Click Here for Tinners Moon 2023

Below is what happened back in May 2021, when we were allowed to reopen on 17 May after the first Covid lockdown.

In anticipation of being allowed to reopen to audiences inside the Arts Centre on 17 May*, we’re planning the Tinners Moon Festival 2021, with the programme below. Tickets for all of these events available NOW from wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts. Click on the name of each event for more information, pictures, links, etc.

This festival has turned out to be a celebration of the song! This is truly a feast of wonderful singers, with some other treats too. There’s music, magic, dance, words and even something for the garden!

Andy Williamson
Arts Director, Ashburton Arts Centre

Mon 17 May	Opening Celebration with Sam Walker	6pm	Free	Gather in and around the Forecourt for some live music, and a chance to see how the Arts Centre has changed.
Mon 17 May	Community Cabaret – Open Mic	7.30pm	£5/£3/£0	Hosted by Sam Walker. If you’re interested in performing, please email boxoffice@ashburtonarts.org.uk
Tues 18 May	Annika Skoogh & Ashburton Arts All Stars	7.30pm	£12/£9/£5	Fabulous singer with some fine local musicians: jazz, swing, soul and more. Annika Skoogh (vocals), Andy Williamson (sax), Steve Dow (guitar), Jim Rintoul (bass), Martin Jenkins (keys), Josh Rose (drums)
Wed 19 May	Tom Adams	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	An extraordinary singer and songwriter. As special as Nick Drake or James Taylor, while completely different and original. This promises to be a very special night. Video here
Thu 20 May	Talk: Guy Shrubsole: Who Owns England?	7.30pm	£10/£8/£5	Fascinating and entertaining. Guy wrote the book about who owns the land in this country – including Dartmoor, which is its own intriguing story!
Fri 21 May	These Hills Are Ours	5pm	£5/£3/£0 (by donation)	Daniel Bye and Boff Whalley (Chumbawumba) are running from the North to the South Devon coasts, stopping to sing along the way.
Fri 21 May	Moments of Pleasure Trio (Kate Bush Tribute)	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	The music of Kate Bush performed accurately and affectionately capturing the tone and emotion of Kate’s songs perfectly.
Sat 22 May	Tom Ollendorff Trio	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	Tom has fast built a reputation as one of the most exciting jazz guitarists in the UK. Here with Marc Michel on drums and Conor Chaplin on Bass. Watch them here.
Sun 23 May	Sam Fearon / Safiya Joscelyne & Craig Milverton / Maisie Waterhouse	7.30pm	£11/£8/£5	Some rising stars in the making from Ashburton. We’ve got what it takes to rival Liverpool, Manchester or Bristol with our very own great music scene!
Mon 24 May	Magical Engagements with Brian Rappert	7.30pm	£10/£8/£5	Our resident professor/magician uses magic to explore themes of connection and estrangement. Combines magical effects with philosophical enquiry.
Tue 25 May	Sarah McQuaid	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	Sarah McQuaid is a one-woman powerhouse who defies categorisation because there simply isn’t anyone else out there quite like her. Watch her here.
Wed 26 May	Wren: Alice Smith / Angus Balbernie (Dance)	7.30pm	£10/£8/£5	Dance and film: Wren takes from the old stories and songs of the “cutty wren”, and from the poem “Half Hanged Mary” by Margaret Atwood.
Thu 27 May	Ashburton Community Folk Orchestra	11am	£5/£3/£0 (by donation)	The Ashburton Community Folk Orchestra, led by David Faulkner, is an open group and all musicians are welcome. He writes, “We will be celebrating spring and sharing our joy in making music & playing together. We play traditional music from Dartmoor and beyond.” The group was founded in January 2020 and meets on Thursday mornings at Ashburton Arts Centre.
Thu 27 May	holding hands octet / FOWL	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	Chris Dowding (trumpet), Ralph Clarkson (trombone), Dee Byrne (alto sax), Rob Milne (tenor sax & bass clarinet), Ben Higham (tuba), Morris Masuda (samples, electronics & guitar), Martin Pyne (vibraphone), Azzy King (drums) Fowl: Hugh Nankivell and Graham Browning, with songs from Humankindweed
Fri 28 May	Toby Strong talks about and shows some of his films	7.30pm	tbc	The Platform Cinema group presents this wildlife filmmaker, famous for his work with David Attenborough and the recent BBC Alaska series.
Fri 28 May	James Kirby (Outdoors in our beautiful field)	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	James has been touring worldwide for 15 years, captivating audiences of all ages with his mellow voice. Have a listen here.
Sat 29 May	ADGA Plant Sale	9am-11am	Free	Get there early for the best blooms and other locally grown plants.
Sat 29 May	Lyric Trio: Bach Purcell	12noon	£10/£8/£5	Patricia Calnan (Violin), George Robertson (Viola), Vicky Evans (Cello). Some more of London’s top classical musicians who’ve discovered that the SW is the place to be.
Sat 29 May	Attila the Stockbroker & TV Smith (Outdoors in our beautiful field)	7.30pm	£15/£11/£8	Punk poet extraordinaire Attila on his 40th anniversary tour, and from his punk beginnings with ‘The Adverts’ TV Smith is a superb singer/songwriter. Video of Attila the Stockbroker
Sun 30 May	The Riviera Ramblers	7.30pm	£9/£6/£3	An excellent sextet playing the sounds of the Swing era of the 1930s and 40s with shades of manouche/gypsy jazz. Great foot-tapping fun music that anyone can enjoy.
Sun 30 May	Kitty Macfarlane (Outdoors in our beautiful field)	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	A voice that makes you stop and listen. Thought-provoking and evocative compositions with wonderfully crafted soundscapes. One of the Guardian’s Best Folk Albums of 2018. Video here.
Mon 31 May (Bank Holiday)	Not Only But Also The Blues: Vince Lee, Russell Sinclair, Black Cat Bone	7.30pm	£13/£10/£6	Vince Lee is another extraordinary performer – world-class blues guitar and vocals like nobody else! Video here. Russell Sinclair has been following Vince’s trail, and is now carving his own niche. With the monthly residents, Black Cat Bone featuring Bill Birks, Emily Veise-Smith, and Mary Caffrey, it’s going to be a great night to see out this festival.

