How to Book
By Post: with cheques made payable to Dorchester Arts Centre. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope or tickets will be held on the door.

In Person: Between 9am and 4pm weekdays at the Arts Centre Box office

By Phone: 01305 266926 - the office is manned from 10am-4pm. At other times please leave a message and we will respond. Payment is required when booking

By credit card: (personal or phone callers) There is a handling fee for card transactions.
Reduced price bookings are available for groups of ten or more.

Online: Tickets are available to buy online where you see a Buy Tickets button. Online sales are subject to a 10% charge.

Dorchester Arts Centre,
School Lane , The Grove,
Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XR
Box office: 01305 266926
enquiries@dorchesterarts.org.uk

Carol Milner

Sunday, Jan 24 2010

Carol Milner - a great supporter and friend of Dorchester Arts over many years - has died in hospital in London at the age of 56.

Carol, mother of Paddy and Chris and husband of David, will be sadly missed by many people who knew and loved her for her enthusiasm and energy, her campaigning zeal for numerous causes, and her wonderful sense of humour and joi de vivre.

A funeral celebrating her life is being held in Broadmayne village hall at 2.30 pm on Friday 29 January 2010.

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The Stolen Heart - in rehearsal

Thursday, Dec 3 2009

Members of Dorchester Youth Theatre are in rehearsal for their new production The Stolen Heart which is being staged in January at the Thomas Hardye School.

It will be DYT's first show under the direction of Youth Theatre leader Janey Lloyd who took over from Bianca Judd last summer.

Performances will take place at 7.30pm on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th January 2010 in the main hall. Tickets can be booked in advance from the box office at Dorchester Arts on 01305 266926

Madcap is full of life but Maudlin is never happy! As Madcap brings to life an amazing adventure, how will Maudlin resist a smile? Set just after Christmas in a world of toys, Madcap’s tale includes Halo, the broken angel and Christian, the tin soldier who promises to rescue her.

But when his heart is stolen disaster strikes. Now he must go on a quest to Tanglewood, to get back his heart and return to save Halo, but time is running out… Will Halo be saved? Will they all live happily ever after? And when the story is over, will Maudlin be able to smile?

Come with us to discover the answers to these questions and join in the fun of this magical, original, ensemble production, created and devised by the DYT Company.

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Youth Theatre open evening

Monday, Nov 16 2009

Dorchester Youth Theatre is on the look-out for new recruits.

The club has a full quota of junior members but is looking for new blood in its senior section for young people aged between 12 and 18.

The group is holding an open evening next Tuesday, November 17th and is inviting as many as possible to come along.

Leader Janey Lloyd said: “It is a great group to belong to and it gives children the opportunity to get on stage and perform.”

She added: “We have a great group of kids here - lively, imaginative and usually noisy.”

Dorchester Youth Theatre (DYT) is currently preparing to stage a winter show in January.

The Stolen Heart will blend Italian comedia del’arte with the weird and wonderful world of Tim Burton and be performed in Thomas Hardye School on January 15 and 16.

There are also plans for performances at next year’s Dorchester Festival and as part of the One World multi-cultural day in August.

Next summer’s Combined Arts week, during which the youngsters create an entire play in five days, also looks set to go ahead thanks to a £3,200 grant from the Youth Opportunity Fund.

Janey Lloyd joined DYT in September having worked as a drama and dance specialist teacher. Her job before coming to Dorchester was at Victoria Education Centre, a special school near Bournemouth.

She said: “That was the most amazing year and brought home to me the fact that there are things I want to do with my life other than teaching.

“Dorchester Youth Theatre is just the thing. I came for the audition and got the job. The children were given the choice of who to have and they chose me!”

She added: “I am looking forward to recruiting new members. There is no audition process and all are welcome.

“Belonging to a youth theatre is a wonderful experience. It played an important part in inspiring me as a teenager, nurturing my interest, developing my skills as well as increasing my confidence and self-esteem. I thoroughly recommend it.”

The DYT taster session is on Tuesday, November 17, from 7pm to 9pm. Call 01305 266926 or email finance@dorchesterarts.org.uk for details.

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230 miles in under 24 hours - Rod completes his big ride

Monday, Nov 16 2009

Cyclist and board member Rod Drew completed his marathon 230 mile rides around Dorset - then revealed he has two metal hip joints.

Rod, who was cycling to raise funds for the new exhibition space at Dorchester Arts Centre, pedalled anti-clcockwise round the county through the night, finishing in just two minutes short of 24 hours.

He said the ride had been an amazing experience.

The full story is on the BBC and Dorset Echo websites.

There's still time to sponsor Rod - go to the sponsorship page

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Rod’s 200 mile bike ride round Dorset

Sunday, Nov 1 2009

Keen cyclist and arts supporter Rod Drew is circumnavigating Dorset - on a bike.

His marathon 200 mile anti-clockwise ride in aid of Dorchester Arts Centre will take him right round the edge of the county in just 24 hours.

Rod, pictured with supporters Ros and granddaughter Daisy, set off from the Centre at midday today Sunday November 1st and is set to arrive to a heroes welcome around lunchtime on Monday.

The ride is being sponsored to help raise money for a new visual art space at the centre which needs another £4000 to line it's small hall and install lighting for its annual Open art exhibition in May.

