Folk music, new spins on classic tales and all the fun of a museum. These and more can be found in this week's Editor's Picks.
Music, Lyrics, and Literature
Two much-loved festivals return to Oxford this weekend. First up, there’s the Oxford Folk Festival , with events across three days. One of the main hubs will be the Market Tap with performances throughout the weekend. Particularly exciting is the Saturday evening gig with singer-songwriter Mandy Woods and roots band, The Holy Fools. At the Weston Library, you can find a Sunday afternoon of traditional and modern music, taking everything from folk songs to sea shanties. Oxfolk will be hosting events every day, including a dance workshop, the Dirty Big Canal Dance Band, and a family Ceildh. Keep an eye on the Oxford Folk Festival website for all the latest information.
Also this weekend, Oxford Premier Book Fair is back, giving book lovers the chance to peruse rare, collectable and second-hand books, maps, manuscripts and ephemera across two days, with items starting at £2.
Oxford Folk Weekend: venues across Oxford, Fri 19th to Sun 21st Apr
Oxford Premier Book Fair: Headington Campus, Oxford Brookes, Sat 20th, 12 to 6pm, Sun 21st Apr, 10am to 4pm, £2
Under the Sea
Spring has sprung! And the stages of Oxford are also blossoming, with five blooming good shows to catch this week and next.
First up, Tom Stoppard’s devilishly clever Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The absurdist, tragicomic tale follows the exploits of two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who marvel over and misunderstand the events occurring around them. Come see Abingdon Drama Club’s production at The Unicorn Theatre.
For a night that’s equal parts heartwarming and heart-rending, don’t miss Come From Away when it crash lands at the New Theatre next Tuesday. The acclaimed musical focusses on a small Newfoundland community who took in nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers when 9/11 diverted their flights.
Meanwhile, a storm brews over at Oxford Playhouse in the form of Unfortunate:The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch. The show, fresh from the West End, packs a pantomime punch. Expect spellbinding style and equally impressive vocals.
For something a bit more serious but no less entertaining, don’t miss the latest from prolific local legends Creation Theatre: Animal Farm. Known for their clever props and set designs, you can be sure Creation will bring Orwell’s dystopian allegory to vivid life.
Finally, the hilarious Surprise! Surprise! takes the stage at Dorchester Village Hall next week, a comedy about a birthday party that goes horribly awry.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead: Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon. Thu 18th - Sat 20th Apr. 7.30pm, plus 2pm Sat matinee. £12 (£10)
Come From Away: New Theatre. Tue 23rd - Sat 27th, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm on Wed and Sat. Tickets from £35.
Unfortunate: Oxford Playhouse. Tue 23rd - Sat 27th Apr, 7.30pm Tue-Thu, 8pm on Fri, 2.30 & 7.30pm on Sat. Tickets from £14.
Animal Farm: United Reformed Church. Wed 24th Apr - Sat 11th May, shows on Tue-Sat, times vary. Tickets from £25, conc available.
Surprise! Surprise!: Dorchester on Thames Village Hall. Thu 25th - Sat 27th Apr, 7.30pm. Tickets £12.
Giggin' Around
For an evening’s entertainment that’s a little more informal, we begin with a double header of thought-provoking standup at Cornerstone Arts Centre. With Feed This Black Man Again, Daliso Chaponda returns to the material of his first ever live show and the experiences of his youth, enriched with the wisdom of two decades on the circuit. And 6.5 Children's Ashley Blaker takes a wry look at raising kids with learning difficulties in the witty and relatable Normal Schmormal.
Meanwhile at Kidlington Comedy Club, Mates Rates Comedy presents a fresh mix of new and established comic talent, headlined this week by Nicole Harris. Nicole’s unique blend of observation and improv have earned her stellar reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe, and now she’s bringing those skills to your doorstep.
Last but not least, a hit of nostalgia for the noughties rockers as The Zutons hit the O2 Academy. You’ll doubtless know them best for the cultural juggernaut that is ‘Valerie’, but this time round they’re marking the release of The Big Decider, their first collective album in 16 years. Why don’t you come on over?
Daliso Chaponda: Feed This Black Man Again: Cornerstone Arts Centre, Fri 19th Apr, 7.30pm. Tickets £17.
Ashley Blaker: Normal Schmormal: Cornerstone Arts Centre, Sat 20th Apr, 7.30pm. Tickets £18.
Kidlington Comedy Club with Nicole Harris: The Six Bells, Kidlington, Tues 23rd Apr, 7.30pm. Tickets £5.
The Zutons: O2 Academy, Thurs 25th Apr, 7pm. Tickets from £35.65.
Adventures at the Museum
Things are on the grow this weekend at Science Oxford’s Nature Club. Tree Time teaches youngsters the importance of trees to our ecosystem in preparation for Earth Day (Mon 22nd). Learn through scavenger hunts, craft activities and more how to identify the trees in your local area and their role in fighting climate change.
The History of Science Museum also gives you the chance to get hands on with its weekly How Does It Work sessions - learn what makes the many technological devices throughout the museum tick, and uncover the stories behind them with your very own Light and Space backpack.
Finally, Usha dapur Kar offers a bold and confrontational insight into the effects of institutionalised racism on the health and well-being of women of colour in Ferocious Grace. Drawing from her own experiences within the not-for-profit sector, Usha’s series of thirty paintings explores the painful process of healing from these encounters and calls for systemic changes to the institutions that create them.
Science Oxford - Tree Time: Science Oxford, Sat Apr 20th, 10am, 12.30 & 3pm. Tickets £10 (1 child and accompanying adult)
How Does It Work?: History of Science Museum, Sat 20th Apr, 2-4pm. Free.
Ferocious Grace: Cornerstone Arts Centre, Tues 5th Mar - Sat 27th Apr, 10am - 5pm. Free.
Films to Sink Your Teeth Into
Horror fans are in for a bloody treat with the latest film from the Radio Silence directing duo (Ready or Not, Scream). Abigail is a starry work (Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Giancario Esposito) that sees a group of criminals come undone when their kidnapping target turns out to be a vicious 12-year-old vampire.
For something more sombre there’s the Sundance Film Festival darling, Sometimes I Think About Dying, following a lonely woman (Daisy Ridley) as she attempts a connection with a new colleague.
Also this week there are films celebrating some of the finest US directors. At the Ultimate Picture Palace there’s Terence Malick's mesmerising 70s drama Days of Heaven , following a couple as they seek work on a farm. And the Phoenix Picturehouse has both Jordan Peele’s sweeping latest, Nope, and the Coen Brothers’ debut work, Blood Simple. Look out for even more Coen Brothers’ films in the coming weeks.
Abigail: Odeon George Street, Vue
Sometimes I Think About Dying: Curzon Oxford
Days of Heaven: the Ultimate Picture Palace
Nope: Phoenix Picturehouse
Blood Simple: Phoenix Picturehouse
And Finally
Now that the days are longer and the weather’s warmer, why not spend some more time outside? Cutteslowe Greenhouse, in Cutteslowe Park near Summertown, hosts regular nature walks and is always looking for volunteers for their Orchard Work Parties and Community Lunch events!
Find out about their events and volunteering opportunities.
Image credits: Oxford Folk Weekend, Oxford Playhouse, O2 Academy Oxford, Museum of the History of Science, Cuttlesowe Greenhouse