Featuring Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Welcome
Welcome back! This time, it’s to our much-anticipated Autumn/Winter 2024 season brochure. The last Spring/Summer season was a joy to bring to audiences, and we were thrilled to see many faces, both new and familiar, join us for the spectacular events presented in our venues.
This new season at Hemsted Park features our most exciting lineup yet. For the first time, we’re introducing the Hemsted Park Winter Festival of Music, showcasing spectacular performances from world-class musicians such as cello sensation Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Jazz/Funk giants The James Taylor Quartet, and Britten Sinfonia with their orchestral excellence.
Other events across the season include madcap dining with the Faulty Towers team, family-friendly ballet, outdoor theatre, and a live stage celebration of West End shows. Join us for another season filled with captivating performances at Hemsted Park!
Exciting Announcement
for the new Hemsted Park Season
We are also delighted to announce an exciting new partnership between Hemsted Park and Burfields House Wealth Management Ltd.
Burfields House has enthusiastically joined the Hemsted Park team as our official season partner. With their support we’ll be able to continue bringing our customers more of the exciting, quality performances we have become known for, and we’re delighted to have them on board.
Autumn/Winter
Pride and Prejudice - Sunday 1 September
The Ugly Duckling: The Ballet - Thursday 31 October
Britten Sinfonia - Thursday 7 November
Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Harry Baker: Bach & Beyond - Friday 15 November
The James Taylor Quartet - Sunday 17 November
Trio Bohémo - Wednesday 20 November
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience - Friday 13 December
Beyond the Barricade 25th Anniversary Tour - Saturday 14 December
The Scummy Mummy Christmas Show - Thursday 19 December
Meet Our New Partners
Founded by David Cole, Burfields House Wealth Management has been based in Goudhurst, Kent, since 2002. However, David’s family has been looking after the finances of local clients for many years before that, starting with his grandfather in 1921 and followed by his mother. He is very proud to share the same family philosophy of handing financial success on to the next generation.
Now with a highly qualified advisory team of seven and a longestablished team of dedicated support staff, we take pride in delivering the best for our valued clients, providing high-quality bespoke advice to individuals, families, trustees and businesses and helping them to plan their financial future and security.
Client focus lies at the heart of everything we do and we thrive on building positive long-term relationships where we make a difference and clients take value in our honest, straightforward approach.
One very important aspect of our business is the work we do to help improve the welfare of others throughout the world and within the local community, with members of the team regularly participating in a variety of events to support and raise money for good causes.
Founded by David Cole and David Gridley, the Tongole Foundation is the Burfields House charity working to support local communities surrounding the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in Malawi, Africa. It focuses on the areas of education and wildlife conservation to improve the standards of living for as many people as possible.
All the Burfields House team are actively involved in Tongole, whether it is volunteering to travel and help with building better classrooms and facilities or organising and taking part in fundraising events – from local raffles and bake sales to director Robin Quirt’s mammoth 2023 trek to Everest Base Camp.
Tongole Foundation
About Hemsted Park
We are an oustanding performing arts venue in the heart of Kent, based on the stunning 250-acre site of the world-renowned Benenden School.
Hemsted Park’s performance spaces principally comprise the stunning new Centenary Hall, a 750 seater concert hall, and the separate beautiful purpose-built 290 seat, Benenden Theatre.
Other spaces include The Bonnie Yeung-Tsang Recital Hall, The Georgiadis Studio as well as the historic parkland that Hemsted Park is proud to call its home.
These multi-purpose spaces allow a wide range of events; with everything from standup comedy to full orchestras and from professional plays to children’s ballet shows, Hemsted Park is able to offer performances to suit all tastes.
As well as music, comedy, drama and dance productions, we are also available for hire for visiting schools, meetings, conferences, performance, training courses and many more corporate opportunities within our various spaces. This is alongside the various film and TV productions that are filmed here on site too.
Our venues effortlessly blend stunning historical surroundings with modern event spaces equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Bespoke catering and audio-visual services are available, as is accommodation for a select number of events.