* The UK government’s ‘roadmap’ sets out that ‘Step 3’ will happen ‘not earlier’ than Monday 17 May, when entertainment venues like the Arts Centre will be able to open again, as long as risk mitigation measures against the transmission of the coronavirus are put in place. As long as this date doesn’t change, the programme above will go ahead. If it does, or if new conditions are imposed, we will respond as best we can, taking everything into account. If any event is postponed to a new date, then all tickets will remain valid. If the new date isn’t convenient, or if an event is cancelled, then ticketholders will be offered a refund of the value of the ticket by WeGotTickets (nb this doesn’t include the 10% booking fee – though if this is important to anyone, please contact boxoffice@ashburtonarts.org.uk, and we will cover this cost).

Pandemic policies. This information will be updated as things change.

Update: April 2022

Face masks: In the Main Hall, on the ground floor, these are recommended at all times, but are optional. Anyone who sits upstairs in the balcony MUST wear a face mask – with NO exceptions (not even those who are exempt). This is to allow people who are clinically vulnerable to have a place to sit where seats are naturally separated, so: (a) to provide a place for people who want to be as distanced as possible from others, and with anyone nearby wearing a mask; (b) as virus particles when airborne are generally heavier than air, this helps to mitigate the risk of transmission from people sitting in the balcony to audience members below.
The windows and doors of the venue will be open, allowing fresh air to be constantly moving through. Although we have heating, this might mean that the ambient temperature is a little cooler than some might like, and audience members should dress accordingly.
Please, if you can, take a Lateral Flow test before coming to the Arts Centre, and if this is positive, don’t come. These tests aim to pick up anyone who is infectious at the moment of testing, so please take the test as late as possible on the same day before coming to the Arts Centre. If you test positive, a refund or transfer of your ticket to another event can be arranged, if you let us know before the start of the event, by emailing boxoffice@ashburtonarts.org.uk.