THEATRE PROGRAMME

“I envy the Japanese”  Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. In the exhibition on which this film is based – VAN GOGH & JAPAN at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam – one can see why. Though Vincent van Gogh never visited Japan it is the country that had the most profound influence on him and his art.

One cannot understand Van Gogh without understanding how Japanese art arrived in Paris in the middle of the 19th century and the profound impact it had on artists like Monet, Degas and, above all, Van Gogh. Visiting the new galleries of Japanese art in Paris – Van Gogh’s encounter with Japanese artworks gave his work a new and exciting direction.

In this little known story of Van Gogh’s art we see just how important his study of Japan was. The film travels not only to France and the Netherlands but also to Japan to further explore the remarkable heritage that so affected Van Gogh and made him the artist we know of today.

The crowds cheered; the bands played; Queen Victoria waved. But among the smiling, adoring faces were men with murderous thoughts. During her rule there were seven attempts to assassinate Vicky, Empress of Nearly Bloody Everything. Who WERE these would be killers? This fascinating tale is told through melodrama, comedy and Rock n Roll!

A new play by Patrick Prior performed & produced by Isosceles (Pat Abernethy & Dave Marsden).

Shackleton's Endurance sank in Antarctica stranding 27 men. The carpenter, Harry McNish played a vital role in saving them. But he had defied Shackleton, so was never awarded the Polar Medal. Now, ill and destitute, he challenges Shackleton on the dockside.

“ Malcolm Rennie is stunning as Harry McNish.  It is a nuanced and masterful performance worthy of a Beckett play, with canny direction from the late Tony Milner” (Arifa Akbar - Guardian)
“Rennie's tour de force holds you until the very end”   (Clive Davis - Times)

Guy Masterson brings Dylan Thomas’s masterpiece vividly to life with this internationally recognised and awarded production. Masterson whisks the audience into a wonder-world of enchantment. The beauty of Thomas’s wordplay and the mastery of Masterson’s virtuosity will leave you breathless. A day in the life of Llareggub and all 69 of its ebullient characters. A masterpiece!

Jacqueline du Pre was a brilliant young cellist, whose career was brought to an end by multiple sclerosis. One of the most heart rending true-life tragedies of the 1970's. ''Duet for One, is a speculative dramatization of that story. It is an intensely moving & life enhancing look at what happens when unexpected events lead you to re-evaluate your life.

TheCOMPANY are the Heron's associate company.

Hardy’s masterpiece, traces the life of the young country girl Tess Durbeyfield, driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urberville family. This story of the innocent heroine is one of the most moving in all of literature, and is hauntingly brought to life in this new version by Hotbuckle.

A very welcome return to Hotbuckle who brought 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Emma' to the Heron in recent years.

Leonardo da Vinci is acclaimed as the world’s favourite artist. Many television shows and feature films have showcased this extraordinary genius but often not examined closely enough is the most crucial element of all: his art. Leonardo’s peerless paintings and drawings are the focus of Leonardo: The Works, as EXHIBITION ON SCREEN presents every single attributed painting, in Ultra HD quality, never seen before on the cinema screen.

Key works include The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Lady with an Ermine, Ginevra de’ Benci, Madonna Litta, Virgin of the Rocks and more than a dozen others.

In 1990 Arthur discovered a locked chest in an attic filled with letters between his mother, Edith and a soldier, Geoffrey, fighting in the tunnels along the Western Front. Edith and Geoffrey spent only four days together before Geoffrey went to war in 1916. Despite this, their letters are full of light & life. They tease and joke with each other, writing about shows, books & music they have enjoyed. It is impossible not to be moved by this real-life love story.

Glow was founded by Gloria and Francis Lowe, who together merge traditional storytelling with digital media and animation to create performances they hope will offer audiences a new and exciting experience.