This month’s listings 8Art, Drama, Music, Language & Wine courses. One-to-one instrumental & vocal tuition for all age groups, plus a range of courses. The Conservatoire, Lee Road Blackheath, SE3. Info: 020 8852 0234 or info@conservatoire.org.uk 8Blackheath Decorative & Fine Arts Society. Stimulating lectures and intriguing outings. Fourth Thursday of the month except Aug and Dec 2.30pm. www.artsinblackheath.org.uk St Mary’s Hall, Cresswell Park, Blackeath SE3. 8Greenwich Decorative & Fine Arts Society. Monthly lectures at King William Court, Room 315, University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10. 8pm on 2nd Monday of the month, except April & August. Refreshments from 7.15pm. 020 8852 6248 or www.gdfas.org 8Greenwich Market. Tues - Collectables & crafts. Weds - Food market with local producers & organic produce. Thurs & Fri - Antiques, collectables, arts & crafts. Weekends & Bank Hols - Arts & Crafts & Food. 10am-5.30pm, www.shopgreenwich.co.uk 020 8269 5096. Greenwich SE10. 8Guided Walk in Maryon Wilson Park. With an animal park & deer enclosure. Tours held at 1.30pm every Wednesday, meet by the deer pen, limited to the first 50 people. During school holidays 1.30pm every Mon, Wed & Fri except for public holidays. Free. Maryon Wilson Park, Thorntree Road, Charlton, SE7. 8Kids Knitting & Crochet Workshops. Every Fri & Sat 11am-1pm. Special discount £8/2h session (quote:MERIDIAN) Book online at www.knitshop.co.uk or call 020 8144 4523, Boutique Outlet, 326 Lee High Road, Lee Green SE13 5PJ. 8Learn Tarot Cards. Develop your intuition and communication skills. Private tuition and workshops with an experienced reader. Email: marieclaire@tarotgift.com, www.tarotgift.com Tel: 07791 139 380, 020 8293 1737.
EVERY MON
8Rotary Club of Lewisham & Penge. Local businessmen and women giving help locally, national and internationally. We meet at 7pm for a dinner, with speakers on a variety of subjects. Contact Peter Earll 020 8303 3361 or Alan Davis 020 8467 2032. Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley. 8Live Music & Open Mic. Jive jazz hosted by Dave Silk (bass) fusing legendary and experienced musos together with first time and amateur performers. In relaxed candlelit setting. Bar opens 8pm. £10 on the door. www.jazznights. co.uk. Mycenae Road, Blackheath SE3 7SE.
2ND TUES OF EVERY MONTH 8The Blackheath & Greenwich Amnesty Group. Monthly meetings. 8pm. St. Margaret’s Church, Lee Terrace, Blackheath SE3.
EVERY WED
8Keep Fit & In Shape + Line Dancing. 10am 12 noon. Donation £5 to Cancer Research UK. 020 8852 7127. Kingswood Hall, Kingswood Place, off Dacre Park, Lewisham SE13. 8Woolwich Singers. A community choir. No audition required to join. The aim is to sing together and have fun! Call Wendy 07812 477 775. £2 per week, refreshments provided. 6.30pm-8pm. The Clockhouse Community Centre, Defiance Walk, Woolwich Dockyard, Woolwich SE18 5QL.
On stage
EVERY THURS
8Blackheath Morris Men. Practice 8.45-10pm. St Marks Church Upper Hall, Greenwich South Street SE10. Free. Contact John on 020 8461 2440. www.blackheathmorris.com 8Rotary Club of Greenwich. For like-minded business people to meet & help the community. Fred Nunn 020 8858 6410. Charlton Football Club, Floyd Rd; Charlton SE7 8BL.
Greenwich Theatre’s Artistic Director, James Haddrell In the first week of May a major row broke out in parliament and the Speaker of the House of Commons had to call for restraint, but the cause of the outburst was not the economy, or education, or the health service – nothing that you might expect. It was about the proposed reburial of a single human skeleton, found two years earlier buried underneath a car park in Leicester. The remains, it was thought (and it has now been proved) were those of King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet Kings and the last English monarch to have died in battle. Thought to have been buried under a church in Leicester, long since lost, Richard died at the Battle of Bosworth, defeated by Henry Tudor – a battle which brought a new line to the English throne. The discovery in Leicester sparked a bitter debate, finally resolved by the High Court in May this year, about whether Richard should be buried in Leicester where he died, or be returned to York where he grew up. The debate may finally be settled, with a high court ruling that he should be reinterred in Leicester, but the excitement around the discovery for historians and theatre lovers alike has not abated.
