Stevenage Festival:
What was on - June 2015

The Stevenage Festival provides a showcase for the wealth of local artistic and performing talent to be found within the Stevenage area.

The heart of the Festival was a fortnight of performances at the Gordon Craig Theatre, enabling local people, particularly our talented youngsters, to realise a dream by performing on stage in their community's own theatre.

The Gordon Craig programme of events is listed below, but there was also a vibrant Festival fringe of community arts events around Stevenage.

Saturday 14th of May to Saturday the 4th of August 2013 - Click on links below to jump lower down the page for more details on the event.

Lytton Players present:
Carousel

Ok, so not technically in June, but the opportunity of including this magnificent show in our Festival was too good to miss.

When Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow fall in love, little do they realise that Billy’s rebellious ways will lead to tragedy. Billy is given a chance to make good, but is it too late?

This timeless classic musical features hit songs including "You’ll Never Walk Alone" and "If I Loved You". Lytton Players’ vibrant production for Stevenage is filled with magical moments and breathtaking music.

Director – Maxine Holmes
Musical Director – Derek Blyth
Choreographer – Wendy Wartnaby
Producers – Slava Budin-Jones and Luke Crouch

Tickets: £17, Concessions £14 off (Concessions available for Thursday evening and Saturday matinee only)
Available from Lytton Players box office on 01438 357407 or the Gordon Craig box office on 01438 363200 or book online..

Stevenage Choral Society and
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra present:
Fauré & Vaughan Williams featuring Guy Johnston on Cello

A celebration of two Stevenage Music Societies.

Internationally acclaimed cellist Guy Johnston, winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and recipient of a "Classical Brit" award will be performing the beautiful Élégie by Gabriel Fauré with Stevenage Symphony Orchestra.

Guy has performed with many leading international orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra and St. Petersburg Symphony. His debuts include the First Night of the Proms performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Leonard Slatkin.

As a special celebration of 40 years of classical music at the Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage Choral Society and Stevenage Symphony Orchestra come together to perform the profoundly moving and inspiring Dona Nobis Pacem by the great 20th century English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The orchestra will also perform more of Vaughan Williams’ music with the "English Folk Songs Suite" and Khachaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus, well known as the theme from "The Onedin Line".

Tickets: £10, Concessions £8

Event promoted in association with:   


Funding supported by:

Hertfordshire Dance Schools -
What's your move?

Talented dancers of all ages come together to showcase their amazing and varied talents. A programme filled with acts from all over Hertfordshire and consisting of hip-hop, musical theatre, ballet, contemporary and more. Inspiring and skilful acts never seen before and entertainment for all the family to enjoy!

Tickets: £8.00, Concessions £6.00
Event organised by:

Barclay School, Thomas Alleyne School
and John Henry Newman School present:
Look Who's Got Talent

Talented young people from Barclay School, Thomas Alleyne School and the John Henry Newman School take to the stage for an evening of music, dance and drama.

Tickets: £6.00, No Concessions

Stevenage Dance Schools
Dance Extravaganza

Our ever popular Dance extravaganza making stars of performers of all ages from Stevenage and the surrounding area.

From ballroom to ballet to boogie - an exciting evening for those who love all styles and forms of dance.

Tickets: £8.00, Concessions £6.00

Stevenage Primary Schools -
In Concert

Young pupils take to the stage to share their musical talent in a celebration of music from Primary Schools in Stevenage and the surrounding areas. Stevenage Festival is always pleased to give an opportunity to young people to enjoy the experience of performing in a real theatre to support these first steps to musical performance.

Tickets: £6.00, No concessions

Knebworth Players present:
The Perfect Murder

Knebworth Players brings another Jeffery Archer thriller to the Festival. The play combines a whodunit thriller with a tense courtroom drama with breathtaking effect.

Carla Moorland has been murdered, and accountant John Hoskins, who has been having an affair with her, is certain he knows who did it - himself. John's wife Elizabeth, rather than calling the police, is determined to keep John out of prison, even if it means that an innocent man will be unished for the crime.

Tickets: £9.00, No Concessions

Stevenage Arts Guild and Friends present:
The Gordon Craig Story

A celebration of 40 years of the Town's own theatre. This captivating evening starts with the story of actress Ellen Terry (Gordon Craig’s mother) performed by Helen Cartwright. It continues with members of Stevenage Male Voice Choir, Just Sing Community Choir, Lytton Players and some of our talented young people joining together to perform some of the songs and choruses that have entertained Stevenage audiences over the years.

Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00

Hertfordshire Music Service presents:
All Things Strings and Voices

Come and hear beautiful music from over 100 young singers and musicians from local junior and senior string orchestras. A feast of classical, pop and film music awaits, from Vivaldi to Bohemian Rhapsody, with a folk-tastic finale guaranteed to get your toes tapping!

Tickets: £8.00, No Concessions £6.00

Stevenage Dance Schools -
Let's Dance

Presenting a spectacular evening of dance and performing arts from the amazing talent of Stevenage and the surrounding area. From traditional ballet and ballroom to breathtaking gymnastics and dance, this promises to be a night not to be missed.

Tickets: £8.00, Concessions £6.00

Barnwell School and Nobel School present:
Look Who's Got Talent 2

Talented young people from Nobel and Barnwell schools take to the stage for our second evening of music, dance and drama.

Tickets: £6, No Concessions

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) and
Hertfordshire Youth Jazz Big Band -
World Class Jazz!

NYJO, with an established worldwide reputation, celebrates its 50th birthday year with jazz classics and contemporary repertoire. Hertfordshire’s youth jazz musicians start the evening, playing a set of variety and panache.

Supported by:

Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00

Gordon Craig Theatre Drama Academy presents:
"All you need is Love"

This collaborative creation is based on the theme of love and includes classic hits that you will definitely know and love! So, with spectacular singing, breath-taking dance displays, enchanting dramatic scenes and plenty of loving feelings this is a treat not to be missed!

Tickets: £13.00, No Concessions £11.50

Urban Graffiti - The writing's on the wall.

An evening with Stevenage’s inimitable Parnassus Poetry - music, musings and even some poems.

When we asked regular Parnassus MC, Grant Meaby, if he would again be hosting this event, he said "I can think of several reasons why I shouldn’t but as they will all be performing I thought, it would be rude not to!"
Bar available.

Tickets: £5.00, No Concessions

Senior Wind Band,
North Herts Youth Orchestra,
choirs and soloists present:
Last Night of the Proms

Join local Senior Wind Bands, North Herts Youth Orchestra, choirs and soloists in bringing the 2015 Festival to a resounding close with an evening of traditional light classical music.

Romance, ghouls and sparkling talent abound, as the Orchestra opens with orchestral greats including Tchaikovsky’s 'Overture to Romeo and Juliet', Grieg’s 'Hall of the Mountain King' and Mozart’s third Violin Concerto.

We get you further in the mood with our second half, Variations on "Scarborough Fair", "How To Train Your Dragon" to name just a few of our delights. We conclude with our Last Night of the Proms Medley. So wave your flag, join in and raise the roof of the theatre with your singing!

Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00