Music, theatre comedy and puppet treats are rolled out by Live and Local in 30 shows heading for Derbyshire villages and towns

A new season of Live and Local will bring 30 shows to venues countywide. Programme administrator Laura Bagley said: “We are looking forward to a great selection of entertainment to take us right over the Christmas period! Look out for some comedy theatre, some more thought-provoking drama, plenty of music and dance, as well as some festive-themed shows for December!”

The run of shows in Derbyshire launches on September 30 at Crich Field Centre where Dan Sealy, formerly of Ocean Colour Scene and Cosmotheka,will tell the story of his unusual career in the music industry. Dan will relate how he went from working in a factory to playing at the Albert Hall in the space of a week, through to performing music hall songs with his father, Dave Sealey. His presentation will be a mix of storytelling and music.

Comedy, songs, mask, puppetry, dance and original music feature in Finding Chester which will be performed at Dronfield Hall Barn on October 4. Edith Tiddles gets everything delivered to her home and hasn’t stepped outside her door – but when her cat goes missing she enlists the help of the local delivery man to get her precious pet back. This presentation by Rhubarb Theatre is suitable for children aged 5+ years.

Award-winning writer Tim Foley has scripted an intoxicating and mystical new play for Pentabus Theatre Company. His work, Driftwood, is about two brothers caught up in family feuds and political divides at a time when their dad is dying and their town is crying. Driftwood will be performed at Theatre at FSC, Tideswell on October 20 and at Morton Village Hall on October 21.

Masters of folk music Kellys Heroes, who have 14 albums under their belt, will be performing at Bonsall Village Hall on October 21. Expect fast and furious Celtic songs and tunes, gentle ballads and original material.

Spiltmilk Dance roll out the red carpet in Desert Island Flicks, a whistlestop tour of memorable moments from cinema over the last 80 years. See the show at Heage Village Hall on October 27 and at Great Longstone Village Hall on October 28.

Flatworld will be transporting their audience to eastern Europe when they air songs from the folk traditions in their concert at Florence Nightingale Memorial Hall, Holloway on November 4.

Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, twice winners of best duo at the BBC Folk Awards (2013 and 2016), will be performing an intimate and friendly concert of songs and stories at Taddington Village Institute on November 16.

Award-winning folk song and storytelling trio Harp and a Monkey tour their show Aren’t Humans Funny! to Baslow Vilage Hall on November 18.

New intepretations of songs by Lennon & McCartney, Lou Reed and Tom Waits will be performed by The Pocket Choral Society at The Burton Institute, Winster, on November 25. The Pocket Choral Society is composed of four experienced singers who are a vicar, a publican, a farmer and a village shop worker.

The Gods Are All Here, a one-man show by storyteller Phil Okwedy, is inspired by the performer’s discovery of of letters from his father in Nigeria to his mother in Wales. Folktales and legends of Africa are weaved into a story that uncovers Phil’s experiences of growing up as a child of dual heritage in Wales during the Sixties and Seventies. Catch his presentation at Doe Lea Resource Centre on November 25.

Farmer Scooge’s Christmas Carol is a new comic slant on Charles’ Dickens famous story and features puppets, stories and original songs by award-winning singer-songwriter Jez Lowe. This festive family tale will be performed by Badapple Theatre at Belper Community Hall on December 23.

For the full listings and to book tickets, go to www.liveandlocal.org.uk/whats-on