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Theatre Picks In Bath
Thu 24 Aug-Sat 23 Sep. Ustinov Studio. Farewell Mister Haffmann. Set in 1942 in Nazi Occupied Paris Jewish Monsieur Haffmann enters a bizarre life swap to survive. (Pictured are the cast.)
Wed 6-Sat 9 Sep. Mission Theatre. Beginning. This funny, uplifting, and at times heartbreaking play by David Eldridge takes an intimate look at the first fragile moments of risking your heart and taking a chance.
Wed 13 Sep. Rondo Theatre. The Bobby Kennedy Experience. Written & performed by Russell Lucas about the younger brother of JFK.
12-16 Sep. Theatre Royal Bath. Oliver! Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1838 novel Oliver Twist and the stage musical and film by Bath Light Operatic Group.
Sat-Mon16 – 18 Sep. Egg Theatre. Nest. Filled with clowning, original song and beautiful shadow play, this highly physical show uses minimal language to tell a tale about taking care, discovering what’s important and learning how to fly.
Tue-Sat 26-30 Sep. Mission Theatre. West Side Story. Youth Theatre production.
Thu 28 Sep-Sat 7 Oct. Theatre Royal. A Voyage Round My Father. Rupert Everett in John Mortimer’s autobiographical play.
Wed 4- Sat7 Oct. Rondo Theatre. The Alchemist. Set 1890s London Ben Jonson’s story of three con artists intent to cheat the wealthy and greedy with a con involving alchemy and the Philosopher’s Stone. Directed by Scarlett Hayler-King for Bath Drama.
Thu 5 Oct. Mission Theatre. In Other Words. Connected by the music of Frank Sinatra, this intimate, humorous and deeply moving love story explores the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and the transformative power of music to help us remember the past, connect with the present and hope for the future.
Theatre Picks Outside Bath
Fri 1 Sep. Swindon Arts Centre. Persuasion. DOT Productions with a new adaptation based on Jane Austen’s final novel – often judged her best.
Fri 1-Sat 2 Sep. Bristol. Alma Theatre. God of Carnage. The Malmesbury Repertory Company stage Yasmina Rezas’ hit comedy about two sets of parents who fall out over a minor incident involving their children.
Thu 31 Aug – Sat 2 Sep. Bristol Old Vic. Orpheus and Eurydice. A modern retelling of the ancient Greek legend by a community theatre production with a large cast directed by Lisa Gregan.
Fri 1-Sat 23 Sep. Salisbury Playhouse. Perfect Nonsense. Comedy drama based on PG Wodehouse’s stories of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster.
Wed 13-Sat 30. Bristol Old Vic. Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder. A hilarious murder mystery musical.
Thu 14th – Sat 23rd Sep. Cheltenham. Everyman Theatre. The Full Monty. Simon Beaufoy’s comedy play about out of work chaps who decide to bare their credentials.
Pick of Diary Events in Bath
Thu 31 Aug-Sat 2 Sep. The Forum. Play in Three Days. Clarion Call Arts Academy. Young people stage three days of performances in a celebration of the arts.
Sat 2 Sep. Claverton Community Hall. Flower and Produce Show. 2pm. Traditional village flower show. Tea and cakes, vegetable auction, ice cream and misshapen vegetables on show. £2 entrance.
Sun 3 Sep. Bath Cats and Dogs Home Walk. The wag walk raises cash for the home. Up to five miles. Register on their website.
Sun 3 Sep. Twerton High Street. Carnival event. Twert Lush is a day of music, art, dance and a celebration of all things carnival.
Thu 7 Sep. Toppings Book Shop. Tiny Tales. Free reading group for ages 2-5 at 9.30am. First Thursday of the month.
Thu 7 Sep. U3A. Talk on the Port of Bristol by John Chaplin. 10.30am. The Pavilion.
Fri 8 Sep. Theatre Royal. Austen’s Arcadia. Jane Tapley follows the career of one of the earliest and greatest female writers of the 18th Century. 2pm.
Sat-Sun 9-10 Sep. Combe Down Art Trail. At Combe Down Community Centre and various venues. 10am – 4pm. For details see www.cdarttrail.com
Sat-Sun 9-10 Sun Sep. Bath Scape Walking Festival. See the website for details.
