test

Just want to say we saw Fol Espoir last night and it was fantastic. Such a fresh new way of expressing a production ! The hall was packed and our admiration goes to the three characters involved who must have been exhausted! Well done and good luck to them!

I am one of the co-mangers at Playhouse Cinema Leominster and we have been showing films since February 2009 this will be our TENTH year in 2019 and we thank Flicks In The Sticks and Arts Alive for all there valuable help and support over the years including help with Borderlines and Live shows and Satellite Broadcasts. In particular this year as it has been a hard year for Playhouse as Mike our founder and our father sadly passed away last year but we are still here and have lots of exciting things coming up. We will support Flicks and Arts Alive as long as they are here so do come and see a film at Leominster sometime ans continue supporting local! Thank you Ian, Terri, Sian and Mary we look forward to another fantastic year!

I have been promoting Flicks in our village now since 2009 and it is still very popular. We show 8 films a year and audience numbers are approximately 45-50 each time. If new people move into the village we make sure they are aware of what is coming up and we get new faces from outlying villages also. The Artsalive staff are very helpful and enthusiastic and do a marvellous job.

What a great experience at Onslow; the highlights being the wonderful atmosphere, people happy to chat & share memories of Gone to Earth & of course riding in the traction engine trailer. Thanks so much for your generosity & enthusiasm that made it all possible. I've got another couple of videos to put on the website when I can convert them to MP4. It was lovely to share the tent with Flicks in the Sticks & so grateful to Richard for patiently slowing the film frame by frame so that one lady could identify herself & another, to spot her father. Precious moments.

I have just experienced the wonder of young people's creativity. Dancers from Steiner Academy and Weobley High School created visually exciting and technically accomplished dances as a result of their collaboration with Phoenix Dance Company which were a delight and so inspiring. We should take note, as the school curriculum continues to become more straight-jacketed, that the Arts like other vocational activities have the power to unlock young people's passion for learning and expression, opening them up to the joy of education. (Loved the Phoenix dances too, as ever.)

Just returned from seeing Paradise Lost by Ben Duke. It is really excellent, thought provoking and amusing. Ben Duke is superb. Well worth seeing. Quatt village hall is a great place, they always have really different evenings.

We saw the Fugitives at Priest Weston Village Hall recently - it was a sell-out ... and it was brilliant; they had their numbers ready for the demands of "more! more!" - a great find Sian

What a fabulous night at at Chetton Village hall with Canadian band The Fugitives! A beautifully crafted performance of largely original and poetically presented songs with sumptuous arrangements on guitar, fiddle, banjo and balalaika. Great to catch the final uk show by this inspiring group of song writers. That's how to put on a show! Look them up on the internet!

Tonight we enjoyed a film show just up the road from where we live. I am a wheelchair user and find it difficult to go to the theatre to enjoy a good film or take in a "bit of Culture" now and again. Flicks in The Sticks brings a lot of joy to so many people who otherwise would miss out. Long may it continue.
Sue Macdonald

The Film shows give me a reason to leave the house

Totally loved 'The boy who bit Picasso' It was so heartwarming, funny and made me nearly cry at the end! Totally inspired me and makes me want to make theatre!

hi copying my email sent out this morning to my pop quiz group in and around dilwyn.

arts alive sponsored 'red moon road' in bodenham last night and a sizeable contingent made its way there from dilwyn.

what a fabulous night. it had everything from 3 consumate musicians with voices to match, a lead singer (sheena) with amazing stage presence and a voice not likely to be bettered in any village hall in the country, tall tales of life on the canadian prairies, family histories of fleeing persecution, beautifully crafted songs, a stunning beatles cover, an audience kazoo chorus, moustache wax for sale, a well known singalong encore, a second encore of an unplugged pete seeger classic and a packed hall which ran out of beer!!
if you missed it, there is a possibility of them coming to dilwyn in late 2016 and in the meantime ruth davies is hoping to book another canadian group for later this year.

the acts booked through arts alive are just SO GOOD that the demand for tickets often exceeds the cedar hall's capacity so if you hear from me or ruth later this year please get your tickets early or you will be disappointed.

have a lovely day Dave

thanks so much for your support of arts events in rural areas. all the dilwyn ones have been brilliant. D.G.

Saw View From The Bridge NTLIve last night - phenomenal. So great to get to see this rurally.

