Plenty of surprises in Quay Arts Autumn season

Quay Arts Animal Farm

Thanks to Rachel for this update from Quay Arts Centre in Newport. Ed


Quay Arts’ new autumn/winter season goes on sale this week (Friday 19th July) and there are a few surprises.

A regular arthouse cinema slot every Thursday evening with a main feature and a short film leads the way for the new range of things to do in the centre of the county town.

Regular Jazz, some cutting edge spoken word and great comedy including Robin Ince and Alexie Sayle are all part of the new events on offer, alongside the ever popular Acoustic Originals and Comedy Club.

Exhibitions and theatre shows
The galleries host a range of evocative and inspiring exhibitions and there are some fantastic theatre shows including an award winning version of Orwell’s Animal Farm, Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi as well as new writing from Original Theatre with On The Bridge, the international hit Jerusalem, and Mr Maugham at Home starring Anthony Smee.

Workshops galore
The kids can spend half term at the Harry Potter Festival, as Quay Arts shows all eight films in four days, with a range of related activities to engage the little muggles. And there are loads of other classes and workshops from pottery and jewellery through to making your own Christmas decorations, offering something for everyone.

Murder Most Fowl
A Murder Mystery entitled Murder Most Fowl is the Christmas offering – a theatre show, a three-course meal from the Quay Arts kitchen and the challenge of finding ‘whodunit’ promises a great way to celebrate the festive season with friends and colleagues.

Eclectic and exciting range of events
Robert Miles, the new Artistic Director, said,

“I hope people notice the change. We were really keen to be open more and offer a really eclectic and exciting range of events. I think everyone deserves a really high quality mix of arts and entertainment, and we hope to offer that alongside our excellent café. We have also changed things around in the shop to make it easier to see all the fantastic local arts and crafts on sale. In this age of austerity, there can be no better way to cheer yourself up than a trip to Quay Arts, supporting the local creative economy and enjoying the best the Island has to offer.”

For more information see the Quay Arts Website.