Art and soul of Wirksworth Festival

Amazing works of art and great music and drama will be on offer at the 22nd Wirksworth Festival which opens this weekend.
Sci Fi by Sleeping Trees Theatre at Wirksworth Town Hall on September 15.Sci Fi by Sleeping Trees Theatre at Wirksworth Town Hall on September 15.
Sci Fi by Sleeping Trees Theatre at Wirksworth Town Hall on September 15.

One of the focal points will be a site-specific installation in St Mary’s Church. Newly commissioned from Wolfgang Buttress, the installation entitled BEAM draws on the behaviours of the constantly-threatened bee population.

Wirksworth will become a giant gallery this weekend as artists display their work in delightful and sometimes quirky historic homes, shops, churches and open spaces.

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Performance arts will feature in the festival with music provided by pianist Mark Lockett, drummer Mugenkyo Taiko, jazz-rock from Get The Blessing featuring members of Portishead, reggae rhythms from Soothsayers and songs from tenor Richard Roddis.

Comic physicality will be brought to the world of sci-fi movies by Sleeping Trees Theatre (pictured) while mask, puppetry and physical theatre will combine in a performance by Theatre Témoin.

Perceptive and political Shazia Mirza will head the comedy line-up which includes rising star Holly Burn, local talent Hattie Hatstar and Cabaret Boom Boom!

Spoken word events feature author Kate Hardy, magical storytelling from Adverse Camber with The Kingdom of the Heart, A Story to Tell with Wirksworth and District Amnesty International and Ava Hunt and wordsmith Mark Gwynne Jones.

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A musical exploration entitled What do Pirates do all Day? is aimed at youngsters.

Wirksworth’s own IndepenDance perform their dance theatre piece Human, Kind, which was aired at this summer’s International Youth Arts Festival this summer.

Wirksworth Festival runs from September 9-25.

For more details, visit www.wirkworthfestival.co.uk