OXFORD PROSPECT ARTS

UNUSUAL EVENT. The powerful music of Antonio Caldara, (c.1670 – 1736) a relatively unknown but phenomenal composer with a prolific output. Caldara produced over 3,000 works including 40 oratorios. Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo is a dramatic telling of the struggle between Good and Evil for the soul of Mary Magdalena. In this amazing work one fabulous aria follows another; all enriched by highly original writing for string orchestra. A rare treat is in store. Tickets £10-25.

Nationwide tour of J.S. Bach’s timeless Brandenburg Concertos comes to Oxford Performance date: Sunday 17 November 2024, 7pm, The Sheldonian Theatre. A nationwide tour by the world-renowned Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) comes to Oxford on Sunday, 17 November, for a special one-night performance of J.S. Bach’s timeless Brandenburg Concertos. The performance is a rare opportunity to hear the Brandenburg Concertos as the composer intended: on authentic original instruments, with animal gut strings and valveless brass. OAE will recreate Bach’s stunning sound world, just as the composer envisioned, in the glorious acoustic of Oxford’s historic Sheldonian Theatre. The concert will be directed by Huw Daniel, Margaret Faultless and Rodolfo Richter (violin) and Oliver Wilson (viola), and feature named soloists Lisa Beznosiuk (flute), Rachel Beckett and Catherine Latham (recorders), Leo Duarte (oboe), David Blackadder (trumpet), and Steven Devine (harpsichord). Double Bassist and Chair of the OAE Players’ Artistic Committee Cecelia Bruggemeyer said: “The Brandenburg Concertos are some of the most beloved works in the repertoire, and we are thrilled to be sharing them with audiences across the UK this autumn, in the concert hall and beyond. They are such jewels, brilliantly showcasing, not just our beloved baroque instruments and players, but Bach’s endless imagination and inventiveness in creating these six unique sound worlds.” The concert is part of a nationwide tour, including performances in Manchester, Great Malvern, Basingstoke, London, Portsmouth, Saffron Walden, Oxford, and Bradford-on-Avon (5-20 November).  OAE’s ethos of making classical music accessible to everyone is at the heart of this project. The tour sees young people on the orchestra’s Dreamchasing Young Producers programme - a scheme that teaches young people how to produce a show, everything from stage design and lighting to marketing, finances and health and safety - taking part, supporting stage management and front-of-house activities. The programme is supported by Ron Dennis' Dreamchasing Foundation. The news of OAE’s Brandenburg Concertos tour comes following the announcement that OAE will continue its critically acclaimed The Fairy Queen project into 2025 and beyond. Supported by the Arts Council, the OAE will present a nationwide ‘tour’ of its community opera adaptation of Purcell’s masterpiece, as part of the orchestra’s continued commitment to reaching audiences across the country. Tickets are available from just £15, and student discount is available. Visit https://oae.co.uk/event/the-brandenburg-concertos-on-tour-in-oxford/ 

Kerry Ellis will be playing Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians The Musical.   New Theatre Oxford Tue 3 Dec - Sat 7 Dec 2024.  Book your tickets now - you’d be barking mad to miss it! https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/101-dalmatians/new-theatre-oxford/

The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of #WarHorseOnStage RETURNS in an all-new UK tour. >Based on the smash hit novel by Michael Morpurgo Venues, On-Sale Dates & Priority Access 👉 For tickets visit WarHorseOnStage.com / 

David Gray is heading to New Theatre Oxford!  He will be with us on Tuesday 18th March 2025.  DAVID GRAY   NEW ALBUM DEAR LIFE TO BE RELEASED ON JANUARY 17, 2025 VIA LAUGH A MINUTE RECORDS / SECRETLY DISTRIBUTION PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE HERE   FEATURING THE NEW SINGLE ‘PLUS & MINUS’ – LISTEN HERE OFFICIAL “PLUS & MINUS” MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERING 9am PT/12pm ET/5pm BST WATCH HERE   2025 PAST & PRESENT WORLD TOUR ANNOUNCED INCLUDES NEW THEATRE OXFORD  

Longborough Festival Opera announces 2025 programme  Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande  Dorman: Wahnfried: The Birth of the Wagner Cult *UK premiere  Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia  Purcell: Dido and Aeneas  Led by Artistic Director Polly Graham and Executive Director Emily Gottlieb, Longborough Festival Opera unveils its 2025 season under the continued guidance of esteemed Music Director Anthony Negus. 

