See Show of Hands again - for FREE on Sunday 8th November

Ticket holders from the Show of Hands sell out concert in Dorchester on October 11th can see them again for FREE at Charlton Down on Sunday November 8th !

After a superb first half set by Flossie Malavialle and a stunning half set by Show of Hands – Steve Knightly, recovering from flu, announced his voice couldn’t take it and said he would be giving a free show to make up for it.

He went off leaving Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes to ad lib the remainder in outstanding style.

It was a cracking night for the audience with the bonus offer of another gig for free!


The free show with Show of Hands and Miranda Sykes is on Sunday 8th November in the Herrison Hall Ballroom at Charlton Down near Dorchester. The concert starts at 7.30pm - bar and doors open 6.30pm. Flossie Malavialle will not be appearing in the second show.


Parking will be available in the cricket club car park

Should you be unable to attend a refund can not be offered as Show of Hands performed a full set on the original evening.

To obtain a ticket, you must apply by Friday 30th October - by completing the online form at http://www.dorchesterfestival.co.uk/contact2/

Tickets will be available to collect on the night - or in advance from Dorchester Arts Centre.
Please bring your ‘old’ ticket stubs with you.

As Herrison Hall has a larger seating capacity a very small number of extra tickets £18 may be available. Please contact us to let us know if you want to purchase additional tickets.

Strange creatures in South Street...

Strange creatures are wandering South Street in Dorchester...

Their aspect is at first frightening, but these are comic creatures... apparently washed ashore on Chesil Beach with long hair tangled like seaweed, white faces and eyes sunken and black.

The way they dress is astonishing: their costumes appear to be one piece, bulging with their strange shaped bodies and rippled blue and green like the sea..

They gurgle constantly and mutter words like: "Corn Exchange October 16th" and "lost treasure". The name Moonfleet is often mentioned and they hand out curious leaflets about a play involving smuggling, dastardly deeds and wicked escapades....

The only way to find out more is to be at the Corn Exchange at 8pm on October 16th...The moon will be bright that night

Youth theatre actor returns... as director of a professional company

Former Youth Theatre member Tamsin Fessey is back at Dorchester Arts - in residence with her professional theatre company Angel Exit.

The company are hard at work rehearsing for the hotly awaited premiere of their new production Moonfleet, a tale of dastardly deeds and wicked escapades, at Dorchester Corn Exchange on October 16th 2009 (online booking) 

A straggling gang of buffoons washed up on the wild shores of Chesil Beach conspire to spin a compelling yarn of a young orphan boy clashing with both smugglers and excise men in his quest to find Blackbeard’s cursed diamond - and win the hand of his beloved Grace. 

Moonfleet is a co-production with Dorchester Arts Centre and is supported by Arts Council England South West, West Dorset Leisure Fund and Dorset County Council. 

Performed by: Simon Carroll-Jones, Henry Douthwaite, Tamsin Fessey, Lynne Forbes, James Mitchell

Devised by: The Company (& Jonathan Dunstan, Simon Norbury and Oliver Langdon)

Directed by: Tamsin Fessey

The tour opens at Marnhull in Dorset on October 15th with the premiere in Dorchester on October 16th 

Angel Exit are running workshops as well as a masterclass on October 17th.