Curtain up at the arts centre . . . (From Herald Series)

Curtain up at the arts centre . . .

9:00am Thursday 28th August 2008

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STARS will descend on Didcot this autumn for the opening season of the town's £7.4m arts centre, Cornerstone.

The new venue in Orchard Centre opens its doors tomorrow and a packed programme of events and artists is lined up.

The centre - paid for by South Oxfordshire District Council - will host a range of attractions, from Shakespeare to ballet, a children's puppet show, stand-up comedy and live music.

Apart from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, who will reel in the punters on the opening night, among the big names booked are comedians Rich Hall and Ed Byrne, as well as singer-songwriter and actress Hazel O'Connor.

Dozens of classes, including creative writing, machine embroidery for adults, and circus skills and guitar lessons for children, will also begin.

On August 30 and 31, the public will get the chance to look round the new venue, enjoy street theatre, dance demonstrations, dressing up and face painting at a 'welcome weekend'.

In September, there will be a Cartoon History of Didcot by leading cartoonist Tony Husband, who has been variously joke, strip and sports cartoonist of the year, and entertainment from poet, broadcaster and comedian Ian McMillan. Guitar master Juan Martin will also perform.

In October, Irish singer Cara Dillon will take to the stage and the audience are invited to participate in a Sing-a-long Sound of Music.

In November, Crossover Dance, a company of dancers aged between six and 65, will be in Didcot, and Opera della Luna will perform The Mikado.

And in the run-up to Christmas, there will be a magical puppet show for children as well as a performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker by Ballet Russe.

The venue can seat up to 278 people in its auditorium for drama, music and comedy. There is also exhibition space and a cafe, bar and restaurant.

District councillor Bill Service, South Oxfordshire District Council's cabinet member for leisure, said: "We hope this schedule offers something for everyone and we look forward to welcoming people to our centre over the next few months."

Details of all the events and the classes starting for the opening season are available online at www.cornerstone-arts.org

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