New seasons announced at Salisbury Playhouse and Salisbury Arts Centre

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE UNVEILS SPRING SUMMER SEASON AT SALISBURY ARTS CENTRE

· NEW: Exhibitions on Screen showcasing art by Lucian Freud and Frida Kahlo

· NEW: Launch of Salisbury Arts Centre Gin Club

· Dance is centre stage with James Wilton Dance and Levantes Dance Theatre

· Comedy from Living Spit and stand-up comedians Joz Norris and Flo & Joan

· A one-man Bon Jovi musical that is almost entirely imagined

· New musical show highlights Florence Nightingale’s Salisbury links

Tickets on general sale: 10am Friday 17 January 2020

A packed spring summer season at Salisbury Arts Centre includes new Exhibitions on Screen and dance performances alongside an almost entirely imagined Bon Jovi musical and the launch of the Arts Centre’s Gin Club.

New for 2020 are Exhibitions on Screen including cinematic immersions into exhibitions by the modern master Lucian Freud and by global icon Frida Kahlo. Lucian Freud: A Self Portrait will be streamed from the Royal Academy of Arts in London on 23 January revealing the painter’s life and work through a unique exhibition of his self-portraits. Frida Kahlo’s Exhibition on Screen follows in July.

Salisbury Arts Centre will host a solo exhibition of work by Cornwall-based artist Nicola Bealing to coincide with a production of Lorca’s Blood Wedding at Salisbury Playhouse, in which Nicola responds to the original Lorca play. The British Museum recently acquired eight of Nicola’s works for its permanent collection. Three Acts and Seven Scenes runs at Salisbury Arts Centre from 27 January until 28 March.

Dance takes centre stage at Salisbury Arts Centre as James Wilton Dance presents The Storm, a whirlwind of athleticism that combines break-dancing, martial arts and contact work performed by seven dancers to a soundtrack of electro-rock (21 March), and Levantes Dance Theatre presents awe-inspiring dance, theatre and circus to tell the story of 1970s one hit wonders Sandy & Bruno (23 April).

Comedy at Salisbury Arts Centre comes from Living Spit’s Swan Lake which promises to be the funniest micro-ballet ever (24-25 January) as well as stand-up comedians

Tom Stade (7 February), Joz Norris (22 February), Jen Brister (12 March) and Flo & Joan (5 March), recently seen at the Royal Variety Performance. Regular Barnstormers comedy nights continue from 31 January.

Music at Salisbury Arts Centre includes one of the world’s most innovative percussion ensembles, Ensemble Bash (15 February) using the music of West Africa as an influence. Paul O’Donnell presents an almost entirely imagined Bon Jovi musical (28 March) – use your imagination to conjure the cast, orchestra, scenery and dramatic key changes!

The Buster Keaton Picture Show sees acclaimed instrumental group Haiku Salut perform an original live score to Keaton’s 1926 comedy The General (3 April). Singer songwriter Louise Jordan brings her show Florence to the Arts Centre, shining a light on the Lady of the Lamp and her Salisbury connections in the 200th year of her birth (1 May).

July sees the first Gin Club at Salisbury Arts Centre with four gins, tonics and garnishes to sample while learning about their ingredients.

There is a full programme of films throughout the season including Wednesday matinees and Wednesday evening screenings of classics and family favourites plus regular live screenings.

Salisbury Arts Centre continues its busy programme of workshops from pottery to stand-up comedy and art classes.

Salisbury Arts Centre is open six days a week. For the full programme, visit www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk.