culture – Later Than You Think

The Theatre on the Coast goes ‘global’

In July last year I was delighted to be at the opening night of ‘The end of the Line‘ – the first production in the 2019 Summer Season of the Theatre on The Coast (TOTC). It was a wonderful evening that went a long way to ‘making’ my holiday in Southwold. So, I was sad to realise some months ago that this year social distancing measures would mean that there would be no Theatre on the Coast. What a joy it was then to discover then that the TOTC were joining the virtual revolution and offering a season of productions broadcast live from Southwold Arts Centre

The first of these took to the stage on 22^nd August. The premiere of ‘All 4 One’, a new play written especially for the season. This explores the events of the meeting at Sandringham in January this year, between the Queen, and princes Charles, William and Harry, to discuss Harry and Meghan’s plans for their future. From the opening moments – featuring Camillia (yes really) in full apron and gloves, joining in with the household cleaning to the soundtrack of Springteen’s ‘Born to Run’, the tone is set for an at times shockingly hilarious journey through the events of that afternoon. Topical references abound, from the then very recent Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special to the Duke of Edinburgh’s driving skills and Harry and Meghan ‘doing veganuary’.

Given that none of us were privy to the events at Sandringham on that day, artistic licence is rightfully given full reign in imagining the exchanges between a hurt and somewhat bewildered grandmother, her son, and grandsons. The father who doesn’t want to alienate his son, the brothers whose relationship will be changed forever by diverging paths and the desire of one to leave the family ‘firm’, and the claustrophobia of a family that loves each other dearly but for all that can’t quite reach understanding. I suspect these are themes many of us will recognize. And herein lies the strength at the heart of ‘All 4 One’. While it is irreverent and pokes fun at the traits and mishaps of the royals, both supposed and real, it does so with empathy and warmth. There are also moments of real poignancy, not least towards the end of the play, when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh fondly reminisce about their own time as a young couple living abroad. In a strong cast James Thorne as Harry and Hilary Greatorex as the Queen stand out, delivering performances that are unnervingly believable.

There were one or two odd camera angles and slightly patchy sound at one point. But these are minor concerns and easily addressed for the remaining productions. This is a pioneering moment for the Theatre on the Coast and Matthew Townsend Productions. In seizing the moment and broadcasting from Southwold, they are following in the footsteps of national institutions, that added ‘live from’ to their portfolios some years ago, long before we could imagine the constraints of today. Many regional venues have recently begun to follow suit with one-off productions principally as fundraisers. For the Theatre on the Coast to deliver an entire season on consecutive weekends is a considerable achievement.

It is also undeniably a significant contribution to an English cultural tradition – coastal repertory theatre. Once, a night at a play or show would have been the highlight of most annual seaside holidays. In recent decades the tradition has ebbed away across much of England, in the face of rising costs and diverse travel and entertainment choices. However, it has, against the odds, remained resolutely strong in East Anglia. Established theatres have continued to thrive at Frinton-on-Sea, Aldeburgh, and Cromer. And in 2019 Townsend productions re-launched the long established Southwold summer season as the Theatre on the Coast.

Whether you are new to theatre or a long time fan, I can recommend the ‘Theatre on the Virtual Coast’. It’s great fun and a wonderful introduction into the delights of Southwold and, Suffolk. We can’t yet return to our theatres quite as we would like, but now, and for some time to come I suspect, they need us to be there for them, in whatever way possible. The Southwold season is already attracting audience members from around the world. Do join them if you can to keep this amazing part of our cultural heritage alive.

Visit the Theatre on the Virtual Coast to view productions and book

Check out the Frinton Summer Theatre

and the

Cromer Pier Show

Re-opening – Copped Hall

The adventure begins on the journey. Leaving the main road between Loughton and Epping, a short way along the Upshire road, you turn again to enter through imposing gates (1) on the other side of which is a wood unlike any other area of Epping Forest. Travelling slowly on a rough track to its edge you come to a one-track bridge, that somewhat unexpectedly takes you over the top of the M25. A short way along the drive the other side, and there on the brow of a hill lost in time, is Copped Hall. An 18^th century mansion and gardens, saved from the clutches of developers, literally at the eleventh hour in 1995.

