A pre-Christmas exhibition of affordable contemporary artwork.

Mainly grounded in the landscapes of the South West, but also including other subject areas such as portraits, wildlife and architecture, in both figurative and abstract genres.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

A cynical London music executive heads to a remote Cornish village on a stag weekend where he’s pranked by his boss into trying to sign a group of shanty singing fishermen.

He becomes the ultimate ‘fish out of water’ as he struggles to gain the respect and enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band and their families, who value friendship and community over fame and fortune. As he’s drawn deeper into the traditional way of life he’s forced to reevaluate his own integrity and ultimately question what success really means.

Director: Chris Foggin

Featuring: Daniel Mays, James Purefoy, David Hayman, Dave Johns, Sam Swainsbury, Tuppence Middleton, Noel Clarke

Details: UK | Language: English | 2019 | 1h 52m

Showings:

Tuesday 25th November – 2pm Matinée

Please note: Our Tuesday Matinées feature subtitles for the hard of hearing and will include an interval.

Tickets: £5.

Come and explore The Studio 90 exhibition, which showcases a diverse range of work across drawing, watercolours, oils, collages, ceramics and photography, and is designed to inspire all artistic tastes.

This exhibition offers a chance to engage with art in a relaxed and welcoming setting.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.

With biting wit and unexpected twists, the film exposes how the relentless pursuit of material gain can both unite and divide, pushing each character to their breaking point. As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, they’re forced to decide what they’re truly willing to risk for happiness — and who they might lose along the way.

Director: Celine Song

Featuring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal

Details: USA | Language: English | 2025 | 1h 57m

Showings:

Wednesday 26th November – 7.30pm 

Tickets: £7.50 Adults. £6.50 Members & Friends. £5.50 under 18s.

Totone’s carefree teenage life, in the very rural Franche-Comté region of France, is shattered when he is left alone to fend for himself and his 7-year-old sister. 

In need of income, he channels his energy and guile into producing an award-winning Comté cheese.

Director: Louise Courvoisier

Featuring: Clément Faveau, Maïwene Barthelemy, Luna Garret

Details: France | Subtitles | 2024 | 1h 32m

Tickets: £7.50. Members & Friends £6.50. U18s £5.50. Film Society members free.

See here for details of Film Society membership.

Five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown) joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) for the very first time, playing mother and daughter in Bernard Shaw’s incendiary moral classic.

Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time. Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs. Warren a fortune – but at what cost?

Filmed live from the West End, this new production reunites Staunton with director Dominic Cooke (Follies, Good), exploring the clash between morality and independence, traditions and progress.

Tickets: £15. Members, Friends and under 18s £12.50.

Come and explore The Studio 90 exhibition, which showcases a diverse range of work across drawing, watercolours, oils, collages, ceramics and photography, and is designed to inspire all artistic tastes.

This exhibition offers a chance to engage with art in a relaxed and welcoming setting.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Shaftesbury Arts Centre Art Group is a small practical group, meeting at 2pm on Monday afternoons in the Phoenix Room to enjoy painting. We welcome all levels of skill in all mediums.

During the year we have tutors in various mediums and aspects of painting. We have an exhibition once a year in the SAC Gallery and opportunities to join other exhibitions in the gallery at certain times of the year.

Click here for more information about the Art Group or contact artgroup@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

Art Group Autumn Program 2025

15th September, Paint the Holiday
22nd September Workshop Draw Still Life
29th September Paint the Still Life
6th October Zara McQueen Tutors us with Autumn Leaves as our subject
13th October Zara continues with our Workshop to improve our skills
20th October AGM Own work
27th October Half Term No workshop
3rd November Joint Topic
10th November Helen Badderley will introduce us to Abstract Painting as our subject
17th November Helen returns to help us with our techniques
24th November Christmas as a subject
1st December “Clouds” Bring photos, plus photos of Old masters
8th December QUIZ & Nibbles

19th January 2026 Return for Spring Term

Set against the backdrop of the 1904 World’s Fair, Meet Me In St Louis follows the charming and spirited Smith family as they navigate love, laughter and personal change in turn-of-the-century St Louis.

With beloved musical numbers and heart-warming moments, this timeless classic celebrates family togetherness and the joys of home, ensuring a magical experience for audiences of all ages.

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Featuring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main

Details: USA | Language: English | 1944 | 1h 53m

Showings:

Tuesday 2nd December – 2pm Matinée

Please note: Our Tuesday Matinées feature subtitles for the hard of hearing and will include an interval.

