Box office boom set to begin

June 9, 2006

Preparations for Hebden Bridge Arts Festival step up a gear next week when the box office officially opens.

“Ticket sales – since postal booking opened on May 15 – have been going really well,” says organiser Enid Stephenson. “Bookings are coming in thick and fast and are bound to flood in when the box office opens on June 17th. We really would advise anyone wanting tickets ought to come along as soon as possible.”

The easiest way to book is to visit the box office at the Festival Shop on Albert Street in Hebden Bridge. The shop is staffed by local volunteers who can give visitors all the updates on festival events as well as directions to the open gardens and artists’ studios. The shop also has two exhibitions on display – original glassworks by Althea Braithwaite and signed limited edition prints by Royal Academy artists such as Peter Blake and Eileen Cooper.

Bleeding Hearts

This year’s festival boasts more than 80 events – ranging from ground-breaking theatre and film to internationally acclaimed rap and classical music.

Highlights include Italian theatrical masterpiece Novecento; a chance to meet the BBC’s well-travelled correspondent George Alagiah; hilarious stand-up Jeremy Hardy, and en-route from Canada to Edinburgh, the acclaimed Rap Canterbury Tales.

Other big names include David Benson, who will be bringing his unforgettable performance Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams.

Visit Palestine

The programme also includes workshops, special independent film screenings, including Visit Palestine, and music ranging from the Walshaw Lodge Tea Concert at Hardcastle Crags to electro and yodelling.

For visitors curious about the lives of others, there are some insightful talks on World War One poet Isaac Rosenberg, on Samuel Beckett and on the forgotten suffragettes of the North of England.

There are children’s events too, including a chance to hear prolific author Nigel Gray, on his brief visit to the UK from Australia. Nigel will be at Hebden Bridge library, temporarily based at the Vale Centre near the Co-op). This free family event is a great chance to hear about Nigel’s life and to listen to a story or two from the author’s own lips.

Programmes and booking forms are available from the festival office on Albert Street, Hebden Bridge or by calling 01422 842684. Details and regular news bulletins can also of course be found here at www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/festival.