Events for 2010

All Prose Cafés can be booked through The Octagon Theatre: www.octagon-theatre.co.uk or phone the box office 01935 422884

  

Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

A Festive Prose Café

Thursday 18 November 2010
7.30-9.30 pm
in the Johnson Studio, The Octagon Theatre Hendford, Yeovil, BA20 1UZ

A Festive Prose Café

Taffy Thomas
The Story Telling Laureate


taffythomasTaffy Thomas is the very first Story Telling Laureate; an honour bestowed on him by The Queen.
Taffy grew up in Yeovil and is an ‘Old Yeovilian’.

It is said that he carries a library of stories in his head all waiting to be re-told.  Come along and hear him tell festive tales and start the winter off in a traditional way.

We are the YCAA and it’s our Festive Prose Café, of course there will be mince pies!

Tickets in advance £5.00 from the Octagon Theatre Box Office,
Tel: 01935 422884. or at the door.
Nibbles and Bar.

We welcome our regular audience and all new-comers for this very special event.

Man Booker Debate - A Prose Café

Thursday 7 October 2010
7.30-9.30 pm
in the Johnson Studio, The Octagon Theatre Hendford, Yeovil, BA20 1UZ

A Prose Café

2010 YCAA and Waterstone’s

Man Booker Debate


Six panellists, including Tamasin Day-Lewis, will read the short-listed books for this year’s Man Booker Prize. See if you can spot the winner.  Audience participation is encouraged at this light-hearted event. It is advisable to book early as this is an extremely popular event.

Tickets in advance £5.00 from the Octagon Theatre Box Office, Tel: 01935 422884. or at the door. Nibbles and Bar.

Literary Somerset

literarysomersetThursday 16 September
at 7.30pm in the Johnson Studio of the Octagon Theatre, Yeovil, BA20 1UZ

Writer and poet James Crowden is a champion of all things pertaining to the west country. We welcome him to our Literary Somerset Prose Café. James is well known for his books on cider and the ways of Somerset, but his most recent book is a fantastic encyclopaedia of all the links between literature and Somerset.

Literary Somerset explores the literary highways and byways of Somerset. In so doing James has produced an intellectual road map of Somerset from Anglo-Saxon times up to the present day. His book reveals more than 350 writers: early chroniclers and opium addicted Romantic poets, philosophers, pirates and playwrights, eccentric clergymen, diarists, herbalists, novelists and historians, travellers, chefs and scientists - from Gildas to John Cleese, Fay Weldon and Terry Pratchett.

Many of these literary connections are well known: TS Eliot and East Coker, Wordsworth and Coleridge in the Quantocks; but did you know that Thomas Hardy once lived in Yeovil; or that John Steinbeck lived near Bruton to research the Arthurian legends; or that the weird electrical experiments of Andrew Crosse at Fyne Court inspired Frankenstein? Did you know that Cheddar Gorge inspired Lord of the Rings?

All our Café events are sponsored by the YCAA so the full price for a ticket is only £5, obtainable from the Octagon Theatre box office or at the door on the night. There is a bar available where wine or juice can be purchased to accompany the nibbles provided at each table.

We welcome our regulars and all new-comers to our Prose Cafés.

A Prose Café with Publisher Henrietta Stickland

Thursday 13 May 2010 at 7.30pm
In the Johnson Studio, of The Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil, BA20 1UZ

Henrietta will tell us how Ragged Bears Publishing produce such well loved children’s books. Come along to our candle-lit café to hear about the world of publishing and what stimulates a child’s imagination and learning. 

Join in with a reasonably priced glass of wine or juice available at our bar whilst enjoying nibbles and listening to someone who will reveal the secrets of publishing to all aspiring writers, illustrators, avid readers and parents.

All our Café events are sponsored by the YCAA so the full price for a ticket is £4.

We welcome our regulars and all new-comers to our Prose Café.

A Crime Café with Simon Hall

Thursday 18 March 2010 At 7.30pm
In the Johnson Studio, of The Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil, BA20 1UZ

Reporting Crime : Writing Crime

simonhall2Does Crime pay?  Come along and be enlightened by Simon Hall, the BBC Spotlight crime reporter who is also a successful crime writer.  The YCAA has pleasure in sponsoring this candlelit café event which is guaranteed to put a spring in your step or maybe make you look over your shoulder! 

Join in with a reasonably priced glass of wine or juice available at our bar whilst enjoying nibbles and listening to someone who will reveal the secrets of writing crime.

All our Café events are sponsored by the YCAA so the full price for a ticket is £4.

