Beverley Puppet Festival
The 5th (biennial) Beverley Puppet Festival in East Yorkshire, organised by Beverley Arts Trust and funded by National Lottery Funding through Arts Council England, with additional support from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, will provide fun for all ages! 23 companies will provide 22 ticketed Puppet Events in 3 venues as well as 59 Free Performances Outdoors in the Town Centre and Friary Gardens, shows starting from Friday evening July 13th until Sunday evening July 15th 2012.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION:
Full information is at: www.beverleyartstrust.co.uk
Brochures and tickets are available at Beverley Tourist Information Centre, 34 Butcher Row, Beverley - tel: +44 (0)1482 391672 or on the door of each venue subject to availability. Prices are frozen from 2010 and are £6 each for all ages or £5 each when buying 4 or more for any combination of shows in the same transaction.
On the Saturday and Sunday of the Festival weekend, subject to availability, tickets for the same day will only be available at the Friary Box Office (the Festival Hub) or at each relevant venue 30 mins before each show. Tickets for the Sunday shows will remain at Beverley TIC until the end of Saturday.
Due to the need to promote this Art form as a valid and powerful theatre form for adults, (under-recognised in this country), the adult prices have been kept the same as the children's ticket price - which is reasonable when compared with some cinema prices, yet for a live and very memorable (maybe even formative) experience. We recognise that for some this is simply not affordable, so for this reason there are 59 opportunities to catch an outdoor street act for free (+ hurdy-gurdy & face painting). We have tried to keep the ticket prices as low as possible but are still very dependent on ticket sales to make the festival cover itself. All events are already heavily subsided by the funding. Without larger or permanent venue facilities this festival can never be a commercial venture.
VENUES:
BEVERLEY FRIARY (YHA): THE FESTIVAL HUB
This is situated on Friars Lane, which is off Eastgate, on the opposite side of the road from the Minster. At the end of Friars Lane, near the Friary, is a foot bridge over the railway line, so this venue can also be reached from the other side, via this bridge from Armstrong Way. Some ticketed events will take place inside the Friary, where there will also be the FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE (for SAME DAY tickets only), a Marionette Display and Puppet Books on Sale. 45 (three quarters) of the Free Outdoor Performances will be in the Friary Garden, where there will also be a Marquee, a FESTIVAL BAR, a PUPPET CARAVAN and Face Painting. If you are lost, listen out for the Hurdy-Gurdy! During the Festival this may be heard near the entrance to the Garden on Eastgate, or inside the garden, depending on whether he is joining in with or avoiding the other acts in the Garden. The Festival Box Office / Information Table is also the place where pre- registered Volunteers should check in.
Indoor Shows at the Friary:
Saturday July 14th : 10.30am, 1.00pm & 2.15pm: "Treasure" by Puppetship CIC, & at 5.00pm Luminous Tales by Ripstop Theatre + 2 Puppet Making workshops by the Scottish Mask & Puppet Centre at 11.20am and 3.20pm.
Sunday July 15th : 2 more Puppet Workshops at 10.30am & 1.30pm, plus at 3.30pm "the Fisherman & the Pearl" by Lempen Puppet Theatre
For further information about the 45 outdoor performances at the Friary and more details on the above shows, including suitable age ranges, please visit www.beverleyartstrust.co.uk
THE MASONIC HALL
This is on Trinity Lane, on the part of this street which meets Eastgate. Trinity Lane joins Eastgate where the pub, the Oddfellows Arms can be found on the corner.
If coming from the Friary, turn right out of Friars Lane (or the Garden Entrance on Eastgate), and turn right again at the Oddfellows Arms. The Masonic is half way along on the right.
If coming from the Station, the Masonic Hall is visible from the station entrance. Cross Station Square to find Trinity Lane and the Masonic Hall is on the left. If coming from Wednesday Market, go along Eastgate and turn left at the Oddfellows Arms to see the Masonic Hall halfway along on the right.
Shows at the Masonic Hall:
Saturday July 14th: 12.30pm: "Gingerbread" by Hand to Mouth, followed by 2.00pm: "Remember the Umbrella" also by Hand to Mouth. 7.00pm: ADULT/TEEN SHOW: "Spirit" by the Sue Beattie company.
Sunday July 15th: 12.30pm: "Claytime" by Indefinite Articles, followed by 5.00pm: "Little Red Robin Hood" by Garlic Theatre.
For more details on the above shows, including suitable age ranges, please visit www.beverleyartstrust.co.uk
ARMSTRONGS SOCIAL CLUB
This is on Armstrong Way, on the corner at the top of Grovehill Road, just across from the level crossing. It is 2 min walk if turning left when exiting the main entrance of the Railway station and crossing the railway track. Our entrance for the Puppet Festival will be at the back – look out for the footpath just after the brick wall ends on Armstrong Way (the wall parallel to the railway track). The short footpath leads to the back of the venue which is our Front Door. If approaching this venue from the Friary, the quickest way is over the railway foot bridge, then turn left along Armstrong Way, to find our entrance to the club across the road on the right just before the brick wall. If you are unable to use the footbridge / stairs, turn right from the Friary then right again (as if going to the Masonic Hall - see above) and continue past the Masonic Hall to the end of this street – then veer right towards the level crossing, to find Armstrongs across the road on the right.
Shows at Armstrongs:
Friday July 13th: 7.00pm: ADULT /TEEN SHOW: "The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre" - closely followed by another ADULT/TEEN comedy show at 9.00pm:" The Great Puppet Horn" by Pangolin's Teatime.
Saturday July 14th: 11.00am "Three Billy Pigs" by Noisy Oyster followed by 3.30pm: "The Chalk Giants" by Indefinite Articles, then at 8.30pm: ADULT/TEEN SHOW: "The Seas of Organillo" by Stephen Mottram's Animata.
Sunday July 15th: 11.00am "Aladdin" by Indigo Moon theatre followed by 2.30pm: "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" by Professor Popup, and at 7.00pm: ADULT/ TEEN SHOW: "House" by Sofie Krog Theatre of Denmark / Spain.
For more details on the above shows, including suitable age ranges, please visit www.beverleyartstrust.co.uk
ANGEL SQUARE / TOWN CENTRE STREET ACTS
Angel Square is the location for some street acts on Saturday and Sunday. Angel Square is joined onto Butcher Row, near the Angel Pub. Other wandering Street Acts will appear in either this area or Butcher Row (which extends down to Wednesday Market) or Toll Gavel (which extends up to Saturday Market). 15 street performances will appear in these Town Centre Areas, and the other 45 will be in the Friary Gardens. Most of the Acts repeat over each of the two main festival days, but some only happen on either Saturday or Sunday.
For more details on all the Free Outdoor Acts please visit www.beverleyartstrust.co.uk
PARKING
Beverley Arts Trust regrets that none of our available venues have their own parking for the general public. After Friday night, on the Saturday and Sunday of the Festival Weekend, YHA residents will also not be able to park in the limited space at the Friary, due to the Puppet Caravan and various artists loading and unloading. HOWEVER the town is well supplied with other car parks.
There are 2 car parks near the railway station, another in Lord Roberts road near the chapel & law court (which is available on weekends only), another adjacent to the M&S car park off New Walkergate (Wilbert Lane Car park) and opposite the front of Armstrongs is the Grovehill Shoppers Car park, at the top of Grovehill Road.
Unfortunately Armstrongs has lost its old rear car park due to building works.
Apart from this Tesco has a car park with a 3 hour limit, and Saturday Market is a car park every day except Saturday during the day. Please be sure to check the signs in each car park in relation to charges, though some (if not all) may be free on Sundays.