Tickets: £5.

Wild Beauty is the coming together of three friends who are captured by creation.

Olivia Willoughby – I believe art is a spiritual distillation of life. I love to bring as much of the soul and life of an animal as I can to the canvas. Those things that go beyond words but which art says so well.

Olivia is a contemporary realist painter, harnessing those magical qualities unique to her medium of oils which bestow a luminous and living quality on each piece.

Sofie Page – I am captivated by the beauty of the natural world and by every living creature we inhabit it with. When painting I prefer to work in oil to capture the texture and depth of an animal, I feel a deep connection and longing to understand its personality and spirit.

Helen Baddeley – In contrast to her fellow artist friends, Helen’s semi abstract landscapes communicate the essence of how a place or moment makes you feel. Working in acrylic and oil paint, as well as printmaking, capturing light
and movement to draw the onlooker beyond the canvas.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least.

Blending heartache, humour and healing, Sorry, Baby is a quietly powerful tale of seizing back your footing after pain, and of the friendships that sustain you along the way.

Director: Eva Victor

Featuring: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack

Details: USA | Language: English | 2025 | 1h 44m

Showings:

Wednesday 3rd December – 7.30pm 

Tickets: £7.50 Adults. £6.50 Members & Friends. £5.50 under 18s.

Come and join The Music & Drama Group for an immersive, interactive evening of ‘Who Dunnit’, written by Myra McDadd.

Murder At The KO Corral takes place in Dead Moose Gulch, where Polecat Pete has been found dead behind a heap of horse manure! Meet the suspects, question and quiz them, find out how they knew Polecat Pete and whether they might have been the one who killed him.

Meet Sheriff P Knutt and help him and Marshall Wyatt Twerp solve the crime throughout the evening. There will be a prize for the winning team as well as a prize for ‘The Best Dressed in the West’.

There will be a 2 course meal as part of the evening. Please advise of any dietary requirements to murdermystery@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

Age 18+

Tickets: £20.

Tables will seat between 6-8 people and if you would like to be seated in a party of people, we would advise that the tickets are purchased under one name through the Box Office. We would encourage people to play as a team with their entire table on the evening.

Come and join The Music & Drama Group for an immersive, interactive evening of ‘Who Dunnit’, written by Myra McDadd.

Murder At The KO Corral takes place in Dead Moose Gulch, where Polecat Pete has been found dead behind a heap of horse manure! Meet the suspects, question and quiz them, find out how they knew Polecat Pete and whether they might have been the one who killed him.

Meet Sheriff P Knutt and help him and Marshall Wyatt Twerp solve the crime throughout the evening. There will be a prize for the winning team as well as a prize for ‘The Best Dressed in the West’.

There will be a 2 course meal as part of the evening. Please advise of any dietary requirements to murdermystery@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

Age 18+

Tickets: £20.

Tables will seat between 6-8 people and if you would like to be seated in a party of people, we would advise that the tickets are purchased under one name through the Box Office. We would encourage people to play as a team with their entire table on the evening.

Shaftesbury Arts Centre Art Group is a small practical group, meeting at 2pm on Monday afternoons in the Phoenix Room to enjoy painting. We welcome all levels of skill in all mediums.

During the year we have tutors in various mediums and aspects of painting. We have an exhibition once a year in the SAC Gallery and opportunities to join other exhibitions in the gallery at certain times of the year.

Click here for more information about the Art Group or contact artgroup@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

Art Group Autumn Program 2025

15th September, Paint the Holiday
22nd September Workshop Draw Still Life
29th September Paint the Still Life
6th October Zara McQueen Tutors us with Autumn Leaves as our subject
13th October Zara continues with our Workshop to improve our skills
20th October AGM Own work
27th October Half Term No workshop
3rd November Joint Topic
10th November Helen Badderley will introduce us to Abstract Painting as our subject
17th November Helen returns to help us with our techniques
24th November Christmas as a subject
1st December “Clouds” Bring photos, plus photos of Old masters
8th December QUIZ & Nibbles

19th January 2026 Return for Spring Term

War correspondent Lee Miller travels to the front lines of World War II to embark on a mission to uncover the hidden truths of the Third Reich.

The true story of photographer Elizabeth “Lee” Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II.

Director: Ellen Kuras

Featuring: Kate Winslet, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cotillard.

Details: UK | Language: English | 2023 | 1h 56m

Showings:

Tuesday 6th January – 2pm Matinée

Please note: Our Tuesday Matinées feature subtitles for the hard of hearing and will include an interval.

