Our theatre group helped themselves to a double portion of visits this month and enjoyed two completely different productions and settings...
... First up was The Handlebards' production of The Tempest on a gorgeous evening in the lovely outdoor setting of the Almshouses in Corsham. This was a performance from the female half of the acting troop, who cycle to their performance venues along with their sets, costumes and props! I'm told this was a very enjoyable and accessible way of seeing a Shakespeare play, with the cast often wearing several hats at once in the more complex scenes.
Next came the performance everyone's been waiting for since Pewsham Belles was formed: a trip to see Calendar Girls The Musical at The Hippodrome in Bristol. Seeing the WI is a huge supporting 'character' in the story, it's a must-see! Tickets for Saturday's matinee performance allowed all nine Belles to have a leisurely lunch at the stylish Cosy Club beforehand - once we'd put Plan B into operation for transportation to Bristol. A signal failure meant there were no trains available when we got to the station. Thanks to Ann and Carolyne who kindly volunteered to drive and got us to Bristol only a teensy bit late for our table despite a very busy Saturday's traffic. Well done ladies.
As you can see we had time for some gigglesome fun before the show. There were lots of laughs and a few tears along the way (plus the odd nipple or two) during the performance, before we found some of the signature sunflowers for Fiona P to pose by afterwards. Oh, and of course we had some ridiculously overpriced ice cream during the interval - it's not the theatre without it! Fiona P (thanks for organising!) summed it up really well: "A really lovely afternoon, reflecting all the best things in our WI - friendship, food and culture."