Il trittico in Concert Puccini One night only. Fri 25 Oct 2024

Verdi's great tragic opera Rigoletto brought to Oxford for two nights only, Thursday 24th Oct and Saturday 26 Oct 2024. For details of advance booking see:- https://wno.org.uk/whats-on/rigoletto#venues-and-tickets

Contemporary and classical piano trios by Arden, Bach and Shostakovich with the sensational Paddington Trio. Jeremy Arden is an Oxford-based composer specialising in the Schillinger System. See JeremyArden.com https://www.jeremyarden.com/music And arden1@virginmedia.com

The world's greatest violinist is coming to Oxford to perform Mozart with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets : Oxfordphil.com

Exciting varied programme with top-class performers in a setting with magnificent acoustics. Stimulating talks to enhance your enjoyment. Classical music in the heart of the Cotswolds. https://www.tetburymusicfestival.org/

Oxford Wine Festival @OxfordWineFest Hundreds of wines, tutored tastings, and live music. 27th - 28th September 2024. Oxford University Exam Schools. For booking see website: oxfordwinefestival.org

THESE ENCHANTED ISLES Exciting programme of international instrumental and vocal music by top artists including founder Priya Mitchell. OCMF24 is going to take us on a joyful adventure of nostalgia and discovery through an intriguing variety of our native musical landscapes. Some works are already known and much loved, but we’ll also celebrate unfamiliar masterpieces that are significant landmarks in the musical heritage of these islands. September’s concerts, lectures and events again feature outstanding artists that include: Quatuor Ébène, Elisabeth Leonskaja, O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra, Hugo Ticciati, Natalie Clein, Julius Drake and other distinguished performers in a programme exploring a spectrum of musical expression through the centuries. Beginning with the Renaissance and early masters – Dowland, Byrd, Purcell, Handel – and on to Elgar, Britten, Vaughan Williams, Bridge, Walton, Tippett, Adès, Clarke, Frances-Hoad, Tavener, MacMillan, as well as a look into the roots of our traditional Celtic and English folk music. All the festival’s featured composers and compositions exemplify a surprising and inspiring diversity and creative genius in the ways they have enriched the UK’s unique musical culture. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the extraordinary wealth of music that has been composed in the United Kingdom, which captures the spirit, vision and beauty of ‘These Enchanted Isles’. For the very first time we are holding Masterclasses, welcoming highly talented young musicians to participate. Some of these will be open to the general public at the Holywell and it is also the first time the Quatour Ébène are teaching in the UK. Come and join the experience of uplifting energy, passion and intensity which is the essence of the Oxford Chamber Music Festival. Not just in a week of concerts but at workshops, educational outreach and events all through 2024 within some of Oxford’s most beautiful and historical venues. We are delighted that Kieran Stiles is our Artist in Residence this year. https://www.ocmf.net/2024-festival/autumn-festival-2024/

Bampton Opera is performing Gazzaniga’s delightful romp Alcina’s Island, at an additional venue this summer, The Barn at Old Walland, on Saturday 31st August. This venue near Wadhurst in Sussex, is well worth a visit. Booking is now open, through our website.   Tickets at Wadhurst are £85 and include an optional donation to the British Red Cross.  They are available from the Box Office 01993 851142, or online. https://bamptonopera.org/booking.htm

Longborough Festival Opera's production of Wagner's Ring Cycle has been acclaimed by critics, and now there is a wonderful chance to watch Die Walküre, one of the four operas, free, for a limited time via the internet. For more information and to watch Die Walküre, visit https://operavision.eu/performance/die-walkure-1  

Inna Husieva will sing the title role of Alcina in BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA’S PRODUCTION GIUSEPPE GAZZANIGA’S ‘ALCINA’S ISLAND’, SUMMER 2024, at various venues (See below). The central role of Alcina in Bampton Classical Opera’s production of Giuseppe Gazzaniga’s ‘Alcina’s Island’ will now be sung by the London-based Ukrainian soprano Inna Husieva.  https://www.bamptonopera.org/   INNA HUSIEVA - LINK TO FULL BIOGRAPHY  

Giuseppe Gazzaniga, L’isola d’Alcina – Alcina’s Island (1772) Performance will be in the church if rain prevents it taking place in the Deanery garden. There is a pre-performance talk in the church at 4.30pm. The Deanery gardens are open before the performance, and the audience is invited to enjoy picnicking. A bar is also laid on. https://bamptonopera.org/index.htm

Still a few tickets left for Wagner's Walkurë at Longborough Festival Opera on July 12th and 14th. Book here for this superb production. #RingCycle2024. https://lfo.org.uk/opera/die-walk%C3%BCre-2024#tickets

A chance to see Verdi's rarely performed comic opera in the idyllic setting of Garsington Opera at Wormsley in Buckinghamshire.

