February sees Cornerstone’s spring season in full swing. To whet your appetite here’s a selection of what’s in store.

Cornerstone’s new Comedy Club offers a great opportunity to blast away the winter blues with a healthy dose of comedy from three of the latest hot names on the comedy circuit, plus an expert compere each month. Local lad Matt Richardson will compere on Thursday 5 February. Throw in some beer, a curry and a handful of your favourite mates and you’ve got a great night out.

Mother and daughter Chris and Kellie While are an outstanding folk music duo. Their exquisitely pure voices have that unique harmonising quality found only within close family partnerships. Self-accompanied on guitars they present a mix of self-penned material and imaginative interpretations of other singer-songwriters’ compositions on Saturday 7 February.

Get ready for a superb evening of tassels, tease, comedy and cabaret, on Saturday 14 February, with Missy Malone and Friends Burlesque Revue! This glorious theatre show, widely regarded as the best of its kind currently touring the UK, is the perfect way to spend the evening on this special day. This Valentine’s Day performance includes a special guest host and best dressed competition.

Families and children love our Top Fun Sundays. They’re the perfect Family Fun Day out, offering rib-tickling children’s shows, lots of great free activities to keep the little ones amused and delicious family food.  What more could you want?!

• Sunday 15 February brings Shoe Kangaroo and The Big Bad Boot for ages from 4+ years. Enjoy clowning, mime and beautifully crafted puppets in this fantastical journey.

• Back by popular demand Comedy Club 4 Kids pays another visit to Cornerstone on Sunday 1 March. Top Fun Sunday cracking entertainment for everyone over 6 and under 400 years old as some of the best comedians from the UK circuit do what they do best…but without the rude bits!

Barb Jungr and her trio return to the songs of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen with the release of her new album, Hard Rain. Often referred to as ‘the politicised chansonnier’, Barb turns to Bob Dylan’s most politically hard-hitting songs along with Leonard Cohen’s most impassioned songs of conscience. Catch her at Cornerstone on Saturday 21 February.

Steve Empson’s ‘Nature of Change’ exhibition in the Cornerstone gallery runs until 1 March (free admission). Take a walk along the coast of North East England into the hinterland of the North Yorkshire Moors through the delicate palette of Steve Empson’s work. His paintings are a closely observed record of both the forceful and gradual transformations of these natural and manmade environments.

Full details of the spring season programme can be found on the Cornerstone website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org, where online booking is available. Or call the Box Office on 01235 515144, open from 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday and from 11am to 4pm on Sunday. (Closed Monday.)

DIDCOT & DISTRICT UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall. Visitors are welcome to come to a meeting as a taster before joining.

On Tuesday 20^th January 2015 Alistair Lack will be joining us to talk about ‘Travels with Auntie’ (BBC World Service).

It’s never too late to expand your horizons…………..

The University of the Third Age offers the opportunity to share your knowledge, experience and talents with others and learn from them in friendly surroundings. Why not come along to the next meeting of the Didcot & District U3A and find out what we are all about. A member of our committee will be on hand to make you welcome.

Tel: 07804159993

Email: didcotdistrictU3A@virginmedia.com

Website: http:/u3asites.org.uk/didcot

DIDCOT & DISTRICT UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall.

The December meeting will be held on Tuesday 16^th December 2014 at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall when we will celebrate Christmas with a buffet lunch and an afternoon of seasonal entertainment for all our members.

It’s never too late to expand your horizons…………..

The University of the Third Age offers the opportunity to share your knowledge, experience and talents with others and learn from them in friendly surroundings.

Tel: 07804159993

Email: didcotdistrictU3A@virginmedia.com

Website: http:/u3asites.org.uk/didcot

Hello from Cornerstone. We have a jam-packed programme of events in November, here are just a few to whet your appetite.

Top Fun Sundays continue throughout the Autumn season.  Every Sunday is the perfect Family Fun Day out, offering rib-tickling children’s shows, lots of great free activities to keep the little ones amused and delicious family food.  What more could you want?!

• Juggling, live music, puppetry and mischievous storytelling, in Three Wise Monkeys, bring Seeno, Hearno and Speakno to Cornerstone on Sunday 2 November.  They come to entertain and enlighten all little monkeys aged between 3 and 7 and their families. 
• Folk duo Megson provide a lovely gentle afternoon for ages from 4 in a fun concert of children’s folk songs on Sunday 9 November.
• Pop-up sets, original music and beautiful puppets help to tell three traditional tales in The Magic Porridge Pot, which is brought to us by Theatre of Widdershins, a Cornerstone favourite.
• Children’s theatre from Compagnie Animotion on Sunday 23 November with Silver Moon, for ages from 4 to 11 years.   Helda, a poor girl, is cold on Christmas Eve but her imagination is filled with her grandmother’s tales. Jurgen, a rich diplomat’s son, invites her to warm herself by the fire.  Helda takes him on a fantastical journey where friendship cannot be bought and imagination is the cleverest thing.  Live music and shadow puppetry.
• Lots of jokes to make children from 6 – and their parents – laugh with the return of children’s comedy show Comedy 4 Kids, and a pre-show workshop for ages 7 to 13 years, on Sunday 3 November. Professional stand-ups perform a whole show devised for children. No swearing and no naughty bits.

