I just wanted to say that the Ventnor Blog is just absolutely brilliant. I really enjoy reading about what's going on in Ventnor and the Island in general, particularly the local music scene.
Please keep up your good work - your support of the local community is
fantastic, and you bring much pleasure to folks such as me, who like to keep
in touch with our roots on the IOW. - Stuart Yates
Fire and plague hit Newport! Samuel Pepys? ….His Diary! ….His World!! ….His Women!!! How do you think his wife felt?
Fifteen figures of the Pepys circle from the highest in the land to the most menial of servants are brought to life as Elizabeth Pepys wrestles with the reality of her marriage: the joys and trials of their household, the gossip of the Court, the horrors of the Plague, the flames of the Fire of London and finally her traumatic discovery that her husband is a serial sex addict. (more…)
Congratulations to the Ventnor Theatre Group, for their spectacular performances of The Buddy Holly Story at the Ventnor Winter Gardens over the last few days.
Based on comments left on the Blog and those emailed to us below, it sounds as though the show went down a storm.
If any readers would like to write a review of the show for publication on VentnorBlog, as usual, get in touch and let us know. (more…)
Critically acclaimed international comedy theatre company Plested and Brown present Minor Spectacular.
A forgotten town is holding out for a superhero. Then Bosch! Terry arrives fixing washing machines and cleansing customer’s souls.
A comedy fantasy from the creators of hit 2005 show Hot Pursuit and directed by Amanda Wilsher.
With manual in hand he gets on his soapbox, rifles through the town’s dirty laundry and exposes mucky habits. No matter how deep the stain, he’s undeterred. But is Terry the angel he seems? (more…)
Invent Theatre is pleased to release our first synopsis for our forthcoming production.
With rehearsals now well underway we are able to provide you with an idea of what the performance will be like. Like The Bench in the Park, the play centres around an object, this time a book entitled ‘The Asphodel Fields’ but this is a story of imagination, self discovery and confused memories. (more…)
If you are a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan then make sure you grab tickets for this event.
At the end of the month, 126 years after it was first produced at the Savoy Theatre in London, The Island Savoyards will be performing their rendition of ‘Iolanthe’.
Iolanthe is a ‘fairy opera’ in which the House of Lords is lampooned as a bastion of the ineffective, privileged and dim-witted. 126 years later and some might say that sounds pretty familiar. (more…)
Don’t forget that tonight at the Winter Gardens there is a festive treat in store for anyone who loves variety performances and circus skills.
Starting at 7.30pm prepare to be dazzled by The Cirque De Monde.
A terrific journey of infamous circus skills from tribes around the world featuring diabolo devil sticks, spectacular poi, juggling, plate spinning, stupendous staffs, bountiful balance, stilts, acrobatic trickery, knife throwing madness, ballistic balloons, acro-balance and unicycling. Oh and don’t forget the fire work too! Fire poi, fire blades, fire eating and more. (more…)
Well done to Island company A J Wells for putting their hands in their pockets and supporting Invent Theatre in their forthcoming production of The Asphodel Fields.
Next month the group will be performing An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley (pictured).
Set in 1912, an upper crust English family dinner is interrupted by a police inspector who brings news that a girl known to everyone present has died in suspicious circumstances.
Dates have now been released for the forthcoming Ventnor Theatre Group show, Buddy.
And the good news is that you don’t have long to wait, for it takes place at the beginning of May on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th May 2008 (note: no performance on Sunday 4th May).
Buddy tells the story of the three years in which Buddy Holly became a music legend up to his tragic death aged just 22, in a plane crash. (more…)
The Quay is offering an unforgettable theatrical journey with an afternoon of live music, storytelling and magic for intrepid adults and brave children from age 7 plus with the The Juniper Tree at the end of the month.
Goat & Monkey, a young company with a growing reputation for producing inventive and original theatre, have won national praise for their fresh approach to modern theatre.
This latest work fulfils all expectations.
A long time ago, in a time when witches still roamed, there lived a good and honest widower who married a woman whom he loved. (more…)
Starting at 7.30pm prepare to be dazzled by The Cirque De Monde.
A terrific journey of infamous circus skills from tribes around the world featuring diabolo devil sticks, spectacular poi, juggling, plate spinning, stupendous staffs, bountiful balance, stilts, acrobatic trickery, knife throwing madness, ballistic balloons, acro-balance and unicycling. Oh and don’t forget the fire work too! Fire poi, fire blades, fire eating and more. (more…)
Spring is in the air at Quay Arts when professional touring theatre company Forest Forge return with their latest spoof on village life, To The Marrow on Saturday 15 March - and size really does matter!
The Great Village Marrowthon is about to be contested. Traditional gardener Ed is hoping his beauty will win this year, but he’s up against his arch rival, Miles, a trendy Radio Celebrity Gardener. Can he win fair and square, or will he have to cheat?
