Painter and printmaker Peter Ursem returns with an exhibition of new, bigger scale works, following his purchase of a new printing press.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Bridget Jones navigates life as a widow and single mother with the help of her family, friends, and former lover, Daniel.

Back to work and on the apps, she’s pursued by a younger man and maybe – just maybe – her son’s science teacher.

Director: Michael Morris

Featuring: Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Isla Fisher, Leo Woodall, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nico Parker, Shirley Henderson, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, Leila Farzad, James Callis, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Sally Phillips.

Details: France/UK/USA | Language: English | 2025 | 2h 5m

Showings:

Tuesday Matinée 17th June – 2pm 

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

Wednesday 18th June – 7.30pm

Friday 20th June – 7.30pm

Tickets: From £5.

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 Gillian on 07873 740979, email louthlincs1@gmail.com.

Summer Program Art Group 2025

28th April: Paint or draw (what you did at Easter).

5th May: Bank Holiday – No workshop.

12th May: James Budden tutors us in painting techniques.

19th May: James returns, helping us improve our skills.

26th May: Bank Holiday – No workshop.

2nd June: En plein air if weather is fine.

9th June: Still life.

16th June: Joint topic.

23rd June: Ein plein air if weather is fine. Last week before summer break.

15th September: Return for autumn term.

After her husband’s death, Elizabeth (Dame Judi Dench) decides she wants to re-kindle ‘The Blonde Bombshells’, an (almost) all-female band with which she played during World War II.

Urged on by her granddaughter, Elizabeth hunts for all the old members of the band and urges them to perform. In doing so, she learns more than she knew about the band and its members..

Director: Alan Plater

Featuring: Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Leslie Caron, Olympia Dukakis

Details: UK/USA | Language: English | 2000 | 1h 24m

Showings:

Tuesday Matinée 24th June – 2pm 

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

Tickets: £5

Three photographers, each displaying a different and individual approach to their craft.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Join the Music & Drama Group in an exciting morning of Basic Stage Combat, which is part of our ‘About Drama’ series.

The workshop will be run by MC Combat and will cover basic stage combat techniques, movement and character. This session will be a physical session and has limited spaces available.

Age Restriction 18+

Cost: £10 per person.

Discover the electrifying story of love, adventure and crime that captured the attention of an entire nation.

Starring Tony-Nominee Jeremy Jordan and Olivier-Nominee Frances Mayli McCann, this award-winning production (including Best New Musical – What’s On Stage Awards 2023) re-tells the unbelievable true story of America’s most infamous couple, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

Recorded live at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes (including interval).

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

A series of workshops (for people who love to dance) to experience the art of Flamenco at beginner level.

You will learn a complete dance called the Sevillanas which is a traditional Spanish dance with Flamenco touches. This is a unique opportunity to learn from an experienced teacher!

Please note, you do not need a partner. Age 18+.

Workshop Dates:

• Sunday, June 29, 2025 10.30am
• Sunday, July 13, 2025 10.30am
• Sunday, July 27, 2025 10.30am
• Sunday, August 10, 2025 10.30am

Cost: £20 for each workshop. Contact Sarah on 07963 311010 for more info and to book your place. You are advised to do all four beginner workshops. Advanced booking essential.

Three photographers, each displaying a different and individual approach to their craft.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

During World War II, with the men away fighting, sisters Dottie and Kit (Lori Petty and Geena Davis) join the first female professional baseball league.

But after struggling for months, the league faces closure – until Dottie does something that grabs attention. Before long, Dottie is the star of the team and Kit feels like she’s living in her shadow.

Director: Penny Marshall

Featuring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, Bill Pullman, Megan Cavanagh, Tracy Reiner, Rosie O’Donnell, Ann Cusack, Bitty Schram, Anne Elizabeth Ramsay, Harry Shearer

Details: USA | Language: English | 1992 | 2h 8m

Showings:

Tuesday Matinée 1st July – 2pm 

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

Tickets: £5

Join Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s Music & Drama Group this summer, as they transport you to Austria in 1938 – where Maria brings back music and joy to the von Trapp family as the Nazi’s tighten their hold on Europe.