Top Fun Sunday MULTI-BUY. Buy tickets for two Top Fun Sunday shows and get the third set of tickets for free.

Offer excludes The Queen’s Knickers and Comedy Club 4 Kids. All three shows must be booked at the same time.

Only one discount per booking. The same value of tickets must be booked for each show.

St Giles Orchestra returns to Cornerstone on Saturday 8 November with A Night in Vienna, a great introduction to the classics for all the family, full of polkas, marches and waltzes including the Blue Danube.  On Wednesday 12 November Not About Heroes tells the unforgettable story of two of the finest ‘Great War’ poets, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Stephen MacDonald’s acclaimed play paints a vivid and moving picture of their friendship, interdependency, poetry and the conflict that brought them together. 

Christmas Crafts for Cornerstone on Saturday 15 November is a free workshop offering the opportunity to work with a facilitator to learn new techniques. Use a variety of materials to make festive decorations for us to use in the building over the Christmas period.  

Finally a reminder that this year’s family Christmas show is The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and, as always with our festive family shows, it’s full of fun, laughs, audience interaction and music to really get you in the Christmas mood.  Tickets and full details available from the Box Office or our website.

We’ll be back next month with more news of what’s in store for Christmas and the New Year.

Details of our full Autumn season programme and online booking are available on our website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org,  or call the Box Office on 01235 515144 (closed Monday).

Christmas stamps go on sale on November 4^th, I think they are really pretty, sort of 1950’s retro, Christmas trees, Santa, Post Boxes & Robins! We sold out last year, but we will try to get extra supplies delivered, buy yours early to avoid disappointment! We will also have some “Madonna & Child” ones for those who prefer them.

Speaking of Santa, children may write to him at Santa’s Grotto, Reindeerland XM45HQ, please include a name and address for him to reply, and put a stamp on it, by 6^th December, There is no need to include a stamp for the reply! He will try to answer them all.

Royal Mail have decided to make the sizing of small parcels easier for us all, so from 20^th October, a small parcel must fit into our new sizing template. Also from 20^th Oct, they are offering ALL small parcels under 2kg for £2.80, a reduction of £1, until mid-January!

All last posting dates for surface mail have now passed other than using BFPOs which is on 30th November. A leaflet covering all other last posting dates is now available from the post office.

The Blewbury Gardener’s Market has now moved to the Post Office on Saturday mornings selling surplus vegetables, there should be jam, eggs and other goodies on sale too.

We still have a penknife, a Yale key, and a set of keys in our lost property!

No news on the final collection from post boxes, so carry on posting till 4.45pm!

Love from Karen & Angela

It’s never too late to expand your horizons…………..

Didcot & District University of the Third Age offers the opportunity to share your knowledge, experience and talents with others and learn from them in friendly surroundings. Why not come along to the next meeting of the Didcot & District U3A and find out what we are all about. A member of our committee will be on hand to make you welcome.

Didcot & District University of the Third Age meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall. Visitors are welcome to come to a meeting as a taster before joining.

The November meeting will be held on Tuesday 18^th November 2014 at 2pm at Dicot Civil Hall when the topic will be ‘Flanders and Swan’ with James Mitchell & Graham O’Connor .

Tel: 07804159993

Email: didcotdistrictU3A@virginmedia.com

Website: http:/u3asites.org.uk/didcot

Our Autumn season’s now well under way and here’s a taste of what’s on offer through October and into the first day or two of November. 

The world premiere of a brand new version of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House comes to us on Saturday 4 October. Set in the 19th century this ground-breaking play is about marriage, money and the freedom of women.  Torvald and Nora have a loving marriage. But Nora has a secret, and the arrival of an unexpected visitor threatens to tear their lives apart for ever…

Have you heard yet about our Family Fun Day every Sunday which runs throughout the Autumn season at Cornerstone?  Top Fun Sunday means fun-filled children’s shows, lots of great free activities to keep the little ones amused and some delicious family food.  It all adds up to the perfect day out!

