Tue 14 April – Thurs 21 May | Tor Eigeland: 60 Years Behind The Lens

As a boy in the 1930s and ‘40s, walking along the docks near his home in Oslo, Norway, Tor Eigeland watched ships and sailors from around the globe and dreamed of adventure. At the age of 16 he took time off school to work as a deckhand on a merchant ship and so began a lifetime travelling the world. His discovery of a talent and love for photography set him on course for an illustrious and extraordinary career as a much-published photojournalist.

This exhibition brings together a small collection of Tor’s most notable images, capturing some of the pivotal moments and globally significant events of the 20th century through his keen eye and unerring ability to be in the right place at the right time.

Wed 29 April | James Phelan: The Man Who Was Magic

★★★★★ ‘Magic is in his bones. Disbelief. Flabbergasted. Stunned’ (Henley Herald)

‘Joel Dommett meets David Blaine’ (The Sun)

Dare to believe in magic as the UK’s #1 magic show returns with a completely new and uplifting production for 2026.

You’re invited to a night of wonder, as secrets unravel and the impossible becomes possible.

‘Barely skips a beat. One to watch in the world of magic’ (The List)

Following an unprecedented 5 years of sold-out shows around the world – this five star magic show guarantees to leave you aching with laughter & dizzy in disbelief.

Presented by world-renowned award winning magician James Phelan, the first magician in history to sell out a solo-run at The Magic Circle – and most infamous for jamming the BBC switchboard after he correctly predicted the lottery.

Don’t miss what The Standard calls “An unforgettable evening we can’t stop talking about”.

★★★★★ ‘This isn’t a show for people who want to see magic on stage. This is for people who want to feel it’ (World Magic Review)

★★★★★ ‘One of the most endearing factors is seeing amazed faces young and old. This show has many moments like that’ (BBC Sounds)

Tickets limited and will sell out quickly.

Fri 1 May | The Big Dorset May Day Ceilidh

Come and celebrate May Day with folk music, dancing for everyone, and good company at the Hardye Theatre.

Join Tatterdemalion for another of their seasonal family ceilidhs, this time to celebrate the coming of summer. The TatterBand play tunes which were used for dancing in Dorset 200 years ago, and now you can enjoy communal dancing, with the moves taught by experienced caller Angela Laycock. No partner or experience necessary!

The early-evening Kiddies’ Keilidh is perfect for introducing kids to folk dance, with special dances for those with little legs, before the evening ceilidh gets going in earnest!

Fri 1 May – Sun 3 May | Life Class

(NB: the dates and times published in our Spring 2026 brochure are not correct – these are the correct ones. Apologies for any confusion…)

From the writers of Tipping Point and This Christmas comes a new play, Life Class. Both amusing and poignant, the story follows artist Julien Valentine who, following the death of his husband, flees London for the tranquility of a Dorset village. Setting up an art class in the village hall, he is joined by four very different women, each looking knowingly and unknowingly for a chance to change their lives.

The opportunity to enter a national competition unites the women and slowly they become aware that their art sessions really do have the power for change.

Click on the buttons below to book your tickets…

Thurs 7 May | Dorchester Piano Trio

Pasha Willis – viola

Sally Flann – cello

Peter Oakes – piano

Max Bruch is best known for his fine violin concerto, but he also wrote a double concerto, arranged in this concert for viola, cello and piano.

The mellow sound of these two string instruments will also be heard in an arrangement of Mozart’s piano trio in E flat.

Saturday 9 May | Kathakali workshop and solo performance

Experience the magic of south India through the powerful storytelling of Kathakali. Join us for an afternoon of South Indian art, culture, and refreshments brought to us by the The Kala Chethena Kathakali company. The afternoon starts with a workshop exploring how a Kathakali actor tells a story using facial expressions, emotions, character and a 4,000 year old sign language. This is followed by a Kathakali solo performance – experience a powerful and emotional Kathakali story, performed by a world-class expert, Kalamandalam Vijayakumar. The performance follows the journey of a young woman from the joy of her wedding to the sad loss of her husband. Complete the afternoon with refreshments.

No experience is required to take part in the workshop. Malayalee and non-Malayalee members of the community can both access the emotional qualities of this powerful story, that exposes the compassionate potential of humanity.

Age guidance 7+

2.00pm – 2.45pm: practical Kathakali workshop

2.45pm – 3.00pm: costuming for the performance

3.00pm – 3.05pm: introduction

3.05pm – 4.00pm: solo performance

4.00pm – 5.00pm: refreshments served

“A breath-taking blend of theatre, dance, drama, stunning costumes, beautiful makeup, and storytelling”.

