Interview with the Magic Carpet Theatre Company

Hi eveyone,

On todays show we heard from Jon Marshall of the Magic Carpet Theatre Company. They're one of the UK's busiest children's theatre companies, touring productions and workshops to schools, theatres and to festivals in the UK and abroad. They play to around 45,000 children and their families each year in schools and arts venues throughout the UK and to venues as far as Singapore, Rome, Venice and Milan. Magic Carpet Theatre was founded in 1982 and has been touring ever since.

Magic Carpet are especially interested in the traditional skills of the variety theatre, circus and puppetry. Clown, slapstick, illusion and conjuring, physical theatre and melodrama are some of the elements often incorporated in Magic Carpet's productions. Magic Carpet combine theatrical and educational experience with performance skills to make their highly entertaining and unique style.

And the Magic Carpet Theatre Company is coming to St Albans this weekend! They'll be at the Maltings Arts Theatre at 11am on Saturday presenting a 'Wacky Wizards Workshop' where they will be showing children how to be wizards! And then at 3pm, they will be putting on a show called 'Wizard of Castle Magic'. For tickets and further details call the Maltings Arts Theatre on 01727 844222. For more information on Magic Carpet Theatre, go to www.magiccarpettheatre.com

Neil

Hertfordshire Open Studios

Hi everyone,

On the show today we heard from Lucky Dolan of the Herts Visual Arts Forum. Lucky was telling us about the Hertforshire Open Studios programme that will be running from the 12th September to the 4th October. Open Studios is a programme where by visual artists open up their personal studio spaces for the public to see and create special artist run exhibitions throughout the county. In total, 180 artists are participating. You can ask questions, ask about techniques and see work that might not be shown in a formal exhibition.

There seems to be a plethera of artistic talent in Hertforshire but a serious lacking of places for art to be seen - this makes the Open Studios programme really important both for the artist and the community.

For more information, you can check out the catologue at the
St Albans Tourist Information Centre, in libraries, art shops and at the Secret Garden Cafe in George Street, St Albans. You can also get the catologue and more information from www.hvaf.org.uk.

Have a great weekend!

Neil