Tickets are now on sale for the third Dart Drama Festival, which promises four nights of lively and varied entertainment.

And not only has it has attracted groups that have taken part in previous years; Stoke Fleming Operatic and Dramatic Society, Dit’sum Players, the Inn Theatre Company, Salcombe Players, Blackawton Amateur Dramatic Society, and students from Dartmouth Community College, but also Kingsbridge Amateur Theatrical Society, Slapton Amateur Productions, and Shiphay Amateur Dramatic Society, who will be making their festival debuts this year.  Avril Dowding, co festival organiser said:” It is really exciting, and we are thrilled with the interest and enthusiasm of those societies taking part”.

The programme is diverse and challenging with plays varying from 15 minutes to 40 minutes and of all genres; light comedy to dark comedy, thought provoking to psychologically disturbing. Among the plays several have been written especially for the festival by group members; David Murphy from Slapton, Max Brandt from Inn Theatre Co. and Jeremy Balfour, Head of Drama at Dartmouth Community College. They will be joined by such authors as Noel Coward, August Strindberg, Sue Gordon, Leslie Sands, Julia Lee Dean and Barbara van Kampen.

Dates for the Dart Drama Festival are Tuesday/Wednesday 10/11 November and Friday/Saturday 13/14 November. Tickets are: single adult ticket £8, single child £4 (one night only); combo adult ticket £14, combo child ticket £6 (any two nights). For further details log onto the Dart Drama Festival website by clicking here.

2. Yalumba Wine Tasting Thursday 15th October
 

James Brown reports:  We are delighted to be able to host another Yalumba wine evening. John Ides, the winery manager of the state-of-the-art, Oxford Landing winery is in the UK on holiday and just happened to be visiting Dartmouth!

John will host an informal evening talking about the Yalumba wines, explaining the differences between each of the brands. The special emphasis will be on his Oxford Landing wines - one of the UK's most recognised supermarket wines and their much applauded Y Series wines which are generally sold through Independent Off Sales outlets.

The first course is a warm seafood salad with an Asian dressing. Hand dived local scallops, mussels, prawns and channel squid will be accompanied by a glass of Oxford Landing Viogner and Y Series Reisling. You will see how well these wines work with the Asian flavours of the salad dressing.

The main course is a rich stew of local beef cooked in one of our wines and served with Oxford landing GSM (old vine Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre) and Y Series Shiraz Viogner (adding the Viogner to the Shiraz was pioneered by Yalumba and is now much copied in Australia. It has the effect of making the wine much smoother).
Finally a plum tart taken from a Carved Angel recipe belonging to Joyce Molyneux will be accompanied by a stunning boytrytis Viogner.

Yalumba are Australia's oldest family owned winery.  Have a look at their website by clicking here. The cost of the evening including an glass of Janz on arrival and wine with each course is £30pp.   Book by calling 01803 832572

3.   Dartmouth Today

It's officially Autumn but in Dartmouth it is still beautiful, these photographs were taken this morning (8 October).  Doesn't it look good?  can you stay away?  how about a long weekend, you know you want to!

Why not come down for the weekend, or even a week?

4.   Small News

• Cue Lunch!  On Sunday 25th October, as an end-of-Food Festival event, John Burton Race is holding a second Charity Lunch at the New Angel Restaurant in aid of a small national charity based in Dartmouth - the Cued Speech Association. Staff at the Restaurant are working for free on their day off and suppliers are providing food for the meal without charge. Therefore, all proceeds from the event will be given to the Cued Speech Association to help them to continue to provide Cued Speech information and training to all who need it throughout the UK.
  
  Cued Speech is a simple system of cues which totally clarify lipreading for deaf children and adults. It can be learnt in 20 hours and gives full and easy access to the spoken language of the home and school. This allows a deaf child to acquire the communication and literacy skills they need to reach their potential in the world and also to play a full part in family life.
  
  The 3-course meal, with wine and coffee, will cost £35 per head. Please come at 11.30am to give time for a drink before lunch and to hear a five minute talk about Cued Speech. The meal will be served at 12.30pm.  For tickets, contact Marion at the New Angel on 01803 839425 or Louise at Cued Speech Association on 01803 832784.
  
   

Why not come and visit Dartmouth?

• Self catering accommodation click here
   
• Dartmouth B and B  click here
   
• Dartmouth Hotels click here
   
• A Tourist Guide to Dartmouth click here

Images copyright Dave Cawley & others.