Music, theatre, comedy, puppetry, educational shows, samba drumming and online workshops are among the highlights of The Library Presents’ outdoor spring season.
Running from May 22 to July 17, the performances in East Cambridgeshire will take place at Burwell, Ely, Haddenham, Littleport and Soham.
In Fenland, they will be held in March, Wisbech and Whittlesey.
A musical standout is comedy cabaret string quartet ‘Graffiti Classics’, who make classical music wickedly funny and fantastically exhilarating.
Their performances have earned high praise from The Times, where the newspaper complimented the routine as a “simply wonderful show”.
For even more laughs, ‘Do Not Adjust Your Stage’ are back with ‘The Improvised Book Club’, a clever improvised comedy show themed around books and audience anecdotes.
Families can also check out the award-winning Story Pocket Theatre with clowning, slapstick and magical, non-verbal storytelling in ‘Storyteller, Storyteller’.
Previous sell-out show ‘Journey into Space’ - a fast-paced and interactive educational show focusing on live experiments and the science behind space travel - is also back this season.
Children and young people, meanwhile, can enjoy a session with professional Manga artist Irina Richards - turning a poem of their choice into a comic.
Adults can learn how to write audio drama with Andrew Burton in ‘Free Your Imagination’; or explore the poem ‘Greatness in a time of Covid’ with author and actor Tayo Aluko, diving into discussions around empire, migration and politics.
The events programme also features outdoor workshops including samba drumming and willow sculpture.
There are also a small number of free short performances to give audiences a taste of what ‘The Library Presents’ events are like.
These include ‘The Puppet Van Presents… The Lost Colour’, an outdoor puppet spectacular exploring the joyful explosion of vibrant colour and ‘Dancing Jukebox Gems’, which takes audiences through three decades of fun music and comedy dance moves.
The programme also has six 10 minute performances in Wisbech and March available to book for outside or in your garden.
'The Library Presents’ is run by Cambridgeshire County Council, working with Babylon ARTS and funded by Arts Council England.
The outdoor events will be held at the following locations:
Alconbury Weald Watch Office
Arbury Church of the Good Shepherd
Burwell Library (outdoors)
Barnwell Baptist Church
Cherry Hinton Hall Park
Ely St. Mary’s Church grounds
Haddenham Arts Centre garden
Histon Baptist Church
Huntingdon Hinchingbrooke Country Park
Littleport Yeomans Field
March Community Centre
March West End Park
Ramsey 1940’s Camp
Soham Library
St. Neots Market Square
Trumpington Meadows Reserve
Upper Cambourne Amphitheatre
Whittlesey Library
Wisbech Castle garden
Wisbech Museum Square
Gary Porter, head of libraries, archives and culture at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “During 2020, an unprecedented year for all of us, I was so pleased that the team was able to continue to share great arts activities and provide a well-needed distraction through the ‘In Your House’ programme.
"I am proud to say that the team has organised outdoor events in response to the overwhelming desire we all must be feeling to get out and see something ‘live’.”
Tickets can be booked online or in participating libraries.
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