Sun 10 Sep. Cleveland Pools Reopens. The pool is free on this first day but booking is essential at https://www.clevelandpools.org.uk/
Sun 10 Sep. Jewish Cemetery Open Day. 11am to 4pm, entrance free. Part of Heritage Open Days. Last Open Day for 2023. About 100 people from Bath’s 18th and 19th century Jewish community are thought to be buried in this peaceful semi-secret place behind high walls. There is a printed guide – or if you bring your smartphone you can find out about the history of the community and find online biographies for the people buried here with our online guide. The burial ground is located on Bradford Rd by the roundabout entrance to Mulberry Park, 1 Greendown Place BA2 5DD. Bus no 2 from Bath Railway Station stops close by. Free parking along Bradford Rd. Wheelchairs can come down the steps via a ramp (though the ground is uneven once inside). We will also be hosting two artists as part of Combe Down Art Trail.
Sat 16 Sep. Museum of Bath at Work. The Way of the Morris. 11am. 2pm. Free. As part of National Heritage Open Day the Museum is showing the award winning documentary ‘The Way of the Morris’ .
Fri 15 Sep. Burdall’s Yard. Cassidy Janson. Concert in support of Dorothy House. Carol King-esque singer.
Sat 16 Sep. Burdall’s Yard. Alive and Brel. A celebration of chanson French music with all the classic songs.
Sun 17 Sep. Lansdown. Bath Beast Cycling Charity Challenge. Start and finish at the racecourse in aid of Julian House Bike Workshop. 100, 70 or 25 mile routes.
Wed 20 Sep. Rondo Theatre. Women Who Gave No Fucks. 8pm. Presented by Story Jam. Stand-up storytellers slam down no-holds-barred tales of women who didn’t play by the rules in the past.
Fri 22 Sep. The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes. Talk by Kate Strasdin, a fashion historian and museum curator on a diary from 1838 who wrote about her life. 2pm.
Fri 22-Sun 24 Sep. Milsom Street. The Great Bath Feast. Food and drink events at various venues. See reatbathfeast.co.uk
Sat 23 Sep. Widcombe Social Club. European Folk Music. Celebrating European Folk Day. 8pm. Starting and finishing at Bath’s iconic Lansdown Racecourse, this epic new cycling route will take you through the scenic sights of the Westbury White Horse and the mighty Gare Hill plus stunning views of Shearwater Lake.
Sun 24 Sep. Kingswood Upper Sports Pavilion. Circuit of Bath Walk. In aid of Julian House. In support to over 2,000 vulnerable men, women and children across the region.
Sun 24 Sep. Green Park Station. Vintage and Antique Market. Not just an antique market but a recycling event!
Sun 24 Sep. Boathouse Pub. Dragon Boat Race. Everyone who participates in the Bath Dragon Boat Race will be supporting a charity based in Bath: Designability, Mentoring Plus or Rainforest Concern. The entry fee per boat is £550 and crews are then asked to raise a minimum of £650 in sponsorship for their chosen charity. If you would like to enter a team, please email fundraising@designability.org.uk or call 01225 824103 to obtain a registration form.
Mon 25 Sep. Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. Talk by John Willis on his book Nagasaki The Forgotten Prisoners. 7.30pm.
Fri 29 Sep-Sun 8 Oct. Bath Children’s Literature Festival. Over 100 writers, creators and illustrators from the world of young people’s books including Sir Lenny Henry, Robin Stevens, Cressida Cowell, Rob Biddulph, Holly Jackson, Dapo Adeola and Nathan Bryon, Nikita Gill, Katherine Rundell, Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, Holly Bourne, Chris Riddell, Tom Holland and Dermot O’Leary. See bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature for details.
Sat 30 Sep. Egg Theatre. A Damsel Not in Distress. This hilarious picture book is being brought to the stage by a cast of performance actors specially for Bath Children’s Literature Festival.
Mon 2 Oct. Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. Talk on French Women’s Writing after May 1968 by Dr Sandra Daroczi. 7:30 pm. The talk will focus on Monique Wittig’s work, setting her in the literary and socio-political contexts of the second half of the 20th century. 2023 is a year dedicated to Monique Wittig marking 20 years since her passing and 50 years since the publication of her seminal work, The Lesbian Body. Dr Sandra Daroczi, Lecturer in French Studies, University of Bath.
Thu 5 Oct. U3A Talk. The Pavilion. 10.30am.