Noot Ousellam
ONGOING
Arguably Shakespeare’s most popular history play, King Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s most powerful villains, a true gothic figure, his twisted body serving as a sign of a twisted personality. Shakespeare’s Richard describes himself as ‘Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time / Into this breathing world, scarce half made up’ and elsewhere as a ‘hunchback’. The discovery of his skeleton, proved to be his thanks to a DNA match with a family descendent, demonstrated that Shakespeare’s description was far more that simple poetic license. With a badly twisted spine, which today would be diagnosed as scoliosis, Richard would certainly have seemed deformed to his contemporaries – and the sight of the twisted skeleton somehow brought Shakespeare’s character vividly back to life for anyone who loves the play.
Aqua Comp
Whatever memorial is now raised to him in Leicester, and however the City of York decide to honour his birth, one of the greatest reminders of his reign will always be Shakespeare’s unforgettable play. Later this month when the play is revived here in Greenwich by Custom/Practice, the knowledge that Richard has been rediscovered, and that his reign truly was characterised as much by his iconic twisted body as by his violent rule, is sure to give that description of a “Deformed, unfinished” king an even greater power. Richard III plays at Greenwich Theatre for a strictly limited run from 20-22 June. Box Office 020 8858 7755 www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
EVERY FRI
8Lunchtime Concert. 1pm – 2pm. Free 020 8856 3951.Charlton House, Charlton Rd; SE7 8Tangoworkout. Classes connecting Tango with health and well being, for men and women. 7.15pm - 9.15pm. Beginners and intermediate classes. £7. West Greenwich Community Centre, 141 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8JA.
EVERY SUN & 2ND TUES
8Blackheath Quakers. Meeting for worship. 10.30am-11.30am every Sunday, and 1pm1.30pm on 2nd Tues of each month. Visitors are welcome. For more details, including room hire on 07908 587 695 or email quakerhall@ aol.com. Quaker Meeting House, Lawn Terrace, Blackheath SE3 9LL.
UNTIL 12 JUN
8Heart n Soul’s Allsorts. Creative sessions for adults with learning disabilities. Plus there’s Djing and the chance to take part in a live music jam with the Heart n Soul Soundlab. Every Thursday until 12 June. www.heartnsoul.co.uk or 020 8694 1632. The Albany theatre, Deptford SE8.
UNTIL 19 JUL
8Orpington’s Forgotten Man: George Allen. An exhibition about George Allen, one of Orpington’s earliest and most successful residents and friend of John Ruskin. Showcases some of Allen’s finest engravings, books and bindings from a private collection. Free. Bromley Museum, The Priory, Church Hill, Orpington BR6 0HH.
UNTIL 31 AUG
8Time Machines: Daniel Weil and the Art of Design. The exhibition focuses on the process of design, about how a designer thinks and works. Featuring clocks specially created for the exhibition as well as commissions for Swatch, United Airlines, Krug, Mothercare and the Pet Shop Boys. 10am-5.45 daily. Adults £12.40, Students £9.30 and under 6 Free.Design Museum, Shad Thames, SE1 2YD.
WED 4, 11, 18 & 25 JUN
8Tapestry Group. Enjoy sewing and would like to get involved with this project at St.Alfege. 10am-1pm. Caton Room, St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ.
THURS 5 JUN
8Lunchtime Recital. Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. 1.05pm. Free. St. Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ. 8The Pearl Izumi Tour Series. Cycing fans won’t want to miss this event. Stage 8 of this race will take place in Canary Wharf. From 6pm. Free. Thoughout Canary Wharf, for more info visit www.canarywharf.com.
FRI 6 JUN
8Lunchtime Recital. The Friends of Blackheath Halls presents the London Chamber Collective piano quartet. 1.10pm. Free with a retiring collection. Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, Blackheath SE3 9RQ.
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