99% Proof makes its public debut in September at The Theatre, Petroc Brannams Campus.

99% Proof - The peoples' musical, is a story of love, betrayal and redemption. Through a simple act of compassion, a jobless hoodie, brings an evil boss to his knees and their salvation. The hero, we badly need today! 99% Proof is a musical about the unexpected, and what can be more so than a homeless, boy in the gutter whose sacrifice redeems an older evil man who gets is wrong. A love story, a socio political commentary and modern rags to riches tale. It is timely against what people are struggling. It's about a young man and an older man and our assumptions. It's about bad and good, and oppression and failure and humour and drunken women. It's about life as we know it now, today, here.

‘So I was writing a kind of socio political documentary, which turned into a play, and then I wrote a song, which a friend of mine said was one of the most beautiful songs he'd heard. 'Write it as a musical', so I did. 18 songs and 22 pieces of intercession later, I had to translate the melody into orchestral score’ Jenny Wilkin Shaw.
People today are struggling again, losing, facing austerity and can't pay the bills, payday loans, bank charges. You name it we struggle with it. Quiet and noisy protests are going on led by the people through Occupy. In every city, there is unrest and no more so than in London, where our story begins. It's a story about hope, and doing what is right, for without those two things we are nothing.
‘I looked all over the place for someone with the instinct and talent and of course the discipline and time to work out arrangement and harmony, and I found the Jedi Knight of all these things, Alan. J. Welch. When he sees a key board, his fingers and his soul find it. It's like an extension of him. Week in, week out for months I went through at least two seasons to Alan's and over coffee the melodies were translated’ Jenny Wilkin Shaw

• A new Musical in 2 Acts - Written by Jennifer Wilkin Shaw
• Book, lyrics, melody Jennifer Wilkin Shaw
• Arrangements, orchestral score by Alan Welch

99% Proof makes its public debut in September at The Theatre, Petroc Brannams Campus. 
Tickets: Price - £10 Ticket on sale now from: www.undergroundtickets.net - North Devon Theatres box offices
Shows: Friday 13th September 19:30 /Saturday 14th September 14:00/Saturday 14th September 19:30

 

Synopsis: London, 2012; against a backdrop of unrest, austerity measures, homelessness and gathering protest, Judin Job is propelled onto our stage. He has lost his family, has no job, no friends and life is desolate. Turning to the Social Services for help, Guard and Go Bells make it worse. Through oppression and taunts, his life begins to spiral out of control. He is told that his only prospects are ‘Murder’ and he is tormented because of his religion, ‘the only star you’ll ever win is stuck to your chest with a jagged pin’, in the form of a yellow star of David. Bills are unpaid and he ends up on the streets under a tarpaulin with his steady but hapless roommate C.J. But, life has a habit of reversing fortune, and just when he is literally singing for his supper, he begins to fall in love, finds unlikely friends and his beautiful voice is spotted by a scout. He rises. On the other side of the city, another fortune reverses. As Guard enters a bar, he gets into a fight and one misplaced action gets him caught up in a fight which leads to him to striking a man and being sent down for murder. Who will help Guard in his moment of desolation? Everyone he knows turns away.  In an act of grace and mercy, which will leave you reeling, it is Judin, the Jewish boy from the gutter, wearing the Star of David of oppression with the jagged pin, who helps. ‘How can it be?’

Cast: 

• Alex Rushton and Angela Elswood, known as 'Rushwood', play the two leads, Judin and Astro.
•  Jack Ince and Elizabeth Daleigh Hayton, who are exciting and natural on the stage play the baddies, Guard and Bells. 
• Boo Hart, who has real emotional presence on the stage plays Capability 
• Nathan Maynard plays C.J, the hapless room mate
• Alex Martin, is born to her humerous part of Ms Wackovski 
• Alicia Fotheringham and Louella Gaskell play Mother and Dr Boot with a sweet tenderness and skill. 
• Jorden Shevells, came late to the cast and his great voice is underused, but he adds a strong male presence to many scenes and has some gripping solos. 
• Ilana Wilson and Zack Hazell are the chorus and gives a reality and beauty to the piece.

99% Proof - The peoples' musical, is a story of love, betrayal and redemption. The Theatre, Petroc Brannams Campus, Barnstaple Friday 13th September – Saturday 14th September 2013

SUMMER BRIGHTS & BUTTERFLY BUSHES

While some of the birds have gone into hiding as they get ready for their Summer moult I have turned my attention to the other countryside critters. My garden is full of Summer bright spots since the Hydrangea, Hebe and Buddleia have begun flowering. Hydrangea are particularly stunning flowering bushes and come in a variety of colours, but their colours seem totally dependent on the alkali or acidity of the soil. The Mop Heads in my garden tend to be blue and I noticed the one cutting I have in a pot with normal compost is pink even though the parent plant is blue. The wonder of the Hydrangea, Hebe and Buddleia is that they attract all the bees and butterflies. The Buddelia is aptly named the Butterfly Bush and today mine have been awash with Small Whites, Red Admirals and Peacocks.You can see more photos from My Garden Today on Flickr

 

 

All photos copyright Pat Adams

B10 Celebrations. Three North Devon wildlife films showing at The Plough Arts Centre

Delighted to be a part of the B10 celebrations, John Butter will be showing three of his North Devon wildlife films at The Plough Arts Centre in Torrington on Tuesday 20 August. B10 celebrates ten years of North Devon’s Biosphere Reserve and of course conserving wildlife is an important feature of the Biosphere Reserve. John Butter, from Chelfham in North Devon, has been filming local wildlife for years. Some of the results of this project can be seen at The Plough Arts Centre in Torrington on 20 August 2013, when John will show and talk about three of his stunning natural history films revealing some inhabitants of our North Devon countryside that you don’t normally see.

• Some Like it Hot-ish A half hour film about our 6 native reptiles, examining why they have to seek an external heat source (unlike ourselves) and the many ways that they are endangered.

• Wood for Wildlife Why managed woods are so important for wildlife from beetles to red deer.

• Seasons A visual calendar of the four seasons as reflected in a North Devon garden and wood.

John says: “Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring published in 1962 spelt out the dangers to the environment through the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides. The banning of chemicals like BHC and DDT was just in time to save our birds of prey and attention became focussed on Wildlife Conservation. It was this that motivated me to form Cowley Wood Conservation Centre at Parracombe which operated for 8 years prior to my move to the garden and wood that I now manage for wildlife.” Watching John’s films make you realise how much more there is to be seen around us if only we keep quiet and open our eyes!

Box Office: 01805 624624 - Tickets: £6 Full / £5.50 Concessions / £5 Supporters 
Photo copyright John Butter