Regent Centre Events
The Kids of Winton SA Powerzone have been raising funds for the Watershed Appeal throughout 2007. We’re asking you to help them!
The lack of water is a huge problem for our world. Over 1 billion people worldwide live without access to safe drinking water. By 2025 more than 3 billion people could be affected by serious water shortages. 40% of the world lives without adequate sanitation. 4 out of 10 people don't have access to a basic toilet. Only 15% of the world's population have the luxury of water on tap. The average person in the UK uses 160 litres of water every day; the average person in the developing world uses just 10 litres. In some places, people have to walk up to 10 miles to collect water. In many countries, fetching water can take up to 5 hours a day. The weight of water women in Africa and Asia carry on their heads is the equivalent of your airport luggage allowance. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from diseases caused by lack of water. Unsafe drinking water and poor living conditions kill 4000 children everyday. Half of all hospital beds in the world are filled with people suffering from water-related diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and trachoma.
FILM: INTO THE WILD (15)
This back to the Wilderness Road movie is based on a true story. Emile Hirsch plays Christopher McCandless, who, in 1991, having just graduated in law, abandoned a promising career, his family and future, to rebel in classic 60s style and embark on an odyssey into the great American outback, first in the West and then in Alaska.
McCandless had no survival training and set out on his great adventure like a babe in the wood, in which his quest for solitude was dependant on the kindness of the people he met along the way.
Into The Wild was shot in some of America’s most beautiful locations, but they are also some of the most rugged and unforgiving terrain on Earth.
This thought provoking tour de force boasts an Oscar worthy turn by Emile Hirsch, with great support from seasoned actors like William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook, not to mention Bart the bear!
ART EXHIBITION by CRAIG SEABRIGHT
The latest art exhibition at the Regent in Christchurch features the unique footwork of Southbourne based artist, Craig Seabright, from Saturday 16th February – Friday 7th March. Craig was in the middle of a Fine Art degree at Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996, when he suffered an injury to the 5th vertebrae in his neck, which in turn damaged the nerve within his right arm.
At this point many people might have thought that their artistic career was over, but Craig, with gritty determination, decided that if he had been good at painting with his right hand, that he could be equally good using his right foot. The result is his latest exhibition, entitled Momentary Space, which will feature 20 pieces of his work.
Craig works in pencil to produce portraits, mainly of family and friends and these personalised pieces will make up much of the display at the Regent. Craig’s style has been inspired by the Symbolists and Pre-Raphaelites.
REGENT CENTRE MANAGER - SIMPLY THE BEST !
The nominations for the prestigious Encore Theatre Awards for 2007 have just been announced by Peter Foot, the Editor of Encore, the monthly entertainment magazine for theatre professionals.
The Regent Centre in Christchurch has been rewarded with two nominations in two key categories. Regent Centre General Manager, Keith Lancing, has been nominated for Venue Manager of the Year, whilst the Regent Technical Manager, Shaun Luckly, has been put forward for the Gaffer of the Year award.
The Encore awards are now in their thirteenth year and the winners are due to be announced at a Gala, Red Carpet ceremony at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls on Wednesday 7 May, which will be in aid of the Roy Castle Fund in aid of Cancer Research UK.
The Encore nominations are recognition that the Regent is one of the most successful venues on the South Coast. Sales revenues at the Regent Centre in the year 2006/07 increased by an incredible 14%. This has been achieved through a combination of innovatory new attractions at the Centre, such as the Metropolitan Opera being beamed directly via satellite from New York to the big screen in Christchurch; excellent service to incoming acts ranging from local theatre groups to star performers such as Barbara Dickson, Pam Ayres and Joe Brown, and sheer hard work in the form of increased opening hours during evening and weekends. In addition, Keith and Shaun have been encouraging more youth participation at the Regent, both on stage and backstage with the technical team.
Regent Centre Manager, Keith Lancing, said “This really is a great honour for both the Regent and for Christchurch. It represents a reward for all the hard work put in by everyone at the Centre, including volunteers and staff. It will certainly make a change for theatre management to be given all the glitz and glamour of the red carpet treatment and we hope to make it a win win double celebration for the Regent on 7 May.”
DIVAS OF COUNTRY
Divas of Country is a brand new tour featuring the best of classic and modern country music’s female artists, and is on stage at the Regent in Christchurch on Saturday 1 March at 7.30 pm.
Tickets : £15.00, Concessions : £14.00
Three top entertainers, Laurie Briggs, Jane Ellis and Sophie Kent, backed by a live four piece band, will sing hit country songs from the past and present. In a fun packed evening, they will celebrate the music and glamour of legends like: Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Billie Jo Spears through to modern greats such as: Shania Twain, Leann Rimes, Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood.
Laurie has recently been on tour with the Sound of Karen Carpenter in The Karpenters Tribute Show, whilst Jane and Sophie have been on tour with ABBA Forever.
Now they are together as Divas of Country in a show that will appeal to country fans of all ages!
THEATRE 2000 present GRAND HOTEL – THE MUSICAL
The award winning Theatre 2000 return to the Regent in Christchurch, following their sell out success last October with The Merry Widow, with their first production of 2008, Grand Hotel - The Musical.
Curtain up on Grand Hotel – The Musical will be from Thursday 6 – Saturday 8 March at 7.30 pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.30 pm.