The Sound of Music is the most beloved musical of the stage and screen and a true love story exploring love in all its forms, from the romantic to the divine.

Tickets: Adults £17.50, Members & Friends £15, under 18s £10.

Please note: seats C1 to C5 will have slightly impaired views of the stage due to the accommodation of the orchestra.

Warning: Strobe lighting will be used during the show.

Join Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s Music & Drama Group this summer, as they transport you to Austria in 1938 – where Maria brings back music and joy to the von Trapp family as the Nazi’s tighten their hold on Europe.

The Sound of Music is the most beloved musical of the stage and screen and a true love story exploring love in all its forms, from the romantic to the divine.

Tickets: Adults £17.50, Members & Friends £15, under 18s £10.

Please note: seats C1 to C5 will have slightly impaired views of the stage due to the accommodation of the orchestra.

Warning: Strobe lighting will be used during the show.

Join Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s Music & Drama Group this summer, as they transport you to Austria in 1938 – where Maria brings back music and joy to the von Trapp family as the Nazi’s tighten their hold on Europe.

The Sound of Music is the most beloved musical of the stage and screen and a true love story exploring love in all its forms, from the romantic to the divine.

Tickets: Adults £17.50, Members & Friends £15, under 18s £10.

Please note: seats C1 to C5 will have slightly impaired views of the stage due to the accommodation of the orchestra.

Warning: Strobe lighting will be used during the show.

Join Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s Music & Drama Group this summer, as they transport you to Austria in 1938 – where Maria brings back music and joy to the von Trapp family as the Nazi’s tighten their hold on Europe.

The Sound of Music is the most beloved musical of the stage and screen and a true love story exploring love in all its forms, from the romantic to the divine.

Tickets: Adults £17.50, Members & Friends £15, under 18s £10.

Please note: seats C1 to C5 will have slightly impaired views of the stage due to the accommodation of the orchestra.

Warning: Strobe lighting will be used during the show.

Based on a remarkable true story, discover how the poor son of a miner became one of the greatest actors the world has ever known, with the help of an unlikely mentor.

In the Welsh town of Port Talbot, 1942, Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) lives as a wayward schoolboy, caught between the pressures of his struggling family, a devastating war, and his own ambitions. However, a new opportunity arises when Richard’s natural talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher, Philip Burton (BAFTA winner Toby Jones).

Taking Richard under his wing, the young man thrives thanks to Philip’s strict tutelage and the guidance of kindly landlady, Ma Smith (Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville). However, as the acting world comes within Richard’s reach, the burden of his past risks holding him back forever.

Director: Marc Evans

Featuring: Harry Lawtey, Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, Steffan Rhodri, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Aneurin Barnard, Daniel Evans

Details: UK | Language: English | 2025 | 2h 4m

Showings:

6th July – 5pm

8th July – 2pm Tuesday Matinée

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

Tickets: From £5.

Based on a remarkable true story, discover how the poor son of a miner became one of the greatest actors the world has ever known, with the help of an unlikely mentor.

In the Welsh town of Port Talbot, 1942, Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) lives as a wayward schoolboy, caught between the pressures of his struggling family, a devastating war, and his own ambitions. However, a new opportunity arises when Richard’s natural talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher, Philip Burton (BAFTA winner Toby Jones).

Taking Richard under his wing, the young man thrives thanks to Philip’s strict tutelage and the guidance of kindly landlady, Ma Smith (Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville). However, as the acting world comes within Richard’s reach, the burden of his past risks holding him back forever.

Director: Marc Evans

Featuring: Harry Lawtey, Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, Steffan Rhodri, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Aneurin Barnard, Daniel Evans

Details: UK | Language: English | 2025 | 2h 4m

Showings:

6th July – 5pm

8th July – 2pm Tuesday Matinée

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

Tickets: From £5.

Abstract art to fire your imagination.

Richard Ames – I am a retired live music tour manager/director and have been on the road most of my life visiting all ‘four corners’ of the world. I’m also a published author and podcaster. Touring over a span of 50 years means I have observed many incredible spectacles of colour and texture, which have had a strong influence on my work as an abstract artist. I’ve been painting for some years working mostly in oil and acrylic on plywood or canvas. Since retiring from touring, I am enjoying the exhibition circuit bringing my work to a wider audience of collectors.

Mal Lee – I find the colours and structures of industrial and coastal landscapes, mainly in England and Wales, to be truly inspiring but sometimes inspiration comes from the noise, bustle and colour of foreign markets and sea ports. It is exciting to capture the energy of the elements as well as the vitality of busy places. I use mainly acrylics with some oil and am always open to new ideas.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Join Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s Music & Drama Group this summer, as they transport you to Austria in 1938 – where Maria brings back music and joy to the von Trapp family as the Nazi’s tighten their hold on Europe.

The Sound of Music is the most beloved musical of the stage and screen and a true love story exploring love in all its forms, from the romantic to the divine.

Tickets: Adults £17.50, Members & Friends £15, under 18s £10.

Please note: seats C1 to C5 will have slightly impaired views of the stage due to the accommodation of the orchestra.

Warning: Strobe lighting will be used during the show.

This is the second joint exhibit by three Dorset artists whose individual work and styles are as complementary as they are contrasting.

Bare Orange Art’s new lino cut printed and painted wall hanging collection continues the ‘Broken Circles’ theme, with local wildlife providing the main inspiration.

Nick Dale Artist specialises in paintings inspired by the rugged beauty and rural charms of South West England, with an eye for vibrant colours and detail.

Fusiology Glass Art brings a collection of unique and colourful fused glass pieces. Plus, a distinctive fusion of silver and fused glass jewellery inspired by pattern and textures.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

A series of workshops (for people who love to dance) to experience the art of Flamenco at beginner level.

You will learn a complete dance called the Sevillanas which is a traditional Spanish dance with Flamenco touches. This is a unique opportunity to learn from an experienced teacher!

Please note, you do not need a partner. Age 18+.

Workshop Dates:

• Sunday, June 29, 2025 10.30am
• Sunday, July 13, 2025 10.30am
• Sunday, July 27, 2025 10.30am
• Sunday, August 10, 2025 10.30am

Cost: £20 for each workshop. Contact Sarah on 07963 311010 for more info and to book your place. You are advised to do all four beginner workshops. Advanced booking essential.

Where Joy Begins is a joining of four women, expressing their joy of creation through their art.

Our work covers a vast variety of styles and media – the detailed and powerful oil paintings of Sofie Page, alongside the simplicity of line in lino prints by Anna Jackson, the freedom and expression of joy in Camilla James, and Helen Baddeley’s varied painted styles.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Open evening Saturday 23rd August, 5pm to 8pm. Free admission.

To join the reading group, the only qualifications required are to enjoy reading and sharing ideas about books, and to be a member of the Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

We meet on the third Thursday of each month from 7.30pm to 9.00pm in the Rutter Room.

Contact Viv Rudd 01747 851619; reading@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

Presented by Shaftesbury Arts Centre Youth Theatre – Learn an entire, hour-long musical in just five days, ready to perform on Saturday morning. 

Programme:

• Monday 25th to Friday 29th August – 9.30am to 4.30pm.
• Saturday 30th August – 9.30am rehearsal then final show performance at 11am. The course will finish after the show at approximately noon.

Cost: £125 (£75 each additional sibling). This includes 38 hours of coaching and performance and two free tickets to the final show. Age 7 to 17 years.