For more information on hiring our facilities, please email info@hemstedpark.com or call 01580 236699.
‘Could not be better’ The York Press
Pride and Prejudice
Sunday 1 September
The Rose Garden 5.00pm
From £12
Chapterhouse Theatre present their open-air Garden Theatre Tour of UK and Ireland 2024
Step back in time over two hundred years and meet Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters as they navigate the mire of manners of regency society. With stunning period costume, timeless wit, and a romantic original score, Chapterhouse’s Pride and Prejudice is a faithful telling of Austen’s greatest work. Join family and friends for an evening of magical theatre as we bring the world’s favourite love story to gardens and grounds across the country.
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours & 20 mins including one interval.
Please note: This is an open air performance taking place in the beautiful setting of the Rose Gardens of Hemsted Park, overlooked by the stunning Centenary Hall.
Doors open at 3.30pm and the show starts at 5.00pm. Please bring your own picnic blankets or low-backed seating.
‘Inspired’ On Magazine ‘A brilliant interpretation’ Sussex World
17th Century Village Pub. Est 1608
Serving delicious pub grub, pies, daily specials, local wines, beers & ciders. Please call us to arrange your pre-theatre supper, or just pop in for a drink, before or after the show. Cheers! Pre-theatre suppers must be booked in advance. Thank you. 01580 240 054 . @bullbenenden . thebullatbenenden.co.uk
The Ugly Duckling: The Ballet
Thursday 31 October
The Theatre 1.00pm
From £10
Feeling different, teased by his friends and not accepted by his family, the Ugly Duckling is sad and lonely.
Through a series of adventures he soon learns who he really is and his family realises it doesn’t matter what you look like but how good your heart is.
From the creators of The Princess & the Frog, Teddy Bears’ Picnic, Alice in Wonderland, The Princess & the Pea, Cinderella, The Magic Word, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty comes this lovely ballet for the whole family. With the crystal-clear storytelling, larger than life characters and gorgeous costumes you’d expect from this innovative company, The Ugly Duckling tackles themes of social acceptance and liking yourself in a child-friendly, humorous manner.
Great for the whole family, especially children aged 2-12.
With sell-out performances across the UK, Let’s All Dance Ballet Company is renowned for bringing classic children’s stories to life, combining narrative driven productions with traditional ballet repertoire.
Running Time: Approx. 45 mins.
WINTER FESTIVAL
A collection of performances from world class musicians, spanning the genres of Jazz/Funk, Orchestral & Chamber music. This November Hemsted Park is delighted to present the The James Taylor Quartet, Britten Sinfonia, Trio Bohémo & Sheku Kanneh-Mason accompanied by Harry Baker.
Purchase tickets to three events in the festival for an automatic 10% discount. Purchase tickets to all four festival events for a 20% discount.
Britten Sinfonia:
Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed
Thursday 7 November
Centenary Hall 7.00pm
From £24
Max Richter’s The New Four Seasons: Vivaldi Recomposed is a thrilling and hypnotic way to hear Vivaldi’s genius with fresh ears, seemingly taking us up into the cosmos to look down on the piece and the world from above.
Britten Sinfonia has a special relationship with the piece, having given its first ever concert performance in 2012 and more recently performed it to a rapturous reception for a sell-out crowd of 5,000 people at the 2023 BBC Proms.
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours including one interval.
FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Harry Baker
Bach
& Beyond
Friday 15 November
Centenary Hall 7.00pm
From £29
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, an extraordinary British cellist, has captivated the world with his profound musicality and emotive performances. At the young age of 17, he achieved international recognition by winning the prestigious BBC Young Musician award in 2016, becoming the first black musician to do so. Further cementing his status as a classical music icon, Kanneh-Mason performed at the globally televised royal wedding of 2018 and was honoured with an MBE for his services to music in 2021.
Kanneh-Mason’s (cello) and Baker’s (piano) examination of this legacy begins with the music of Leoš Janáček, who, like Bach, found inspiration in age-old beloved melodies; in Janáček’s case, Czech folk song. Intricate works by Bill Evans and Pat Metheny are symbols of the roster of jazz musicians moved by the German composer’s output.
