12 December 2011

Shiver with dread, be touched to the heart and laugh out loud, as some of Charles Dickens' most memorable characters are brought to life. A word of elucidation, emotion and entertainment awaits you!

Charles Dickens...

Charles Dickens was already a famous and applauded novelist when, at the age of 41 in 1853, he embarked upon a series of reading tours which were to continue at regular intervals until his death in 1870. First imagined as a novelty and also a source of extra income, neither Dickens himself nor anyone else could have predicted the enormous sensation which these tours would create.

Dickens travelled all over Great Britain, performing in concert halls and public rooms of all types, to rapturous acclaim. He read - or rather, enacted - large sections of his works, including, for example, the scene of Sikes and Nancy from ‘Oliver Twist’, and also the whole of ‘A Christmas Carol’ which was and remains to this day a particular favourite of the reading public. Dickens also conducted reading tours in the United States, which were received with the same enthusiasm as on this side of the Atlantic.

A Theatre Under One Hat...

A Theatre Under One Hat recreates the setting, mood and appearance of these readings, with one significant difference. Instead of just two or three longer readings, the programme consists of shorter extracts from a number of different novels, combining examples of high drama, pathos and stark horror with some pieces of Dickens’ most sublime comedy.

The works of Dickens which are represented in this performance are Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol.

Box Office

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Chrysalis Office on 01908 235505, or from the Camphill Cafe, as well as being available on the door.

Concessionary rates apply to senior citizens, under 16s and students.

Seats are not allocated.