From Shakespeare for kids and fun for your four-legged friend to the Hadleigh Show and the best dance music from around the world, there’s plenty to see and do. For more days out ideas and entertainment news, follow @WhatsonWayne on Twitter and don’t miss your packed Event guide in the paper every Friday.
Oddsocks Productions, Felixstowe’s Spa Pavilion, May 25-26
Want to get your kids into Shakespeare? Oddsocks Productions can help with high-octane, interactive musical versions of Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth.
The first, bringing a touch of Italy to the resort on May 25, got four stars from The Stage. This battle of the sexes follows the ups and downs of Beatrice and Benedick. Expect songs like War, Single Ladies, Mr Brightside, True Colours, Tainted Love and Holding Out For A their trials among others.
“If you’re curious to see how Oddsocks can combine Radiohead and Shakespeare, then this isn’t to be missed. This is Shakespeare for today. Seriously silly Shakespeare,” says Oddsocks artistic director Andy Barrow, who set the up the company 26 years ago with Elli Mackenzie.
New this is a rock ‘n’ roll production of Macbeth, Shakespeare’s story of ambition turned bad given a steampunk-style twist; at the Spa May 26.
“Oddsocks is a theatrical experience for everyone. Highly energetic, full of life and plenty of laughs. It’s Shakespeare, but not as you know it,” adds Barrow.
If you love the sound of this, don’t forget Red Rose Chain’s production of Richard III continues at The Avenue theatre, Ipswich, until June 4.
Paws in the Park, Hardwick Heath, Bury St Edmunds, May 22
Highlights include a dog show, competitions, displays and family fun all in aid of St Nicholas Hospice Care.
The charity looks after those with long-term and life-threatening illnesses and needs to raise £11,000 every day to continue its work.
Celebrity judge Helen Fraser will help pick winners of categories including handsomest dog, prettiest bitch, waggiest tail, best pair of dogs, best puppy, dog that looks most like its owner, best veteran, young handler, best dressed and best in show.
The event includes three arenas packed with entertainment and demonstrations including a gun dog scurry and dog agility with the chance for visiting dogs and their owners to have a go. Sponsors Swayne and Partners vets will offer pet care and microchipping advice and information, there will be a puppy zone, trade stalls and attractions.
It runs from 11am-4pm. Visit www.stnicholashospicecare.org.uk for more details.
What’s Tasty Market, Market Hill, Woodbridge, 10am-3pm, May 21.
Highlights include the usual mix of street food and fresh local produce as well as cooking demonstrations with local chef Vernon Blackmore showing you how to cook a variety of treats on a barbeque.
Stallholders already confirmed include Woodbridge Greengrocers, Red Chilli Kitchen, Les Chocolats Belges, Charsfield Juice, Boyton Farm Produce and Tikkatonic. Visitors can buy all sorts from locally grown asparagus and strawberries to cooking sauces, chocolates, ice cream, apple juice, sausage rolls, pies and authentic Indian street food.
Visit www.choosewoodbridge.co.uk/events for more information.
The 177th Hadleigh Show, Holbecks Park, Hadleigh, May 21
The world famous Royal Signals White Helmets Display Team return, performing death-defying feats. Other ringside entertainmemt includes the sheep show, vintage tractors, the young farmers tug-o-war, falconry and ferret displays, the dog and duck show, dog agility by Tendring Dog Agility Team and a farm machinery parade.
Organisers are focusing on the countryside and wildlife this year. In the education area a pond and wildlife garden is being built and local beekeepers and Suffolk Wildlife Trust will be on hand to share their know-how with you.
You can also look at 150 classes of cattle, visit Malcolm Long of Assington Country Kitchen and his chefs cooking up various dishes in the new cookery demonstration area, travel the showground using the land train and try your skills with the Tudor Archers from Sudbury and the gun dog scurry.
They are supporting Hadleigh Dementia Action Alliance this year who will be present offering advice. The Hadleigh Great War Centenary Project will also be building a trench and displaying the information it’s found about those from Hadleigh who served in the First World War.