Classic black comedy based on a famous Ealing Studios film of 1955, The Ladykillers.  Thame Players Theatre Company The Players Theatre,  Nelson Street, Thame Oxfordshire OX9 2DP Telephone    01844 281562      Mobile 07717 434983 www.thameplayers.co.uk Registered Charity no. 1092559 Registered Company no. 4389665 A company limited by guarantee

Hausmusik des Barock Tue 16/7, Tue 23/7, Fri 2/8/24 Hear O Heav'ns Fri 12/7, Sun 11/8, Fri 23/8/24 Game of Queens Tue 9/7, Sun 21/7, Wed 7/8, Wed 21/8/24 The Two Sibyllas Fri 19/7, Tue 30/7, Fri 16/8/24 Sonnerie et Carillons Sun 7/7, Fri 9/8, Sun 25/8/24 Le Roi Danse Wed 24/7, Tue 6/8, Sun 18/8/24

6th July 2024 Summer Concert and Party at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Programme Ravel Sonata for violin and cello Brahms Trio No. 1 in B major, Opus 8 Claude Frochaux, cello Priya Mitchell, violin Guy Johnston, cello Emmanuel Despax, piano 7.15pm Reception, 8pm Concert AND 23-28 September 2024 'These Enchanted Isles' OCMF24 is going to take us on a joyful adventure of nostalgia and discovery through an intriguing variety of our native musical landscapes.

Instruments of Time and Truth summer concert season 2024. Every Tuesday evening at 8pm until 6th August. To buy tickets see website https://www.timeandtruth.co.uk/

https://garsingtonopera.org/2024-season-announced/ The 2024 Season will run from Wednesday 29 May to Wednesday 31 July 2024. Featuring Rameau’s Platée, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Verdi’s Un giorno di regno, and a community opera by Andrew Norman A Trip to the Moon

The 2024 Season will run from Wednesday 29 May to Wednesday 31 July 2024 and will feature Rameau’s Platée, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno, and a community opera by Andrew Norman, A Trip to the Moon. https://garsingtonopera.org/seasons/2024-festival/ boxoffice@garsingtonopera.org or 01494 376037.

Spring Online Auction Launch   For one week only, until 9:30pm on 22nd of May, you can bid on a range of exciting prizes, all in support of our vital work to champion emerging operatic talent, nurture young people and widen engagement with the Arts. This year our auction features an extraordinary selection of prizes including the following: For music lovers we have top tier tickets to English National Opera, the opportunity to conduct the Waterperry Opera Festival Orchestra, and other private concert performances by our fantastic artists. We also have some great experiences offering an unforgettable day out including; Tottenham Hotspurs matchday tickets, special access to The Royal Henley Regatta, exclusive private tours of London Zoo, Brighton Royal Pavilion and Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, tickets to some of the West End's most riveting productions and immersive experiences and many great behind-the-scenes experiences at our Summer Festival. There are prizes to whet anyone’s appetite, and all proceeds support our vital work. We are the opera festival of the future. As a young company, we punch well above our weight, and we’d love your help to continue bringing our vision to life. How To Get Involved Participating is easy and fun. Simply visit our online auction by clicking the link below to browse the fantastic items on offer and place your bids. You have only until 9:30pm on 22nd May. Click HERE for the auction. Place your bids NOW. https://uk.givergy.com/waterperry/? Guy Verrall-Withers CEO & Artistic Director Waterperry Opera Festival 2024waterperryoperafestival.co.uk 9–18 August

Waterperry Opera Festival invites you to the Fidelio, Fun & Fundraising Evening. You are invited to a special evening to help us raise over £10,000 to continue innovating, championing young talent and widening participation in opera.   VENUE: The Fidelio Cafe, 91-95 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1R 5BX DATE & TIME: 22nd May, 6:30 - 10pm With a drinks reception, followed by quality three-course dinner and  performances by three artists from this year's The Barber of Seville: Patrick Keefe (Figaro), ENO debut in 2024 and winner of the 2022 Glyndebourne John Christie Award Esme Bronwen-Smith (Rosina), RCM graduate and winner of the 2022 Kathleen Ferrier Prize Brenton Spiteri (Almaviva), also performing with ETO, Sydney Chamber Opera, and Opera de Lyon Dinner will be followed by an auction, held in person and silently online, comprising 30+ lots, including a private performance of Messiah by candlelight, a lunch with composer Jonathan Dove and a week holiday in Lyme Bay. How To Book Limited tickets at £100 | Suggested donation of £40 Head here to book, using the code: WOFIDELIO to access tickets https://waterperryoperafestival-tickets.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173644894? Enter Code & Book Now Guy Verrall-Withers CEO & Artistic Director

