Past Performances
THE SNOW SPIDER
Sunday 12 January 2014 – 3pm
A beautiful family show from Io Theatre. Join Gwyn as he is drawn into a dangerous adventure on his 9th birthday. With dark forces to confront he is helped in his quest by Arianwen, a silver spider from another world…
Alice’s Adventures in wonderland & through the looking glass
Thursday 05 December 2013, until 14 December – Various
The award winning Merlin Theatre Company’s musical Christmas show has become a ‘must see’ as a start to the festive season. This year with over forty different characters on stage it promises to be a fun packed, visual delight for all of the family to enjoy. Join us as we re-tell this timeless classic.
Betrayal
Thursday 28 November 2013 – 7.45pm
Emma is married to Robert, a publisher. But for seven years, she has been having an affair with Jerry, a literary agent and Robert’s best friend.
Betrayal begins after the end of the affair, and pursues an intricate, gripping journey back to its very beginning.
A Chorus of Disapproval
Wednesday 20 November 2013, Thursday 21 November, Friday 22 November, Saturday 23 November – 7.45pm
Guy Jones, recently widowed and looking to expand his social life, joins PALOS – his local amateur light operatic society – who are in the early stages of rehearsal for their production of The Beggar’s Opera. Unable to say ‘no’ to anyone, he quickly finds himself in the arms of one frustrated wife, and in the bed of another, whilst a succession of casting mishaps results in his being rapidly promoted out of the chorus and through a range of roles, until he ends up playing the lead!
Andrew O’Neill is easily distracted
Friday 15 November 2013 – 7.45pm
Andrew O’Neill, struggling to maintain concentration for long enough to write a new comedy show, decided to write about the fact that he was struggling to maintain concentration long enough to write a new comedy show.
Also, he has been on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle and heard on Radio One and Radio 5 Live.
Dracula
Saturday 09 November 2013, Sunday 10th November – 7.45pm
“THIS SHOW IS NOW SOLD OUT.”
Jonathan Goddard plays the infamous Vampire Count, whose sinister and ruthless ambitions challenge the very fabric of Victorian society. As his victims and opponents rally against him they must face the darkness and savagery within themselves.
You and Me
Saturday 02 November 2013 – 7.45pm
A bitter-sweet physical comedy for everyone who is a day older than yesterday! Two elderly Spanish sisters in a foreign land live against the backdrop of a battered rug and a mountain of mysterious boxes.
The Elephant Bridesmaid
Thursday 31 October 2013 – 3PM
“There are no elephants in Australia. Well, no elephants except this one…” Written especially for parents to enjoy with their children, The Elephant Bridesmaid is a magical musical about weddings and wombats and the loveliest elephant the world has ever known.
Winston On the Run
Wednesday 30 October 2013 – 7.45pm
It’s 1899 and escaped prisoner-of-war Winston Churchill is in a fiendish spot of bother: lost in the African savannah, wanted ‘Dead or Alive’ and hounded by the scathing words of his dead father.
Snow White
Thursday 24 October 2013 – 7.45pm
Join Vienna Festival Ballet on a magical journey with their world premiere production of Snow White.
Le Moulin Magique (The Magic Windmill)
Monday 21 October 2013 – 1pm
The poor Miller Jean-Pierre and his wife are starving. The wind does not blow to turn the mill to grind the corn. The rain does not fall, the plants do not grow and there’s no food for the animals. In desperation, Jean-Pierre appeals to The Wind and The Rain for help with fantastical results.
Shakespeare School Festival
Friday 18 October 2013 – 7pm
The Shakespeare Schools Festival works with 1000 secondary, primary and special schools all over the UK, making it possible for them to stage abridged Shakespeare productions in their local professional theatre.
Afro Cuban Sensibility Weekend
Friday 11 October 2013, Saturday 12th October, Sunday 13th October – 7.45pm
Afro Cuban Sensibility is a weekend of events celebrating the root of Afro Cuban culture and beliefs. Taking place at the Merlin Theatre and Rook Lane Chapel, this weekend-long celebration will encompass film, food, workshops, visual art, live music and discussion sessions.
Ange Hardy
Saturday 05 October 2013 – 7.45pm
Folk recording artist and songwriter Ange Hardy is appearing at the Merlin as part of her Bare Foot Folk tour.
The Price of Everything
Friday 20 September 2013 – 7.45pm
How much is beauty worth? Can I have a glass of milk? These urgent questions and others are answered in The Price of Everything, a performance lecture about value.
ORDURES ET MENAGERE
Sunday 15 September 2013 – 3pm
The story of Mr & Mrs Anybody… living a quiet life, following a comfortable routine. But things aren’t always what they seem. No more routine for these characters as logic is rethought, new uses are found for everyday objects and fantasies are intensified.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
Thursday 22 August 2013, FRIDAY 23 AUGUST and SATURDAY 24 AUGUST – 7pm
Performed by Tri.art Theatre Summer School students this wonderful musical features fantastic dance routines set to a glorious score including the classics Good Morning, Make ‘em Laugh, Moses Supposes and the legendary Singin’ in the Rain.
