Daily Info's recommended events for the week ahead, Thursday 11th September - Wednesday 17th September
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Oxford's doors are open! With venues accessible for free across Oxford this weekend, there's even more to explore than usual...
This weekend, Oxford’s hidden gems are on full display as Oxford Open Doors gives you the chance to discover parts of the city not normally accessible to the general public for free.
There’ll be dozens of both drop-in and bookable events taking place over Saturday and Sunday. Explore the Painted Room of the Crown Tavern, favoured by Shakespeare on his Oxford visits; take in the glorious architecture of the Oxford Oratory, the Examination Schools and the university’s many colleges; and take part in hands-on workshops like historic printing at the Bodleian Library or silk screen printing at Oxford Castle.
This year also welcomes some brand new events to the roster, including the reopening of historic Love Lane, a day of talks, painting and song with Ballads at the Bodleian, and a talk at the Ultimate Picture Palace on the history of cinema - find all these and more in their programme (and a few more peppered through this week’s EP!).
Oxford Open Doors: Various venues across Oxford city centre, Sat 13th - Sun 14th Sep, all day. Free (some events require booking).
We’re all about the journeys in theatrical form this week, even if they’re only into your own basement. Tonight and tomorrow, hurry to catch the last of American Candy, a dark comedy about capitalism and distrust set in one of the many Uncle Sam shops that have sprung up in every high street. Things take a dark turn, soon there’s a body to be hidden, and secrets to come tumbling out.
Head a bit further with Tom Fox and Becky Owen-Fisher as they whisk you off on a Journey To the Centre of the Earth with no budget, in a comedy version of Jules Verne’s classic. Expect cardboard, music and dinosaurs, oh and to laugh a lot along the way. What could go wrong?
And last but not least, Creation Theatre are looking to the future, and the next generation of actors. If you have a young person age 5-19 who’s keen to tread the boards, hear new stories, or just play silly games and make new friends, you need Creation’s drama sessions. There are lots of age-bands, and weekly classes take place in Wolvercote and Headington. Try a free taster session! (If weekly doesn’t work, we can also recommend the short, sharp version: put on a Play in a Week , on offer most school holidays!)
American Candy: Burton Taylor Studio, Thu 11th - Fri 12th Sept, 7.30pm, £14/£12
Journey to the Centre of the Earth: The Old Fire Station, Sun 14th Sept, 6pm, £13-£17
Creation Theatre Drama Club Tasters: St Peter’s Church, Wolvercote and Headington Baptist Church, various times for each age group
From the last of summer to the ooh-it’s-nearly-Christmas, our selection of festivals run the gamut of the season this week! Enjoy, time-travellers of Oxford.
For those clinging on to the last of Summer, you’ll want to head to Tap Social’s brewery in Kidlington for their Brewery Open Day . You can enjoy draught and canned beers, eat Beni’s pizzas, and generally rock the place. The buses from Oxford to Kidlington are regular and plentiful, and the event is free to attend. So as the Tap Social folks say: “round up your crew and come kick it!”
For the forward thinkers, Oxfordshire Craft Guild offer you the chance to buy beautiful handmade Christmas gifts at their pop-up shop. Though those of you still avoiding Christmas like the plague should still head down - the Craft Guild produce surprising, exquisite, and sometimes hilarious work, from pocket-money affordable to ouch-save-up-for wishlist items. Go and admire the skills on offer and say hi to the makers next time you’re passing the Town Hall.
And for anyone grounded in the present, you’ve a choice! You could head to SeptemberSong next weekend - the mist-jewelled event for those who love Wood Festival and can’t wait a full 12-months between instalments. Combine ancient skills, talks, familiar and new music, and the spaciousness of Brazier’s Park. Or for a shorter celebration of autumn, Barracks Lane Garden Harvest Festival will teach you fermentation skills while you eat home-made pizza and drink freshly pressed apple juice.