On Sunday 5^th July, Copped Hall opened its gates again, initially exclusively to existing members of their Friends scheme. To do so on a date which was also a scheduled ‘Garden Afternoon’ (when the mansion would be closed anyway), was a sound decision. Twenty-four acres of gardens provide ample space for social distancing even on the busiest of days, and only minimal one-way routing was needed.

Run by the Copped Hall Trust (CHT) and funded entirely by the money it raises (through sales, donations and the occasional grant), it is also entirely volunteer run (which presents its own challenges in re-opening). Welcoming Friends only, enabled a realistic estimate of numbers without the need to manage pre-booking, and volunteers could be sure that the visitors they would be welcoming, would be familiar with the site already.

Many of the key features of the Copped Hall estate are located in the grounds, so there is always plenty to see and do on a Garden Afternoon, including; King Henry’s Walk, a charming sunken rock garden, and the site of the original Tudor mansion (currently under excavation by the Copped Hall Trust Archaeology Project). But the jewel in the crown is the Walled Kitchen Garden. An overgrown tangle of bramble, weed and rubbish when it was acquired in 1999, this area has been transformed into a fully working kitchen garden, producing everything from pumpkins to fruit and honey from its own hives. Established in the 1700s and at four acres, it was believed to be the largest such kitchen garden in the South East of England.

Inside the Walled Kitchen Garden

Paths lead from a central circular pond dividing the space into quadrants, one of which is dedicated to greenhouses (currently under restoration). On garden afternoons and open days, this area is always busy with visitors, keen to purchase plants and produce. For the last few years most of our new garden plants have been bought at Copped Hall, and having been denied the option to do so through the crucial spring growing season, I was delighted to find exactly what I was looking for on sale in the Walled Garden on this occasion. This is a win, win, win situation, produce and plants are of excellent quality, often you can chat to the person who grew your purchase and can therefore advise on the best site and care, prices are significantly cheaper than one would pay in conventional outlets – and finally the proceeds are directly funding the ongoing restoration.

Another key feature of the Walled Garden is the Long Border. Strictly speaking outside the Garden, at 450 feet long, not to mention 16 feet deep, it lives up to its name. Frequently a blaze of colour with many unusual plant combinations, volunteers from the garden team are often to be found, tackling what must be one of the largest weeding jobs there is. Copped Hall also has numerous historical connections, with the Tudor Mansion believed to be the site in 1594 of the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Overlooking the Long Border

It is an understatement to say that the saving of Copped Hall and its continued rise from dereliction is an inspiration. it never fails to fill my heart with hope. It is also a reminder that engaged and determined citizens can fight off the goliath of unwelcome development. There is another way. This is a restoration literally achieved brick by brick, (marble) step by (marble) step, and one of the joys of regular visits to the site is an awareness of the scale of what has been achieved so far, (and what remains).

Copped Hall has now announced further event dates including garden afternoons in August and September and an open day (Garden Only) in August, all of which are open to the public (as well as members of the Friends). However in all cases tickets must be booked in advance. See the Copped Hall Trust Website for full details.

(1)Entrance through the lodge gates is strictly only within given hours on event days. Full details are available on the CHT website.

All text and images © Later Than You Think 2020

Re-opening – The National Gallery

It is fitting that our national collection of art to should be the first of the major galleries to re-open, and having been a visitor to the National for decades, I was keen to do so again at the earliest opportunity. It did not disappoint.

