Variety is the Spice of Life this Season at The Atkinson

Variety is the Spice of Life this Season at The Atkinson

 

Summers over and the kids are back to school – life is starting to find its routine once more and everyone feels as if they are back on the treadmill of life…

Our jam-packed programme has something for everyone to see, experience and discover, whether you have a hunger for history a love of art or an ear for music. We are a one stop shop for arts and entertainment bringing the very best names in artists and companies to Sefton.

We have three exhibitions this season all about place, music and heritage; Southport: Double Take (Old Southport Through a Modern Lens), The Art of Noise and Frank Hampson – The Man Who Drew Dan Dare

Local photographer and a member of The Atkinson team Matt Dodd has blended historical photographs of Southport with images from the present to give a unique window into the past.

Matt, has been a photographer for 10 years and has been working on this collection of blended photographs for the past 18 months, encouraged by a great response to the images he posted on social media. The exhibition at The Atkinson features a collection of 40 blended photographs.

The Art of Noise is an exhibition of paintings and sculpture drawn from The Atkinson’s collection linking art and music in innovative ways. Experience and create music inspired by the visual arts, featuring music from Vaughan Williams and Wagner to the Beatles and Neil Young and paintings and sculpture by major artists including Laura Knight, Paul Nash and Richard Hamilton.

Frank Hampson created ‘Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future’ in 1950, as the front page strip ‘that sold the Eagle’. In a short time it became phenomenally popular, with a million boys waiting expectantly each week for the next episode. Frank Hampson is widely regarded as the most important British comic strip artist of the post-war period and has an international reputation.

Frank Hampsom – The Man Who Drew Dan Dare traces his development from his time as a young art student in Southport, through to his ground-breaking work on the Eagle comic and also includes later work, such as his iconic illustrations for Ladybird children’s books.

Tickets are still available for the annual Big Blues Festival this October (15-16) with headliners Dr Feelgood and Ian Siegal. A weekend of great music, great people and great real ale! Other blues names include Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders, The Stumble and Aynsley Lister.

Madness lead singer Suggs returns for a night of intimate songs and stories. Eddi Reader brings her unique style of song from the traditional to the contemporary. Her taste in co-writers, writers, songs and players is impeccable and anything with her name on it is guaranteed musical treasure.

The South, Space and Ian McNabb are just a few of the names heading to Southport this season. Check out website for the full music programme.

TV Comedians Robert Newman and  Dave Spikey bring their unique style of stand up to the stage and we mix comedy and cooking with anarchist and award winning  George Egg: DIY Cook, plus Alfie Moore explains How to Get Away with Murder in his new stand-up show.

Comedy theatre duo LipService return with their show Withering Looks, of course Bronte inspired, while Gary Delaney is back with his sell-out show Gagsters Paradise…and no, Coolio does not make an appearance!

We haven’t forgot our family programme with shows from Dommy B Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Dinosaurs! An engaging, hilarious poetry adventure comedy show for children and families. There’ll be rhymes, silliness, and a lot of joining in as the audience help multi-award-winning poet Dommy B deal with the deadly dinosaurs for good.

Me and My Bee is a show for children and families and is just as much about humans as it is Bee’s, but bees are a good start!  This show is important in raising awareness not only about bees, but learning about their effect on our own ecosystem, learning how to care for the smaller things, learning about cause and effect, and learning how to respect the planet we live on, before it’s too late.

★★★★ The Scotsman | ★★★★ The Stage | ★★★★ The List | ★★★★ Three Weeks | ★★★★ A Younger Theatre | ★★★★ Edinburgh Festival For Kids

WINNER of the Les Enfants Terribles Stepladder AWARD 2017

Think science is boring? Think again! Explore the magical properties of matter with exploding elephant’s toothpaste, vortex generating dustbins, dancing paste, vanishing beakers and even exploding Pringles tubes with Mark Thompson’s Spectacular Science Show!

TV astronomer and author Mark Thompson has been enthralling audiences for over 20 years with his spectacular jaunts around the universe. Now he is turning his infectious enthusiasm to things a little closer to home with this brand new 60-minute theatre show perfect for families.

If science isn’t your thing, maybe we can interest you in a spot of magic? Morgan & West are back after their sell-out show as part of Kidsfest with the Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show for Kids (And Childish Grown-ups!)

Time travelling magicians Morgan & West present a jaw dropping, heart stopping, brain busting, opinion adjusting, death defying, mind frying, spirit lifting, paradigm shifting, outlook changing, furniture rearranging magic extravaganza!

Morgan & West have fooled Penn & Teller (Fool Us ITV 1), competed to be the Next Great Magician (ITV 1), and even attempted to escape The Slammer (CBBC).

Our festive show is none other than Dear Santa by Rod Campbell. Santa is determined to deliver the most fantastic Christmas present to our little hero Sarah. But he doesn’t get it right straight away! With the help of his cheeky Elf, he finally settles on something ‘perfect’, just in time for Christmas Eve.

All the ingredients of Rod Campbell’s ingeniously simple and charming style are brought to life on stage, plus a whole lot more… with music, laughter and plenty of audience

Blackeyed Theatre return with their biggest show to date with Sherlock Holmes: the Sign of Four an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s epic second Sherlock Holmes novel.

Named one of The Hundred Definitive Novels in English by The Guardian in 2014 (at number 26), The Sign of Four has everything you’d want for a breathtaking piece of theatre; adventure, romance, comedy and of course one or two rather brilliant deductions!

With so much going on there is a chance you will miss something very special – so why not join the e-newsletter and keep up to date with the programme and activities. Just visit https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/e-newsletter/

Tickets for all events at The Atkinson are available 24 hours a day online at theatkinson.co.uk or you can call the Box Office on 01704 533333 or visit us during opening hours.

 

-ENDS-

Posted on 18 September 2018 under General news

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