Notes from the Riverside

The front door may be closed to public meetings, but we are very much alive behind the scenes just waiting for the ‘all clear’ siren to sound. Our groups have been staying in touch by various electronic means and I see that already the Flower Club, the Coffee Concert, Riverside Arts Jazz and Riverside Players have dates pencilled in for April and May.

More immediately this month we have five events which are available for you to view on-line. Riverside Arts Jazz who have produced some notable concerts during lockdown are offering another of their “My Life in Music” interviews on March 2nd with guest Robert Banerjee. Then on Sunday March 7th a streamed concert with the Paul Silver/Lester Brown Quintet featuring Paul Silver on sax, Lester Brown on trumpet, Terence Collie on piano, Paul Michael on bass and Matt Skeaping on drums

Staying with music, on Saturday March 6th one of our resident tutors, Colleen Muriel will be giving a recital of music for the flute.

Recently Riverside Players had a ‘Zoom’ reading of an hilarious Geoff Buckingham play. In contrast they are now offering two very different, extremely dramatic plays by another local playwright, Richard Black. Each play can be experienced separately but ideally should be seen in sequence. " Passing Over" and " The Millstone " are described as Ghost Morality plays by the author, as they tell two stories of how terrible crimes, a war crime in “Passing Over” and child abuse in “The Millstone”, can have a devastating effect on the lives of ordinary people and how there can be a resolution between the perpetrators of the crime and their victims. Richard was driven to write these plays because he sees these two evils as amongst the burning issues of the day all over the world and the victims need to be given a voice. Both plays contain distressing scenes and are not suitable for children, or those of a sensitive nature likely to be adversely affected by watching them, “Passing Over” will be performed on March 11th and “The Millstone” on March 18th with free viewing for all available thanks to the generosity of the author.

Why not follow the lead of these local writers and instead of reading the same dog-eared books or watching “Love Actually” for the 24th time why not use some of your lockdown time to write a story of your own? Riverside Players are offering would-be playwrights the chance to have their work performed and win cash prizes at the same time. Release that story you have been burning to tell, which can be a stage play, one more suitable for radio or even for cartoon or puppets. Contact the group for details of how you can enter and even get playwriting tips if this is your first attempt.

A few months ago, our Chairman, James Ford-Bannister, launched an appeal for people to donate towards the funds of Riverside Arts Centre, whose income has been decimated by the lockdown. The GoFundMe appeal together with some other substantival gifts is well on the way to reaching its target of £4000. James said “ he was so grateful for the amazing generosity shown by people at a time when their own lives will have been so disastrously affected by the pandemic. I think it shows the affection people feel for their local arts centre and the facilities it provides. I thank you for your support and we aim to carry on providing the facility that you want for many years to come. Thank you all !” You will find contact details of how to watch the events mentioned above as well as all other activities on our Riverside presents...... page on p20 in this magazine.

Riverside Arts Centre 57/59 Thames Street Sunbury TW16 5QF www.riversidearts.co.uk 07796 531427 info@riversidearts.co.uk registered charity 272929