CommunityAd have been beating the drum of the need to support local theatres throughout this painful pandemic that’s seen us stripped of so many aspects of our community life. With that mind we were delighted to see Revelation Ashford swing open its doors recently.
CommunityAd checked in with Lynsey from Revelation Ashford to see what dates we can pencil into our diaries.
Firstly, Lynsey, how nice does it feel to be back with those doors wide open?
Amazing! We’re not quite fully there just yet, but we’ve been lucky enough to have a few socially distanced events in the venue with Animate Arts showing their fully immersive film, Carol of the Sea Swallows, and Gerald Dickens bringing his one man performance of Great Expectations to the stage, as well as the world premiere of his new talk about the Staplehurst rail crash. We have missed our wonderful volunteers and audience members.
Why is it crucial now more than ever that the community support their local theatres and organisations such as your own?
Over the last 15 months so many small theatres and music venues have had almost no income and we have seen a number close over this period. We have been very lucky to have had the support of organisations such as Music Venues Trust, Ashford Borough Council and the Arts Council along with Government grants and our amazing Crowdfunded supporters to help us continue to survive through this tough time. Grassroots music venues are so important to help nurture local talent, providing a platform for them to build their careers and develop their music and performance skills. You never know who you may get to see before they’re world famous!
Like most organisations you’ve had to adapt to the pandemic, it’s wonderful to see you’ve branched out to the bandstand, tell us about Little Wonder Alfresco and the fantastic free events?
Even though we have had our full opening delayed a little, we wanted to carry on bringing everyone some amazing live entertainment! Little Wonder Alfresco is running on Saturdays throughout the summer and beyond in the heart of Ashford town centre, featuring street theatre and music from some of the very best Kent based talent. Details of dates and performers can be found on the Revelation website.
We have also teamed up with Elwick Place to host The Chill Lounge there every Saturday in August. You could soak up the sun in their terrace area while enjoying some live music and a bite to eat from one of their many eateries!
Revelation may not be fully open just yet, but we are keeping ourselves busy!
Any dates for our readers to get excited about and pencil firmly into their diary?
We’re very excited to be opening to full capacity with a Huey Morgan DJ set on 11th August and an almost sold out Toploader performance on the 18th! In early September we are welcoming back Dad’s Army Radio Show for 3 newly minted episodes (4th September) and John Challis (Boycie from Only Fools and Horses) will be sharing stories and anecdotes from his career along with secrets from the set (7th September)! We do have another very special announcement to come – keep an eye on our social media for more!
We just hope to see you at a performance soon! All local arts venues need your support at this time, so give something new a go – you never know who you might see!