An exhibition of art in several disciplines by local and regional artists, selected by three independent judges from an open call.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Come and enjoy an afternoon of delightful and dramatic diversions with our Youth Theatre. This performance is comprised of 2 one act plays that with thoroughly entertain you.

The first is ‘Magic Fairy in the Microwave’ written by Dara Murphy. Sarah Williams is an ordinary girl. Or is she? Is she a girl with an overactive imagination? A girl who has trapped herself in her own mind? Or is the narrator the one doing the trapping, conducting Sarah in her world of woe?

This is a fast physical extravaganza with guns, knives, and blood. Kittens will be harmed. You have been warned! Awarded the ‘Overall Best in Fringe’ from this year’s Shaftesbury Fringe and is not to be missed.

The second is ‘The Clearing’ written by Jennifer Rolfe. It is early autumn when a group of teenagers finds themselves in a clearing in the woods. Some are searching, some are hiding, some are lost and some are found. The Clearing is a collection of ten vignettes that are witty, sweet and poignant which, woven together, make for a magical and refreshingly good natured play.

Come and enjoy a delightful, if not a bit silly, afternoon or evening of entertainment! Age 8+.

Tickets: Adults £5. U18s £2.50.

Nicky has been teaching for over 20 years and has been featured in many magazines including Red, The Yoga Magazine, Cosmo and She. She also appeared on TV teaching celebs in Celebrity Fit Club.
Classes focus on alignment of body, mind and breath. Aim to increase flexibility, strength as well as being fun. Clients would say she makes you sweat, laugh and feel a million dollars. Total bliss!

Mondays 9am to 10am (Thursdays in Bank Holiday weeks).

£10 per class. Pay as you go, first come first served (booking advised). To reserve and pay for your place please email nickyyogateacher@hotmail.com or text/call 07771 676002.

Shaftesbury Arts Centre Art Group is a small practical group based at the SAC, 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 all 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.

Our Annual Exhibition will be held on Wednesday 20th to Tuesday 26th March 2024.

Autumn 2023

• 18th September – Bring something natural to paint or draw
• 25th September – Still life; your choice, on your table, or the one on the main table
• 2nd October – Zara McQueen will tutor us in various techniques
• 9th October – Zara continues the theme
• 16th October – AGM
• 23rd October – Half term
• 30th October – Somebody sitting for us in motorbike gear
• 6th November – Joint topic
• 13th November – Richard Corbett will tutor us with seascapes in acrylics
• 20th November – Continue with the previous week’s work or start something new
• 27th November – Christmas still life
• 4th December – Palm trees and sand; bring photos
• 11th December – Quiz and nibbles
• Christmas break. Return 15th January 2024.

For more information, contact Gillian on 078737 40979 or email louthlincs1@gmail.com.

Click here for more information about the Art Group 

Tap dance classes for children and adults of all ages and abilities.

Erica has over 20 years experience teaching tap classes, so whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned tap dancer you can develop your tapping skills, improve your rhythm and musicality along with meeting new people and having fun whilst dancing. Everyone is welcome.

Autumn Term 2023 – Summer Term 2024

• 4.30-5pm – Junior Tap – Age 4 – 11 Years (Pre-school to Yr 6). Mixed Levels – £6.00 PAYG / £16.50 Monthly
• 5.10-5.50pm – Youth Tap – Age 9 – 16 Years (Yr 5 – Yr 11) Mixed Levels – £8.00 PAYG / £21.00 Monthly
• 6-6.50pm – Adult Tap – Age 14 – 99+ Years Beginners / Adv Beginners – £10.00 PAYG / £25.50 Monthly
• 7-7.50pm – Adult Tap – Age 14 – 99+ Years Intermediate / Advanced – £10.00 PAYG / £25.50 Monthly

All of our classes at Shaftesbury Arts Centre are non-syllabus based and work well as stand-alone classes or alongside any syllabus classes already being attended. Within these classes, students will learn a variety of rhythms and how to apply those to the sounds they make with their feet and hands. As they develop they will learn how to develop into a percussionist creating their own music with their feet.

Within each lesson, students learn a variety of tap techniques and develop them into exercises, drills and combinations over each term. Not only are these classes great fun, but they also work on developing coordination, posture and stance, help with brain training and muscle memory. A wonderful place to meet new people and make new friends.

Erica is an ISTD-registered member with a Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE), has dance teachers’ insurance with G Gallagher and is DBS checked.

Classes can be joined on a pay-as-you-go basis or by monthly standing order. For further details about the classes, please either visit our website at www.elevatedtapcompany.co.uk or email Erica at elevatedtapcompany@gmail.com.

Youth Theatre Group for 7-11 years.

Our Theatre Group for 7-11 year olds offers the chance to learn and experience different elements of drama and theatre, as well as the opportunity to participate in productions at Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

The group meets in the Rutter Room on Mondays from 6.15pm-7.30pm during term time only, and is run by our Music and Drama Group. There is a cost of £2 per week.

Contact youththeatre@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk for more information.

Do you love singing, dancing or have you enjoyed being in one of our recent Music and Drama Group events? If so, come along and find out how you can get involved in our cabaret event – ‘All That Jazz’.

The evening will be a chance to hear about the event, contribute ideas to what might be performed and see how you might like to get involved.

We are looking for singers, dancers, a compère for the evening, and anyone who might like to serve drinks, wait on tables or just be involved somehow! The cabaret itself will be on 22nd/23rd March 2024 with a dress rehearsal on 21st March 2024. You do need to be available for all of these dates to be the show.

If you want to know more or want to get involved but can’t come to this evening, please email stage@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk. Age 16+.

A fabulous self-care workshop that celebrates the older face and takes women on a journey from bare face to a healthy glow.

Spend a fun couple of hours indulging in a full-face experience with lots of tips and advice with a professional make- up artist. Everything provided. Suits women 50+.

Tickets: £68. To reserve a place, email info@gracefuldisgraceful.co.uk.

Rock Choir is the pioneering contemporary choir of the UK and remains unique with over 33,000 members participating in approximately 400 local communities.

It offers all ages an alternative experience to the traditional classical or community choir introducing members to feel-good pop, rock and contemporary chart songs. Its uplifting ethos of fun, friendship and community spirit is a huge part of its attraction, where members enjoy a dynamic and busy new social life and connect with their community. At an individual level, it helps improve people’s well-being by building their self-confidence, self-esteem

Rock Choir performs at approximately 2000 events each year from local community and charity fund-raisers to high-profile national events. It helps raise thousands of pounds a year for local and national charities through these events.

There are no auditions and no requirement to read music when joining Rock Choir. Everyone is welcome and can sign up for a FREE taster session by visiting www.rockchoir.com or call 01252 714276 for further information.

A new music group offering a chance to meet up with others who enjoy singing traditional folk songs, ballads, chorus songs and evergreen popular songs.

To accompany the singing with acoustic instruments where possible. To collaborate on how the songs can be performed, and to suggest further songs for the group. Lyrics with chord letters will be provided.

For more details, contact Lisa South on folkmusic@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

These classes are for ladies of all ages and abilities who would like some light exercise. One class is low impact aerobic movement. The other is a gentle keep fit class.

For ages 16-20, Shaftesbury Art Centre’s Theatre Group offers the chance to develop and improve your drama and theatre experiences and has a strong background in improvisation.

There is the opportunity to participate in both youth and adult productions at Shaftesbury Arts Centre. Cost – £2 per session.

Please get in touch on youththeatre@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

For ages 11-16, the Theatre Group offers the chance to learn and experience different elements of drama and theatre, as well as the opportunity to participate in both youth and adult productions at Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

You’ll have the chance to explore a variety of aspects of theatre life, such as prop making, costumes, make up, lighting, sound etc. and experience the camaraderie involved in working together to bring a production to life. There is a cost of £2 per week which goes towards resources and tickets for theatre trips. The group runs in school term time only.

If you are interested in joining, please email youththeatre@shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk.

For further information contact Paris on 07710 420487 or email paris@parishelen.co.uk for more details.

Noonans of Mayfair hold monthly specialist valuation days at Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

Our specialists are available to offer free confidential valuations of jewellery, watches, coins, antiquities and detectorist finds.

Free entry.

Time and space to work on your own writing projects.

Find some accountability and put pen to paper. Come and join us in a mutually creative workshop to write stories, novels, poetry or whatever you need time to write.

Second Thursday of every month. For details email tiggyhayes@hotmail.com or call 01747 823699.

Cost: £5 per session.

Bell Street School of Dance is a small friendly school where every child is appreciated for their individuality.

Bell Street School of Dance offers jazz and ballet classes for children and adults with regular performance and exam opportunities. But most importantly we want everyone to dance to build confidence, learn new skills and have fun.

Classes on Thursdays at the Arts Centre:

• 4:30 – 5:15pm Standard 1 Ballet (Year 2+)
• 5:15 – 6:00pm Junior Tap (Year 3+)
• 6:00 – 6:45pm Grade 2 Modern (Year 3+)
• 6:45 – 7:45pm Grade 4 Modern (Year 7+)

Other classes are available Mondays and Wednesdays. For more information contact Eleanor on 07402 218332 or bellstreetschoolofdance@mail.com, or visit the website at www.bellstreetschoolofdance.co.uk

Two young Londoners, each recovering from a romantic breakup, find each other during an action-packed day in Peckham. Stand-out performances by the two young leads.