“This deeply moving and memorial performance left a lasting impact on everyone present”.

“I have never seen Kathakali performed like this before”.

‘If it is possible to be simultaneously exhilarated and humbled by art this was just such an occasion’- Hexham Courant, Peter Lewis

Sat 9 May | Dorset Chamber Orchestra

A fittingly grand finale to Dorset Chamber Orchestra season. This joint promotion between the orchestra and Dorchester Arts opens with Borodin’s exotic and thrilling Prince Igor Overture. The centrepiece is Rachmaninov’s romantic and powerful Second Piano Concerto with Dominic Doutney, recent winner of both the Washington D.C and Seattle Piano Competitions. The radiant lyricism of Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 concludes an evening of passion and beauty.

Thurs 14 May | Fossil Mary

“ . . these learned men have sucked my brains . . “ (Mary Anning)

Meet Mary Anning, pioneering palaeontologist and the world’s greatest fossil hunter. Born in Lyme Regis in 1799 and known as ‘the lightning girl’ after surviving a lightning strike as a baby, Mary found her first dinosaur fossil at the age of 12. Her incredible discoveries revolutionised the way people thought about the evolution of life on earth but because she was a poor, working class woman she was spurned and patronised by the men of science who took the credit for her extraordinary work. However, in 2010 The Royal Society recognised her as one of the 10 most influential female scientists and her finds, now attributed to her, can be seen in museums around the world. She’s even made it to Mars ! NASA named one of their drilling sites after her as, like Mary, it revealed details of an ancient environment.

Ignored in her time, celebrated in ours, this new play finally gives Mary the spotlight she deserves !

Fri 15 May | La Vie En Rose

These Exeter based musicians have wide-ranging individual backgrounds in classical music, traditional jazz, rock, blues, country, ragtime and roots, all drawn together by the shared pleasure of playing gypsy jazz and hot swing.       

Performing  to acclaim at festivals such as Dart Music Festival, Upton Jazz, Bude Jazz, Jazz Jurassica, Budleigh Music Festival, to sell-out audiences at numerous arts centres including Bridport, TCAT, Ilminster,  Taunton CIC, jazz clubs and private events and for three years running at The Royal Albert Hall’s ‘Verdi Italian Kitchen’  for their prestigious  Valentine’s  Day event.  They have built a reputation for their mix of ‘Hotclub’ favourites,  jazz standards, soulful ballads, Latin swing, the occasional film theme and classical score!  Toe-tapping  rhythms and virtuoso melody lines combine  in a performance with all the verve and joy that makes this music so irresistible.

“We loved having you – absolutely brilliant performance!”  Jazz Jurassica 

 “A great performance. We hope to have you to play again soon!”  Tiverton Community Arts Theatre

“…a joyously uplifting afternoon at the Festival. We loved having you with us.” Budleigh Music Festival

“…this is a rare treat. This lot are magnificent.”  Danny Gladstone, ‘The Glad’, London SE1.

lavieenrosegypsyjazz.com

facebook.com/lavieenrosegypsyjazz

Sat 16 May | The Tannahill Weavers

The Tannahill Weavers are one of Scotland ‘s premier traditional bands. Their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals and songs, and original ballads and lullabies. They have that unique combination of traditional melodies, driving rhythmic accompaniment, and rich vocals that make their performances unforgettable.

Over the years the Tannies have been international trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and powerful, inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. Members of the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, in recent years the Tannahill Weavers have been joined by piper Iain MacGillivray, who has worked on such exciting productions as
Outlander and Men in Kilts, and fiddle player extraordinaire Alistair McCulloch, who teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland when not on tour.

As they begin recording their 20th album, they are firmly established as one of the premier groups on the concert stage – from reflective ballads to foot-stomping reels and jigs, the variety and range of the material they perform is matched only by their enthusiasm and lively Celtic spirits.

“Formed from a Paisley pub session in 1968, seminal trailblazers the Tannahill
Weavers now also rank as national treasures.”
-Glasgow Celtic Connections

“The music may be pure old time Celtic, but the drive and enthusiasm are akin to
straight ahead rock and roll.” -Winnipeg Free Press
“An especially eloquent mixture of the old and the new.” – New York Times

Tue 19 May | Frida Kahlo: the Making of an Icon

Frida Kahlo is a phenomenon. She is arguably the world’s favourite female artist – beloved by young and old. Exhibition on Screen’s award-winning film – first released during covid to a restricted audience – is back by popular demand with an exciting new addition from the blockbuster transatlantic exhibition from Tate Britain and MFA Houston ‘Frida Kahlo: the Making of an Icon’. Back in the cinemas in May 2026, one month before the Tate exhibition opens, allowing audiences to watch both the film and see the show.

