The Show Must Go On: Canterbury Festival schedule

Kent’s International Arts Festival has announced its programme showcasing the very best in live music, performance, talks, and science, from 17-31 October 2020

Gentlemen of Few

The Festival will operate events at substantially reduced capacities and take measures to reduce risk and ensure that social distancing is observed. 

Aware that everything could change at any moment, the Festival has held its nerve through lockdown and will be the first major arts festival in the south-east to go ahead with live events. Reduced capacities will result in an inevitable financial loss, but prudent management in the past has built a small reserve which allows the Festival to keep the flame of culture alive …just about.

Festival Director Rosie Turner says: “It’s not exactly business as usual but we are determined not to let our audience down. We are hopeful that Canterbury Festival will be part of our City’s recovery from Covid-19 rather than its casualty.” 

Although the programme contains 50 events (down from its customary 200 events in two weeks) it still caters for tastes from improvised theatre and acrobatics, to choral music and comedy.  A Family Programme spanning half-term, Artists Open Houses, guided Walks and a rich and varied programme of Talks accompany the strong musical core.

Award-winning choir Tenebrae launch this year’s Festival with the Sounds of Solstice at Canterbury Cathedral (Sat 17 Oct).

With a dramatically reduced audience this will be the first musical event in the Cathedral since lockdown. The Cathedral will also host Joglaresa with Boogie Knights – an energetic romp through medieval Europe’s funkiest tunes. Pianist Joanna MacGregor will deliver 8 concerts over three days (23-25 Oct), performing all of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas at Shirley Hall, celebrating the composer’s 250th birthday.

Joanna MacGregor

The prospect of this tour-de-force is certainly generating a lot of interest and is likely to be the only event of its kind this year. Stephen Barlow conducts the Festival Chamber Orchestra, guitarist Eduardo Niebla performs works from throughout his stellar career, and the Ivo Neame Quartet promises jazz inspired sonic landscapes – ranging from calm and serene to hi-octane polyrhythmic grooves.

Graffiti Classics burst the boundaries of the traditional string quartet with their all-singing, all-dancing musical comedy show, and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Finalists and local heroes – Gentlemen of Few, close this year’s Festival with their unique fusion of bluegrass, folk and rock. 

Barely Methodical Troupe with their international award-winning smash hit Bromance headlines the live theatre performances. Theatre director turned florist Mig Kimpton presents the premiere of Shakespeare’s Botanicals, while the Make-Em Ups Bumper Blyton offers a riotous improvised parody that’s chock full of inuendo and lashings of puns.

Kadie Kannehtos

Hal Cruttenden’s razor-sharp wit guarantees a great night for comedy lovers and Slightly Fat Features guarantee a show for all ages, stuffed with wonderous antics, circus tricks and lots of much needed laughs. 

The Festival’s Talks series returns with a programme packed full of revealing stories, untold histories and possible futures. 

Gemma Hollman reveals the story of Joan of Navarre – Canterbury Cathedral’s royal ‘witch; Journalist and filmmaker David Berry shares the hidden history of Tennis; David Reekie shines a light on the Kentish background of the Bayeux Tapestry; author and broadcaster Loyd Grossman uncovers one of the greatest artistic double acts in history -  Pope Alexander VII and Gian Lorenzo Bernini; former government minister and National Security Council member, Sir Oliver Letwin imagines a UK in the wake of a catastrophic black swan event; Kadie Kanneh-Mason reflects on what it takes to raise seven classically trained musicians in a Britain divided by class and race; historian Bettany Hughes) will unpick the history of Venus and Aphrodite; Andy McConnell examines the history of wine, and A.N Wilson  closes the Festival’s Talks series with a reflective journey into the life of Dickens.

Ivo Neame Quartet

The Festival’s science programme begins with the Ugly Animal Preservation society’s Professor of Comedy Simon Watt who returns to Canterbury with his adults-only stand-up lecture Frogs and Friends while Physicist Jim Al Khalili presents this year’s Kent College Lecture, The World According to Physics. Dr Patricia Fara steps back in time with Arise, Sir Isaac! sharing aspects of Isaac Newton’s life that are often overlooked while Dr Kathryn Harkup’s Making The Monster explores the scientific background and historical events that inspired Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Priority booking for Festival Friends opens on Thursday 3 September at 11am. General booking opens on Monday 14 September at 11am. 

Keep up to date with the latest news and events by visiting www.canterburyfestival.co.uk, signing up to the Festival mailing list, or by following the Festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @canterburyfest.