The second half of the programme showcases Bach’s diverse generic scope —Cello Suite No. 1, Prelude & Fugue in D-flat major, and his chorale, Ich ruf zu dir — alongside more direct homages by Baker and Brazilian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour 50 mins including one interval.
‘James Taylor is one of the great British Hammond organ players of his generation.’
Nitin Sawhney
WINTER FESTIVAL
The James Taylor Quartet
featuring Benenden Chapel Choir
Sunday 17 November
Centenary Hall 5.00pm
From £24
Experience the electrifying fusion of funk, soul, and jazz with the renowned James Taylor Quartet, led by Hammond organ maestro James Taylor. Known for their dynamic performances, the quartet seamlessly blend groovy rhythms with soulful melodies, with Taylor’s virtuosic organ playing taking centre stage. Drawing inspiration from the golden era of jazz while infusing it with a modern edge, their sound is both nostalgic and contemporary.
In this special concert, enjoy a selection of pieces from James’s Te Deum featuring the Benenden Chapel Choir, adding a unique and captivating element to the evening. Don’t miss out on the infectious energy and undeniable talent of the James Taylor Quartet, leaving audiences grooving and craving more with each mesmerizing performance.
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour 50 mins including one interval.
‘Taylor’s organ sound first sears the ears and then goes straight to the feet’
Garry Booth, BBC Music Magazine
‘Taylor is one of our finest jazz organists… A musician who has forged his own path… His playing is snappy and crisp…’
David Lands, Jazz Journal
FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Trio Bohémo
Wednesday 20 November
Centenary Hall 7.30pm
From £15
Prizewinning Czech piano trio, Trio Bohémo, will return to Hemsted Park for a concert by candlelight.
In 2021, Trio Bohémo won the International Parkhouse Award in London at Wigmore Hall and have since won the Haydn Competition in Vienna, plus a special prize for the best interpretation of a work by Haydn.
This time, you can hear rarely performed works: the youthful first Piano Trio by Dmitri Shostakovich and Franz Schubert’s heavenly Notturno. The concert will culminate in a whirl of emotion with Bedřich Smetana’s Piano Trio in G Minor. This crowning piece of Trio Bohémo’s repertoire showcases not only their Czech roots but also the qualities they are most celebrated for—performance full of complete dedication, passion, and emotion. Running Time: Approx. 1 hour.
‘They are the music that this world needs’ Wigmore Hall Debut
An award winning, RIBA chartered architectural practice based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Mayfair, London.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
Friday 13 December
Centenary Hall 7.00pm
From £64
The world-renowned immersive phenomenon is currently celebrating its twenty-seventh anniversary as the world’s most sought-after tribute to the BBC sitcom. Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is an unmissable highly interactive comedy spectacular, where audiences enjoy a 3-course meal alongside 5-star comedy.
When the audience become diners in the ‘Faulty Towers’ restaurant, pretty much anything can happen – because 70% of the show is improvised. The fun starts as guests wait to be seated. It then hurtles along in a 2-hour tour de force of gags and shambolic service as Basil, Sybil and Manuel serve a ‘70s-style 3-course meal together with a good dollop of mayhem. Expect the unexpected!
‘Immersive theatre at its startling best’ Best of Theatre, London West End
‘A two-hour eat, drink and laugh
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours for the interactive experience plus additional post-performance time to complete the dining experience.
Beyond the Barricade 25th Anniversary Tour
Saturday 14 December
Theatre 7.30pm
From £30
Beyond the Barricade, the UK’s longest running musical theatre concert tour, features past principal performers from Les Misérables and delivers over two hours of the best of Broadway and the West End, ending of course with a stunning finale from Les Mis. This brand new show will include many of the best numbers that have made Beyond the Barricade the most popular musical theatre concert in the country.
The concert features David Fawcett (Valjean), Andy Reiss (Enjolras & Resident Director for the National Tour of Les Misérables), Katie Leeming (Eponine) and Poppy Tierney (Cosette), together with a live band who capture the feel of the original orchestrations of the chosen musicals.