Fri 6 Oct. Mission Theatre. Queen of the Night by Julia Golding. A staged reading of the play with wine, music and telescopes.
Thu 6 Oct. Toppings Book Shop. Tiny Tales. Free reading group for ages 2-5 at 9.30am. First Thursday of the month.
Sun 15 Oct. Bath Half Marathon. See https://bathhalf.co.uk/
Pick of Diary Events outside of Bath
Sat 30 Sep. Riverside Inn, Saltford. Molly’s quiz Night for Mencap. 7pm. Test your wits in our fun quiz night, organised by Molly Hale, to raise money for Keynsham Mencap. You only need to book one ticket for the whole team. You can give your quiz team name now, or just a lead name for the booking. Book via Ticket Tailor, or in the Keynsham Mencap office. £12 per team, maximum of 6 people per team.
Exhibition Picks in Bath
American Museum, Bath. Claverton. The Museum features collections from the United States where you can visit room sets that recreate periods of American history giving the feeling that someone has just stepped out, as well as our world-renowned folk art, quilt and map collections. The Exhibition Gallery has a rotating programme of temporary exhibitions with Brick America a Lego exhibition. Until 31 December – discover famous buildings, cityscapes and vehicles, plus models inspired by movies, history, NASA, iconic people and much more, with many models and mosaics built specially for the American Museum & Gardens by LEGO artist Warren Elsmore and his team.
Assembly Rooms. The National Trust are working on the Georgian Experience, due to open in 2026.
Bath Abbey: From 18 September to 29 October 2023, Bath Abbey is hosting Luke Jerram’s touring Gaia artwork as part of the Treasuring Creation Festival. Gaia features detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface and provides the opportunity to see our planet floating in three-dimensions. More details at bathabbey.org.
Bath World Heritage Centre. Interactive exhibits and displays designed to reveal the history of Bath and show visitors and residents free walking trails and guides to help you explore everything Bath has to offer.
Burdell’s Yard. Art exhibition. Free entry. War and Peace by Brian Elwell. Until Sat, 7 Oct 2023. In a brand new exhibition of paintings, Brian Elwell loosely features ideas about buildings in England and Ukraine at the present time.
Herschel Museum of Astronomy. It is located in a town house that was formerly the home of William Herschel and his sister Caroline.
Holburne Museum. The heart of the present day Collection was formed by Sir Thomas William Holburne (1793-1874). As a second son, Thomas William (generally known as William) first pursued a naval career. He ultimately inherited the Baronetcy in 1820 following the death of his elder brother, Francis, at the Battle of Bayonne in 1814. In 1882 this collection of over 4,000 objects, pictures and books was bequeathed to the people of Bath by Holburne’s sister, Mary Anne Barbara Holburne. One of the Holburne’s main purposes is to preserve the things that have been entrusted to our care.
Museum of Bath at Work. Julian Rd, Bath BA1 2RH. Enter the world of working Bath through a series of authentically reconstructed workplaces, workshops and display galleries. Two thousand years of working life are on display from a Victorian ironmongers and engineering works, a soft drinks making factory and even a Bath Stone mine working, all on show in a former Real Tennis court, dating from 1777. Exhibition: All Day Long: The Workers of Bath in Fifty Portrait Photographs
Museum of East Asian Art. MEAA’s collections consist of some 2,000 objects. The majority of these are of Chinese origin, spanning from 5,000 BC to the present. The collections also contain artefacts from Japan and Korea and a number of countries in South East Asia.
No.1 Royal Crescent. Features an immersive experience, which will allow you to see life as it was lived in Georgian Bath during the late 1700s. Look beyond the Crescent’s famous Palladian façade and see what life was like for the wealthy and their servants in eighteenth-century Bath.
Victoria Art Gallery. Kaffe Fassett: Timeless Themes – New Quilts. 1 July 2023 to 1 October 2023. This vibrant exhibition showcases 23 large new quilts and ties in with Kaffe’s forthcoming book, Timeless Themes. Also Candace Bahouth: Enchanted Visions for the same period – Candace Bahouth creates grand rococo mirrors decorated with porcelain and china pieces.
Exhibition Picks outside Bath
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. The Cave Art of Lascaux: a Virtual Reality Experience at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Step back in time 21,000 years and visit the incredible Stone Age cave art of Lascaux in immersive 3D. Until 10 Sept 2023.