Saw Boyhood last night . Excellent film in a packed, beautiful hall in Lydbury North. A delight all round

Six of us went to see Spilt Milk last night at Meole Brace Peace Hall. We had a fabulous night of fun. What very talented young ladies with quite amazing timing. The fancy dress broke the ice for the second part of the show- a good idea that got everyone in a relaxed frame of mind ...and as there wasn't a bar, without the need for alcohol!

Two extraordinary theatre performances within a mere 6 days of each other, thanks to Arts Alive.
First up, The Pearl by company Dumbshow, seen at All Stretton Village Hall on 8th November was a beautiful synthesis of lyrical scripting that moved with a rhythmic, tidal ebb and flow and fluent, ensemble performance. Add in a magical set, highly inventive use of props, great physical theatre skills, mesmerising characterisation and laugh out loud humour and it was , quite simply, a pearl of a show. Our 14 year old son, who had been initially reluctant to come out commented at the end, “brilliant! Really glad I saw that. It made me think about human nature; made me laugh and was packed with imagination. Loved the ‘it’s a boy! (buoy) moment and the underwater diving scene.” High praise. Dumbshow - you are amazing. Thank you.
Secondly, one man show extraordinaire , David Mynne of Rabbit Theatre at Wigmore Village Hall on 13th November, performing Great Expectations. It was clear from the moment he stepped into the performance area, with only a table, chair, small suitcase and candle that this was going to exceed expectation and be more than great. I had the surreal feeling of needing to pinch myself to check that yes, I really was seeing performance of this calibre in a village hall deep in rural Herefordshire. Mynne’s physical and vocal control, inventiveness, stage presence and skill was so compelling, and yet so incredibly simple, that there were moments of gasp out loud response from the audience. Two acts and utterly mesmerising from start to finish. I was tempted to try to see it again on its short Arts Alive tour - it was THAT good, THAT mesmerising. However, I’m just lucky to have seen it once.
So, again, I find myself marvelling that we have the high quality theatre one would usually have to go to Edinburgh FringeHFestival to see, or to a city theatre. Lucky Shropshire and herefordshire to have Arts Alive.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Friday 7th November saw a packed Cedar Hall laugh, cry and experience all the emotions in between as Dumbshow Theatre joyously threw themselves into this re-imagined Steinbeck novella.
I really can't do more than urge you to look at their website : www.dumbshow.org in order to appreciate what an all-conquering piece this has become.
The story of Kino, his discovery of the 'pearl of the world' and its effects on the life of his family; told in one, straight through, seventy minute rollercoaster of a journey brought tears of both laughter and sorrow in equal measure.
The proximity of the action and the intensity of performance by this young theatre group meant that I would certainly call it, 'The perfect village hall show', and urge anyone to see it if they possibly can, before the end of its run.
Many thanks must go to Arts Alive, Dumbshow Theatre and Ruth Davies for bringing 'The Pearl' to Dilwyn and to anyone who helped to make such a memorable evening possible. I certainly hope that we see Dumbshow Theatre return to Dilwyn in the, not too distant, future.
David Grace

Thoroughly enjoyed the sell out My Cow Pat Wedding at Priest Weston Village Hall on Friday it was everything a rural touring piece should be - funny, fun, thought provoking and a genuinely good night out for people of a wide range of ages and backgrounds. The hall was transformed and the entire audience really felt part of it. Smashing thanks Arts Alive for a great night out - it was great to bring friends from the City and share our great local theatre experience. Thomasina

We thoroughly enjoyed Bowjangles at your hall. They are absolutely stunning and a great start to Breinton hosting Arts Alive events.

Looking forward to showing films again this season. Like putting on a favourite winter coat!

Flicks is the lynch pin for most of what goes on in our village

A wonderful ballet performance by over 50 children aged 4 to 12 at the SpArC Theatre in Bishops Castle. This was the culmination of a week of workshops at SpArC and in Craven Arms with dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet. The choreography, live music and children's skill and enthusiasm was a delight and the ballet company, organisers and funders are all to be congratulated. Please come again.

