World class performers Collister & Fix to appear at Ropery Hall

Daliso Chaponda has been writing jokes about the news for over a decade – on Have I Got News For You, Radio 4′ News Quiz, Australia’s Good News Week and many more besides. (In fact he’s seen the news from both sides, having been in the tabloids himself.) But recently the news has been so absurd, chaotic and overwhelming that it more or less mocks itself. Where do we go from here?

Topical Storm is Daliso’s response. A show not about THE news but about news itself. Journalists, bloggers, fake news, satirical news: have we lost the thread of it all? Is the reporting of news endlessly polarising us as a society rather than educating us? Would we be better off going right back to the first ever news bulletin – the original caveman drawing on a wall – and starting from scratch? Daliso does just that in this explosive new standup show.

Age guidance: 14+

Merely Players present FAKESPEARE a deceptively truthful tale by Stuart Fortey

There are two problems with deception.
The first is being found out.
The second is not being found out.

In 1794, noted antiquarian Samuel Ireland is delighted when his son William brings him unknown documents in the hand of Shakespeare, obtained from an anonymous source. But scholars question their authenticity and denounce Samuel as a forger. The household is thrown into turmoil and family skeletons come tumbling out of cupboards …

In 2026, Samuel, William and their housekeeper Mrs Freeman meet again to sort out the truth of it all, if such a thing is possible …

A TRUE STORY

Fakespeare is about truth and lies, then and now. Although the events of the play – the Great Shakespeare Fraud – happened in the 1790s, the characters are actually telling us the story in the present day, fully aware of the audience. Lies, however well-intentioned, lead to the destruction of the family in the play, and even today the truth about what actually happened then is hard to pin down. Fakespeare is an object lesson in the timeless need for honesty and truthfulness in human interactions.

This performance is part of our Members’ 241 Offer. Please ask for details.

John Jones is best known as the powerful and charismatic singer with Oysterband, veterans of the folk and roots scene since the 1980s. They started as The Whitstable Oyster Company Ceilidh Band, one of the best ceilidh bands in the business, which then evolved into the folk/punk/rock group Oysterband, releasing over 20 albums and playing every major festival in the UK, Europe and Canada. They recorded and toured with some of the UK’s most revered folk artists, including acclaimed tours and two award-winning albums with singer June Tabor.

John’s solo work developed alongside his Oysterband duties. In 2009, he released his first solo album, Rising Road, and began walking between gigs with musicians and fans in a group he called The Reluctant Ramblers. In ten years, the Reluctant Ramblers walked over 1000 miles between shows and John released his second album, Never Stop Moving, in 2015.

Now, with Oysterband saying farewell to their armies of faithful fans across the UK and Europe with their hugely successful The Long Goodbye tour, John is about to embark on his next chapter, enlisting the help of his two long-standing friends and fellow musicians: Ray Cooper a.k.a. Chopper and Al Scott. Ray joined Oysterband in 1990 and brought in the cello sound alongside his bass and backing vocals before leaving in 2013 to go solo. Al has been associated with Oysterband for over 30 years as producer and stand-in guitarist. Al joined the band in 2013. Between them, the trio play a variety of instruments and will be performing a range of songs and tunes from over the years, from each of their back catalogues, alongside new songs and traditional numbers.

One family, one condition, one hell of a hairy baby…  Scott Bennett from Live at the Apollo, The Royal Variety Performance and The News Quiz tells the amazing true story of how his daughter fell ill with a rare genetic condition, congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). Never heard of it?  Neither had Scott and Jemma.

‘What’s so rare and satisfying is how all the jokes go hand in hand with the seriousness of the situation. It’s a wonderfully hopeful, often hilarious show from a properly funny man’ The Times ★★★★

‘Fabulous turn of phrase, superb character creations ‘ Chortle ★★★★

‘Stardom is surely just one punchline away ‘ Evening Standard ★★★★

Yes, it’s a story about an ill baby, but it’s a very funny one with a happy ending, as new parents Scott and Jemma fight to get the right diagnosis for their daughter and are plunged into months of bewildering treatment, sleepless nights, celebrity encounters and bizarre side effects.

“Beautifully written and funny in all the right places. Brilliant” Jim Hansen

“A real rollercoaster of emotions, but absolutely brilliant” Jennifer Brady

“One of the best shows we’ve ever seen, an amazing show, laughter and tears, it was just brilliant” Lee Gray 

“Genuinely hilarious and heartwarming, reminding us of the power of being able to make light of bad situations” George Couch

“So relatable and emotional for us as fellow blood sugar parents, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, I 100% recommend it!” The CHI Charity

“An amazing mix of comedy and Drama” Daniel Smith

“An engaging, heartfelt and emotional journey, turned into a comedy masterclass” Mike Pierrepoint

“What an amazing story and unique way of telling it, belly laughs and a tear at the end” Phil Phillips

(12a) 1h 51m

A disillusioned Englishman who goes to work in a school in a divided Argentina in 1976 finds his life transformed when he rescues an orphaned penguin from the beach. Stars Steve Coogan

(15) 1h 30m

Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin.