World class performers Collister & Fix to appear at Ropery Hall

Jon Doran & The Northern Assembly are a ground-breaking new collaboration that seek to capture the excitement that lies within traditional song and breathe new life into old stories from the British Isles. The trio formed with a desire to introduce these songs to new audiences by injecting the energy they feel these narratives deserve. 

Consciously moving away from the conventional folk song performance style, the trio rely upon their vastly dissimilar musical upbringings and experiences to conjure emotions and communicate a story far deeper than the words of the song. With striking vocals from Jon Doran (BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Finalist 2019) combined with the virtuosic playing of instrumentalists Heather Ferrier (Balter) and Jordan Aikin (Pons Aelius), Jon Doran & The Northern Assembly never fail to take their audience on a journey that explores the full spectrum of human experience. 

Absolutely superb, what a singer, what a violin player and what a bouzouki player. I sat and watched Jon’s performance and thought ‘I wish I was that good’. -Greg Russell

Amother fantastic night of comedy with 3 acts from the national circuit and our Barnstormers compere.

 The Music of Victoria Wood

“The most feel-good show in town”⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (The Daily Mail) has spread nostalgia and laughter throughout the UK and has the seal of approval from Victoria’s very own school-chums and colleagues. Featuring the star of BBC1’s ‘All Together Now’, Paulus The Cabaret Geek “King of Cabaret” (The Stage) with Michael Roulston (Fascinating Aïda) on piano, it is an evening of pure joy filled with Victoria’s best-loved songs, including the iconic ‘Ballad of Barry & Freda’ (Let’s Do It) and the classic ‘It Would Never Have Worked’. This show is for fans of Victoria and for those yet to discover her, to come together and relish her breathtaking wizardry with words. In telling Victoria’s story, Paulus unfolds his own. A relatable story of a 1970s childhood and what it really means to find your tribe. So, pair your stilettos with an oven glove, zip up your cocktail slacks and get booking! “Vic would have loved this” Sue Devaney, dinnerladies. “We loved it!” Fascinating Aïda “Poignancy and heart” ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ The Scotsman.

“There’s something of the proverbial elder statesman about Peter Knight, in terms of his place in music, which cannot be overstated. It’s not just in the quality of his playing…there’s a focus on the sheer inventiveness of Peter’s playing, in the adventurous arrangements he shares with his collaborators, and in his musical leadership”

Northern Sky Magazine

Since his inaugural performance with the fledgling Steeleye Span in 1970, Peter Knight has been a mainstay of the British folk scene.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Peter has carved a reputation as a relentlessly questing musician “as mercurial as quicksilver” (Simon Jones/fRoots), and it is never quite so apparent as in his work with the various Gigspanner line-ups.

In the wake of his departure from Steeleye Span, Peter turned his full attention to the Gigspanner Trio and established their reputation as one of the most genuinely ground-breaking forces on the British folk scene, inspiring Maverick magazine to write “Gigspanner are pushing at the boundaries, and in the process are making some of the most beautiful music the genre has to offer” 5***** Maverick Magazine

Described by Folk Radio UK as one of the “most quietly brilliant sets of musicians in the folk world and beyond”, they take self-penned material along with music rooted in the British Isles and beyond, and with the flick of a bow, a finely chosen chord or slip of a beat, produce richly atmospheric arrangements “with notes seemingly plucked from the stars and rhythms from the equator” (Spiral Earth). 

Indie-folk singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Josienne Clarke is often said to draw on traditional British folk inspirations, but is a thoroughly modern, multifaceted artist who follows her own compass.

Blessed with a voice of crystalline beauty and clarity that has been compared to Sandy Denny, her myriad talents translate effortlessly to the live space in performances that are all her own. She has extensive touring experience having been a Rough Trade-signed, Radio 2 Folk Award-winning artist – two opposing poles that neatly sum up her inability to be pigeonholed – and has also been hand-picked as main tour support for folk legend Richard Thompson. She’s shared a stage with Robert Plant and has written songs for an adaptation of The Snow Queen for the National Theatre, performed by children aged seven to 11 years.

Her varied background and effortless musicality mean a cover of Radiohead is just as likely to appear on the setlist as Nick Drake.  Her most recent EP Only One Onliness was released in August 2023 – hence she’s been able to slot seamlessly into the bill of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival as easily as that of End of the Road.

As well as being a guitarist and vocalist, her unforgettably dark wit also acts as compelling counterpoint to her own twilit, low-key and intimate compositions when playing live. Clarke’s rare authenticity – really the main unifying thread running through her career – is something to admire: here is an artist singularly unafraid to express herself via her art and is naturally armed with all the verve and ability to do so – and bring the audience with her.

Dyad Productions Austen’s Women: LADY SUSAN by Jane Austen.

Based on Jane Austen’s first full-length work from 1794, and created entirely from letters. Performed by Rebecca Vaughan, directed by Andrew Margerison from the award-winning creators of Austen’s Women, A Christmas Carol, I, Elizabeth, Female Gothic, Christmas Gothic, and A Room of One’s Own.

Austen’s Women are back – in a brand-new show! Devil-may-care Lady Susan, the coquettish black widow, hunting down not one, but two, fortunes; oppressed, rebellious daughter Frederica; long-suffering sister-in-law Catherine; family matriarch Mrs De Courcy; and insouciant best friend, Alicia. Return to the Regency (or rather, Georgian) in this darkly comic tale of society and the women trapped within it; their struggles, their desires, their temptations and manipulations – and at the vanguard, Lady Susan: charming, scheming, witty, and powerful; taking on society and making it her own. But has she met her match?

Dyad Productions creates, produces and tours classic theatre with an innovative and contemporary emphasis. A regular fixture at the Edinburgh Fringe, their work has been a critical, 5-star, sell-out success since 2009. Other Dyad Productions, Austen’s Women, I, Elizabeth, Christmas Gothic, Female Gothic and A Room of One’s Own have garnered five-star reviews and continue to tour across the UK and internationally. In 2018 Dyad Productions was awarded the prestigious Three Weeks Editors’ Award for Cumulative Body of Work. This piece was created in collaboration with The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead, where they are a resident company.

Austen’s Women: Lady Susan is performed by Rebecca Vaughan (Christmas Gothic, Female Gothic, Austen’s Women, I, Elizabeth, A Room of One’s Own) Directed by Andrew Margerison (A Frantic Assembly’s Fatherland, Macbeth) Costume by Kate Flanaghan (Austen’s Women, Female Gothic, Christmas Gothic, I, Elizabeth, A Room of One’s Own). Sound design by Danny Bright (A Room of One’s Own, Christmas Gothic). Lighting design by Martin Tucker (Christmas Gothic)