• Magic, music and mischief for ages 3 to 8 years with Hey Presto on Sunday 5 October.  Talented magician Presto the cat and his friend Monty the dog join a funfair and start a magic show, but fame goes to Monty’s head.
• Pillow makers always use magical Stuff to fill their pillows. There are two performances, for ages from 1 to 5 years, on Sunday 12 October at 10.30am and 2.30pm.  One day Mr Pillowmaker finds his Stuff Box is empty.  Join him inside the cosy set on stage to help discover how to make it return.  Why not try the workshop between the two performances?
• The Queen’s Knickers is perfect for ages from 4. This children’s classic comes to us on Sunday 19 October.  Dilys guards HRH’s smalls as if they were the crown jewels.  But one day the knickers go missing, causing a national state of emergency and a diplomatic incident of catastrophic proportions.
• Children’s interactive dancing and workshop, Baby Boogie, on Sunday 26 October, offers a great opportunity for parents and toddlers (ages 5 and under plus accompanying adults/family members) to learn some funky moves from a professional dance tutor and enjoy a groovy dance in our auditorium, accompanied by a live DJ.  This is hugely popular in London and Oxford, come along and do it in Didcot too!

Top Fun Sunday MULTI-BUY. Buy tickets for two Top Fun Sunday shows and get the third set of tickets for free.

Offer excludes The Queen’s Knickers and Comedy Club 4 Kids. All three shows must be booked at the same time.

Only one discount per booking. The same value of tickets must be booked for each show.

We have two great evenings of fun and entertainment for families this month. Firstly, Jules Verne’s classic globetrotting tale, Around The World In 80 Days, is brought to life by three actors portraying a cast of thousands on Saturday 18 October. For ages 7 years and up, there’s lots of silliness and a quirky set celebrating the spirit of Victorian invention. West End Magic comes direct from London’s Leicester Square Theatre on Saturday 25 October, and hits Cornerstone with an evening of the most exciting names in UK magic. There’s illusion, mind-magic, clever switches andd, comedy magic. All compered by the wonderful Oliver Tabor. Suitable for ages 8 upwards.

A reminder that our varied range of half-term term holiday activities for under 16s run from Wednesday 29 October to Sunday 2 November.  See the website or call the Box Office for details.

A special Café Scientifique event on Sunday 19 October at 2pm with Engineering Past and Future.  Professor John Womersley who is Chief Executive Officer of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (SFTC) will talk about SFTC’s work and how it ties in with his other love of railways and locomotives.  Suitable for ages 14+.  

Stringfever, on Saturday 1 November, offers classical music with a twist from the world’s first genetically modified string quartet which combines the best of popular and classical tunes with electric instruments.  Don’t miss six people all playing one cello at the same time, and 40 tunes packed into five frenetic minutes in The History of Time!  For ages from 12 years upwards.

This year’s fun-packed, audience-interactive, music and laughter-filled family Christmas show is The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, which comes to us from the company that brought us last year’s hugely popular The Night Before Christmas.  Tickets are now available for family and school performances – phone the Box Office or see our website for further information.

Details of our full Autumn season programme and online booking are available on our website at http://www.cornerstone-arts.org, or call the Box Office on 01235 515144 (closed Monday).

Best wishes,

Bridget Haffenden

It’s coming up to September and Cornerstone’s Autumn season is launching!   

Getting us off to a rip-roaring start on Friday 12 September will be Rory McGrath and Philip Pope. They’re coming to Cornerstone direct from the Edinburgh Fringe, and prior to a UK tour, with an evening of comedy and song incorporating wit, elegance and musical pastiche (with a bit of silliness and filth thrown in!).

Sean Hughes returns on Friday 19 September with a funny and touching show, taking us back to his Dublin upbringing, school days, awkwardness of his teenage years and family and friends and how they all weave into his present life.

Children, mums, dads, grandparents and families will love what we’ve got coming up with Family Fun Day every Sunday at Cornerstone.

Get ready for Cornerstone’s Top Fun Sundays! Every Sunday throughout the Autumn season come along for rib-tickling children’s shows, lots of brilliant free activities to keep the little ones occupied and delicious family food. The perfect day out!

Top Fun Sunday MULTI-BUY

Book for any two shows and get the third free*

*Multibuy offer subject to availability. Maximum number of half price tickets may not exceed the lowest quantity purchased for either of the first two shows, and only applies to cheapest show. All three shows must be booked at the same time. Excludes related workshops. Only one discount per booking.

We begin with Pop on Sunday 21 September; a lovely clowning, comedy and magic theatre show for ages 3 to 8 years. Once Upon A Snowflake, on Sunday 28 September, was developed by Paper Balloon at Cornerstone with some of our very own young audience members in a special workshop. Suitable from ages 3+, come and see what they created!