Shakespeares classic comedy -- set in the 1980s. Prices start at £10 early in the week, rise towards the end. Book online or phone 01844 212833.  THAME PLAYERS THEATRE COMPANY LTD thameplayers.co.uk

For details and venues of events see the programme on the website https://artsfestivaloxford.org/

Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park", a romantic comedy set in New York, will be performed at the Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame, Oxfordshire, from Tuesday 5th – Saturday 9th March inclusive at 7.45 pm. Tickets are £10 - £12. Book online at www.thameplayers.co.uk or the Information Centre at Thame Town Hall or phone 01844 212833. 

Oxford Singer performs in Chelsea, London https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/margot-antignac-the-swing-of-delight

Love's Lasting Power. A recital of songs by Franz Schubert on the theme of love given by Harriet Burns & Ian Tindale. Concessions available - see website.

Ellen Kent Opera International brings you this award-winning production of Puccini's much-loved opera about the doomed love of a Japanese girl for an American sailor. With sets and costumes that will transport you to Japan in the Meiji era.

Ellen Kent Opera International brings you this acclaimed production of Bizet's exciting masterpiece, set in 19th-century Spain. Sexy, sultry and flamboyant, Carmen is deservedly one of the most popular operas of all time.

Artistic Directors: Gilly French, Jeremy Gray        Press Release: 5 December, 2023   CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2023 Feliz Navidad! - Christmas music from the New World Tuesday 19 December 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church, Bampton, Oxfordshire Bampton Classical Voices dir. Andrew Griffiths   For their annual concert in commemoration of the village's patron Saint, Beornwald, Bampton Classical Opera presents a festive programme exploring the remarkable musical life of the New World during the seventeenth century, at the height of the Spanish Golden Age.

One-off performance of Shakespeare's history play Richard III by Oxford Alumni. Part of Jesus College Shakespeare Project. https://www.alumniweb.ox.ac.uk/jesus/events/richard-iii-friday-evening-performance

Charity Super.Mkt, the ‘department store for second-hand style’ launched earlier this year by Maria Chenoweth and Wayne Hemingway, will open at Westgate Oxford this month as part of the ‘WasteLess Wonderland’ Christmas experience.

https://issuu.com/oxfordchambermusicfestival/docs/ocmf_booklet_2023_final_web?

Varied series of concerts in the heart of the Cotswolds by distinguished artists, including Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano), Stephen Isserlis (cello), the Doric String Quartet and choral music from the Renaissance period performed by the Tenebrae ensemble in the beautiful surroundings of St. Mary's Church Tetbury. Talks about the music are given in advance in the Goods Shed Arts Centre. For full details and to book see the website. https://www.tetburymusicfestival.org/2023-concerts

Little Shop of Horrors will be performed at the Players Theatre, Thame OX9 2DP from Tuesday 12th - Friday 15th September at 7.45pm, on Saturday 16th September at 2.30 pm and at 7.45pm, and on Sunday 17th September at 5.30pm. Tickets are £10.00 and £12.00. Book online at www.thameplayers.co.uk or from the Information Centre at Thame Town Hall (check Thame Town Hall for opening times) or call them on 01844 212833.

The UK Premiere of Salieri's opera The Fair of Venice is the attraction at this year's Bampton Classical Opera. Performances are at the Deanery, Bampton on Friday and Saturday 21st and 22nd July (7pm), at Westonbirt School on Monday 28th August (5pm) and at St John’s Smith Square London on Wednesday 13th September (7pm). Tickets for Bampton and Westonbirt are now on sale - see our website https://www.bamptonopera.org/eventfuturedetail.htm?event=726. London tickets will go on sale later. Bampton Classical Opera 1 Deanery Court Broad Street Bampton, Oxfordshire OX18 2LY United Kingdom

Don’t Miss This Bawdy Romp of a Comedy at the Players Theatre! Thame Players are performing Tom Jones, in Joan MacAlpine’s stage adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel. Nothing to do with the eponymous singer, this is a rich, ripe, rowdy, bawdy romp of a comedy set in the eighteenth century. It tells the story of a young man, Squire Allworthy's adopted son, who was “much beset by women”, and the trouble this causes, as he falls victim to the charms of one rustic wench after another! .. Follow Thame Players onTwitter.com/thametheatre, Facebook.com/thametheatre and Instagram.com/thameplayers

Eighteen concerts of Baroque music held in the excellent acoustic of Exeter College Chapel. Each concert has a different theme. For more details follow link. http://www.charivari.co.uk/charivari-concerts/early-music-by-candlelight.html

One night only. Welsh National Opera perform Leonard Bernstein's Candide.

