A Visit to the Congregational in Rothbury

The Congregational Art Gallery and Cafe in Rothbury

We've known about the Congregational Art Gallery for a while and it's one of those places that we've been meaning to visit for ages - a week or so ago we finally got round to it - and we are so glad we did, what a hidden treasure!

Open from March until December in the beautiful Village of Rothbury, the Congregational Art Gallery (pictured left) bills itself as 'Contemporary British Art with a Northern Edge'. You'll find the gallery at the far West of the Village, set back off the main road that leads through to Thropton, just passed the majority of the shops on the high street. Rothbury has more than its fair share of churches and from the outside you would think that this was another place of worship.... but oh no!

The gallery is really successful as a contemporary space for art, despite its classic Grade II listed setting. We were particularly impressed with the good use of  natural light giving a bright and airy feel to the art on display.

It was the Winter Exhibition that we saw, showcasing local and international artists from the finest ceramics and glassware to high quality prints and even a selection of greetings cards and gifts. The cosy seating area with a roaring fire was a really nice touch so we decided to stop for lunch while we were there. The Congregational cafe offers a limited menu in the off-season, with a choice of soups, scones and cakes with a range of coffees available when we visited.

We opted for the spiced lentil soup with a cheese and chive scone and pumpkin seed topping and the mushroom soup with home made bread. Cappuccinos were expertly made and delivered to us in no time, what a winter warmer this light lunch turned out to be! Beautifully spiced soup and a scone as light as a feather, just delicious.

We then took the opportunity to browse the wonderful gallery, there are plenty of talking points here and we had plenty of different opinions on the pieces, but that's the beauty of art. We had a fantastic hour or so at the gallery and would definitely recommend a visit if you're in the Rothbury area. Rothbury really does punch above its weight with many independent retailers, galleries and a great cafe culture and the Congregational stands amongst them perfectly. I'll leave you with a few photos of the gallery and their contact details at the bottom of the page.

Contact Details

The Congregational Art Gallery and Cafe

Upper High Street

Rothbury

Northmberland

NE65 7TL

01669 621900

www.thecongregational.org.uk 

info@thecongregational.org.uk

Northumberland Theatre Company to tour Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

6th September – 27th October 2012

Northumberland Theatre Company returns this autumn to tour a physically imaginative production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to 37 rural and small venues around the country.

Delightful, exhilarating and funny, NTC’s colourful production promises to provide an accessible introduction to Shakespeare for both children and adults alike.

This fabulously popular play centres around the grand wedding of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, to the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta and includes the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors who are manipulated by the fairies that inhabit the forest in which the play is set, to wonderful comic effect.

NTC is delighted to welcome back regular actors Nigel Collins, Eleanor Dennison, Louis Roberts and Stephanie Butler for this production, as well as introducing acting trainee Kylie Ann Ford. See tour dates and play synopsis below. Performances suitable for all ages. Visit www.northumberlandtheatre.co.uk for further information and contact venues for ticket details.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream tour dates and venues:

Date	Time	Venue	Telephone
06-Sep	7.30pm	Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth, Northumberland, NE66 2RZ	01665 830894
07-Sep	7.30pm	Lilliesleaf Village Hall, Borders, TD6 9HX	01835 870311
08-Sep	7.30pm	Robinson Institute, Glaisdale, N Yorks, YO21 2PW	01947 897241
11-Sep	7.45pm	Best Western Beamish Hall Hotel, Co. Durham, DH9 0YB	01207 233733
12-Sep	7.30pm	Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7NP	01388 602610
13-Sep	7.30pm	Longformacus Village Hall, Borders, TD11 3PB	01361 890648
14-Sep	7.30pm	Etal Village Hall, Northumberland, TD12 4TL	01890 820777
15-Sep	7.30pm	Seaton Dleval Arts Centre, NE25 0DY	0191 2375460
18-Sep	7.30pm	Pocklington Arts Centre, York, YO42 2AR	01759 301547
19-Sep	7.30pm	Bamburgh Pavillion, Northumberland, NE69 7BJ	01665 721061
20-Sep	7.30pm	Acklington Village Hall, Northumberland, NE65 9BN	01670 761941
21-Sep	7.30pm	Chatton Village Hall, Northumberland, NE66 5PX	01668 282271
22-Sep	7.30pm	Longhirst Village Hall, Northumberland, NE61 3LX	01670 790764
26-Sep	7.30pm	Eastwood School Theatre, Notts, NG16 3EA	01773 786212
27-Sep	7.30pm	Thoresby Riding Hall Theatre, Perelthorpe, Notts, NG22 9EP	01623 822567
28-Sep	7.30pm	Harworth & Bircotes Town Hall, Bircotes, Notts, DN11 8JP	01302 759037
29-Sep	7.30pm	Ludford Village Hall, Lincs, LN8 6AJ	01302 759037
02-Oct	7.30pm	Leadenham Hall 2000, Lincs, LN5 0QB	01400 272835
03-Oct	7.00pm	Redmoor High School, Hinckley, Leics, LE10 0EP	01455 230731
04-Oct	7.30pm	Kegworth Primary School, Derbyshire, DE74 2DA	01509 673138
05-Oct	7.30pm	Humphrey Perkins Community Centre, Barrow upon Soar, Leics, LE12 8JU	07718 153117
06-Oct	7:30pm	Long Clawson Village Hall, Melton Mowbray, LE14 4NA	01664 822247
07-Oct	7:00pm	The Palace Community Centre, Ibstock, LE67 6LH	01530 267303
10-Oct	7:30pm	Whitburn Parish Church Hall, Sunderland, SR6 7JZ	0191 5292760
11-Oct	7:30pm	Rose Theatre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP	01695 584480
12-Oct	7:30pm	Heron Theatre, Beetham, Cumbria, LA7 7AS	015395 64283
13-Oct	7:30pm	Morpeth Town Hall, Northumberland, NE61 1LZ	01670 857167
15-Oct	7:00pm	Northumberland YMCA, Ashington, NE63 9XQ	01670 857167
16-Oct	7:00pm	Northumberland YMCA, Ashington, NE63 9XQ	01670 857167
17-Oct	7:30pm	Wall Village Hall, Northumberland, NE46 4ED	01434 681041
18-Oct	7:30pm	Middlesborough Town Hall Crypt, TS1 2QQ	01642 729729
19-Oct	7:30pm	Dinnington Village Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 7LD	01661 821041
20-Oct	7:30pm	Whitley Chapel Village Hall, Northumberland, NE47 0HB	01434 673772
23-Oct	7:30pm	Stakeford Methodist Church, Northumberland, NE62 5TU	01670 813523
24-Oct	7:30pm	Kirkwhelpington Village Hall, Northumberland, NE19 2RT	01830 540263
25-Oct	7:30pm	Glanton Memorial Hall, Northumberland, NE66 4AN	01665 578229
26-Oct	7:30pm	Alnwick Playhouse, Northumberland, NE66 1PQ	01665 510785
27-Oct	7:30pm	Alnwick Playhouse, Northumberland, NE66 1PQ	01665 510785