Supporters can sponsor Rod directly on the Dorchester Arts website: http://www.dorchesterfestival.co.uk/rod/

He is also taking press calls and giving interviews en-route on mobile 07527530843

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See Show of Hands again - for FREE on Sunday 8th November

Wednesday, Oct 14 2009

Ticket holders from the Show of Hands sell out concert in Dorchester on October 11th can see them again for FREE at Charlton Down on Sunday November 8th !

After a superb first half set by Flossie Malavialle and a stunning half set by Show of Hands – Steve Knightly, recovering from flu, announced his voice couldn’t take it and said he would be giving a free show to make up for it.

He went off leaving Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes to ad lib the remainder in outstanding style.

It was a cracking night for the audience with the bonus offer of another gig for free!

The free show with Show of Hands and Miranda Sykes is on Sunday 8th November in the Herrison Hall Ballroom at Charlton Down near Dorchester. The concert starts at 7.30pm - bar and doors open 6.30pm. Flossie Malavialle will not be appearing in the second show.

Parking will be available in the cricket club car park

Should you be unable to attend a refund can not be offered as Show of Hands performed a full set on the original evening.

To obtain a ticket, you must apply by Friday 30th October - by completing the online form at http://www.dorchesterfestival.co.uk/contact2/

Tickets will be available to collect on the night - or in advance from Dorchester Arts Centre.

Please bring your ‘old’ ticket stubs with you.

As Herrison Hall has a larger seating capacity a very small number of extra tickets £18 may be available. Please contact us to let us know if you want to purchase additional tickets.

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Strange creatures in South Street...

Tuesday, Oct 6 2009

Strange creatures are wandering South Street in Dorchester...

Their aspect is at first frightening, but these are comic creatures... apparently washed ashore on Chesil Beach with long hair tangled like seaweed, white faces and eyes sunken and black.

The way they dress is astonishing: their costumes appear to be one piece, bulging with their strange shaped bodies and rippled blue and green like the sea..

They gurgle constantly and mutter words like: "Corn Exchange October 16th" and "lost treasure". The name Moonfleet is often mentioned and they hand out curious leaflets about a play involving smuggling, dastardly deeds and wicked escapades....

The only way to find out more is to be at the Corn Exchange at 8pm on October 16th...The moon will be bright that night

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Youth theatre actor returns... as director of a professional company

Friday, Oct 2 2009

Former Youth Theatre member Tamsin Fessey is back at Dorchester Arts - in residence with her professional theatre company Angel Exit.

The company are hard at work rehearsing for the hotly awaited premiere of their new production Moonfleet, a tale of dastardly deeds and wicked escapades, at Dorchester Corn Exchange on October 16th 2009 (online booking)

A straggling gang of buffoons washed up on the wild shores of Chesil Beach conspire to spin a compelling yarn of a young orphan boy clashing with both smugglers and excise men in his quest to find Blackbeard’s cursed diamond - and win the hand of his beloved Grace.

Moonfleet is a co-production with Dorchester Arts Centre and is supported by Arts Council England South West, West Dorset Leisure Fund and Dorset County Council.

Performed by: Simon Carroll-Jones, Henry Douthwaite, Tamsin Fessey, Lynne Forbes, James Mitchell

Devised by: The Company (& Jonathan Dunstan, Simon Norbury and Oliver Langdon)

Directed by: Tamsin Fessey

The tour opens at Marnhull in Dorset on October 15th with the premiere in Dorchester on October 16th

Angel Exit are running workshops as well as a masterclass on October 17th.

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The Fringe without the Festival

Sunday, May 3 2009

The Fringe without the Festival

There’s no Dorchester Festival this year - sadly. Although we met the criteria for funding, there just wasn’t enough cash to go round. And without money to pay for artists, equipment, technicians, staff, marketing, and all the other things that go into the Festival, it’s impossible to sustain - so no Festival in ‘09, but funding permitting, a fabulous African themed Festival in 2010.

However ... by the time the funding news came through, we had committed to help local organisations like the Community Play, Dorchester Stitchers, the Thomas Hardy Society and others put on their own events as part of a Community Fringe, extending and adding to the Festival. The result: a fringe without the Festival - a series of events supported by the Town Council, celebrating local talent. There’s lots to join in - from sewing with Dorchester Stitchers to Sing Bang Bop - a dynamic day of singing, drumming and dance workshops in the Corn Exchange as well as a Get your skates on procession through South Street - great fun!

After the success of our first visual art competition and exhibition last year we are hosting a second show - Open09 - from May 23 to June 7. The selection panel, who have just met, are thrilled with both the quality and number of entries - well up on last year.

Over the same weekend, we welcome the wonderful Julie Fowlis a singer and instrumentalist from Scotland who has taken the folk and roots music world by storm - a performance definitely not to be missed.

Later in the Summer we are hosting a return visit by one of Britain’s most acclaimed puppet companies, Puppetcraft, for two performances of their enchanting production The Tin Forest - a show without words but full of visual invention with mechanical birds, a wind-up circus and exotic animals of all shapes and sizes.

And at the start of July, we welcome back Miracle Theatre for two outdoor performances in Maumbury rings of a new adaptation of Moliere’s sharpest comedy Tartuffe - bring your picnics - this will be a real treat.

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