Culture from your home

As many people are still looking for activities to keep connected and active during the time spent at home, the Arts team has put together a list of cultural events, activities and resources that can all be accessed from home.

Archives

  • Cheshire Archives and Local Studies
    Although the Record Office is closed there are still online archives that can be viewed from their website. For example you can search:

Craft

  • West Cheshire Museums
    The museums are regularly uploading templates for adult crafts and family craft activities that will help to make the collections accessible on-line whilst they can’t be enjoyed in person. Activities range from crochet patterns to cut and colour fashion dolls.
  • Working Title Artists Collective
    Adult and children’s craft tutorials.  Artist Beth Barlow and guest artists are delivering lots of new online classes for a small monthly fee through the Patreon website. From knitting and cyanotype photography, to flower arranging and mask making.

Dance

  • Fallen Angels Dance Theatre
    The theatre will be doing 10 minute dance taster sessions, on Facebook Live, for all ages, to help combat anxiety. Planned for: Wednesdays and Thursdays between 4pm and 5pm on Facebook. Their YouTube channel includes some of their performances and the Fallen Angels Dance Theatre website includes links and inspirational blogs.
  • Cheshire Dance
    Cheshire Dance have developed a series of virtual classes for their regular groups and are now able to share some activity more widely.  There are live online classes that range from street dance and capoeira to dance for those 50+, disability dance and dementia friendly dance. There are also pre-recorded activities for older people and those with learning disabilities. Visit the Cheshire Dance website for more information.

Drama

  • Storyhouse
    A series of five minute fun sessions are available on the Storyhouse website for primary aged children and their families.
  • Minerva Arts
    Cheshire’s Minerva Arts are setting Theatre Thursday drama challenges. Follow them on Facebook to see the challenge, have a go and you can also upload your own response.
    • Action Transport Theatre
      Action Transport’s Youth Theatre groups are being run remotely via Zoom. For details of this and their other projects visit their Action Transport Theatre website.
      Drama Drop-in (12 to 17 yr olds) starting 15 April.
      Drama Droplets (7 to 11 yr olds) starting 6 May.
  • Little Actors Theatre
    The theatre has a schedule of free writing and performance workshops during lockdown, with sessions for children, young people and the over 50s. For details visit the Little Actors Theatre website and click on Covid-19 Lockdown Schedule. Email them for details on how to sign up via Zoom.

Films

  • Storyhouse
    Storyhouse has partnered with online cinema platform Mubi to give a free 90 day trial period to enjoy cult, classic and independent films – with a new film every day on the Mubi website. Every week on the Storyhouse website there will be a round-up of films to watch on Mubi and other streaming services.

Karaoke

  • Storyhouse
    Quarantine Karaoke is on the Storyhouse website on Wednesdays at 7pm on Zoom.

Lectures

  • Storyhouse
    Lunchtime lectures is a collaboration between Storyhouse and University of Chester and is on the third Tuesday of each month. Visit the Storyhouse website for more information.

Libraries

    • Virtual Lego club, Saturdays 10.30am
      Each week will be a different theme, everyone is invited to share their creations with the Libraries team via social media.
    • Online Rhymetime, Tuesdays 10.30am
      Not only good old classic rhymes but also some basic signing to help everyone in the community join in.
    • Digital animation sessions, Wednesdays 11.30am
      Another wonderful, regular session usually delivered in libraries but now offered online as a reminder/tutorial on how to create your own animations at home.
    • Storytimes, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 3pm (normal end of school day)

Museums

Poetry

  • Testify Poetry
    The Chester based group have set up a Testify Facebook group and each day they will post prompts, writing exercises and submission opportunities. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never been to Testify before.

Theatre

  • Chester Mystery Plays
    For a limited time from Easter weekend the DVD recording of the 2018 production of Chester Mystery Plays will be available to watch on YouTube. For more information visit the  Chester Mystery Plays website.
  • Cheshire Rural Touring Arts – spring 2020 season
    • The Mystery of Raddlesham Mumps
      This show by Action Transport Theatre toured the network in the autumn. A studio recording of the children’s play is now streaming for free on the SoundCloud website. There are also some work sheets to support home schooling on the Raddlesham Mumps website.
    • Cello on Fire
      This was due to tour with Cheshire Rural Touring Arts (CRTA) this spring. The artist Peter Hurdler has lots of videos from his performance at the Fringe, amongst others on his YouTube channel. There is also a playlist with all tracks of his CD Caleidocello available on his YouTube channel.
    • Just Some Theatre – The Four Horsemen
      This show was also due to tour with CRTA this Spring. They recorded the show for their archive, but it’s not a professional recording (they were planning on doing this at a CRTA venue). To see the show please visit YouTube.
    • Quick Duck – Yours Sincerely
      Quick Duck were able to share a link to an animation on YouTube of one of the letters that feature in the show.
  • Cheshire Rural Touring Arts – past seasons
    • The Mystery of Raddlesham Mumps
      This show by Action Transport Theatre toured the network in the autumn. A studio recording of the children’s play is now streaming for free on the SoundCloud website. There are also some work sheets to support home schooling on the Raddlesham Mumps website.
    • Freeplay
      Freepay are a Canadian a cappella duo who create an extraordinary sound.  They are doing a bi-weekly, pay-what-you-can live streaming concert. It is every 2nd Friday at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on their YouTube channel. Freeplay will do a new show each time: sometimes a cappella as you’ve seen them before, sometimes with instruments. The show is simulcast on Facebook Live and their YouTube channel.
    • Pentabus
      Pentabus create plays about contemporary rural life.  They will be releasing a live recording of one of their past shows each week on Friday at 2pm.  To view this and other shows please visit the Pentabus website.

Storytelling

See also the Libraries section.

  • Cheshire Rural Touring Arts
    Spot On (Lancashire’s Rural Touring scheme) have commissioned ‘Spot On Stories’  – a series of 3 minute filmed stories you can watch on the Spot On website. They have shows for children at 3pm on Tuesdays and for Adults at 7pm on Thursdays, all featuring rural touring artists. Videos are premiered on their Facebook page at the times given and are then available on YouTube for 30 days.

Writing

  • Action Transport Theatre
    The Young Writer’s group continues to meet virtually and is open to young people aged 13-17.  Young Writers programmes are designed to nurture and encourage new writing talent. The group meets via Zoom on Mondays 11.30am – 1.30pm. Visit the Action Transport Theatre website for more details.

Coming Soon

  • West Cheshire Museums will also shortly have a YouTube channel which will host films:
    • for school pupils/teachers,
    • mini lectures for adults,
    • activities for families,
    • career chats for high school students.

Also:

The BBC website has collated a range of arts and culture events that you can enjoy from home.

 

Cheshire West and Chester Council does not have any responsibility for the content of most of these links and have shared them in good faith.