Following his floral extravaganza tour of The Tale of the Golden Goose last year, twelve-time medal winner at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Mig Kimpton returns with his brand new show.

Mig combines 30 years of experience in the world of theatre as well as his extensive expertise working with flowers to present an evening of colourful stories and even more colourful arrangements.

You’ll laugh, you’ll learn a few things about what life backstage is really like and you may even go home with one of Mig’s exquisite floral designs.

You’ll certainly never see anything else quite like it!

Studio
£16

•   3 Nov from £16
•   3 Nov from £16

World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker had a lot of time to think about the important things in life during lockdown(s), and after initially penning reflective poems about missing hugging people he started making German pop bangers and reviewing toilet seats online.

He also very quickly realised how much he missed performing live to people! A show of new poems and realisations celebrating the little things in life that make us who we are, focussing on the connection at the heart of it all and what can happen if we lose that.

Including the story of how a spontaneous decision to run a marathon dressed as a falafel turned into a diss track to Chris Evans that raised £5000 for charity, it is his most playful, heartfelt, uplifting, unashamedly Harry Baker-y show yet.

'Simply put... The greatest performer on Earth' ★★★★★ Scott Mills Show, Radio 1

'The spell over the audience is tangible' ★★★★★ Broadwaybaby

'Spectacularly witty' ★★★★★ Whatsonstage

'Blistering word play' ★★★★★ Three Weeks

Courtyard Theatre
£15

Harry Baker's Website.
@harrybakerpoet
@nordenfarm

•   3 Nov from £15

by Touching the Void’s Simon Yates.

On the remote Siula Grande in Peru in June 1985, mountaineer Simon Yates found himself in a desperately unenviable position. He was slowly being pulled off the mountain face by his injured partner, Joe Simpson, dangling on the rope 50 metres below. His decision to cut the rope saved both their lives in the epic of survival that followed and with the publication of the book Touching The Void, later film and stage play, both climbers became household names.

It was an experience that could have put many off the sport of mountaineering - but not Simon. Over 35 years later, he is still a very active exploratory climber and guide, making several expeditions to the mountains each year. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, Alaska to Central Asia there is hardly a significant range that he has not visited.

Come along and witness Simon’s tireless journey from that mountain in Peru to some of the remotest on the planet and share with him the drama, excitement and beauty of modern, lightweight alpinism. Told with wit, dry humour and lavishly illustrated with images and video collected on his great climbs.

'Simon is a totally engaging speaker, who both entertains and inspires.'

Studio
£16

•  24 Nov from £16

Hosted by Jeff Lloyd.

Once more The Vinyl Frontier welcomes electronic music pioneer, Martyn Ware, to chat about and listen to some of his career highlights and also talk about his new autobiography, Electronically Yours Vol 1.

Martyn was a founding member of The Human League, after which he set up the B.E.F. a part of which was 80s synth pop legends Heaven 17 as well as producing superstars such as Tina Turner, Erasure and Terence Trent D’Arby.

We’ll talk about his life in music and play vinyl cuts from throughout his career.

Studio
£17

•  26 Nov from £17

Hosted by Jeff Lloyd.

The most eagerly anticipated event in the Vinyl Frontier calendar is this one - where seven challengers take on Jeff in a battle of taste decided by you the audience. In three years he has yet to be beaten.

Surely it’s the turn of the audience? Come and cast your vote for the best songs played!

£10
Studio

•   9 Dec from £10

Presented by WEA Maidenhead and Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE)

Ruth Percy examines African Americans’ experiences both as enslaved and free peoples as they struggled for freedom and equality.

Programme

10.15am Slavery in North America from 1619
11.40am How Enslaved People resisted Slavery
1.40pm Why Emancipation didn’t bring Freedom
3pm The Civil Rights Struggles in the 20th Century

Please contact Steph Diggon (weamhead@gmail.com or Tel: 01628 563676) for reading list and powerpoint presentation.

Dr Ruth Percy is a Historian of Modern Britain and the United States at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford.

Live stream from the Courtyard Theatre £40 per household

•  16 Jan from £40

The Crowd Show is a comedy / theatre / spoken word show about crowds, people and connection.

The Crowd Show is a show suitable for anybody who has been in a crowd or wants to be in the crowd for this show.

Rob Auton is an award-winning writer, actor and podcaster, named the ‘Brian Cox of Comedy’ by the Guardian. He has written eight hit Edinburgh Fringe shows, which have led to nationwide tours and television/radio appearances. Rob has had four collections of poetry and illustrations published by Burning Eye Books and Harper Collins.

In 2020, Rob started The Rob Auton Daily Podcast, which went on to amass over two million listens and win a gold award for Best Daily Podcast at the British Podcast Awards.

'A genuine original. Poetical, philosophical, humane, completely charming and funny to boot' The Guardian

'Emotionally charged - a heart-warming clarion call for universal connection' Evening Standard

'Makes laughter out of wonder and brings us all together. We need him' The Scotsman

'Something that'll leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy round the edges' The Herald

'Brilliant' Stewart Lee

Studio
£15

•   4 Mar from £15