Tap Social Movement Open Brewery Day: Station Field Industrial Estate, Kidlington, OX5 1JD, Sat 13th Sept, 12 noon - 7pm, Free
Oxfordshire Craft Guild Pop-Up Shop: Oxford Town Hall, until Sat 13th Sept, 10am-5pm, Free entry
Septembersong: Braziers Park, Ipsden, OX10 6AN, Fri 19th gates open 3pm - Sun 21st Sept, £109 weekend / £55 day
Harvest Event: Barracks Lane Community Garden, Sun 14th Sept, 11am - 3pm, Free entry
What do you do with grief? Maria Arroyave had to confront this question when her beloved sister died suddenly in lockdown. And the result is Through Love - an exhibition of magical paintings, featuring hope and the natural world, bright fantasies celebrating the love surrounding her sister Ana, who was a social-worker and mother, and beloved by her community. Come and meet Maria, pay tribute to Ana, or just enjoy the paintings.
A fixture in Oxfordshire’s artistic calendar, this year's Society of Wood Engravers exhibition is its 87th! And if you want to see the versatility of this particular artform, you’ll find it here. From tiny detailed black-and-white depictions of the natural world, in the tradition of Thomas Bewick (who developed wood engraving on end-grain as distinct from woodcuts along the grain, which hold less detail) to larger works, or coloured pictures, or those embracing urban subjects, you’ll find a full range among these 125 prints.
Simple Pleasures at the Sarah Wiseman Gallery features a quartet of artists celebrating small moments in life that are often overlooked. Charlotte Cornish’s abstract compositions play with a balance of mark-making poured paint and colour-balance. Clare Halifax’s screenprints show delicate nature against riotous backgrounds of colour experienced in London parks. And make a beeline for new artist Marissa Weatherhead’s playful still lives enjoying fish, feasts and friends.
Maria Arroyave - Through Love: Magdalen Road Studios, until Mon 15th Sept, 11am - 6pm
The Society Of Wood Engravers Annual Exhibition: North Wall Arts Centre, Mon - Sat until 27th Sept, 10am - 4pm, Free
Simple Pleasures: Sarah Wiseman Gallery, South Parade, Tue - Sat until 4th Oct, 10am - 5:30pm, Free entry
What if we told you that you can get more than a tune out of a piano? That’s the philosophy behind Pianodrome, an initiative which uses old pianos to create unique crafts and community centred sculptures. Pianodrome will be showcasing their piano craft all day at the Old Schoolhouse Community Day, alongside communal singing and music workshops.
Next up, we’re feeling the blues in all the right ways as Journeyman brings their unique fusion of delta blues and performance poetry to the Half-Moon. Accompanied by the acoustic steel guitar stylings of The Revelators, expect to move and be moved.
And lastly, pay it forward for folk at Common Ground, with monthly performances to raise money for next year’s Oxford Folk Festival. This Friday it’s the genre- and discipline- spanning sounds of Scarecrow, with influences running the gamut between blues, folk and classical, accompanied by the intricate guitar work of Peter Joshua.
Pianodrome : The Old Schoolhouse Community Day, Sat 13th Sep, 10am - 3pm. Free.
Journeyman and the Revelators : Half-Moon Pub, Sat 13th Sep, 9pm. Free.
Oxford Folk Fundraiser - Scarecrow w. Peter Joshua: Common Ground Workspace, Fri 12th Sep, 7:30pm. Donations invited (£6 or more).
Do you have a talented kid or precocious pup that feels right at home onstage? Cornerstone Arts are auditioning for this year’s panto, Beauty and the Beast, this Saturday, and they’re looking for young performers and stage-ready dogs to help make the fairytale a reality.
For human auditionees, no experience is necessary as long as you’ve got personality! The audition will consist of games and a short dance routine, so no pressure to learn any lines (but make sure you bring an audition form. For the doggos (sorry, we’re keeping the millennial spirit alive), if your furry friend has tricks or agility skills to show off, you can register your interest online.
Auditions will take place Sat 13th Sep, 1-4pm. Full details and the audition form are available on the Cornerstone website.
Image credits: Oxford Preservation Trust, The Mango Ensemble, Tap Social Movement, Charlotte Cornish, Journeyman, Cornerstone Arts