Visit www.hadleighshow.co.uk for more details.
Ipswich Weekender, Holywells Park, Ipswich, May 21-22
Features music from some of the leading lights from the worlds of dance and electronica.
It’s the result of a collaboration between Ipswich Borough Council and Noise of Art. Headlining is internationally renowned DJ and Noise of Art founder and festival curator Danny Rampling, who kick-started London’s acid house explosion in London with his seminal nightclub Shoom.
Other acts include Diesel, half of Skint signed act Xpress 2 and ex-member of the Ballistic Brothers, who has been responsible for underground classics and chart-topping hits like Lazy; DJ Danny Rampling, Josh Lock and Mole.
White Noise were responsible for the UK’s first electronic LP, An Electric Storm. Their members also introduced electronic music to 1960s icons such as Paul McCartney, John Lennon and David Bowie via their shows at Arts Lab. They were also behind the seminal early electronic theme tune for Doctor Who.
Si Begg belongs to a later wave of UK pioneers who influenced global trends in dance and bass music in the 1990s, prefiguring such genres as dub step.
The event includes several rising local acts. The Normans are a new Suffolk-based afrobeat/acid jazz band, Peter Hepworth a singer-songwriter, Aartwerk combine traditional sea-folk music with cutting edge electronica, The Deben Collective play improvised electronic jazz funk, David Freeland is a respected rare groove DJ and Non Such DJs are Ipswich’s foremost Soul DJ tag team.
There will also be two very different acts from east and central Europe, with indie guitar act Sunflower Caravan flying in from Prague and techno DJ Rodrigezz from Poland as well as art installations including Comfortably Spun.
British rockers the Woodentops, who paved the way for bands like the Happy Mondays and Primal Scream, will also play. Singer and guitarist Rolo McGinty can’t wait.
“Apart from playing in the park I’m looking forward to a bop with Danny (Rampling), Rocky and Diesel all of whom have played tracks of ours in their career and I really hope we can stay to the very end and see everything,” he says.
The band have a clutch of remixes by a famous DJ of their big club hit Why Why Why set for release followed by a tour, which will begin in Ipswich and take them around the country until June when McGinty gets on the plane to Ibiza and DJs there.
“We take the music and strip it right down to bare bones and rock the house with the A formula. I’m thinking of calling the tour Stripped because that describes it well. So we will be performing 1980s indie hits as a kind of acoustic hypnotic techno and some songs not on any of the albums. There will also be moments of the swinging soulful and the odd total distortion attack at high speed that will have us all gasping for mercy. Oh yes and lots of echo. It’s all the above but atmospheric too.”
McGinty is a fan of Osborne’s tireless efforts to make interesting things happen.
“I’ve performed in Woodbridge and London for events he has organised and would always back him. You’re very lucky to have a person such as Mr Osborne from your area. It takes a massive amount of energy and work to put a weekender together. Go please and try it.”
Visit www.noiseofart.org for more details.
Pirate’s Treasure Hunt, Blake House Craft Centre, near, Braintree, 10am-4pm, May 22
Swashbuckling fun for kids and their families. Activities include the chance to find gold chocolate coins, take part in a pirate fancy dress competition, try the bouncy castles and roundabout, get your face painted and meet the prickly pygmy hedgehogs. In aid of the Ronald McDonald House Charity.
999 Event, Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers, May 21-22
Celebrating the emergency services, youngsters are invited to come in fancy dress and meet real life heroes from Essex Police and Essex Fire and Rescue. Wonder what it feels like to be a firefighter? Head over to Hot Hire and have your photo taken sitting inside a fire engine. Loads of other activities.
Larking around the Lakes, Lackford Lakes, Bury St Edmunds, 1pm-4pm, May 22
Pond dipping, bug hunting, wildlife crafts and trails for all the family to enjoy. There’s no need to book, just drop in any time.
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