Yes, it’s true, the London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra brought their very own style of high energy musical comedy and audience participation to the Market House on Saturday 20th Feb. See if you recognise anyone in the photos below!
Snow Child captivates a full house
On 1 November we were thrilled to welcome to the Market House tutti frutti, a national touring theatre company from Leeds, who performed ‘Snow Child’, an enchanting tale adapted by Olivier nominated playwright, Emma Reeves.
Tutti frutti has been delighting children aged 3 and over for more than 23 years and tours nationally, putting on performances in schools, arts centres, village halls and other venues.
The performance thrilled a full house of all ages and is the first of a number of productions that the Management Committee hopes to bring to the Market House via AIR in G, a Gloucestershire-wide organisation run by Arts in Rural Gloucestershire. The scheme offers financial and practical support to individuals or organisations who wish to host performances at their local village hall, community centre or school.
The Snow Child (Mei Mac) with her mother and father, played by Paula James and Mark Pearce
Mark Pearce, Mei Mac and Paula James
Mei Mac (left) as the Snow Child with Paula James
Sir Richard Eyre lends a hand
In October, as part of our consultation process, multi-award-winning director Sir Richard Eyre visited the Market House to discuss ideas for improving its theatrical facilities.
Sir Richard is Patron of the Market House and was accompanied by his wife, writer and producer Sue Birtwistle. You can read the full story and see photos here on the Stroud News and Journal website.
Design options for building update
On Saturday 17 October, the Market House Management Committee held a second public meeting to discuss proposed alterations to this exceptional building.
A presentation was made by Committee member Justin Hodges and designer David Newton, who talked through three options showing how the building could be altered to make it more accessible to the whole community and more attractive to potential hirers.
You can see the presentation here or print out the slides here – and if you would like to vote for one of the design options but have not yet done so, you can print out the form here. Please put your completed form either in the box in Market Stores or hand it in at Minchinhampton Library by Sunday 15 November 2015.
David Newton, the designer who is working with the Management Committee on this project has some 30 years’ experience, including six years spent with The Landmark Trust as their Building Surveyor. You can find out more at his website and read his commentary about the three options he has designed for the Market House here.
Survey results and date of next public meeting
The Market House Management Committee was thrilled with the number of completed questionnaires that were returned following the first phase of this consultation. Your suggestions have been immensely helpful to us as we explore how the building is currently used and, more importantly, how it could be used more by the community.
We had 206 questionnaires returned to us and these are the headlines:
- The majority of people liked the idea of glassing in the Undercroft to make it a usable space for the community. Some of those who said that they disliked the idea added that they would find partial glassing in acceptable.
- With regard to modernising the toilets, the overwhelming majority of respondents liked this idea.
- The vast majority also liked the idea of installing a lift in the building, although several others were undecided as they needed more information about where the lift might be located.
We are now in a position to present some proposals and would like to invite all residents of Minchinhampton, as well as those who visit or hire the building, to a second public meeting on Saturday 17 October 2015 from 9.30am to 1.00pm with a formal presentation at 10.00am.
If you would like to be sent a more detailed analysis of the results of our survey, please email: consultation@minchinhamptonmarkethouse.co.uk
The Committee’s aim is to revitalise this unique building and re-establish it as the town’s social, cultural and architectural centrepiece. We hope you will come along on to this event and tell us what you think!
Have your say and enter our Free Prize Draw!
As you may have heard, ideas are being proposed to modernise the facilities at the Market House and the Management Committee is putting forward a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to help finance the work. Thank you to everyone who came to our first public meeting and to those who returned completed questionnaires. Although the prize draw has ended (see below for winners), we are still keen to receive your views, so if you have not already sent in a questionnaire, please click here to open and print it out. Please return it (no envelope required) to: Tim Mowat, The Owl House, Market Square, Minchinhampton, Stroud GL6 9BW
Prize Draw and School Competition Winners
The winner of an evening’s free hire of the hall was Sarah (Sally) Boyce. Helen Rogers and Karen Colebourn each won a copy of J. K. Rowling’s ‘The Casual Vacancy’, signed by members of the cast from the recent TV drama. The Committee also ran a competition with Minchinhampton School for their pupils’ ideas about the Market House. The winner, seven-year-old Aidan Lynch, was presented with a £15 voucher for his amazingly inventive animated short film, which you can see here.
We will be holding another public meeting in the autumn but in the meantime, we look forward to receiving your questionnaire!
Fabulous new kitchen
Finally our kitchen is all finished, it’s stylish and so easy to use. We’ve already put it through it’s paces on a couple of occasions and it’s come up trumps… now we can truly entertain!
A 100 seat theatre
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Our fully equipped theatre hosted an evening with Johnny Coppin with Paul Burgess
Hosting formal occasions
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The ideal setting for weddings, formal dinners and corporate
events. With a sound system, lighting rig and stage, the
Market House is the perfect setting for any event.
Local produce on show
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Minchinhampton Market every Wednesday morning.
Homemade produce and gifts for sale – the perfect
opportunity to buy healthy, local fayre.