I have written elsewhere about my relationship with the arts in general, and some of the paintings in the National’s collection specifically (There is Art. There is Hope). I was lucky to be taken to London’s museums and galleries as a child. But often it is those places that give us our first taste of independence that stay with us, and so it has been for me and the National Gallery. Having first visited as a 15 year old, I have continued to do so ever since. It became somewhere I would ‘pop into’ when passing and would always try and include in visits to London when I lived elsewhere. These last few months may be the longest time I have been away from the National, ever.

Pre-booked timed slots are now required for all visitors, irrespective of whether you are taking in the current ‘Titian: Love, Desire, Death’ (currently fully booked until sometime in August I believe), or the permanent collection, or both. To facilitate social distancing the Gallery is divided into three one-way routes, A, B and C. On arrival in room 9 at the start of route C, the first painting I encountered was ‘The Dream of Saint Helena’ by Veronese. An image new to me and one which somehow captured my feelings, on returning to this place. Having engaged with art online(1) as much as possible during the weeks of Lockdown, I was unprepared for the visceral experience of witnessing it in person again. A wave of emotion, and something akin to relief washed over me, It was still there, and I was still able to be there.

The Dream of Saint Helena, Paolo Veronese

As well as pictures I often visit, it was wonderful to be able to view The Fighting Temeraire up close so soon after learning more about the work courtesy of TV’s ‘Greatest Paintings’, and to be able to recognise, at a distance, Turner’s signature use of light elsewhere in the Gallery. Also to view in person Klimt’s Portrait of Hermine Gallia 1904, which was recently the subject of an ‘Art with the Experts’ event I attended online.

The Fighting Temeraire, JMW Turner

A highlight of any visit now is the opportunity to see the newly restored Julia and Hans Rausing Room. The largest room in the Gallery, has been painstakingly restored to its former glory and is something of an artwork in itself. The current Nicolas Maes exhibition is well worth a detour from route C. In particular as this pupil of Rembrandt who later influenced Vermeer had an aptitude for capturing domestic scenes with wit and empathy– somewhat topical for our current times.

A friend asked me whether I had felt that I couldn’t linger in the Gallery as I would wish. Reassuringly this is not the case. While there is a requirement to progress around the building in a given route or routes and direction, once inside you are free to move at your own pace. Outside of the obviously popular rooms (as ever Van Gogh, Gauguin and Monet draw the crowds), it was not, and did not feel ‘crowded’ I would be interested to know how busy the most popular rooms will be allowed to get.(I believe the Gallery is currently expecting to welcome between a quarter and a third of its usual 15,000 visitors daily). The requirement to use defined routes did mean that I could not head straight to my favourite rooms and pictures as I would normally do. But the positive consequence of this is that I discovered pictures new to me.

A map showing the routes and facilities is downloadable in advance though frustratingly doesn’t include room numbers, which would have helped to maintain a sense of direction, while in progress. It can also be a little confusing. Having decided to do routes B and C (which overlap slightly), I was advised on arrival, for logistical reasons, to tackle them in reverse order and also encouraged to divert to the Nicolas Maes exhibition downstairs enroute. This worked well until, having entered the Maes rooms from route B, I exited and found myself part way through route C. Staff were however very helpful, in literally pointing me in the right direction, and I was soon back on track. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the new (normal) visitor experience, and these are minor quibbles, to experience, not least on only the second day of re-opening (9^th July).

So if like me you have missed the National, or have never been, this is a great time to go. Right now it will be less crowded, both in the Gallery and on the journey, and once there, there are new joys to discover. Some of us were reminded during Lockdown how much we needed art. As our Galleries re-open, they have never needed us more.

A huge thank-you goes to the artist Lydia Bauman and the excellent lectures she has delivered several times a week through the Art with the Experts Meet-Up Group. Totalling 50 at the time of writing, these have provided the opportunity to learn more about an artist or theme, in short sessions, in early evening, several times per week. An ideal ‘after work’ and ‘social’ art fix for these times, and one which has enabled me to continue to feel connected to art and my artistic life.