Saw Motionhouse's dance production of Captive at Ledbury Poetry Festival recently. Really powerful stuff and incredibly inspirational. Quite wonderful this was a free event as everyone was literally captivated! And just brilliant to bring dance to the streets. Caged dancers with explosive energy. Really enjoyed. Long may it continue :)

Great night out at The Lone Ranger, ridiculous equine stunts and lots of laughs, great to share with my teenager

We had a great night on Friday! 'Albert Einstein' certainly used his brain cells! How he remembered all that was amazing!

A really enjoyable experience. Friendly atomosphere and heart warming film (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) Would love the chance to do it again. What a good idea for community spirit.
J.L.L

A visitor to the area staying locally and from Cornwall attended Acton Scott V.H. to see War Horse and was full of compliments about the evening. He said he was very impressed with the presentation of the film, excellent quality reproduction, including sound and a very happy atmosphere in the Hall. It was the first time he'd been to Community cinema as he did not have the opportunity near his home.

re NTLive, What an opportunity, a fabulous experience thank you arts alive.

We went to All Stretton to see Oranges and Sunshine. It was a delightful evening. Great, thought provoking film and we'd go again. The orange and sunshine cake was much appreciated. There was a very friendly bunch of people watching the film. According to one woman, only half were from the village. a very successful evening. Thanks

We are the happiest community audience because archive projects enable us to show DVDs of nostalgic cine films of local events and people, some dating back to the Thirties.

Through Flicks in the Sticks we have come to know our local villages and feel part of the local community. We are now using the village hall for other activities, so there is an essential symbiosis between Flicks in the Sticks and other local
activities.

We are regular flicks goers and we would be lost without your service. I can't tell you how much your screenings mean to people like us who find it hard to get out to places like Chester or Shrewsbury. It's always a lovely atmosphere at the
shows you put on too.

The atmosphere is something like the good old days of 'going to the
pictures'

I am 86 and I am a big fan of flicks. In the villages its lovely , the proper way to do it, have a glass of wine and a chat, its so much more than just a film

I think Flicks is brilliant - much better than going to a "normal" cinema as it's in the community and you are always friends! Also just down the lane and not a 20 or 40 mile round trip.

Living in "the sticks" limits access to the larger cinemas, consequently "Flicks in the Sticks" is a lovely way of seeing fairly recent films, without the hassle of planning a journey beforehand. How many cinemas can you plan your own seating arrangements, stop half way through for a glass of wine and refreshments? In fact it is better than going to a cinema. Long may it last.

I just wanted to tell you what a valuable service Flicks is to our community.
We live in a village that is 20 miles from a town with a cinema,which is far too far and too costly to drive to to see a film. Flicks comes to our community and we really enjoy it. We get a really good turnout and have an enjoyable evening meeting people from the village that we would rarely see otherwise. So it is bringing the community together. So thank you.

Really enjoyed going to see 'Bright Star' in Cardington Village Hall - great big screen, good sound, friendly folk and reasonably-priced, we travelled from Shrewsbury as everything sold out there!- I am going to try to see more 'flicks in the sticks' thanks.

Yesterday we saw the flim "Slumdog Millionaire" at Cound Guildhall. We really enjoyed the film and, in particular, the family/friendly atmosphere.

I think Flicks in the Sticks is great. It is a very good way to see films, all the venues I have been to are very friendly and give those living in rural areas a chance to se films.

We just spent a splendid evening in the 'comfort' of our village hall watching Mamma Mia! What fun! We enjoyed the event very much even though we had seen it before - but this time we were able to walk 'through the sticks' to see it.
It is so nice to have this, actually bringing the community together and enjoying themselves - thank you so much.

Yesterday we went to the Cound Guild Hall to watch "Mama Mia". It was a very pleasant experience. The film was good and the warm friendly atmosphere was excellent

We have just moved to Albrighton and were very pleased to see that they had 'Flicks in the Sticks' Unfortunately I only got to see one performance as we shall have to wait until September for the next film. I think bringing cinema to rural areas is a great idea and wish you every success in the future.

We love the flicks service, and support it in Clun, Chapel Lawn and occasionally, Clungunford.
Keep up the good work

I thought the flicks service was very good and had a great time watching the film. :-)

Flicks is a brilliant service - we've seen lots of great films in friendly cosy settings - the alternative would be the very occasional long trip to Hereford or Builth with a very limited selection of films. Visitors from and everyone we talk to in other areas of the country are very jealous of Flicks and wish they had the same system in their own area. Thank you !!