Who was Frida Kahlo? Everyone knows her face but who was the woman behind the bright colours, the big brows and the floral crowns? Take a journey through the life of a true icon, discover her art, and uncover the true story of her rebellious, passionate and turbulent life.

Making use of the latest technology to deliver previously unimaginable quality, we take an in-depth look at key works throughout her career. Using letters Kahlo wrote to guide us, this definitive film reveals her deepest emotions and unlocks the secrets and symbolism contained within her art.

Exhibition on Screen’s trademark combination of interviews with those who knew her and world experts, commentary and a detailed exploration of her art, combined with new special bonus footage from the 2026 Tate exhibition, delivers a treasure trove of colour and emotion. This personal and intimate film offers privileged access to her works, her home, her studio and highlights the source of her feverish creativity, her resilience and her unmatched lust for life, beauty and revolution.

Created in close collaboration with world experts and those who knew her.

Additional new material from the curators of the groundbreaking new Tate Britain and MFA Houston exhibition.

Thurs 21 May | Lessons From Teacher x

Cam is a hopeless romantic, a secondary school teacher falling for a handsome stranger. Crystal is an online model, punishing men for money.

One has pupils, the other only fans. But they share a shameful secret…

Barbara Smith (EastEnders) brings 15 unique characters to life in a gripping new play from Erin De Frias and Dorsetborn (Fort). Lessons from Teacher is a romcom-thriller about love, suspicion, and the warring roles we play in adult life. Who do you trust to see the real you?

Made in Dorset.

Age recommendation: 14+

“A fun and contemporary take on women’s sexuality, with questions on desire, male attention and sex’s part in the everyday” – Theatre 503

 “Topical and thought provoking, asking important questions around sexuality and shame.” – Royal Court Theatre

Cast:

Barbara Smith

Creatives:

Performer – Barbara Smith

Writer – Erin De Frias

Director & Co-Creator – Rohan Gotobed

Set & Costume Designer – Layla Bradbeer

Lighting Designer – Sherry Coenen

Composer & Sound Designer – Ed Lewis

Assistant Sound Designer – Duru Yildiz

Associate Producer – Sophie Janssen

There will be a post-show Q&A with Barbara and Rohan Gotobed (director/co-creator) after the show, discussing its themes and journey to the stage.

Sat 23 May | Voodoo Room – The Music of Clapton, Hendrix and Cream

Paying tribute to these legends of rock are VOODOO ROOM.

A stunning power trio featuring some of the UK’s finest musicians who perform an incredible show in the true spirit of these legendary superstars.

No wigs, no gimmicks – simply great music played by great musicians!

Featuring classics such as:

Hey Joe, Sunshine Of Your Love, Purple Haze, Layla etc.

Members of Voodoo Room have recorded and toured with Stevie Winwood, Massive Attack, Arthur Brown, Fish, Thunder and many other high profile artists.

With standing ovations the norm, the word on the street is Voodoo Room are – NOT TO BE MISSED!

‘STUNNING!’ – Time Out

Sat 23 May – Sat 20 June | Danny Byrne: Looking Back

Dorset Art Weeks – Venue 149

Winner of the 2025 Dorset Open Exhibition Prize Danny Byrne is a dynamic, portrait painter whose bold, expressive style grew from his early days as a political cartoonist for National Newspapers and caricaturist.

Winner of the Dorchester Museum & Art Gallery Open Exhibition and a three time Dorset Artist Prize champion, he has also appeared on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year. Known for vivid, character rich work, Danny has exhibited with all major art societies and at the Royal Academy, establishing himself as a striking, contemporary voice shaped by satire and fine art flair.

Wed 27 May | BALLOONATIC MAGIC SHOW

 Mindblowing Magic and the Biggest Balloon in the World – LIVE on stage!

… and a whole load of other things that you really shouldn’t try at home!

Magic Gareth: BALLOONATIC is jammed full of amazing Magic, bonkers balloons and fun for all the family!

With over 10 million online views, MG is a pro and has a show that will have you believing magic really DOES exist! 

Ages 5+

‘Takes you back to believing magic exists’ – BBC Radio WM

‘Children’s magic doesn’t get much better than this!’ – World Magic Review

‘My daughter actually smiled for two hours straight after that show!’ – Russell Kane