Just days to go until the start of
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival 08

The Electric Voice Theatre brings a groundbreaking ensemble piece to an exciting new venue on Friday June 27th. Contemporary opera Baghdad Lullabies uses cutting edge technology, live processing and surround sound space manipulation to enhance the vocal agility of the soloist. This completely new work by Frances M Lynch and The Electric Voice Theatre is the debut Festival event at the new Ted Hughes Theatre in Mytholmroyd. It brings together epitaphs by Robert Burns with a Brazilian requiem mass, a world premiere of Paul Barker’s third in the Three Lullabies series, and the Baghdad Monologue, using the now infamous words of Bush and Blair in a haunting setting.

Deafy’s Island Discs on Saturday June 28th is a warm, witty and engaging show (which will be signed), featuring Radio 4’s Steve Day, who has been hearing-impaired since the age of 18. Exploring the dilemmas of being a deaf man in a hearing world, Steve plays and talks about the seven records he remembers and misses most.

A new experience for the Arts Festival, two literary lunches are being held at the Dusty Miller in Mytholmroyd on July 6th and 13th. The first is in the company of Adèle Geras and Sophie Hannah.

Adèle Geras has published more than 90 books for children and young adults as well as four novels for adults. Her daughter Sophie Hannah writes crime fiction and poetry and her psychological thrillers have sold more than 200,000 copies in the UK alone.

The second lunch is with Suzanne Berne and Marjorie Sandor. Suzanne Berne’s first novel won the Orange prize in 1999. Marjorie Sandor is the winner of the National Jewish Book award in fiction and the author of three books including the story collection A Portrait of My Mother Who Posed Nude in War-Time.

Please note, Lady of Burma on June 29th is the latest of the festival events to sell out. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, Ian Marchant has had to cancel his performance and quiz on the same day.

Postal booking for the 40-plus performances and workshops is now open. The box office on Albert Street opens on June 14.

The 2008 Festival runs from Friday, June 27 to Sunday, July 13.

If you’d like to be kept in touch with what’s planned, e-mail hbfestival@gmail.com or visit www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/festival.