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Autumn Treats at the Theatre
Carol Twinch
Ever since the Longest Day the nights have been drawing in. What a depressing thought! But all is not lost because September brings with it the start of the new theatrical season with so much variety and choice that we will soon wonder how we’re going to fit it all in!

While many of us have spent August trying to light the barbecue in the rain, or enjoying time away, the artistic team at The New Wolsey Theatre have been hard at it. We are promised ‘spine tingling plays, critically acclaimed aerial and music theatre, plus comedy confections with some of the finest comics from around the world’.

First off is The Best Bits of LipService (7-8 September) the aforementioned ‘comedy confection’. This is the company’s Silver Jubilee tour and will include many award-winning favourites such as Withering Looks, Women on the Verger, Very Little Women and Knights of the Occasional Table.

For one night only (10 September) Ockham’s Razor presents physical theatre, The Mill. The wheel of wood and steel is powered by five performers and a seemingly small decision or action can gather momentum and impetus seemingly beyond their control, snowballing until they find themselves running like mad to power the treadmill while someone else is riding it like a Ferris wheel.

The Importance of Being Earnest
(17 September to 9 October) is Oscar Wilde’s self-proclaimed ‘trivial comedy for serious people’ and was first produced in London in 1895 at the St James’s Theatre. It has been performed uncountable times since then but Wilde’s mastery ensures that it remains a timeless comedic masterpiece. Who could forget Dame Edith Evans’ ‘Lady Bracknell’ as she repeats ‘hand bag!’ when revelations are made concerning the uncertain parental origins of Jack Worthington as he seeks the hand of Lady Bracknell’s daughter, Gwendolen. Both Jack Worthington and his friend Algernon Moncrieff (guardian to Cecily Cardew, the object of Jack’s affections) lead dual lives by both taking the name ‘Ernest’ until, inevitably, both are unmasked. This production promises to put a satisfied smile on the faces of the audience. Thank goodness for the shorter days and longer evenings!
 

WINNING WRITERS


There were 86 entries this year in the Ip-art adult short story competition, on the given subject ‘Wire’. As usual the twelve short-listed stories were available for people to read around the town, and images was delighted to attend the event at which the winning and runner-up stories were announced, and read. The winning story appears in this edition of images, and you will be able to read the runner-up in the October edition.

But before the announcement, a roomful of short story lovers, readers and writers, were treated to an interview with Gill Lowe, Creative Writing tutor at UCS, putting the questions to judge Kate Pullinger. Kate is an accomplished, busy and eclectic writer – academic writing, award-winning digital fiction and novels, short stories, film scripts and educational projects.

She was asked how she got into digital publishing from conventional narrative, and she said that in 2002 she discovered, whilst teaching a short story course online, how much she liked working in this way. She began to explore the medium and to write stories including images, sound and music. Her work for TV and film helped her see different ways to convey information, and eventually Inanimate Alice was born.

This type of work has come under increasing attack from literary purists, but she has no time for such debates. She wants to write things that will attract people, including those who would otherwise not pick up a book. Any development like this doesn’t mean the death of the conventional book, in her view – there is plenty of demand for everything. She finds the whole world of e-publishing exciting, both like-for-like (as in ordinary novels put onto an e-reader), or her own enhanced digital books. She loves the idea eventually of a universal digital library.

We were treated to a showing of Inanimate Alice – a children’s story made up of text, video, music, games, photos and graphics. Such projects are opening doors in people’s minds.

Kate Pullinger said that reading the 12 short-listed stories was a great pleasure. She found many subtle interpretations of WIRE, creating good stories with strong characters. Of the winning story Wolf Wire, she said ‘It’s an original voice, and an individual, disarming, and direct story with lots conveyed in very few words’.