Exciting season will include WAGNER Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) 29, 31 May, 2, 4, 6 June Sung in German with English surtitles DONIZETTI L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29 June, 1 July Sung in Italian with English surtitles MONTEVERDI L'Orfeo 11, 13, 15, 16, 18 July Sung in Italian with English surtitles and PURCELL The Fairy Queen 29, 30 July, 1, 3 August Sung in English with English surtitles Longborough Festival Opera New Banks Fee Longborough Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 0QF https://lfo.org.uk/whats-on

Thame Players’ next production, A Bunch of Amateurs, is a “terrific comedy packed with killer comic dialogue” (What’s on stage), being performed at the Players Theatre, Thame between 7th – 11th March. The Players Theatre Nelson Street Thame Oxfordshire OX9 2DP See www.thameplayers.co.uk

13-17 December 2022 Venues include All Souls Chapel, Holywell Music Room and the Olivier Hall at St Edward's School. Concerts by distinguished artists will feature works by Ukrainian composers as well as better-known classics. Full programme on website <<https://www.ocmf.net/2022-festival/>>

Traditional pantomime running from 2-4th December and then from 7th-11th December. NB No performances on 5th and 6th December.

The festival this year includes performances from Julian Bliss alongside pianist Charles Owen, saxophonist Manu Brazo with pianist Prajna Indrawati, and the Consone String Quartet. Leading Italian ensemble La Fonte Musica makes a much anticipated return to the UK, offering a programme of music by Guillame Dufay under the direction of Michele Pasotti. Closing the festival will be The Orchestra of St John’s conducted by John Lubbock. There’s also a series of talks to bring insight to each performance, with speakers including esteemed author Sarah Dunant for a lecture on the rebirth of creativity in Renaissance Italy, Professor Natasha Loges and Brian David. https://www.tetburymusicfestival.org/

A hilarious musical farce at the Players Theatre, Thame..

Vache Baroque Festival. Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England. CHARPENTIER: LA DESCENTE D’ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS Co-founders Betty Makharinsky and Jonathan Darbourne invite you to Charpentier’s opera La descente D’Orphée aux enfer (The Descent of Orpheus ino the Underworld) on Friday 2nd and Sunday 4th September 2022. The opera will be in two acts prefaced with sound installations and pre-show pop-up performances, including Jephte (1648) by Giacomo Carissimi [20 mins].

Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park, and Figures in the Garden, Janacek's The Diary of One Who Disappeared and a Young Artist Gala feature in the 5th season of operas performed in this beautiful house and garden. Waterperry Oxford OX33 1LA

Bizet's Carmen and Francesca Caccini's baroque opera La liberazione di Ruggiero, together with "Spell-Book" by Freya Waley-Cohen, are among exciting productions being offered by this year's Longborough Festival in Gloucestershire.

BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA 2022 A new production of Haydn's little-heard comic opera Il mondo della luna (‘Fool Moon’ ) Performances: The Deanery Garden, Bampton, Oxfordshire: Friday 22, Saturday 23 July Westonbirt School, Glos: Monday 29 August St John’s Smith Square, London: Friday 16 September Libretto: Carlo Goldoni English Translation: Gilly French Director/Designer: Jeremy Gray Conductor: Thomas Blunt Orchestra of Bampton Classical Opera (Bampton, Westonbirt) CHROMA (St John’s Smith Square)

Nobody’s Perfect, a comedy by Simon Williams. Booking at www.thameplayers.co.uk

Longborough Festival Opera 2022. WAGNER's Siegfried, Eric KORNGOLD's Die tote Stadt, BIZET's Carmen and Francesca Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina (The liberation of Ruggiero from the island of Alcina) paired with Freya Waley-Cohen’s contemporary dramatic song cycle Spell Book will all be featured in this year's festival at this purpose-built opera house in the heart of the Cotswolds.