To this day every musical note is still played and sung live – very rare indeed. Beyond the Barricade gives musical theatre songs a bold concert format treatment – but with the conviction and intention to deliver the material as if the audience are watching the original performance.
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours 20 mins including one interval.
The Scummy Mummy Christmas Show
Thursday 19 December Theatre 7.30pm
From £21
Ho, Ho, Ho...it’s the Scummy Mummies Christmas Show! Due to popular demand, comedians Helen Thorn and Ellie Gibson are bringing their special Christmas themed comedy show back to... the Benenden Theatre! Expect scummy carols, yuletide sketches, festive stand-up and very scummy Santa stories! Book your tickets now, before it sells out!
Guaranteed to make you feel normal about your parenting skills, or very smug about being child-free. Bring your mates, pop a panty liner in, and let’s party!
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours including one interval.
‘Highly recommended! 5 stars’ One4Review
‘Very funny’ The Guardian
‘Hilarious’ Broadway Baby
Free Concerts for All
Hemsted Park is once again delighted to invite you to attend any of the following free concerts which are part of the Benenden School calendar. This Autumn will see two professional lunchtime recitals, as well as performances by Benenden’s Music Scholars. A new addition to the programme is the inclusion of an open masterclass where the internationally renowned singer Louise Winter will explore the world of English Song with several Benenden students.
Enquiries about any of the free events should be directed to music@benenden.school.
Book seats at www.hemstedpark.com
Professional Lunchtime Concert
Friday 13 September 1.30pm
Centenary Hall
English Song Masterclass with opera singer Louise Winter
Monday 30 September 5.30pm
Recital Hall
Junior Music Scholars’ Concert
Friday 11 October 1.30pm
Recital Hall
Senior Music Scholars’ Concert
Friday 11 October 7.00pm
Centenary Hall
Professional Lunchtime Concert
Friday 8 November 1.30pm
Centenary Hall
Benenden Chapel Choir Christmas Concert
Tuesday 10 December 7.00pm
Tudeley Church
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Tonbridge
Tunbridge Wells
Location
All of our event spaces at Hemsted Park are nestled in the 250 acres of the beautiful Benenden School site, also within easy reach of London, with the capital less than an hour by train from nearby Staplehurst Station.
We are located in a village that operates a dark skies policy, so our site can be dark during winter evenings. There will be some lighting and marshals to guide you, but you may like to bring a torch. We are a no-smoking site.
Hemsted Park Benenden School Cranbrook Road Kent TN17 4AA
Parking
We have ample on-site free parking for audiences. When you arrive at Benenden School, please make your way up the main drive. Parking marshals at the top of the drive will direct you to a parking space. Parking locations are spread around the site and therefore will sometimes mean a few minutes’ walk from your parking location to the venue.
Wherever possible we reserve our most accessible parking for those who need it the most. If you have mobility issues and require our most accessible parking spots, please speak to a parking marshal on arrival.
Bars & Hospitality
We have a purpose-built bar in the Jat Atrium of the Centenary buildings for all performances held in the Centenary Hall, Recital Hall or Rose Garden. For events in the Benenden Theatre, we have a pop-up bar located in the theatre lobby.
Our bar, which opens 1 hour before each performance, serves a varied range of snacks and alcoholic & non-alcoholic refreshments. We are a card only venue. Hot food or any takeaway items are not permitted.
Access
All of our venues have step free access as well as accessible parking close by.
Once you’ve arrived in the auditorium, we have an accessible toilet on this level which is unisex.
Hemsted Park has an Access Membership Scheme which provides free companion tickets to Deaf and disabled customers, and those with long-term health conditions who require a carer to accompany them.
If you would like to sign up, please send proof of eligibility to boxoffice@hemstedpark.com. This can be evidence that you are in receipt of a disability allowance (for example: PIP, DLA or attendance allowance). Once you have signed up, access tickets are bookable over the phone or in person. You must have a confirmed access membership to be able to book access tickets.
General Enquiries info@hemstedpark.com
01580 236699
