Dorset’s touring arts charity, Artsreach, has special Christmas gifts this winter. They are a series of performances online in your own home, from Christmas classics and comic theatre to a seasonal celebration with a Dorset twist.
Musical comedy ‘Christmas Time.’ by Near-ta theatre and filmmaker Brett Harvey is on at any time over the weekend of December 12 and 13. It’s Christmas Day and Charlie and Toby are serving time at Her Majesty’s pleasure. But why shouldn’t they be having a Merry Christmas in spite of their incarceration? What’s stopping them from creating Christmas around them? So they set off on their festival of carols, Claus, Christ and custody… Join them on a fantastical adventure through Dickens, pantomime, musicals, Christmas dinner, Christmas films and more!
‘A Christmas Carol’ by David Mynne starts at 8pm on Monday, December 14, and will be available to enjoy online anytime until midnight on Sunday 27 December. Celebrate the festive season with this mesmerising performance of Charles Dickens’ timeless, transformative story ‘A Christmas Carol’, devised, adapted and performed especially for film by veteran Cornish actor and founder member of Kneehigh, David Mynne. Expect Dickens’ original words with added silliness. Silliness? Bah humbug!
‘A Dorset Christmas with The Ridgeway Singers and Band’ – tells how our ancestors celebrated Christmas in this brand new film featuring music, song, story and dance. Artsreach is delighted to have supported The Ridgeway Singers and Band, led by Tim Laycock and Phil Humphries, to capture an alternative festive offering that’s truly inspired by Dorset! With tunes and songs from the Puddletown and Hinton St Mary manuscripts and new carols in the West Gallery tradition, interspersed with readings, archive photographs and other images from across Dorset, plus a special performance of ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night’, expect a heart-warming seasonal celebration of all things Dorset! This new film, captured and edited by Pageant Productions, will be available to watch anytime from 4pm on Sunday, December 20 until Sunday, January 3.
E-tickets for all events are available from the Artsreach website, and whilst the events are free to view, donations to Artsreach are welcomed. For further information and to register, visit www.artsreach.co.uk