Tickets: £5.

The place we’ll always remember. The family we’ll never forget. Everything has led to this.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the cinematic return of the global phenomenon, follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.

Director: Simon Curtis

Featuring: Simon Russell Beale, Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery.

Details: UK | Language: English | 2025 | 2h 04m

Showings:

Tuesday 13th January – 2pm Matinée

Please note: Our Tuesday Matinées feature subtitles for the hard of hearing and will include an interval.

Tickets: £5.

At one of her lavish parties, celebrated Parisian courtesan Violetta is introduced to Alfredo Germont. The two fall madly in love, and though hesitant to leave behind her life of luxury and freedom, Violetta follows her heart.

But the young couple’s happiness is short-lived, as the harsh realities of life soon come knocking.

As intimate as it is sumptuous, La traviata features some of opera’s most famous melodies, and is a star vehicle for its leading soprano role sung by Ermonela Jaho. In director Richard Eyre’s world of seductive grandeur, the tender and devastating beauty at the centre of Verdi’s opera shines bright.

Sung in Italian with subtitles | Duration: 4h (to be confirmed)

Cast:
Violetta Valéry ERMONELA JAHO
Alfredo Germont GIOVANNI SALA
Giorgio Germont ALEKSEI ISAEV
Annina VEENA AKAMA-MAKIA
Doctor Grenvil BARNABY REA
Flora Bervoix ELLEN PEARSON
Baron Douphol SAM HIRD
Gastone de Letorières GIORGI GULIASHVILI
Marquis d’Obigny OSSIAN HUSKINSON

Creatives:
Music GIUSEPPE VERDI
Conductor ANTONELLO MANACORDA
Director RICHARD EYRE
Designer BOB CROWLEY
Lighting Designer JEAN KALMAN
Director of Movement JANE GIBSON

Tickets: £15. Members, Friends and under 18s £12.50.

Barry Lyndon, an ambitious Irishman of humble origins, sets out in 18th-century Europe to rise through society’s ranks by any means necessary.

Through deceit, duels, and a fortuitous marriage to a wealthy widow, he achieves wealth and status, but his reckless actions and personal flaws precipitate his eventual downfall.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Featuring: Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Kruger, Diana Körner, Gay Hamilton

Details: UK/USA | Language: English | 1975 | 3h 5m

Showings:

Tuesday Matinée 20th January – 2pm 

Tickets: £5.

Shaftesbury Festival Of Baroque 2026 Season Ticket – £120. Members & Friends £100.

The season ticket gives you access to all the events scheduled for the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque. Please show your festival season ticket at the entrance of each event. To book, click here.

A panel of plucky defenders battles it out!

Four playwrights of the Baroque era – Aphra Behn, Ben Jonson, Thomas Otway and Susanne Centlivre – will be championed for the title of ‘Best’ by Diana Banham, Liz Foster, Sebastian Hayes and Catherine Simmonds. You will decide!

Tickets: £5. Under 18s free.

Shaftesbury Festival Of Baroque 2026 Season Ticket – £120. Members & Friends £100.

The season ticket gives you access to all the events scheduled for the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque. Please show your festival season ticket at the entrance of each event.

To book your festival season ticket, click here.

Welcome to Wonderland! Join our Music & Drama Group as they present their 2026 pantomime – Alice in Wonderland.

This timeless, classic tale includes well-loved characters from Lewis Carroll’s original work. Whether you’re as Mad as the Hatter, evil as the Red Queen or as curious as Alice herself, come along and join these characters in Wonderland this January.

With the charm of a traditional family, fun filled pantomime, you’ll expect to hear classic lines like ‘he’s behind you’, see both good and evil characters, find a classic comedy duo and a warm hearted dame helping our protagonist to rise above the mayhem and madness.

If you are expecting the traditional tale then you are in for a surprise… this story has many twists and turns that bring the classic story to life not quite how you would expect it!

Tickets: Adults £16.50, Members & Friends £14.50, under 12s £11.

Alice in Wonderland is written by Ben Crocker.

Please be in your seats five minutes prior to the start time. The performance will start promptly at the time noted. Late comers may be asked by front of house to wait until an appropriate point in the show to be given admittance to the auditorium.

Clarice Cliff breaks the glass ceiling and revolutionizes the workplace at a pottery factory in 1920s England.

Director: Claire McCarthy

Featuring: Phoebe Dynevor, Matthew Goode.

