The Auden Theatre

I went to two events at the Auden Theatre at Greshams school today, part of the Holt Festival. The first was Nigel Planer in conversation with Tony Britten (music director / composer and this year’s programmer of the Holt Festival). I hadn’t realised how varied Nigel’s career has been. It was very interesting, although as they’re friends there was, on occasion, a conversation about things that they understood but we didn’t. Then early evening I walked over to a concert by Barbara Dickson which I really enjoyed. I hadn’t realised her roots were in folk music and that was what she seems to have returned to.  She looked much more ‘at home’ with this sort of music / venue than she did at her height of fame in the 1980s. I didn’t realise she also plays keyboard and guitar. She sang two songs from musicals which I love: Another Suitcase in Another Hall (Evita); and Tell Me It’s Not True (Blood Brothers). I do miss events being held at The Auden that the public can attend, they closed it during the pandemic and have never opened it again - loss making evidently. The quote is on the wall of the chapel next door to the theatre.