Tickets : Thursday 6 & Saturday Matinee - £9.00, Friday 7 - £12.50, Concessions - £10.50, Saturday Evening - £13.50.
Set in Berlin in 1928, the magnificent Grand Hotel is the epitomy of Art Deco decadence with all the glamorous, glittering Ritz and Glitz of the Roaring 20s.
Beneath all the opulence, though, are the seeds of the worldwide slump, the rise of dictatorship and the conflagration to follow.
The lives of the staff and guests intersect in the foyer, stateroom and ballroom of the Grand Hotel. Amongst them is the fading and fragile Russian prima ballerina; the suave and sophisticated but destitute Baron; the fatally ill Jewish bookkeeper, who is determined to spend his last days living in luxury; a cynical doctor and a young typist, dreaming of Hollywood stardom.
Grand Hotel – The Musical opened on Broadway in 1989, gaining an impressive 12 Tony nominations and winning five of them. Its razzle dazzle choreography won two Tonys and two Astaire awards.
The musical highlights include: Bolero, Love Can’t Happen, I Waltz Alone, Who Couldn’t Dance With You and Roses At The Station.
The show is based on Vicki Baum’s novel and play and the subsequent Oscar winning Best Film of 1932, starring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and John and Lionel Barrymore.
METROPOLITAN OPERA Britten’s PETER GRIMES
Live by high definition satellite broadcast from New York to the Regent’s big screen
Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes is the fourth opera to be broadcast by high definition satellite from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, direct to the big screen at the Regent Centre on Saturday 15 March at 5.30 pm. Tickets : £25.00, Concessions £20.00
Peter Grimes is set circa 1830, in the Borough, a deliberately non-specific seaside village on England’s East Coast. It is almost certainly based on Aldeburgh, Britten’s home town.
Peter Grimes is under investigation for unthinkable transgressions, yet Benjamin Britten’s probing exploration of the nature of guilt and judgement, implicates an entire fishing village.
Director John Doyle, a Tony award winner for his production of Sweeney Todd on Broadway, makes his Met debut with this modern masterpiece.
Tenor Neil Shicoff takes on the complex title role. The riveting Patricia Racette plays Ellen Orford, the woman who refuses to abandon him.
Peter Grimes premiered in 1945 and features 20th Century opera’s most impressive tenor role. With its sweeping orchestral beauty, it is an engrossing and haunting theatrical journey.
RING OF CONFIDENCE FOR THE REGENT
The Regent Centre looks set to become the region’s first venue to provide a brilliant new solution for people who want easy-access Life Skills training but can’t spare the time or commitment for a long course.
‘The Confidence Event’ is presented by Dorset and Hants’ very own expert Karin Karian, one of the UK’s top performance and vocal specialists, highly respected for her work with performance groups, business managers and members of the general public. Karin is also well known as an exceptional singer and for her warm and inspirational performances.
The new-style presentation is set to take place on Friday March 14th at 7.30pm, in the main theatre at the Regent Centre, High Street, Christchurch. It offers members of the general public a light-hearted, ‘bite-size’ professional session, packed with tried and tested ideas, and meets the niche for busy people who need fast solutions to confidence development, and a friendly approach.
Topics covered will include ‘Social Conversation’, ‘Presenting in Public’ and ‘Difficult Conversations’, and can be applied in any work, social or domestic situation.
Karin’s informal, ‘down-to-earth’ style, with her unique use of illustrative songs, which has become her trademark, is a winning formula. She says: “Many people have gaps in their confidence but don’t want a big corporate event or to pay a huge fee for a course.”
Karin goes on to say, “Our research showed that people wanted a local venue, high professional standards and noticeable results, but in a quick-access, light-hearted and entertaining format - and for no more than the price of a take-away. So, we have created a special event to do just that.”
”This is a different style of theatre event - it’s a practical way to learn fast, without the worry that everyone is watching you, and a safe ‘taster’ for people who may be shy, or curious about what’s in it for them; it’s also a professional presentation, without the jargon -and you don’t have to wear a tie!”
“This event aims to bring people an effective, entertaining and affordable way to improve their life-skills, whatever their life circumstances, and we hope people will be proud to support the Regent Centre in its ground-breaking new ventures.”
Tickets: £17.50, Concessions £16, available online at www.regentcentre.co.uk or from the Regent Centre Box Office: Tel. 01202 499199. ‘Bring a Friend’ Offer: 2 tickets for £30.
There is more information about Karin Karian and her work, including one to one coaching and corporate training, on her website: www.vocalsolutions-uk.com.
FILM: SWEENEY TODD (18)
There is a chance to catch up with the Golden Globe award winning Best Film, when the screen version of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony award winning musical, Sweeney Todd, shows at the Regent in Christchurch.
The film, for which Johnny Depp also won a Best Actor Golden Globe, shows from Monday 10 – Thursday 13 March at 7.30 pm, with two matinees on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 at 2.30 pm.
Billed as probably the most gruesome show ever to grace Broadway and the West End, only director Tim Burton could have brought this Gothic, 19th Century black comedy successfully to the silver screen.
Sweeney Todd has been falsely imprisoned and upon his release he exacts his revenge by opening a barber’s shop, with the express aim of doing in all those who have done him wrong! Moreover, he has a cut throat alliance with the ghastly Mrs Lovett, Helena Bonham Carter, who gains a reputation for selling “the worst pies in London”.
Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen also star along with the superb Sondheim Score.
