SEVENOAKS SUMMER FESTIVAL 2014
Continuing a tradition begun by Sevenoaks School in 1970, this year’s Summer Festival from Saturday 21 June to Sunday 6 July is the 45th annual celebration of the breadth, depth and diversity of local artistic activity, plus celebrity events and special attractions.
While the Stag once again provides a central focus for Festival, with a packed fortnight of varied and quality entertainment for all ages and tastes, also on sale from the Festival Box Office at Stag are several community group events and celebrity concerts, notably the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, jazz saxophonist Snake Davis, and, this year’s Finale Concert star, Sir Willard White, all at Sevenoaks School’s Pamoja Hall.
Festival Fair on the opening Saturday features Wishworks’ interactive puppet shows, Red Riding Hood and Goldifox in the Plaza Suite, where Stag Theatre Company presents a comedy double bill in the evening. On the same day in the theatre, Petts Wood Operatic Society stages matinee and evening performances of the classic musical Godspell.
Sunday 22 June is similarly packed - the Plaza Suite has drama workshops for young children in the afternoon and “New Orleans Night Out” in the evening, when, in the main theatre, Sevenoaks Philharmonic Society and Sevenoaks Symphony Orchestra combine to present a joint concert.
Later in the Festival fortnight, the main theatre is host to celebrity concerts from Fascinating Aida and Chas ‘n’ Dave, while Russell Kane headlines Maff Brown’s regular monthly comedy club and community groups complete a strong line-up - Combe Bank Gospel Choir appear with Ken Burton, Chance to Dance makes its 20th annual appearance, Sevenoaks Rock Choir makes a welcome return and youth theatre company Bullfrog presents the best songs from well-loved West End musicals in its special show “Be My Guest”.
In Stag’s Plaza Suite, Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies headline the John Smedley Folk Memorial Concert, Friends of Stag mount a 24 hour fund-raising readathon of the works of Jane Austen, Old Dortonians present a fund-raising concert in aid of Sightsavers, Kent Youth Jazz Orchestra hold an open rehearsal and workshop, the Blues with Bottle Club feature awards-winning blues/roots duo Babajack in this year’s Doug Revell Memorial Concert and Sevenoaks District Arts Council stages a special A/V production of “Tales from our Past”, stories from local history.