October half-term can often be wet and blustery and we have just the thing to keep youngsters occupied and engaged with our range of Half-term Holiday Activities, running from Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 October.

The company that brought us the Christmas show loved by all Cornerstone customers in 2013 returns with this year’s family Christmas show, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Tickets are now on sale; why not get yours booked early and tick them off on your Christmas ‘to do’ list?

Full details of the entire Autumn season programme can be found on our website http://www.cornerstone-arts.org. Online ticket booking is available or call the Box Office on 01235 515144 (closed Monday).

Best wishes,

Bridget Haffenden

Didcot & District University of the Third Age

DIDCOT & DISTRICT UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Didcot Civil Hall. Visitors are welcome to come to a meeting as a taster before joining.

The September meeting will be held on Tuesday 16^th September 2014 at 2pm at Dicot Civil Hall when Derek Pooley will talk about “Clocks, Heavenly Clocks and Calendars.”

Didcot & District U3A is a democratic, self-funded and self-managed organisation which exists to provide educational and leisure activities at minimal cost for people who want to stay active in mind and body and are no longer in full-time employment. The third age of learning is when people have time to learn whatever they want. U3A draws upon the knowledge, experience, skills and enthusiasms of its members to organise interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the membership. There are over 25 interest groups covering both leisure and educational activities such as the study of languages, family history, philosophy maths and science, creative writing, walking, gardening, poetry and singing.

There is something for everyone and new ideas are always welcome!

Tel: 07804159993

Email: didcotdistrictU3A@virginmedia.com

Website: http:/u3asites.org.uk/didcot

The weather’s warming up nicely and the summer solstice and holidays are just around the corner.  Music, festivals and summer go hand-in-hand and we have a fabulous line-up through July and August, starting on Saturday 5 July with Michael Law’s Piccadilly Revellers.  Bandleader, vocalist and pianist Michael returns with a brand new, swinging, six-piece ensemble including Louise Cookman – the ‘Whitstable Nightingale’ – on vocals and Enrico Tomasso on trumpet, piano and double bass.  Enjoy an evening of comic, sentimental and jazzy tunes from the ‘between the wars’ era.

Internationally acclaimed concert pianists Worbey and Farrell are much more than a traditional piano duet and come to Cornerstone on Saturday 19 July with Deviations On The Piano. From imitating the tones of a Spanish guitar on their instrument to displaying everything from Rachmaninov to their own verse, this promises to be a barnstorming blend of comedy banter and amazing ‘duelling’ piano.

Have you always fancied going to a festival but just can’t face the prospect of wading through seas of mud, communal showers and sleeping under canvas? Or perhaps you’ve done all that and really can’t bear to do it again?  Fear not, Cornerstone has the solution, right on your doorstep, with the Sixth Annual Beer and Music Festival!  From Friday 1 to Sunday 3 August you can enjoy three days of FREE music and the best local beers, ciders and food.  M.A.I.A. are headlining and confirmed acts include Ellie Williams, Duchess, The August List, Fred’s House, Band of Hope, Reuben’s Rocket and The Isleys.  Keep an eye on our web site for updates over the next few weeks.

Access All Areas, on Friday 25 July, offers a festival of workshops, activities and performances for adults with learning disabilities. Daytime activities will run from 10am to 3pm and include Music and Dance Special, Sensory Storytelling, Singing, Drama, Pampering, Nail Bar, Jewellery Making, Anjali Dancing and Drumming plus an art drop-in workshop will run all day from 10.30am to 3pm.  Evening activities begin 6.30pm with Speed Dating, followed by Strictly Dance Event from 8pm until 10.30pm. All activites are free except Music and Dance Special (£3 on the door).  Either drop in to any of the activities or call the Box Office to reserve a place in advance.    

Children’s theatre production Curious Creatures features puppets, comedy, slapstick and live music plus lots of amazing natural history facts, on Sunday 20 July.  Meet performing fleas, a gymnastic gerbil, learn how animals evolve, how they survive in the wild and how they can help us learn more about ourselves.  Great fun for all the family from ages 4 and up.

As the school holidays roll on children may begin to get bored, and parents begin to feel a little frazzled.  August summer holiday activities at Cornerstone run between 5 and 15 August and there are new courses including Circus Skills, Lino-Carving, Crafty With Willow and Crazy Comic Mash-Up as well as firm favourites Clay Sculpture, Drop-In and Doodle and Sci-Art School.

Cornerstone will be closed from Monday 18 until Friday 29 August (inclusive).  This ‘dark period’ allows essential maintenance to be carried out.