Three artists – Barbara Davis, Dick Hewitson and Joan Scott – whose individual styles complement each other, creating an exciting mix of work.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

The Final Show from our week-long Summer Musical Theatre Course – presented by Shaftesbury Arts Centre Youth Theatre.

Come and see the hard work of all those on our Summer Musical Theatre Course.

Tickets: £5.

Three artists – Barbara Davis, Dick Hewitson and Joan Scott – whose individual styles complement each other, creating an exciting mix of work.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

When teachers Rich, Kris and Zara discover a bag of drugs in school lost property, they should report this straight away. But as the school faces imminent closure, is there another way to deal with the bag?

This brilliant new dark comedy looks at what happens when worlds collide, and lines of responsibility get blurred.

Writer/director Ed Viney has worked with theatres across the South West and nationally, including the RSC, Bath Theatre Royal and Bristol Old Vic. He recently received the Creative Scotland Four Nations Award and is the Festival Director of The Script’s The Thing which last year saw over 70 scripts being presented, linking with venues across Dorset and organisations including BBC Writersroom and National Theatre New Work.

Pot licker is part of a new scriptwriting initiative, Pipeline, at the Lighthouse Poole, and is produced by Dorchester Arts as part of a tour. A Dorchester Arts production in association with Lighthouse, Poole.

Age 16+

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

To join the reading group, the only qualifications required are to enjoy reading and sharing ideas about books, and to be a member of the Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

We meet on the third Thursday of each month from 7.30pm to 9.00pm in the Rutter Room.

Contact Viv Rudd 01747 851619; reading@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

To join the reading group, the only qualifications required are to enjoy reading and sharing ideas about books, and to be a member of the Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

We meet on the third Thursday of each month from 7.30pm to 9.00pm in the Rutter Room.

Contact Viv Rudd 01747 851619; reading@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Saltburn) is Jessica in the much-anticipated next play from the team behind Prima Facie.

Jessica Parks is a smart Crown Court Judge at the top of her career. Behind the robe, she is a karaoke fiend, a loving wife and a supportive parent. When an event threatens to throw her life completely off balance, can she hold her family upright?

Writer Suzie Miller and director Justin Martin reunite following their global phenomenon Prima Facie, with this searing examination of modern motherhood and masculinity.

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

Legendary magician the Great Baldini and his unruly magical menagerie explodes chaotically across the stage with this all-ages magic show.

It’s a family theatre experience, full of magic, puppetry, slapstick and clowning. It’s fast-paced, interactive, uplifting, and hilarious, leaving audiences happy, exhausted,
bewildered and amazed. Daftly brilliant… with sweets!

The Great Baldini is an award-winning member of the Magic Circle, and President of the Bristol Society of Magic. Age 3+.

“Incredible” – Front Row, BBC Radio 4

“Charming, engaging and charismatic. A pleasure.” – FringeReview

Tickets: £10 grown-ups. £7 under 16s. £28 Family (1GU+3U16s or 2GUs+2U16s).

• Latecomers welcome.
• Babies in arms (i.e under 9 months):
  • May be admitted
  • Sitting on parents/carers lap-able admitted for free
  • The venue may (at its discretion) ask that children or babies causing a disturbance to the performance be removed from the auditorium.

Legendary magician The Great Baldini (The Emperor of Illusion, The Prince of Prestidigitation, The Maharajah of Mystery) presents a cabaret of magical illusions.

From his first illusion on his twelfth birthday, to seizing control of the ILLUSIONATI (a shadowy cabal of Magicians) and culminating in his attempt at Houdini’s greatest escape, this is a joyously silly romp through magic.

Baldini is a Member of the Magic Circle and an award-winning Stage Magician. Age 7+.

“Incredible” – Front Row, BBC Radio 4

“Charming, engaging and charismatic. A pleasure.” – FringeReview

“Wonderful, a joy” – Pick of the Week, BBC Radio 4

Tickets: Adults £15. Under 18s £10.

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.

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.