Happy Feet
Saturday 20 July 2013 – 1pm & 6pm
Expect fantastic Feet tapping fun with all the music coming from the wonderful “Happy Feet” films.
AS YOU LIKE IT
Tuesday 16 July 2013 – 7pm
No other touring open-air theatre company has performed so many different Shakespeare titles to so many people, winning so many awards, as Illyria.
JO BRAND’S WINTER WARM UP
Monday 15 July 2013 – 8pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
Long established as one of the UK’s best female comics Jo Brand returns to her stand up roots this winter trying out brand new material.
Sold Out
UNDER MILK WOOD
Saturday 13 July 2013, SUNDAY 14 JULY – 2pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
This much-loved ‘play for voices’ is presented as an open-air community theatre production, directed for FDC by Philip de Glanville.
PHIL JUPITUS
Saturday 13 July 2013 – 7.45pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
The team captain of “Never Mind The Buzzcocks”, a regular on “QI”, Phil Jupitus follows his Frome Festival debut last year with the Idiot Bastard Band.
Sold Out
LEKAN BABALOLA AND THE AFROBEAT MESSENGERS
Friday 12 July 2013 – 7.45pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
Larger than life Nigerian percussionist Lekan Babalola, described by the Washington Post as a “wizard percussionist”, is bringing members of his band The Afrobeat Messengers to The Frome Festival for a musical and cultural treat.
WITNESS – PORTRAITS OF WOMEN WHO DANCE
Wednesday 10 July 2013 – 6.30pm & 8pm
Witness is a large scale three screen cinematic dance event.
FROME FASHION SHOW
Tuesday 09 July 2013 – 7.45pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
A firm festival favourite but this year with a new home and a new look.
IAN McMILLAN & LUKE CARVER GOSS
Monday 08 July 2013 – 7.45pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
Poet, broadcaster & comedian Ian McMillan and Olympic composer Luke Carver Goss present a hilarious night of poems, music & improv – like nothing you’ve ever seen before!
WAITING FOR GODOT Frome Festival
Sunday 07 July 2013 – 7pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
Deadly serious and seriously funny!
IMAGINE – A Celebration of 21 Years of the ECOS Amphitheatre
Friday 05 July 2013 – 5.30pm
A FROME FESTIVAL EVENT
Join us to celebrate 21 years of Frome’s very own unique amphitheatre. During the celebrations a plaque will be unveiled illustrating the stones and their history.
MOONFLEET
Tuesday 25 June 2013 – 7.45pm
Smugglers, shipwrecks, a haunted crypt, hidden treasure, vengeance and enduring love are the ingredients of J. Meade Falkner’s classic tale.
Moonfleet, brought vividly to life in Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s latest West Country touring production.
Around the World in Eighty Days
Thursday 20 June 2013, Friday 21 June – 7.30pm
A bank robbery. A wager. Two determined men. A race across the globe in eighty days.
THE TALES OF PETER RABBIT AND BENJAMIN BUNNY
Sunday 09 June 2013 – 3pm
Peter Rabbit knows very well that he is not to go into Mr McGregor’s garden; especially as it was there that his father met his untimely end – put into a pie! But he cannot resist….. and it’s only after several nasty scrapes (and minus all his clothes) that he finally escapes home to a severe telling-off from his mother.
BALLET CENTRAL
Friday 07 June 2013 – 7.45pm
Ballet Central 2013 will feature an exciting programme of ballet, contemporary, jazz and narrative dance. The varied repertoire includes a mixture of newly commissioned works and celebrated revivals, which showcase the talent of the company’s young and emerging dancers.
MAKESHIFT MUSICAL – A MERLIN FUNDRAISER
Friday 31 May 2013, Sat 01 June – 7.30pm
Daisy and Lottie came up with the idea for Makeshift Musical because it gave them the creative freedom to devise a production around their favourite musical numbers from the West End shows that inspire them.
BABE THE SHEEP-PIG
Sunday 26 May 2013 – 3pm
A perfect start to half term… Farmer Hoggett wins a piglet at the fair – and everyone knows what fate awaits piglets raised on a farm.
KIT HOLMES
Friday 24 May 2013 – 7.45pm
Kit’s trademark sultry vocals and virtuoso guitar playing have wowed audiences across the UK through extensive touring with the guitar hero, John Etheridge. “A welcome curiosity, with a style that skips cheerfully across boundaries” said The Guardian when reviewing Kit’s unique blend of rootsy-blues and folk.
MISS JULIE
Saturday 11 May 2013 – 7.45pm
“Don’t step down Miss, take my advice. No one will believe that you willingly descended, people will always say that you fell”
A PERUSICAL OF MUSICALS
Sunday 05 May 2013 – 7.30pm
Don’t miss this opportunity to see the stars of the future as they perform routines from musicals such as Singin’ in the Rain, Into the Woods, Avenue Q and Moulin Rouge.
The Count Of Monte Cristo
Friday 03 May 2013 – 7.45pm
The perfect way to pretend you have read the 1000 page book! From this highly acclaimed company comes a fabulous telling of Dumas’ epic tale through the eyes of the employees of a cigar-rolling factory. Edmund Dantes is, falsely imprisoned by his jealous companions; he escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge