Thursday 23 November 2017

Loving Vincent






Loving Vincent

"We cannot speak other than by our painting." Vincent Van Gogh


Loving Vincent is an incredibly beautiful and groundbreaking film. It tells the story of the troubled artist Vincent Van Gogh's life - and his controversial death - but in a way that has never been done before - it is the first entirely oil-painted animation film in history.
It is set twelve months after the painter's death, and brings together a group of characters that sat for him. The strange nature of his death is explored through their narrative.
There are sequences of extraordinary beauty, that come close to capturing the genius of the artist.

Watch the trailer to get a taste of the visual delight of the film.
https://youtu.be/CGzKnyhYDQI

To find out more and to book tickets click herehttp://theflavel.org.uk/TheFlavel.dll/WhatsOn?Programme=4034542

Saturday 14 October 2017

London came to Dartmouth


On Friday the 13th of October, The Flavel audience enjoyed a very unique cinema screening.

Introduced by director Alex Barrett (who attended the screening in-person), London Symphony enthralled its large audience from the opening frame to the last - and in the post-film Q&A hosted by cinema coordinator Sam Love, Barrett enthralled the audience with tales of the film's 4-year production before answering many insightful questions.

This was a very special evening for The Flavel, and we're grateful that Barrett stopped by The Flavel on his exhaustive UK tour.

For more details about the film and where to see it next, see here.

Saturday 23 September 2017

Interview: Peter Snow and Ann McMillan



What gave you the idea to write a book together?
 We have always wanted to write a book together especially since we have worked as a team on Peter's other books. When our editor ask Peter for another book about military history we came up with the idea of the two of us writing personal stories about people who had extraordinary  experiences in wartime. 

What method did you adopt - did you write the stories together or separately? 
We did a great deal of research and came up with a long list of potential subjects. Each of us chose the men or women we found most interesting and when we had each written our account, we handed it over to the other for suggestions and corrections. It worked very well although there was the odd argument - usually friendly! 

There are already many published war stories - what is different about these accounts?
What makes these stories different is that each one is uniquely memorable.  Most importantly we chose individuals who had written first hand accounts of their experiences in diaries or letters from the battlefield. A few of our subjects - for example a refugee from war-torn Syria,  a veteran of the ST Nazaire harbour raid in 1942 and an SAS navigator in the North African desert -  are still alive so we interviewed them personally.  

What do you find fascinating about people caught up in war?
We are both journalists who have covered many conflicts but we have never fought a war. Telling the story about people who have had that life changing experience has been enormously rewarding. We haven't just gone for heroes, there are villains in our book too?  And one of the most astonishing stories is the tale of the captured German Luftwaffe pilot who made several escapes from British POW camps and finally made it home to lGermany

The stories span four centuries - how did you select the subjects, and research their stories?
We hope that readers will find each of the stories unforgettable. We include brave soldiers like Edward Seager who survived the charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimea. And we've gone behind the battle lines as well.  We write about doctors like Norman Bethune who invented mobile blood transfusions in the Spanish Civil War. Women play a large part too: spies like the incredibly brave and beautiful Krystyna Skarbek, Winston Churchill's favourite operative in the Second World War and Belgian/ Congolese nurse Augusta Chiwy who risked her life to save American soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Are you planning to write together again?
We are so pleased with our book that we are already collecting stories for War Stories Two. Any suggestions greatly welcome!






























Tuesday 22 August 2017

Yuila Chaplina and Jonathan Deakin


Yulia Chaplina and Jonathan Deakin

We were treated to wonderful performances by husband and wife team, Yulia Chaplina and Jonathan Deakin on Saturday 12 August.

The programme was predominantly Slavic, with pieces by Prokofiev, Khachaturyan and Sviridov. However, there was also a 'surprise' piece - Three Caprices by Phil Watson - a piano duet commissioned by the Flavel Arts Centre with funds from the Michael Emms legacy, and this marked its debut performance.

Yulia and Jonathan frequently perform together as piano duellists, as cellist and pianist and in two piano recitals, and we are very lucky that they performed for our delight at the Flavel Centre.

Sunday 16 July 2017

News: We are sorry to see you go!

The Flavel Team, would like to thank Daryl Whitehead, our Programme Manager, for all her enthusiasm and hard work at the Flavel. She has made some very positive changes in the relatively short time that she has been with us.
Daryl is moving to a job in Chippenham, near Bath, and we wish her well in her new role. 

Guest Review: David Starkey, Tuesday 11th July

David Starkey - English constitutional historian and radio and television presenter


David Starkey spoke at The Flavel on Tuesday 11th July. Many thanks to Emily Jade Love for sending in this thoughtful review.

On Tuesday night, the renowned historian David Starkey took to the stage to discuss the correlation between Henry VIII's English reformation and the recent Brexit referendum. With intellectual wit and a plethora of knowledge, Starkey presented the Tudor King's reasoning for the break with the See of Rome with clarity and created interesting parallels between the modern day and five hundred years ago, highlighting the many ways in which we have not changed. 
The intimacy of the venue added to the presentation, by allowing every audience member to feel personally addressed and drawn in to the in-depth, flowing lecture.  Although his style depends on your prior knowledge of the subject being discussed, there was a simplicity to the format that allowed even those with a passing interest to be engrossed, and most likely develop an enthusiasm for the 16th century. The odd chuckle and continual nods from the audience showed that his facts were indeed compelling and well grounded. 
By taking prompts from the Tudor monarch's famous painting by Hans Holbein, Starkey fleshed out Henry as both a romantic and a tyrant, a man and a king. Each new point of interest was studied in great depth as to how many different aspects lead to the ultimate decision to break with the Catholic church, including the King's 'Great Matter' in desiring a divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his relentless pursuing of Anne Boleyn. 
The proximity to the speaker, allowed every audience member to share in the passion of Starkey about, not just the Tudor King, but also the fundamental values of history. A juicy Q&A followed the talk, allowing a more in-depth discussion of the vital players of the time and how they reflect on the modern day. It was soon was over and left the patrons with a torrent of topics to discuss and theorise amongst themselves, which many did as they left The Flavel. 

Whether Henry VIII was indeed the original 'Brexiteer' or not is up for debate, but he was certainly a bold, turbulent and intriguing ruler who is still the subject of many discussions today and looks set to be for many years to come.

Emily Jade Love

Monday 1 May 2017

Film Review: Mad to be Normal

David Tennant and Elisabeth Moss

Mad To Be Normal reveals the story of R.D. Laing, the famous psychiatrist and one of Scotland's greatest ever minds. Working at Kingsley Hall in East London throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Laing performed various daring experiments on people who were diagnosed as mentally disturbed. His revolutionary methods involved experimenting with LSD on his patients and practicing a form of self-healing known as metanoia, causing outrage and controversy in the medical profession and radically changing attitudes and perceptions of mental health around the world.

David Tennant plays Laing and Elisabeth Moss his girlfriend in this fascinating insight into Laing's controversial work. The two have a convincing on-screen chemistry. As the story unfolds, it proves difficult to sustain a relationship when boundaries between personal lives and work have become blurred.

News: Interview with Sam Love



Welcome to the Flavel team, Sam!
Sam Love has been helping us with social media, marketing and publicity for a while now; and we are delighted that he has recently joined the staff. Read what Sam has to say below.

Could you tell me about your background?
Of course! After finishing college in 2013, I decided against university and opted to pursue a career as an online content creator. With lots of hard work and perseverance, I had created my own company - SML Creative - and was supplying a variety of clients with all kinds of work. While journalistic pieces such as film reviews and festival coverage were my forte, I was always adding new skills to my repertoire and began helping clients with social media management, marketing and publicity. This initially brought me to The Flavel, as I started out by helping with the centre's social media and in-house advertisements.

What attracted you to your new job at the Flavel?
As soon as I started helping The Flavel with the above tasks, I felt passionate for this beautiful little place. I wanted to be part of it officially, in any capacity. When a role came up that included cinema coordination - an area I was extremely interested in - I could not resist throwing my name in the hat. A few weeks later, I had the job! 

What do you like to do in your free time?
When I'm not working, you'll usually find me hypnotised by the spell of classic cinema, buried in a book or getting lost in the sounds of my eclectic vinyl collection - my most treasured album being a copy of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds signed by Brian Wilson, after meeting him on his current tour. I'm a huge music and film enthusiast but still find plenty of time for the outdoors - and our two cocker spaniels are very grateful! 

Where do you live?
I currently live with my parents and sister here in beautiful Dartmouth. After spending almost our entire lives in Shrewsbury (Shropshire), we decided it was time to finally move to the town that we always considered home. We've been here for almost 8 months, and we've loved every second.

Tuesday 11 April 2017

News: The Flavel's New Interactive Screen



Sid Davis (General Manager) demonstrating the new Clever Touch screen to Jonathan Hawkins (centre) and Doug Twigg (Chairman)


The Flavel Arts Centre has a new interactive screen, which has been purchased with the help of South Hams District Council’s Community Sustainability Fund, and with the valuable support of Councillor Jonathan Hawkins.
      This interactive screen will enhance the Flavel’s room hire offer, and will be available to community groups, for educational purposes or business meetings.
      The Clever Touch screen is a powerful interactive touchscreen that is remarkably easy to use, has full access to the Internet and can display a variety of files without the need to connect to additional hardware. It can also be used as an interactive whiteboard.
      The next time you are having a meeting, come along and give it a try!
      
      
      

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Young Artists Platform - Adam Dyer and Katharina Naomi Paul

Adam Dyer - from a talk with Liz and David Ferguson.





We were waiting with a cup of coffee to chat with Adam Dyer who is coming to the Flavel to perform with violinist Katharina Naomi Paul, as part of the Young Artists platform at the Flavel on Friday 7th April - book your seats early to get the ones you want!

Adam has packed much into his life already. He is a Natural Sciences graduate from Cambridge, has specialised not only in piano, but also violin, and is currently learning the trombone,. How lucky to be able to combine both Sciences and the Arts. Looking at the internet tells you that he has an interest in Jazz, has recently been performing in Oslo, and has some tracks available to hear on Youtube. But there is much more……

There are sometimes not many young people in the Flavel cafe (!) so Adam was easy to spot. It was immediately obvious that he and Liz would get on well as they found common ground talking about the jazz pianist Bill Evans. He was amazed that Liz had heard the old favourites back in the 60s playing live at Ronnie Scotts in London. I had prepared some questions to keep the meeting flowing along, but these were not necessary and his enthusiasm carried us along.

Although he started with classical piano lessons, Adam enjoyed improvisation from the start and this developed into a love of jazz when he was chosen to be the schools Big Band pianist by an inspirational Head of Music, David Pickthall. At Cambridge he formed his own group and  was inspired by listening to and playing transcriptions of Charlie ParkerAt this time he attended Darlington Summer School, ostensibly to study the jazz course under Keith Tippett, but he spend much of his time in the masterclasses of Martino Tirimo, a classical concert pianist who berated his lack of technique!

Having all this under his belt in his early twenties was not enough. He went on to do a Masters degree in jazz piano and composition at the Guildhall School of Music in London under Nikki Iles and Norman Beedie, and here he met Katharina. She had already turned down a full time orchestral post in Germany to move to London, favouring the opportunity to create exciting new projects over playing standard repertoire. The stage was set.

At this point my notes run out. I was listening and waiting to hear more with such attention that I stopped writing. I know his father and partner (Marie - the locally famous Scots lady for cross country running) live locally which is why he is so often down here. We all enjoy the Music of Ravel. We enjoy Swing’ music. We agree that music needs to be memorised when playing in performance (a struggle for many of us older players). We agree that the vital mix of risk and excitement gives the best edgy’ performances. But a look at our watches said we had to part. An hour head flown by, and the chat had been meant to last for 10 minutes.

Lastly but not leastly  he gives lessons in jazz piano. Liz made a note of this for future reference.

So come and meet Adam and Katharina after the performance and enjoy youthful enthusiasm for a fusion of style and culture we do not often have the chance to hear in Dartmouth. I look forward to the concert and will buy tickets as soon as possible.

David Ferguson.

To find out more and to book tickets click here:  http://theflavel.org.uk/TheFlavel.dll/WhatsOn?Programme=3347444



Monday 3 April 2017

News: Changes to the Flavel Friends Scheme

Valued Friends,

                      We want to let you know that we have been reviewing the Flavel Friends scheme. While we believe that the scheme is providing real benefits to both Friends and the Flavel, the ‘Bring a Guest for Free’ offer is proving problematic.
      This benefit has always been for non-Flavel Friends or guests other than family members, but it has proved costly and complicated to administer in line with the original intentions. We have therefore concluded that it is best to withdraw this benefit as from the end of September 2017. The benefit will continue in the meantime, but will run in accordance with the original intentions and with a simplified ticketing process; claims for Box Office and telephone bookings will be on request and it will no longer be possible to claim this benefit online. If you have any queries regarding these changes, please contact one of our Duty Managers or Sid Davis, our General Manager.
      However, all of the other valuable Friends’ benefits will remain unchanged: ticket refunds, the Friends only waiting list priority, advance notice of events, a monthly Friends’ Newsletter, film guides and What’s On brochures.
      Friends will also be invited to exclusive Friends’ events, such as the recent and very popular Flavel Friends’ Lunch. Look out for more events in the programme, which are currently being planned.
      Thank you for your generous contributions to the Flavel, and your continued support, which is greatly valued by us all. We hope that you enjoy the new summer programme, which will be with you shortly, and we hope to see you again soon at forthcoming events.

Sunday 5 March 2017

The Flavel Celebrates 12 Years!

 The Organisers

The Flavel Arts Centre celebrated its 12th Anniversary on 26th February by holding
a lunch for Friends of the Flavel. The lunch was a huge success, beginning with a glass of Prosecco, and continuing with a delicious two-course lunch catered by Dartmouth Fine Foods.
Friends old and new joined in the celebrations – including two previous Chairmen, and some of the original Trustees.
Flavel Friends is a membership scheme that helps to support the centre, and plays a very important role, as the centre is self-supporting and does not receive any outside funding.
Doug Twigg, the current Chairman, thanked everyone for attending, and talked about the success of the Flavel, which started as a modest concept, and which blossomed into the amazing Arts Centre we have today.
It has undergone many changes over the twelve years, but due to the hard work and dedication of the whole team involved in running the centre – Trustees, Staff and Volunteers– it continues to put on a wide variety of events to suit all tastes.

And a good time was had by all!




Tuesday 7 February 2017

Review: Clare Teal

A most enjoyable evening


On Saturday evening at the Flavel Centre, Clare Teal, the award-winning jazz singer and broadcaster performed to a full house; she was accompanied on piano by Jason Rebello, the accomplished jazz pianist.
The minute that Clare arrived on stage, she began to build a rapport with the audience by telling anecdotes in a wonderfully relaxed way.
Her set included a great variety of numbers ranging from classics made famous by Ella Fitzgerald and numbers penned by Thelonius Monk to songs written by Van Morrison, who Clare has worked with.
She sang memorable arrangements of ‘My Funny Valentine’, the classic Rogers and Hart number and ‘Mack the Knife’, composed by Kurt Weil with lyrics by Bertholt Brecht for their musical drama, the ‘Threepenny Opera’.
It was a most enjoyable evening, and the audience was very appreciative. 
Clare Teal is a regular performer at the Flavel, so be sure not to miss her next time she comes to Dartmouth.