NEW Old Friends, a theatre company based in Frome, is presenting Crimes Against Christmas, a live fireside radio place outdoors at the Merlin on 10th and 11th December.
The play, which is part of the Signal Fires Festival, is a hilarious adaptation of the company’s smash-hit comedy, and will be presented in Frome in a Covid-secure, socially distanced way at the Merlin’s outdoor amphitheatre.
The UK’s leading touring theatre companies are uniting this autumn to present Signal Fires, a nationwide project inspired by one of the original forms of theatre – storytelling around a fire. In light of the current crisis, the signal fires will create beacons across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland warning of the threat the industry continues to face while celebrating the extraordinary vibrancy of touring theatre and the freelancers they engage.
Frome-based New Old Friends are nationally renowned for their inventive comedy shows and were thrilled to be invited to take participate in the festival. Stretching across four nations, this festival of fires will connect audiences, freelance artists and touring companies together in a communal, national act of storytelling and serves as a statement of hope and intent; touring theatre will return.
The show itself is a radio-play style retelling of the company’s 2016 smash-hit comedy; Crimes Against Christmas. The plot is loosely based around Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None with an apparently random group of people mysteriously invited to a Christmas party on a remote island. Once on the island, the guests start to die in suspiciously Christmassy ways!
The venue, which hosted some work over the summer, will be fully Covid-secure in line with the latest guidelines. Audience members will be asked to wear masks if able and will be seated in a way compliant with the prevailing restrictions. The Merlin will be selling mulled wine and hot soup to warm your insides, but wrapping up warm, bringing cushions and blankets is strongly recommended.
Tickets are £5.50 exclusively from www.merlintheatre.co.uk. Arrive 6pm for 6.30pm show. Suitable for ages 12+
![Town-wide programme brings month of social activities in May
A month-long programme of activities and events is set to take place across the town in May as part of an initiative encouraging residents to connect with themselves, each other and local places.
The scheme, Frome Connects, will run throughout the month and includes a mix of social activities, creative events and informal meet-ups in community spaces.
Highlights include the return of Dress Up Fridays, which began during lockdown and invites people to wear formal clothing or fancy dress and turn the town into their catwalk each Friday.
Set-piece moments include a Kate Bush-themed flashmob (Running Up That [Catherine] Hill) on 30th May, followed by a bell peal at St John’s Church where the bells will play Running Up That Hill.
There will also be a whole-town drone photo on Friday 30th May, with everyone encouraged to ‘look up’ at around 12.30pm.
Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
Pictured: l-r Jenny Hartnoll and Ginny Adams](https://scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/684201964_18069463433653265_2722712448142239347_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=lpPD1lkIpzUQ7kNvwGc5hdb&_nc_oc=Adpzr2hnI58mBzDyMxcnkdK_pr7-84FAARfoTk3dgtKJKwIbvYouQytEkAdXpaUAvxU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=QKz5uslOl1wFJGffej9rcQ&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQEhS3JmIIRGVtdvc7NeDg-szHPgOZvSeqR7PYflJsqm1cp0XCNujCDPTyODWI0mmJV4mujraOr9&oh=00_Af2_0pgXuakjMTfphq9JSx7v6C2RU__qPFT1d7jQmFh5EA&oe=69F7C6AA "Town-wide programme brings month of social activities in May
A month-long programme of activities and events is set to take place across the town in May as part of an initiative encouraging residents to connect with themselves, each other and local places.
The scheme, Frome Connects, will run throughout the month and includes a mix of social activities, creative events and informal meet-ups in community spaces.
Highlights include the return of Dress Up Fridays, which began during lockdown and invites people to wear formal clothing or fancy dress and turn the town into their catwalk each Friday.
Set-piece moments include a Kate Bush-themed flashmob (Running Up That [Catherine] Hill) on 30th May, followed by a bell peal at St John’s Church where the bells will play Running Up That Hill.
There will also be a whole-town drone photo on Friday 30th May, with everyone encouraged to ‘look up’ at around 12.30pm.
Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
Pictured: l-r Jenny Hartnoll and Ginny Adams")
