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NEWBURY NEWS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT n 2

Thursday, April 16, 2020 34 Corn Exchange active online ARE you enjoying the ongoing Corn Exchange online sessions? Since the venue temporarily closed to the public, it has moved some activities online with a series of lvie sessions, blogs and pre-recorded workshops to keep audiences creative and connected. Across the week audiences can get involved in the Armchair Reviewers Club. Every Thursday a pre-recorded live broadcast of a stage show is released online and those who want to take part can submit their reviews to the Corn Exchange to later be shared in a round-up review. Tomorrow (Friday) a pre-recorded session of Alphabetland brings the fives and under songs, rhymes and games, and John Darvell from NOCTURN will be demonstrating some dance exercises with a pre- recorded video of Dare to Dance , ideal for those who are over 55 and looking to keep active at home. Youth Theatre participants are able to access live online zoom sessions. Resident artists at The Base have also been offering their expertise online. Cáit Gould is delivering pre-recorded clay workshops, and will be releasing her next instalment today and Richard Francis Bellin offers Afternoon Art sessions, online. Visit www.cornexchangenew.com Rewind latest Covid-19 victim BOWING to the inevitable, the organisers of August bank holiday 80s festival Rewind South have announced its postponement until next summer. “We are saddened to announce that Rewind Scotland, Rewind North and Rewind South will no longer take place this year. The health and safety of all Rewinders, the artists, staff and community will always be our top priority, and it became clear that rescheduling the festivals was unavoidable. “We have spoken with all the artists involved and are so grateful to them and the venues and we are excited to announce that we will be rescheduling the dates to next year.” Rewind South 2021 will take place at Temple Meadows, Henley, on August 20-22. Tickets, parking, glamping, moorings, VIP, When Nature Calls, campervans, caravans etc will all be valid for these new dates. “We are working closely with our ticketing partners and they will be in touch with you very soon by email. Please only contact them if you have not been contacted after seven working days as they are very busy at this time.”

Newbury Weekly News

ACT now so our Watermill can ACT tomroorw THE artistic and executive director of The Watermill has issued an urgent appeal for supporters to ‘ACT NOW, to help us ACT Tomorrow’ to save the theatre as it can no longer generate income through ticket and restaurant sales and finds itself in an “incredibly difficult situation”. One of the country’s few producing theatres, The Watermill at Bagnor followed Government advice on March 17 and, in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus, took the difficult decision to temporarily close the theatre and restaurant, cancelling all performances, events and outreach and education activities until further notice. In response to the precarious position it finds itself in, The Watermill has launched a fundraising campaign, ‘ACT NOW, to help us ACT Tomorrow’, and invites the public, its extended community, to support the theatre by making a donation. A gift now will prevent long-term closure, mitigate any lost income and provide the theatre with the best possible chance of getting back on its feet as quickly as possible. The Watermill’s focus is to survive and recover said Paul Hart, in his appeal to the public. “We usually turn to theatre to lift our spirits, particularly in times of adversity, so it is with a heavy heart that we are forced to close our doors and accept that The Watermill is unable to provide a sanctuary for its community at this moment in time,” he said. “I am therefore appealing to you now, to do something amazing by making a donation to support The Watermill theatre. “These are turbulent times for us all, but we are determined to get through this and with you behind us, we are confident that we can survive and recover. “Please ACT NOW, to help us ACT Tomorrow. “We hope that one day soon, we will open our doors to the public again, and together, we will enjoy the wonder of theatre.” To make a donation to help The Watermill theatre to survive and recover, you can donate online www.watermill.org.uk Send a cheque made payable to Watermill Theatre Limited, to Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 8AE, for the attention of Jo Bycroft, development director Transfer funds into the theatre bank account: Bank: Handelsbanken, Account Name: Watermill Theatre Limited, Account Number: 24183601, Sort Code: 40- 51-62 or call the box office on (01635) 46044.

Neworckers on the block Talent-spotter Leo Westby has another mini-band on his hands with Beyond the Sons, five boys under 12 who ‘show immense talent and potential’, he tells GERALDINE GARDNER

