“Beauty shall in these black lines be seen”

We could not have been blessed with better weather and this weekend marking the first publication of Shakespeare’s sonnets was a magical feast of art, performance, discussion, education and sheer joy! There were so many memorable moments it’s hard to choose what to talk about here, but I’ll make a special mention of Pulga’s dance performance and workshops, Professor David Crystal and Professor David West’s knowledgeable and entertaining talks (not an easy combination to achieve), and the stunning performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream by Tim Carroll’s The Factory company. What a treat that was, with usually sobre, sensible audience members reduced to fits of hysterical laughter - I shall never think of the Wall as quite the same again!

Just before the festival happened, we heard that we had achieved the presitgious Inspire Mark (inspired by the London 2012 games) and everyone who attended the weekend would have said it was well deserved. Here’s Pulga at his drumming workshop with Mick joining in: