Ten things coming up in the Chichester area

Ten things you won't want to miss...
Olivia MossOlivia Moss
Olivia Moss

1 Anniversary. Keats in Chichester offers a bicentennial celebration at St Pancras Church on Saturday, January 19 from 5.15-8pm. Free event. Register at Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/keatschi. The celebration of the bicentennial of Keats’s visit to Chichester will form the first event in the South Downs Poetry Festival for 2019. 5.15pm. Introduction: Professor Fiona Price, Keats and History; 5.25pm. Guest Speaker: Professor Nicholas Roe, John Keats and The Eve of St Agnes; Comfort Break; 6.15pm. Outdoor performance – Keats’s statue in Eastgate; 6.30-8pm. Keats in Chichester and the Eve of St Agnes: A Dramatic Reading.

2 Talk. Ruby Wax is lining up a date at Portsmouth Cathedral on Saturday, January 12 (£11-13, 6.30pm) for the book tour of How to be Human: The Manual. Spokeswoman Stephanie Speight said: “Portsmouth Cathedral’s annual theme for 2019 is Living Well and during the year they will be exploring wellbeing through a range of events and activities, kicking off with Ruby Wax, who will be joined for the second half of the show by special guests; a monk, Gelong Thubten, and a neuroscientist, Ash Ranpura.”

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3 Art. Island Fine Arts’ winter exhibition in Chichester continues until January 26 (Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 3.30pm) at 12 Southgate (01243 532798). Among the works is April morning, Waterloo Bridge from Victoria by Peter Brown.

4 Panto. Arundel’s Nineveh House Players present their panto version of Hansel and Gretyl, to be staged at Climping Village hall for three days on January 10, 11 and 12. Tickets are now available through Nineveh House.

5 Music. The next concert at the Bognor Regis Music Club on Saturday, January 12 at 7pm will be An Evening with Chris Coote and Friends including Olivia Moss. The concert is at the Club’s concert room, 2 Sudley Road. Entry at the door is £6 for members, £8 for visitors, and £4 for students. New members and visitors are especially welcome. More details from Chris Coote (01243 773276), Helen Woods (01243 861620), or from the website www.BognorRegisMusic.org.uk.

6 Music. Chichester’s Minerva Theatre is the venue for a celebration of Chichester’s bright young musical talents. The showcase comes from Ovation Music, a non-profit organisation made up of like-minded musicians, teachers and music-industry professionals. Ovation Rock (January 11-12) will offer two evenings and one afternoon of live music, bringing together children and young people (aged nine-19) from local schools, Chichester College, Chichester Music Academy and Ovation Music. The evening shows are on Friday and Saturday at 7pm, with the junior show (for younger and less-experienced musicians, typically aged 9-14) on Saturday at 2pm. Tickets from £10 via www.cft.org.uk.

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7 Music. The Bully Wee Band are the guests at Grayshott Folk Club on Friday, January 18 at 7.30pm at Grayshott Village Hall, Headley Road, Grayshott on their 15th anniversary reunion tour. They will be with the club to celebrate its eighth birthday. Tickets available from Des O’Byrne on 01428 607096.

8 Music. The Children’s Concert which returns to Chichester Festival Theatre for two performances on January 15. Aimed at ages five to 11, the entertainment comes from Southern Pro Musica who are promising the perfect introduction to live music played by a full professional orchestra, conducted by Jonathan Willcocks.

9 Theatre. Jodie Prenger leads the cast as Beverly in Mike Leigh’s ground-breaking comedy classic Abigail’s Party which begins a major UK tour at Theatre Royal Brighton (January 10-19).

10 Music. Michael Morpurgo’s The Mozart Question comes to the stage at Chichester Festival Theatre on January 11 at 7.30pm, narrated by Sir Michael himself and directed by Simon Reade.

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