THE Chagford Arts Festival 2004 crams an impressive diversity of entertainment into four days.
The event kicks off with a Grand Festival Opening Parade and family fun night out on Thursday, July 22 where people are invited to dress up in the theme of ?Carnivale?. An evening of entertainment comedy, and fun follows ? ending in a spectacular firework display.
On Friday, July 23, The Bingham String Quartet with Victoria Loram and Moor Poets are at St Michael?s Church at 7.30pm. The Quartet will be playing with local clarinettist Victoria Loram. Music includes Mozart?s Quintet in A major for clarinet and strings, and Weber?s Quintet in B flat major. Writers from the group Moor Poets will be reading as part of the evening?s programme.
In the Jubilee Hall acclaimed vocalist Delroy O?Gilvie will be leading the Bristol-based live roots reggae band The Justice Crew. O?Gilvie was a founding member of Black Roots in the 1980?s and gained a reputation for giving exhilarating live performances. He will be singing songs of freedom, love and Rastafarianism.
On Saturday, July 24 in the Jubilee Hall, Adaptable Theatre present Three Men in a Boat ? the much loved classic tale of three men messing about in a boat on the River Thames.
Brought to life by Martin Harvey, Ian Pearce, Steve Crump and John Watson, the show is guaranteed to bring a smile to audiences of all ages.
The Ploughboys Traditional Jazz Band will be performing in the Barns, Chagford House on Sunday afternoon while an Evening of Stand-Up Comedy will take place in the Jubilee Hall featuring Rohan Agalawatta, Karen Bayley and Hal Cruttenden. It will be compered by Chagford?s very own Steve Park.
As well as the major events there is a wide range of other events throughout the festival including workshops on belly dancing, creative writing and printmaking.
l A collection of ?self portraits? created by Chagford residents will be on show as part of the Chagford Arts Festival 2004. More than 80 submissions have already been received for the Self Portrait Chagford exhibition which will be opened on July 23 at The Barns, Chagford by Alan Lee, the recent Oscar-winning creative director if The Lord of the Rings movies.
To complement this, nearby Monks Withecombe Gallery will be staging an exhibition by Michelle Sank and Magali Nougarede entitled Exotic Banalities. It examines issues of the ?self? through a series of photographs ? Sank?s work is a photographic study of adolescence; Nougarede?s portraits convey the magical wonder of the seaside that we remember from our childhood.
l For details contact the festival office in the Mercoil Offices, 1 Mill Street, Chagford. Box office 10am to 4pm daily except Sundays: 07960 828878. E-mail: http://www.chagfordartsfestival.com">www.chagfordartsfestival.com