Halstock Community Arts
Halstock village has, to the delight of audiences from local communities, regularly welcomed superb professional arts companies from all over the UK, and further afield.
Theatre Community Music
Welcome to Halstock Community Arts
Our next Production
Thursday 11th December
Christian Garrick (violin) and John Etheridge (guitar) are two of Britain’s most virtuosic and versatile performers on their respective instruments. Comfortable with pretty much any style of jazz and contemporary music from gypsy/Hot Club stylings to jazz rock fusion, this world class duo provides a feast of interplay, improvisation and eclectic repertoire with music ranging from Peter Gabriel to Richard Rogers via Dollar Brand and Alison Goldfrapp.
"One of the most potent relationships in European Jazz" The Guardian
British guitar legend John Etheridge (Soft Machine, Stephane Grappelli, Dizzy Gillespie, John Williams, Nigel Kennedy) and acclaimed violinist Christian Garrick (Van Morrison, Cleo Laine, Budapest Café Orchestra) have played together for many years. This free-wheeling pair use extensive looping and effects to create exotic tapestries of sound which are almost orchestral at times yet switch seamlessly to a pure acoustic with rollicking renditions of Hot Club swing, evoking the spirit of Reinhardt and Grappelli themselves. Simply unmissable!
Suitable for all ages, this show is touring as part of the programme by Dorset based charity, Artsreach.
Recommended Locally
Friday 5th December
About Us
The village of Halstock has been home to amateur and professional theatre in some shape or form for many years and was one of the first places to host a performance on behalf of the fledgling Artsreach organisation that is now so familiar to us here in Dorset.
The late Pamela Lemmey, who was an active member of the Halstock WI drama group, was one of the first volunteers to take up the challenge of promoting for Artsreach at it's inception in March 1990, supporting music, drama and dance performances in the village hall and occasionally the church. Since then, the village has, to the delight of audiences from local communities, regularly welcomed superb professional arts companies from all over the UK, and further afield.
In addition to Artsreach shows, the village has enjoyed productions from local drama groups: first The Frome Valley Players followed by Halstock Community Theatre (HCT). Halstock Community Theatre took over the role of promoting Artsreach events and in 2023 HCT set up a bursary programme to provide support to local artists. In 2024 the group made the decision to change their name to Halstock Community Arts which it was felt better reflects the group's aims and activities.