Director: Raine Allen-Miller, UK, 2023, 82min
Featuring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Poppy Allen-Quarmby

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

This unique retelling of Dickens’ heart-warming tale uses an array of traditional and modern instruments and authentic musical arrangements. It brims with warmth, wit and wonder.

Modern-day balladeers Green Matthews take the well-loved festive adventure back to its Victorian fireside roots, painting a vivid and evocative picture of Dickens’ world. Chris Green (voice, guitar, mandocello, piano), Sophie Matthews (voice, flute, English border bagpipes) use a magical blend of new lyrics, traditional midwinter English folk tunes and carol melodies to illustrate the transformation of flinty-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge into the epitome of the Christmas spirit – warm-hearted, generous and loving.

Uplifting and melodic, Green Matthews’ A Christmas Carol perfectly recaptures the simple Yuletide delights of fellowship, laughter and good cheer.

“A delightful show… a lively retelling” London Theatre Reviews

“Sheer festive delight” FolkWords

Tickets: £12. £10 members and under 18s.

When her family moves from New York City to the New Jersey suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence. Adapted from a Judy Blume novel.

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig, 2023, 106 min

Featuring: Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates

Subtitled for the hard of hearing.

Tickets: £5

Growing up in Korea, Nora and Hae Sung formed a childhood bond that was abruptly broken when Nora’s family emigrated to Canada and then New York.

Years later the two connect on Facebook. Hae Sung travels to the US to meet the now-married Nora. An original and moving take on long-distance romance and the immigrant experience.

Director: Celine Song, USA, 2023, 106 min
Featuring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro

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

A taster exhibition from many of the artists who will be showing their work in the galleries during 2024.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

Trio Giocoso will be playing joyous and tuneful music of the seventeenth and eighteenth century intended for domestic performance, including works by Telemann and Corelli.

Part of the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque.

Tickets: £13. Friends & Members £11. U18s free.

An introduction to the Baroque orchestra –  a talk, illustrated musically, by the founder in 2023 of the Baroque Academy at the Dorset Rural Music School. 

The Danish/British violinist Emma-Marie Kabanova was, among other positions, the guest principal with the Moscow Baroque Soloists, leaving Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. She has made recordings, including a recent one featured on Classic fm.

Part of the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque.

Tickets: £13. Friends & Members £11. U18s free.

Journey to another world this winter with the Music and Drama Group in their magical pantomime, Peter Pan.

Follow Peter on his enchanting adventure as he teams up with the Brave Gang and the Darling children to battle the dastardly Pirates who terrorise the Lost Boys. Audiences will be whisked away from the comfort of London, across the Seven Seas and deep into the enchanted forests of Neverland.

Peter Pan the pantomime is guaranteed to be bursting with magic, wonder and a little bit of fairy dust…

Tickets: Adults £15, Members & Friends £12.50, U16s £8. Family (two adults & two children) £40.

Written by John Morley. Script provided by PantoScripts, NODA, Peterborough, PE2 7UH.

This 1994 film explores the story of castrato opera singer Carlo Broschi, who enthralled 18th-century European audiences under his stage name Farinelli.

A stunning tale of rivalry and obsession, set amid the baroque extravagance of European courts and opera houses. This production lavishly recreates the musical phenomenon of Farinelli.

Director: Gérard Corbiau. Italian (subtitled)
Featuring: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso and Elsa Zylberstein

Part of the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque.

Tickets: £7.50. Members & Friends £6.50. U18s £5.50.

‘Rich and Strange’ are words sung by Ariel in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Works, either rich or strange, or both, including those by Purcell, Telemann, Biber and CPE Bach, will be played by this orchestra that specialises in the music of the Baroque. 

Part of the Shaftesbury Festival of Baroque.

Tickets: £15. Friends & Members £13. U18s free.

The Gallery is broadening the familiar theme of ‘Snowdrops’ to ‘Spring’ for its annual February open exhibition in 2024.

This is not a selected exhibition and anyone can enter but please read the details, dates and rules carefully before you do. Find out more here.

Entries open on 1st January 2024 and are online only. Adults £10 per entry, under 18s free.

Exhibition open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.

A multi-award-winning film. The secret of a middle-aged tailor’s homosexuality is woven into his married life, with an ailing wife whom he loves deeply.

But their relationship is challenged by the arrival of a new apprentice, in this finely crafted love story.

