returned, fresh and ready to recap all the fantastic things we have been doing recently, and what other exciting things we have coming up. Let’s hope the phrase ‘absence makes the heart grows fonder’ applies to the blogging world yes? Here we go…


What’s been happening


Tour De Yorkshire Day
Just smile and wave boys…

Where to start?! Well, although this seemed to happen many moons ago, we couldn’t not talk about  this day because of just how well it went! On a very wet and windy Sunday 1st May, Rural Arts opened it’s doors for a very special , bike filled day. It was jam packed in our building, and whether people were making flags in our studio, having a little munch in our Cafe or enjoying a pint of bitter whilst watching the live stream of the race, everyone seemed to have a jolly good time! We do love a big all day event here at Rural Arts (and so, it seems, do the people of Thirsk who flocked to The Courthouse in their droves) so make sure you keep an eye out for the next one!



 
 
 
 
 
A View from the Bridge
The show was as intense as Mark Strong’s look..

Last week, we had another National Theatre Live performance, and boy was it a cracker! The incredibly powerful A View From The Bridge, starring Mark Strong, was first screened in 2015, but was so well received by audiences and critics alike, they decided to set up another special showing for this year, and we were thrilled that they did.  It was an innovative, exciting and breathtaking show that had the audience gripped for the full duration. Our next NT live is actually a pretty darn special one and we are ‘royally’ excited about it, but you will have to keep on reading the blog to find out more…

 

 

 
 
Stained Glass Workshop
 
Last Thursday and Friday was a very exciting one in our studio. We had the fabulous Jane Littlefield returning to deliver her famous Stained Glass Workshop, and the results were, as you can imagine, fantastic. Rural Arts have so many different workshops happening all year round there is something for everyone, so why not have a look HERE to see if there is something that appeals to you. Who knows, you work may even get featured on this blog?! 
 
Look how lovely this is!
 
 
What’s coming up

 
Mad Hatter Half Term Activities

All of these things will feature!

This is exciting for so many reasons: firstly, our half term activities, aimed specifically at families and young children, always go down a storm (see the Roald Dahl February half term HERE and Easter holiday workshops HERE for evidence of this) and we feel this theme is the best fitting one for us yet! So why not venture down the rabbit hole into our wonderland of activities: we will be doing some Alice-themed craft making in the mornings and then indulging in a very special tea party in the afternoon, where a character or two might be making an appearance.. Both of these sessions are drop-ins but, due to their popularity, we strongly recommend booking to guarantee yourself a place, which you can do HERE. But remember, you musn’t be late… 



Mrs Beeton, My Sister
 
Don’t Miss Out!
Our ON Tour spring season is reaching it’s conclusion, but we still have a couple of top notch performances for you to see before we have a small summer break. One of those performances is in fact next week, with rural touring veteran Alison Neil returning for her brand new show, Mrs Beeton, My Sister based around the life and times of Victorian homecare stalwart Isabella Beeton. Here at Rural Review we feel some kinship with Mrs Beeton, considering she was also incredibly famous for an informative publication she produced… This show has been incredibly well received, with The Times noting that the show was “So good, I thought I was watching Mrs Beeton herself.”  To buy tickets to the performance which is touring to Terrington, Burniston & Cloughton and Greatham next Thursday to Saturday, please click HERE




The Audience – NT Live
 
This leads us to the show we were royally excited about.. In June, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday, National Theatre Live are hosting a special screening of the international smash-hit play The Audience, starring Dame Helen Mirren. In the show, Mirren reprises her Oscar winning (and thanks to this play, Olivier award winning) role as The Queen, and the performance charts her weekly conversations with different Prime Ministers throughout her reign. This promises to be an amazing performance, and a fitting tribute to one of the defining figures in British history. To celebrate, Rural Arts will be throwing in some extras that would be fit for a Queen (sorry) and you really don’t miss out on what promises to be our most special screening to date. To book some tickets, please click HERE, and to whet your appetite, here is a little teaser…
 
 


With that, we have reached the end of this weeks blog, and boy does it feel good to be back. Thanks very much for reading, and unlike when we see extended family at occasional awkward parties every couple of years, when we say “we promise not to leave it so long next time!’ we actually mean it. Thanks very much reading, and we’ll see you next week.