Details: UK | Language: English | 2021 | 1h 52m

Showings:

Tuesday 3rd February – 2pm Matinée

Please note: Our Tuesday Matinées feature subtitles for the hard of hearing and will include an interval.

Tickets: £5.

Picasso: A Rebel In Paris takes an unprecedented and alternative look at the
maestro of modernity.

The film focuses on the story of a young immigrant, poor but destined to become one of the most important icons of the 20th century.

The film moves continuously in and out of the Musée Picasso in Paris, which has the largest existing collection dedicated to the painter with 6,000 masterpieces and 200,000 pieces of archive material, and follows Picasso through the Parisian neighbourhoods where he lived, from the early days in ateliers with no heating to the large middle-class apartments where his success began: a physical and intellectual journey to gain a deeper understanding of his work and spirit.

Tickets: £15. Members, Friends and under 18s £12.50.

What happens when a cinema’s Lord of the Rings marathon goes terribly wrong?

At the local cinema, all hell breaks loose when the ushers misplace the DVDs of The Lord of the Rings trilogy – every single copy! With only the soundtracks left in hand, the team of hapless ushers must somehow improvise an entire three-film saga in front of a live audience.

Get ready for an uproarious evening of comedy, chaos, and utter nonsense, as they attempt to recreate the epic tale of hobbits, elves, and orcs – without any visuals, any planning, or any clue what they’re doing.

Will Frodo ever make it to Mordor? Will Aragorn get crowned king? Will Gollum stop stealing the show? Will anyone even remember who’s supposed to be who?! It’s a show that’s more fun than a barrel of hobbits, and definitely more chaotic than a Gandalf speech.

If you’ve ever wanted to see Gollum fight a battle with sound effects, or Gandalf desperately trying to remember what happens next, then you’re in for a hilarious treat!

Tickets: £20. Members, Friends and under 18s £18.

Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one.

National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining.

Tickets: £15. Members, Friends and under 18s £12.50.

Princess Pamina has been captured. Her mother, the Queen of the Night, tasks the young Prince Tamino with her daughter’s rescue.

But when Tamino and his friendly sidekick, Papageno, embark on their adventure, they soon learn that when it comes to the quest for love, nothing is as it really seems. Guided by a magic flute, they encounter monsters, villains, and a mysterious brotherhood of men – but help, it turns out, comes when you least expect it.

Mozart’s fantastical opera glitters in David McVicar’s enchanting production. A star cast including Julia Bullock as Pamina, Amitai Pati as Tamino, Huw Montague Rendall as Papageno, Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, and Soloman Howard as Sarastro, led by French conductor Marie Jacquot in her Covent Garden debut.

Sung in German with subtitles | Duration: 3h 30m (to be confirmed)

Cast:
Pamina JULIA BULLOCK
Tamino AMITAI PATI
Papageno HUW MONTAGUE RENDALL
Queen of the Night KATHRYN LEWEK
Sarastro SOLOMAN HOWARD
Monostatos GERHARD SIEGEL

Creatives:
Music WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Conductor MARIE JACQUOT
Director DAVID MCVICAR
Designer JOHN MACFARLANE
Lighting Designer PAULE CONSTABLE
Movement Director LEAH HAUSMAN

Tickets: £15. Members, Friends and under 18s £12.50.

Following her acclaimed 2024 company debut in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, soprano Asmik Grigorian returns to the Met as Tatiana, the lovestruck young heroine in this ardent operatic adaptation of Pushkin.

Baritone Igor Golovatenko reprises his portrayal of the urbane Onegin, who realises his affection for her all too late.

The Met’s evocative production, directed by Tony Award–winner Deborah Warner, “offers a beautifully detailed reading of … Tchaikovsky’s lyrical romance” (The Telegraph).

Sung in Russian with English subtitles | Duration: 4h 5m with two intervals (to be confirmed)

Cast:
Tatiana ASMIK GRIGORIAN
Olga MARIA BARAKOVA
Filippyevna STEPHANIE BLYTHE
Lenski STANISLAS DE BARBEYRAC
Eugene Onegin IGOR GOLOVATENKO
Prince Gremin ALEXANDER TSYMBALYUK

Creatives:
Music PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Conductor TIMUR ZANGIEV
Director DEBORAH WARNER
Set Designer TOM PYE
Costume Designer CHLOE OBOLENSKY
Lighting Designer JEAN KALMAN
Projection Designer IAN WILLIAM GALLOWAY and FINN ROSS
Choreographer KIM BRANDSTRUP

Tickets: £15. Members, Friends and under 18s £12.50.