Ellen Kent Opera is bringing its classic productions of Puccini's Tosca and Bizet's Carmen to the New Theatre Oxford on 15th and 16th July 2022 For booking see the theatre website. https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/ellen-kent-productions

On Saturday 12th February, in Strictly Sherlock! we join the king of the detectives as he brings to life three of his greatest and most baffling cases, The Sussex Vampire, The Creeping Man and The Devil’s Foot. Strictly Sherlock! has been adapted by Jonathan Goodwin from the originals written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Jonathan also plays Sherlock Holmes and co-directs it with Gary Archer. This original one-man show is brought to us by the “Don’t Go Into the Cellar” theatre company, who specialise in “Victorian theatre with bite”, bringing new adaptations of nineteenth-century literature's greatest ghost and horror stories to modern-day audiences. It follows the success of The Singular Exploits of Sherlock Homes from the same company Roger Johnson of The Sherlock Homes Journal praised this “Impressive interpretation of Sherlock Holmes – you could swear you were watching Jeremy Brett or Roger Llewellyn”. Take your choice – James Bond or Sherlock Holmes? Or why not come and see both? Strictly Sherlock! is on Friday 11th February at 7.45 pm at the Players Theatre OX9 2DP. Tickets are £12 (no concessions). This show will also be live streamed. Book online for both shows at www.thameplayers.co.uk or from the Information Centre at Thame Town Hall (check https://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/visit-thame/information-centre/ for opening times). Thame Players run the only dedicated theatre and cinema facility serving Thame, south-east Oxfordshire and west Buckinghamshire and have been a vibrant and successful amateur dramatics group for over 75 years. As an amateur theatre group they aim to provide high-quality, wide-ranging and accessible entertainment for Thame and local area. Shows are put on throughout the year at affordable prices, designed to suit a wide range of tastes and age groups. Follow Thame Players onTwitter.com/thametheatre, Facebook.com/thametheatre and Instagram.com/thameplayers

Join the Creator of James Bond and the King of the Detectives in Two Great Shows at the Players Theatre! There are serious treats in store for fans of spy and detective fiction at the Players Theatre this month, when there is one show celebrating Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, 007, and another celebrating Sherlock Holmes, the king of the detectives! On Saturday 5th February, in The Man with the Golden Pen, Jonathan Coote portrays the creator of Secret Agent 007, as he stands before the audience with a Martini in hand and a terrified look in his eyes. At 42 he is about to do the thing he most fears - he is getting married. He makes two major decisions: one, never to spend winter in England again; two, to write the spy story to end all spy stories. And that is exactly what Ian Fleming did. We are transported to 1952 as Fleming is putting the finishing touches to the first Bond book, Casino Royale, and Bond is with us; the alter ego, an icon of class and everything Fleming aspired to... This play, written by Mark Burgess, and directed by Simon Downing for Kick In The Head Theatre Productions, has been praised by Ajay Chowdhury of the Ian Fleming Foundation as “An extremely stylish and entertaining piece, capturing the essence and spirit of Ian Fleming... The play succeeds admirably both as entertainment and as an insight into an extraordinary man”. The Man with the Golden Pen is on Saturday 5th February at 7.45 pm at the Players Theatre, Thame OX9 2DP. Tickets are £13 (no concessions). Strictly Sherlock! is on Friday 11th February at 7.45 pm at the Players Theatre OX9 2DP. Tickets are £12 (no concessions). This show will also be live streamed. Book online for both shows at www.thameplayers.co.uk or from the Information Centre at Thame Town Hall (check https://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/visit-thame/information-centre/ for opening times). Thame Players run the only dedicated theatre and cinema facility serving Thame, south-east Oxfordshire and west Buckinghamshire and have been a vibrant and successful amateur dramatics group for over 75 years. As an amateur theatre group they aim to provide high-quality, wide-ranging and accessible entertainment for Thame and local area. Shows are put on throughout the year at affordable prices, designed to suit a wide range of tastes and age groups. Follow Thame Players onTwitter.com/thametheatre, Facebook.com/thametheatre and Instagram.com/thameplayers

An evening of gorgeous choral music and carols for Christmas, sung by Antiphon Chamber Choir.

A highlight of Oxford’s musical calendar, don’t miss this chance to hear the quintessential Christmas work in the expert hands of the city’s own period-instrument orchestra and world-renowned conductor, Edward Higginbottom.

Lots going on in Oxford Christmas Market. Browse the stalls offering crafts, Christmas ornaments, goodies of all sorts. You can enjoy the Christmas lights, soak up the atmosphere and treat yourself to a mulled wine. You are almost bound to bump into an old friend there! I did.