Director: Maryam Touzani, Morocco, 2022, Subtitles, 122min
Featuring: Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Missioui

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

Agatha Christie was one of the greatest thriller writers of all time and certainly the most prolific. In 1926, she was at the centre of a mystery as perplexing as any of her fiction, a series of events which sparked one of the biggest and most extensive police hunts in history.

Her crashed car was discovered in Surrey and the famous author was missing, presumed dead by many, for eleven days. However, she was eventually found at a luxury hotel in Harrogate. She claimed then, and for the rest of the life, that she was suffering from amnesia and remembered nothing. Neither the press nor the police believed her.

Actor Liz Grand presents her one-woman show ‘Where Is Mrs Christie?’ Did she suffer from amnesia? Was it a publicity stunt? Or was there a darker secret involved? In true thriller style, all will be revealed. 12+ advised.

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

After a career of more than 50 years and at the age of 80, Scorsese’s latest film is an epic drama about murder and moral guilt.

More of a western than a gangster film, it has many Scorsese characteristics including morally ambiguous male leads. Based on David Grann’s book of the same title, the film tells the true story of a dark and shocking chapter of American history – the Osage Indian murders in the 1920s – that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

Grann meticulously investigated the systematic killings and the birth of the FBI, exposing a web of greed, corruption and injustice. Scorsese gives a compelling exploration of a forgotten tragedy, both a historical exposé and a haunting reminder of a devastating part of American history. It echoes his earlier work about mob violence, mob loyalty and the part played by federal authorities in a story about land- grabbing, resources and power.

Although Robert De Niro has appeared in ten Scorsese films and Leonardo DiCaprio in six, this is the first time they have appeared together for him. Here De Niro plays a corrupt, violent politician and DiCaprio his submissive nephew. There is also a brief cameo from Scorsese himself.

Screened with an interval, during which tea, coffee and cakes will be served (free of charge).

Director: Martin Scorsese US, 2023, 206min
Featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser

Tickets: £11. Members & Friends £9. U18s £8. Film Society members free. Includes tea, coffee and cake in the interval.

Critically acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest tribute shows, Simon & Garfunkel Through the Years continues to delight audiences across the globe. This spectacular concert transports you on a journey through the epic songs and history of the much-loved Simon and Garfunkel.

The show is a celebration of the unprecedented rise to fame of two boys from Queens, New York, who went on to become the most successful folk-rock duo of the 1960s, selling 38 million albums in the US alone, and receiving 10 Grammy Awards. In 1981, they performed to over half a million people in their hometown of New York, and in 1990 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

‘One of the greatest tribute shows anywhere in the world’ – Stuart Cameron, BBC and ITV Broadcaster

Collectively known as Bookends, Dan Haynes and Pete Richards have been fronting Simon & Garfunkel Through the Years since its creation in 2011. Much like their idols, they became friends at school and could not resist singing together from a tender age. Alongside stops in London’s West End, the show has toured extensively around the UK, Europe, United States and Australia, attracting packed houses night after night. With consecutive sell-out runs since 2014 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, they are championed as ‘one of the best vocal groups touring today’, whose sounds are ‘simply breathtaking’.

Featuring all the major hits, such as The Sound of Silence, Mrs Robinson, The Boxer and the iconic Bridge Over Troubled Water, don’t miss out on this phenomenal show.

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

In a music drama set in South London, a family is tested when Travis, fresh out of jail, is found by his partner and teenage daughter, wearing a dress.

The family is sent spinning by this discovery and the truths that remain. A feel-good story with the energy of Tina Turner hits.

Director: Dionne Edwards, UK, 2022, 110min
Featuring: Alexandra Burke, Natey Jones

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

An evening of Celtic entertainment to include Scottish and Irish folk songs sung by Anne-Louise Richards, music from Ringwood Pipes and Drums, and the toe-tapping music of Tatty Bogle to which you are invited to dance with Cliff Skey as caller.

Lift the gloom of Winter with this glorious evening of Celtic song and dance. The bar will be open so book your tickets early! When they’re gone they’re gone!

Tickets: £15. Includes Celtic refreshments.

Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) plays Gareth Southgate in James Graham’s (Sherwood) gripping examination of nation and game.

The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t England’s men win at their own game?

With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt, to take team and country back to the promised land.

★★★★★ ‘Tremendous’ – Telegraph

★★★★ ‘A brilliant fusion of sport and art’ – Evening Standard

Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Rupert Goold (Judy) directs this spectacular new play.

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

An exhibition of illustration, books and paintings by Shaftesbury based artist Sara Westaway.

Open 10am to 4pm daily. Free admission.