Grace Darling to be brought to the Stage!

The story of the Victorian sea rescue heroine Grace Darling is to be brought to the stage.

Tyneside-based Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, whose international and national stage hits include Dirty Dusting, Waiting For Gateaux, Maggie’s End and Son of Samurai, have penned Amazing Grace to celebrate the achievements of the first Victorian female heroine, who tragically died in 1842 aged only 26, four years after her heroic deed off the Northumberland Coast between Bamburgh and Seahouses.

Grace Darling and her lighthouse keeper father lived on Longstone island when, in a storm on September 7, 1838, the SS Forfarshire struck the notorious Harcar rocks, a part of the Farne Islands. Of the 63 people on board, nine managed to escape in the lifeboat while Grace and her father selflessly manned a coble to heroically rescue 9 people stranded on the rocks.

Queen Victoria sent £50 for Grace which was administrated by the Duke of Northumberland and three Bravery medals were bestowed on her by three separate Humane Societies and the RNLI. After Victoria, Grace became the most well know woman in 19th century Britain. The play will tell the story of Grace Darling through the eyes of a modern-day writer called Grace who wants to make a film about her famous namesake. Trevor Wood explained: “It’s a funny, modern take on a wonderful story and will appeal to everyone aged from 13 to 113. We want to celebrate Grace’s achievement whilst illustrating how the Hollywood machine can play fast and loose with the facts.

“Grace was the first working-class female celebrity – the Cheryl Cole of her time – and the play is a tribute to her achievement.” Amazing Grace will include film of some famous Northumberland landmarks and is being co-produced by Alnwick Playhouse with the support of Sunderland University.

Jo Potts, manager of Alnwick Playhouse, said: “Alnwick Playhouse is excited to premiere this new play based on and around Grace Darling. Her unique story is rooted firmly in the Northumberland landscape and deserves to be told.” Judith Hills, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at Sunderland University, said: “We are very excited to be involved in Amazing Grace. It’s a novel approach to fantastic story which I’m sure will make a terrific piece of theatre.”

The three-week north east tour will begin with a world premiere at Alnwick Playhouse on Wednesday, October 17, as follows:

Alnwick Playhouse: 01665 510 785 Wednesday, October 17; Thursday, October 18 (evening and matinee); Friday, October 19
Consett Empire: 01207 218171 Saturday, October 20 (evening and matinee)
Hexham Queen’s Hall: 01434 652477 Monday, October 22 and Tuesday, October 23 (evening and matinee)
Gala theatre (Durham): 0191 332 4041 Wednesday, October 24 and Thursday, October 25 (evening and matinee)
Hartlepool Theatre: 01429 890 000 Friday, October 26
Gateshead Old Town Hall: 0191 433 6965 Saturday, October 27
Customs House (South Shields): 0191 454 1234 Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30 (evening and matinee)
Blyth Phoenix theatre: 01670 367 228 Wednesday, October 31
Berwick Maltings: 01289 330999 Thursday, November 1 and Friday, November 2 (evening and matinee)
Playhouse Whitley Bay: 0844 277 2771 Saturday, November 3 (evening and matinee)

Tickets for Amazing Grace are on sale from the venues. For further information visit www.edwaughandtrevorwood.co.uk

Christmas Shopping With a Conscience

Based at the Playhouse in Alnwick the Northumberland Theatre Company provides professional touring theatre to 'theatreless' zones in rural areas where access to the arts are limited. Like a large number of arts organisations, Northumberland Theatre Company (a registered charity) are facing massive funding cuts in 2012 and drastic action is needed to keep the company going. They want to ensure that future generations continue to have access to the arts and are not restricted to these opportunities because of their location. There are a number of ways in which you can help:

Your Christmas shopping can raise vital funds at no extra cost to you! All you have to do is find your preferred retailer through the Easy Fundraising page. Then simply register your details and use their website to search for the shop you need and visit them via their link. It's that simple! There are hundreds of shops including Amazon, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and Apple so it couldn't be easier to raise vital funds without costing you a single penny.

If we all do our online Christmas shopping via this link we could collectively raise a huge amount of money to help the Theatre Company continue their wonderful work.

To view other ways in which you can donate to Northumberland Theatre Company, visit their website.