The Cornerstone team wishes you all a wonderful summer!

CALENDAR

JULY 2014

1-6 Oxford Scribes: Write On, Exhibition, Tue-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm. FREE admission. Celebrating calligraphic society Oxford Scribes’ 30^th anniversary with an exhibition of members’ work.

10-31 Samantha Wadham: Interior Growth, Exhibition, Tue-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm. FREE admission. Multidisciplinary Didcot artist Samantha Wadham interprets textiles through different materials and media.

Sat 5 Guitar: One-off Workshop for Adults, 2.30-4pm. Learn to play acoustic guitar, all abilities welcome and no music reading necessary. Bring your own guitar!

Sat 5 Michael Law’s Piccadilly Revellers, Music: Swing, 8pm. Michael’s the founder of the Piccadilly Dance Orchestra and returns with his new swinging six-piece, playing tunes from the ‘between the wars’ era.

Thu 10 Dance Connection presents: Beyond Limits, Hiring: Dance, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 at 7.30pm. Saturday

to 12 at 1.30pm & Anniversary Gala Night at 7.30pm (reception from 6.30pm). A cast of 100 talented young

Sat 12 dancers celebrate award-winning performing arts centre Dance Connection’s 20^th anniversary.

Sat 19 Worbey and Farrell: Deviations on the Piano, Music: Popular Classical, 8pm. Internationally acclaimed concert pianists, they present a blend of comedy banter and amazing ‘duelling’ piano work.

Sun 20 Squashbox Theatre presents: Curious Creatures, Children’s Theatre, 2pm. Ages 4+. Learn lots about animals through puppets, comedy, slapstick and live music plus loads of amazing natural history facts.

Fri 25 Access All Areas. Please call for details, times and booking information. Cornerstone gives a day over to creative activities for people with learning disabilities. Fully accessible.

AUGUST 2014

1-3 Cornerstone presents the Sixth Annual Beer and Music Festival, Fri & Sat midday-midnight, Sun midday-10.30pm. FREE admission. This year’s festival has the biggest and best line up to date. No expensive tickets, no muddy fields, no overcrowding, just three days of FREE music and the best of local beers, ciders and food. Please see web site for up-to-date details of confirmed acts.

1-16 Samantha Wadham: Interior Growth, Exhibition, Tue-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm. FREE admission. Multidisciplinary Didcot artist Samantha Wadham interprets textiles through different materials and media.

SUMMER HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

August 2014

5-15 Drop-in and Doodle: Flower Power, 10am-4pm. FREE. All ages (children must be accompanied by an adult).

Create colourful cut-out floral silhouettes, inspired by our Interior Growth exhibition.

Tue 5 Clay Sculpture, 1.30-3.30pm. Ages 5-12 years (adult goes free when accompanied by a child). Explore circus themes and create your own colourful ceramic sculpture, perhaps a clown or Big Top! All materials included.

Wed 6 NEW! Lino-Carving, 10.30am-12.30pm. Ages 8-12 years (adult goes free when accompanied by a child). Make a lino-carved stamp with your initials in fancy lettering and use it to print with. Materials included.

Thu 7 NEW! Circus Skills, 10.30am-4.30pm. Ages 7-13 years. Learn lots of fun skills with Circus Bezercus -juggling, diabolo, plate spinning, unicycling and stilt-walking. Show off your new skills at the end of the workshop.

Fri 8 NEW! 3-D Screen Printing, 10.30am-4.30pm. Ages 7-11 years. Use some great new bits of kit to screen-print designs onto card and then use it to construct buildings and structures. All materials included.

Tue 12 Sci-Art School. Ages 5-7 years 10.30am-12 noon. Ages 8-11 years 1-2.30pm. Three session course

to exploring the art of science and the science of art. Paint, sculpt and draw whilst learning about the natural Thu 14 phenomena of the world around us. All materials included.

Fri 15 NEW! Crafty with Willow! 10.30am-12.30pm. Ages 5-12 years (5 & 6 year olds to be accompanied by an adult). Have fun crafting all kinds of creatures and creations from willow. All materials included.

Fri 15 NEW! Crazy Comic Mash-Up, 10.30am-4.30pm. Ages 8-13 years. Learn how to make a comic and how to use Apple laptops to make a cartoon animation. Use iStopmotion and Comic Life to create your own comics with pictures and drawings. No previous knowledge necessary.

Full details of our summer programme can be found on our website http://www.cornerstone-arts.org, with online booking facility.

CORNERSTONE ARTS CENTRE, 25 Station Road, Didcot, OX11 7NE

Box Office: 01235 515144  open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. Closed Monday.