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SEVEN DAYS OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE
WEDNESDAY
From today until June 30 local artist Agatha O’Neill will be exhibiting her One Picture Every Day show of ink and paint collages at Perk and Pearl in Tunbridge Wells. Dubbed ‘the smallest gallery in Kent’, it’s the perfect launch pad for artists looking to get off the ground. For more information on exhibiting there visit www.perkandpearl.com. Agatha’s private view is on from 6-8pm tonight and all are welcome. For more info see: Instagram @agatha_draws.
At 8pm Ed Watts will be tinkling the ivories at the Scallwag Café in a Naked Jazz Jam Evening. Tickets cost £5 on the door but admission is free for participating musicians.
Fabric starts its four night run at the EM Forster theatre in Tonbridge this evening. Written by Abi Zakarian it is the story of one woman’s life unravelling. (See our Arts and Culture section for an exclusive interview with the team behind this production.)
THURSDAY
At 10.30am there will be a guided walking tour of The Pantiles. Meet at the Tourist Information Centre in the Corn Exchange in order to learn all about our historic spa town and why it attracted the likes of Samuel Pepys and Queen Anne to visit.
Rusthall library will be hosting a talk tonight with the writer and historian Hugh Gault and Jane Gallagher from the University of Kent on the life of Kingsley Wood MP. The former Conservative Cabinet Minister and Churchill’s Chancellor of the Exchequer in WWII worked alongside some of the political greats including David Lloyd George and Neville Chamberlain and also lived locally in Broomhill Bank. To find out more about his fascinating career pop along to the library at 6.30pm. Tickets cost £3. To book call: 03000 41 31 31.
Literary fans should drop into Waterstones in Tunbridge Wells at 7pm where they can catch a talk by novelist Erica James on her latest tome Song of the Skylark.
Tonight at the Abergavenny Arms in Frant chef Giles Fulcher will serve a five course Culinary Extravaganza of local and seasonal produce. The food will be complemented by a selection of  fine wines from Ellis of Richmond chosen by its sommelier Mike Kard. For more details visit: www.abergavennyarms.co.uk
Jazz on The Pantiles continues this evening with performances from Anita Wardell and the Roger Beaujolais Sextet.
FRIDAY
Moonlight and Magnolias starts its week-long run at the Oast House Theatre in Tonbridge at 8pm. Penned by Ron Hutchinson and set in 1939 it dramatises the infamous story of the making of Gone With the Wind when its producer David O Selznick fired the director and called a halt to filming.
The chaos that ensued behind the scenes of the biggest movie of all time is captured to brilliant comedic effect in this production. For ticket details please click through to: www.oasttheatre.com
From 6.30 until 9.30pm The Secret Wine Cellar will be holding a showcase of over 120 of its wines. There will be tastings of everything from rare rosés to unique spirits and classic champagnes at the event which will take place in the Corn Exchange.
Tonight Trinity theatre will be showing Hologram for the King. Starring Tom Hanks it’s based on the best-selling book by Dave Eggers which focuses on the life and career of a jaded American salesman who goes out to Saudi Arabia in order to secure the IT contract for a new complex based in the desert. Could Hanks’ character Alan Clay finally get something right in his life? Go along for 8pm to find out.
SATURDAY
This is the final weekend to catch Leon Morocco’s What The River Knew exhibition at Mascalls Gallery in Paddock Wood. It comprises a series of interesting paintings that are inspired by the ‘gutsy, vibrant, edgy and sometimes grungy’ aspects of London’s famous river. For more information visit: www.mascallsgallery.org
Burrswood in Groombridge is hosting Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at 7pm (doors open for picnics from 5pm). The production by the renowned Illyria Theatre Company will be performed in Burrswood’s stunning grounds – whatever the weather! So bring a picnic, a rug and possibly a brolly and enjoy this classic comedy by the Bard. Tickets cost £17.50 per adult, £10 for children or a family ticket for two adults and up to three children costs £50. To book call: 01892 865985 for tickets or email: fundraising@burrswood.org.uk
The Tunbridge Wells Male Orpheus choir will perform their unique blend of classic, contemporary and folk songs at 7.30pm at King Charles the Martyr church.
SUNDAY
Dame Kelly Holmes will officially open the Southborough and District Lions Club’s 35th show at the Meadows School, Southborough Common, at 1pm today. Visitors can enjoy a range of attractions including birds of prey demonstrations, classic cars, heavy horses, skittles and a Punch and Judy show. Entrance costs £1 and parking is free. Donations will go to Kelly’s Charity Heroes which includes local causes like The Hospice in the Weald and the Pickering Drop In Centre.
Today there will be an Open Gardens event in Rotherfield. Running from 11am to 6pm visitors will be able to explore around a number of the village’s gardens. Tickets cost £5 and are available from the village hall with proceeds going to St Denys’ church.
Step away from the stresses of everyday life by going along to the choral evensong performance by the Cantiaci group this evening. Starting at 6pm at St Peter’s Upper Church in Pembury, it promises to be a very tranquil way to ease yourself into next week. For ticket details please email: info@cantiaci.org.uk
The Primavera Chamber Ensemble will be playing from 7.30pm in the Baron’s Hall at Penshurst Place. So if you’re a lover of classical musical masterpieces ensure you book tickets. For more details visit: www.primavera-ensemble.co.uk
MONDAY
Showing at Trinity, the Odeon cinema and the Uckfield Picture House tonight is a live performance of the Royal Opera House’s production of Werther. Based on Goethe’s famous novel entitled The Sorrows of Young Werther, this operatic version tells the story of the poet Werther’s doomed love for the beautiful Charlotte, who is sadly promised to another man.
An exhibition entitled Dear Diary by Nat O’Millervan starts today at Trinity and runs until Sunday. The artist’s work, which comprises pages of her personal hand written diaries, encourages the viewer to reconsider how we connect and express ourselves without resorting to social media.
TUESDAY
Tonight at the Odeon cinema there will be a screening of Richard II. The first of Shakespeare’s history plays centres around the fractious relationship between King Richard and his rebellious aid Henry Bolingbroke. A story of power and plotting ensues in this dramatic performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Starts at 7pm. For ticket details visit: www.odeon.co.uk
The Tall Tales, Tiny Tavern Exhibition at Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery continues. Artist Alec Stevens and writer Jo Kimber have been commissioned to work collaboratively on this exhibition which reinterprets the museum’s collection of dolls’ house furniture, developing new stories which will be presented in a gallery installation.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Tunbridge Wells Arts Fair Assembly Hall June 24 – 26
The Tunbridge Wells Arts Fair begins on Friday June 24 at the Assembly Hall. Beginning at 11am visitors can drop in until 8pm this evening free of charge in order to view the varied work of some of the South East’s most talented artists. There will also be an exhibition of local schools’ art projects. Tickets for the rest of the weekend cost £6 and the event runs until Sunday. For more details visit: www.tunbridgewellsartfair.com
