3 Nov 2020 Press Information for immediate use
The Plough Arts Centre Re-Closes!
After planning to reopen with a bang on Bonfire Night with a flurry of national comedians, films, music, exhibitions, and workshops The Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington, Devon is now making plans to remain closed at least until 10 Dec.
Director Richard Wolfenden-Brown explained ‘After eight months of enforced closure it seems our choice of Thurs 5 Nov as the date for a grand reopening could not have been more poorly timed. We now have little to offer but ‘lockdown-the-sequel’ for the time being, so sadly, alongside all other UK arts venues, we must keep the doors closed until it is safe to reopen.
But the trustees, staff and volunteers of the charity are not downhearted and are making positive plans to re-reopen on Thurs 10 Dec. Live events cancelled in November will be moved into December and January and the annual Christmas Gifts Fair will slide gracefully from November into December. The popular Plough Youth Theatre was planning to restart with face-to-face sessions this week but there will now be a move to dynamic online workshops delivered by PYT & Outreach Director, Sophie Hatch, who said ‘we would rather be bringing young people together in person, and it is frustrating that we can’t, but we are certainly excited to be able to offer much needed Youth Theatre provision online during lockdown and the demand has been overwhelming’.
The Plough has attracted national news media this week with an interview with Sophie Hatch making the 10pm national news and further coverage from The Telegraph, who were keen to cover the plight of a small rural arts centre faced with trying to find a route through the Covid crisis.
In a final act of flag-waving for the arts, the planned classical music concert on Thurs 5 Nov with Toby White and Marina Staneva will go ahead at 6pm as a streamed event, recorded earlier that day in London, by the two young artists. The 60 minute performance of pieces by Schumann, Beethoven and Debussy will be available to all via The Plough’s YouTube channel (www.theploughartscentre.org.uk/youtube). Half the donations made by those who watch online will go to Toby and Marina, with the other half shared by the Plough Arts Centre and The Tillett Trust, the charity that supports young musicians. https://donorbox.org/the-plough-arts-centre-toby-white-and-marina-staneva-concert
The classical concert will be followed by a live stream of a special gallery exhibition by South West based artists including Merlyn Chesterman, Irene Jones, Bill Stewart, Phillip and Frannie Leach, Jay Luttman Johnson, Pavel Isupov, Mahali O'Hare, Peter Stiles, Petra Freeman, Paul Seed, Joy Wolfenden-Brown, Truda Lane, and Jacob Lane.
Richard added ‘we would love for the link to the streamed event to be shared widely, so that we can garner a huge audience to support these young musicians. It may be the only arts event happening in the UK on 5 Nov so let’s go out with a bang before lockdown and fly a flag for the culture that makes our communities.’ Links to the streamed event can be found on The Plough Arts Centre website.
Richard Wolfenden-Brown
Director
3 Nov 2020
richard@theploughartscentre.org.uk 01805 622552