We welcome our regulars and all new-comers to our Prose Cafés

 

Pictures from the Crime Café with Simon Hall

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A Poetry Café with Alyson Hallet

Thursday 21 January 2010 at 7.30pm
In The Johnson Studio of The Octagon Theatre, Hendford, YEOVIL, BA20 1UZ

alysonAlyson Hallett grew up in Street, Somerset. Her childhood was infused with the shoe factory, the view of Glastonbury Tor in the distance and the lattice of rhynes that criss-crossed the Levels. Did this influence her poetry?

She has been heard on Radio 4 recounting her work on the migration of stones.  Fascinating poetry.

Come along on what could be a cold wintry evening and be warmed by her words and candlelight. 

All our Café events are sponsored by the YCAA so the full price for a ticket is £4. There is a bar available where wine or juice can be purchased to accompany the nibbles provided at each table.

We welcome our regulars and all new-comers to our Prose Cafés.

A Christmas Crackers Café

Thursday 26 November 2009

The YCAA goes Christmas crackers! Come along and be surprised by readings with compère Bonny Sartin, and music by Sam Armitstead. What do you expect to find when you pull a Christmas Cracker? Find out whilst eating mince pies by a Christmas tree at a candlelit café in The Johnson Studio at The Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil.
All our Café events are sponsored by the YCAA so the full price for a ticket is £4. There is a bar available where wine or juice can be purchased to accompany the nibbles provided at each table. The fun and laughter of the Christmas season must start here. We welcome our regulars and all new-comers to our Prose Cafés.

Download Christmas Café Poster

A Somerset Spectacular for Yeovil

Yeovil College will be hosting a spectacular red carpet event, the Somerset Film Première of a locally made film, Charlotte: A Royal At War.

The Yeovil Community Arts Association will be sponsoring this event at Yeovil College on Thursday 24 September 2009, at 7pm for the Reception, before the film commences at 8pm. The tickets will be £5, to include a drink and canapés. Two charities will benefit from this event; the YCAA, which is dedicated to sponsoring cultural and art events in south Somerset, and the St Margaret’s Hospice in Yeovil.

This film was made by local media company Grace Productions and directed by Ray Tostevin. Local venues were used in the making of the film and the car used was supplied by Haynes Motor Museum. Charlotte: A Royal At War is an inspiring, historical docufilm depicting the plight of the people of Luxemburg during occupation by Hitler’s Third Reich in World War II. The Grand Duchess Charlotte, whilst in exile broadcast. with the help of the BBC, from London, and New York, always starting her message with the words ‘Dear Luxembourgers’. Radios were well hidden but her message was always heard. The Grand Duchess inspired hope in the hearts and minds of the people of Luxemburg by her love, loyalty and leadership during their darkest days. President Roosevelt offered a safe haven to the Grand Duchess’ family until Luxemburg was liberated.

This film shows events that have remained hidden in the shadow of more well known episodes such as the Normandy Landings and the Battle Of The Bulge but it will leave you in awe of the powerful truth that people will endure hardship, imprisonment and even death if they have someone to believe in.

Tickets can be requested from YCAA, The Octagon Theatre, Hendford, YEOVIL, BA20 1UX priced at £5 each, payable to YCAA. Please enclose a SAE size A5. Tickets can also be bought at Waterstone’s, Middle
Street, Yeovil. Profits from the performance will go to St Margaret’s
Hospice, Yeovil.

Charlotte: A Royal at War

Click poster to download and print.

A Film Café with Ray Tostevin

Thursday 10 September 2009

A Film Café – Just how does one go about making a film? Local film maker, natural communicator and media expert, Ray Tostevin, will reveal some of the techniques. His company, Grace Productions, based here in Yeovil, has been successful in producing documentaries and films for quite some time. He will tell us how from a chance conversation on Castle Cary railway station a film of great significance has been made. The film depicts how, during the last World War, the Grand Duchesse Charlotte, whilst in exile, inspired hope in the hearts and minds of the people of Luxemburg during German occupation. This film shows events that have remained hidden in the shadow of more well known episodes such as the Normandy Landings and the Battle Of The Bulge. The film can be seen at a later date.

All our Café events are sponsored by the YCAA and are held in the Johnson Studio of The Octagon Theatre, Hendford, Yeovil. The full price for a ticket is £4. There is a bar available where wine or juice can be purchased to accompany the nibbles provided at each table. Come along and enjoy a candlelit evening with like minded people and hear all about Ray’s techniques in film making.

Pictures from the above Film Café

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