The Curtains Open on a New Season at the Riverside
After 18 months of relative inactivity, this September Riverside Arts is back with a bang offering a full programme of activities, classes, concerts, shows and other events aimed at providing something for everyone. Our volunteers have been busy ensuring that the building is in tip-top condition with strict safety measures in place to reassure those who may still be wary of venturing out. Leaders and tutors of our various organisations are anticipating a resurgence of interest from people after long the lock-down. Spaces may be limited in some groups so look for details on our “Riverside presents” page of the activity that might interest you and contact them today. If your interest is poetry, dance, jazz, drama, comedy, classical music, quizzing, flowers, Pilates, cinema, calligraphy, yoga, art, literature, or learning to play a musical instrument, you can pursue that hobby at the Riverside. If you prefer to watch or listen, rather than do, then we have lined up a week of events illustrating the range of live shows that you can see in our air-conditioned performances venues, year-round. Kicking off on Sunday 19th September we welcome back celebrated pianist Mengyang Pan for an afternoon of classical piano music, who made a tremendous impression on her first visit. Later that week we have three performances, including a Saturday matinee, of a Variety Show, which will feature all of the performance groups who are resident at 57 Thames Street. There will be music, colour, comedy, drama and dance from performers from Riverside Youth , KH Dance Academy, Zodiac Musical Society, Riverside Play-ers and the youngsters of OnStageNow. The show will be compered by comedy-magician Stu Turner who returns on the Friday evening 24th, with his own special brand of a Speed Quiz. Sunday 26th you are spoilt for choice with an afternoon Wonderama, big screen showing of “High Society” starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra This will be followed by a Riverside Jazz Con-cert featuring Georgina Jackson with the Terence Collie Trio. Tickets are already selling for all of these, so see local posters or elsewhere in this magazine for details of how to book. Later in September you can see Zodiac presenting a musical extravaganze in “Oh, What a night !” and then there are further jazz, comedy and quiz evenings, plus classical concerts, cinema shows, full length plays and revues already scheduled for the autumn. See www.riversidearts.co.uk and VIllage Matters for the latest info. In October we once again host the annual Spelthorne and Runnymede Drama Festival. This year, running from October 19th to 23rd, sees up to three plays per evening, as amateur drama groups vie to become area champions with a view to competing in the English National Championships. Last year saw a surge of interest in the festival from dramatic societies as they were forced to perform remotely; so much so, that this year there will be online as well as on-stage prizes to be won. Our own Riverside Youth and Riverside Players are aiming to repeat their successes of 2020.The enforced shutdown hit our finances very badly and an enthusiastic group of pianists who meet at Riverside have organised a unique event for October; a sponsored piano “Playathon” which will run for two days as a fund raiser for your local Arts Centre. We thank them in advance for their efforts and also those members of the public who so generously supported our GoFundMe appeal earlier this year. The Riverside Arts Centre is completely run and financed by volunteers without a single paid employee. This was commented upon by Sir Michael More-Molyneux, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey when he presented our Chair-man, James Ford Bannister, with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service at a reception earlier this summer. We are always looking for volunteers to either to get involved with a group reflecting their particular interest, or in the general running and maintenance of the Centre, so contact us via our website. We are so pleased to be back and look forward to welcoming both old and new faces, either as participants in an activity or in the audience at one of our events
Riverside Arts Centre
57/59 Thames Street, Sunbury TW16 5QF
07796 531427
Registered charity 272929