It doesn’t help that these two opponents are married to twin sisters! (more…)
Yes folks, Louis Lawrence has managed to entice several acts for a great Easter Variety Circus Show to be held on Easter Bank Holiday Monday 24th March from 7.30pm.
Amongst those performing will be the Sandown Dog Olympics team, Extreme Circus from Ryde, Christa Correia’s Circus dancers and many other acts who we’ll tell you about later.
Expect a children’s Clown competition where kids will be invited to either dress up or act as a clown for prizes.
Tickets are a mere £5 for adults and £3 for the kids. Available from the Ventnor Winter Gardens box office on 857581.
This very brave stilt walker was amongst the many who turned up to audition for the show a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks to Roger Regular, who is once again sharing his experience of music at Ryde Theatre. Ed
Shanklin Freak Show, wow what a night, it was certainly a light fantastic at their CD launch.
I’ll try to set the scene; lots of brightly coloured balloons throughout the dance floor, glitter on and off the stage, more than two genders popping out for the night, loads of eye-liner and make-up; that was just the men. (more…)
The People’s Theatre Company is proud to present the return of its smash hit musical for adults and children.
Based on the classic Russian folk tale of “Baba Yaga The Witch”, The Witch’s Bogey is a funky musical fairytale about good versus evil and the magic of family guaranteed to delight absolutely anyone who’s ever lived, loved or blown their nose!
A glittering cast, colourful characters and memorable songs make The Witch’s Bogey the most unmissable show of the year, so if you’re picking just one musical this year.
We’re always keen to promote local events, particularly those run on a voluntary basis (as VentnorBlog is). The Ventnor Theatre Group put on some fabulous shows last year, which were all well attended and received rave reviews. However, despite this, they are struggling financially and in need of some. The opportunity outlined below to support them sounds like a great idea. Ed
Everyone involved with Ventnor Theatre Group does so voluntarily - absolutely no one gets paid, we have no council subsidies, zilch!
Whilst we strive to churn out remarkable show after show for local people and holiday makers to enjoy, we are quite skint - well VERY skint actually! (more…)
We’re really pleased to hear that the newly established Invent Theatre Group have secured themselves a place at the Careers 4 All’ event being held during the half term holidays at Medina High School.
The brains and drive behind this new youth Theatre organisation, Jack Whitewood, writes on his blog … (more…)
If you missed our previous articles about the exciting new youth theatre organisation in Ventnor for youngsters then read on.
Invent Theatre welcomes all young people aged between ten and eighteen and will provide opportunities to develop skills in performance, technical production and arts management.
It is based at Ventnor Middle School, with weekly workshops (held on Sundays), specialising in acting for stage and screen, as well as providing specific programs for those whose interests lie in technical, artistic and management roles. (more…)
Fifteen figures of the Pepys circle from the highest in the land to the most menial of servants are brought to life as Elizabeth Pepys wrestles with the reality of her marriage: the joys and trials of their household, the gossip of the Court, the horrors of the Plague, the flames of the Fire of London and finally her traumatic discovery that her husband is a serial sex addict.
Congratulations to the Ventnor Theatre Group, for their spectacular performances of The Buddy Holly Story at the Ventnor Winter Gardens over the last few days.
A forgotten town is holding out for a superhero. Then Bosch! Terry arrives fixing washing machines and cleansing customer’s souls. 
Tomorrow night sees the first performance of 
With less than a week to go before the opening night of 
With rehearsals now well underway we are able to provide you with an idea of what the performance will be like. Like 
At the end of the month, 126 years after it was first produced at the Savoy Theatre in London, The Island Savoyards will be performing their rendition of ‘Iolanthe’.
Following the 
Don’t forget that tonight at the Winter Gardens there is a festive treat in store for anyone who loves variety performances and circus skills. 
We’ve got some great news coming up later today with regard to sponsorship of Invent Theatre’s forthcoming production, The Asphodel Fields.
Next month the group will be performing An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley (pictured).
Goat & Monkey, a young company with a growing reputation for producing inventive and original theatre, have won national praise for their fresh approach to modern theatre. 
The Great Village Marrowthon is about to be contested. Traditional gardener Ed is hoping his beauty will win this year, but he’s up against his arch rival, Miles, a trendy Radio Celebrity Gardener. Can he win fair and square, or will he have to cheat? 
Amongst those performing will be the Sandown Dog Olympics team, Extreme Circus from Ryde, Christa Correia’s Circus dancers and many other acts who we’ll tell you about later.
Thanks to Roger Regular, 
If you’re looking for something to do with the kids tomorrow, why not head down to the Ventnor Winter Gardens?
Everyone involved with Ventnor Theatre Group does so voluntarily - absolutely no one gets paid, we have no council subsidies, zilch! 
Now that ‘Buddy’ has been cast and rehearsals are underway, (and it’s an exceptional cast - so sure to be another sell out!) we’re at it again! 
We’re really pleased to hear that the newly established 
If you missed our