MOVE over The Mini Band, there are some new kids on the block. Beyond the Sons is a group of five young rockers brought together by managing director of Let’s Play Rock music tuition Leo Westby, who spotted their collective talent. The five-piece band – who come from Newbury, Thatcham, Cold Ash and Tadley – comprises Jake Collingwood, lead guitar, 10, Hector Marshall, lead vocals, 10, Hayden Horrix, bass guitar, 12, Jayden Michandani, drums, 11 and Ethan Knight, rhythm guitar, 10. Speaking about the band, Leo said: “They are all amazing. When The Mini Band took off it was phenomenal and I’m pleased to say, although they’re no longer mini, as young adults they are all still involved in music, either graduating from music school or playing in their own bands. “The five boys who make up Beyond the Sons are showing immense talent and potential. They’ve only been together a few months, but their playing ability is mind-boggling. “The band had a few bookings lined up at local school fetes and in pubs over the next few months, to get their live performances under way, when lockdown brought an abrupt end to all of that. “It’s such a shame, but it hasn’t dimmed WHEN I’m standing in front of a large Samantha Emmons picture, I feel a voice in my head saying ‘go on – jump in!’. Her paintings have such depth and lush wetness, it feels like you are looking down into a woodland pond or exotic rock pool. Unsurprisingly, Samantha won the prize for the best exhibit at last year’s Open Studios Insight exhibition. I had never seen a picture like it – for its glossy sheen and depth of layering with gorgeous colours. Since graduating with a masters in fine art in 2001, when she spent time painting the watermeadows near Winchester Cathedral, Samantha has been experimenting with techniques to capture the currents, plants, colours, ripples and reflections in water. Her oil paints are mixed with yacht varnish, in varying consistencies, to create shiny, translucent layers which are applied in various ways and built up

their enthusiasm and we’re looking forward to when they can play live later on in the year.” To see Beyond the Sons at their last rehearsal before lockdown practicing

his son. He said: “I guess it’s every dad’s dream to be able to jam with their children. I can’t do half the stuff on guitar that Jake does, but we have a great time.” “I love Metallica and Iron Maiden,” said Jake. “But my absolute favourite band is My Chemical Romance. I love just learning new things all the time – sometimes it’s difficult and takes a while, but when I get it, it’s really cool. “I’ve seen School of Rock about 150,000 times – I love Jack Black anyway, but we also were really lucky and got to see it live in the West End.” Jake is currently being home-schooled alongside his seven-year-old sister Sky, but still manages to get in an hour of play every day. And Sky is getting in on the act too – with the family now in lockdown like the rest of the country they are composing songs together, with Sky providing vocals. What does Jake love most? “The noise! I can go really loud and I absolutely love it!” See Jake play at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7c1EAbnPU6k and www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCUSmy Nmukk To find out more about Let’s Play Rock, visit www.facebook.com/ letsplayrockuk/ is also painted and varnished, creating incredibly tactile works – she is currently exhibiting work at Basingstoke Hospital and patients asked if they could touch them. Each painting, whether small or metres wide, covers a hand-made frame around 6cm deep and Sam meticulously paints the sides too – and when you realise that she can only paint horizontally because the mixtures she uses are so fluid, you begin to understand how long each picture takes to paint and the work that goes into them. With the image wrapping around all sides of the picture, they resemble solid blocks of marble, despite being only two dimensional. Samantha teaches art part time at the Basingstoke College of Technology, but she is happiest in her studio at The Base at Greenham, where she can lose herself in painting for hours at a time

Plug In Baby by Muse, visit www.youtube.com/watch? v=mZ0daSmSdxk

Let’s Play Rock is still providing online lessons to budding musicians and Leo says there seems to be a resurgence in interest. “The appetite for heavy metal seemed to go down for a bit, but recently I’ve noticed more people wanting to take it up,” he said. Mr Westby is particularly excited about the talent shown by 10-year-old Jake Collingwood. “He came to Newbury Rock School last year and I couldn’t believe the level of ability I was seeing. I really don’t think I’ve seen such talent in one so young.” Jake, a Year 5 pupil at St Mark’s, Cold Ash, absolutely loves playing in the band, but now he says he “jams with dad”. “I make a lot of it up as I go along,” said Jake. “I started playing when I was eight, on acoustic guitar, but soon took up electric guitar, which is immense.” Jake’s love of heavy metal stems from father Mark, who has always played in bands and that passion has passed on to over weeks and months. The paintings look so organic and natural that I was surprised to learn that she sketches out the pictures before starting – but Samantha did admit she embraces happy accidents and usually incorporates them into the finished piece. In addition to oil and varnish, the pictures are occasionally embellished with fine metallic wire and Sam also uses interference paints and PVA to create other-worldly effects. She talks of her work having veins, cells and glutinous qualities and in some of her paintings there are sections that resemble an animal with transparent skin. The depth of the layers and interplay between the paint and varnish also create natural buckles and ripples like the patterns on sand when the tide goes out. Some paintings are even more sculptural, as Sam occasionally adds foam to the surface of the work, which

Into the deep...

With Open Studios cancelled this year, Gillian Durrant has been talking to some of the artists and makers now in lockdown. This week she looks at the work of painter Samantha Emmons

Aquatic Flow

and best of all she doesn’t have to clear them away at the end of the day – as she did when she was painting on the family kitchen table. To see more of Samantha’s work, take a look at her website www.samanthaemmons.com

Samantha Emmons at work in her studio at The Base