Sir David Frost Sir David Frost “An Audience With” on 28th January 2008 Clacton & North East Essex Arts & Literary Society

Clacton & North East Essex Arts & Literary Society

HISTORY

The Clacton and North East Essex Arts and Literary Society was founded in December 1904 and was first known as “The Clacton Industrial, Arts, Museum and Trades Exhibition Society. Among the objects of the Society in 1904 were the furtherance, through exhibitions and competitions, of the works of children in Clacton and the surrounding district, embracing the whole curriculum of their education and also their hobbies.

The Society also committed itself to holding meetings at least once a week in the winter, for free lectures for members and “instruction in such subjects as may be feasible and expedient”, coupled with encouraging artistic and high intellectual pursuits by people of all ages.

During the early years a large Exhibition and Competition was held on two days in May at the Winter Gardens in Clacton attracting an astonishing range of exhibits and also entries to a wide range of competitions. This was followed by a winter season of concerts and lectures at the Granville Hotel in Clacton.

The significant amount of work involved in mounting such an ambitious Exhibition soon reduced its frequency to alternate years and with the start of World War 1 in 1914 it ceased, never to be restarted. However the concerts and lectures continued throughout the war.

As the frequency of the exhibitions reduced in the years before the war it was decided to change the name of the Society and on 9th October 1911 it became “The Clacton Arts and Literary Society”.

The name of the Society then remained unchanged until April 1987 when, in recognition of a much larger membership drawn from a wide geographical area, it was changed to “The Clacton and North East Essex Arts and Literary Society”. Soon afterwards the Society obtained charitable status. 

OBJECTS

Over the years the objects of the Society have shifted through several changes until now, rather more simply, they are “to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in an appreciation of Science and the Arts, including the Arts of literature, music and drama”.

The biggest change in the Society in recent years has been the manner in which it has met its aims. It has gradually moved away from the predominant use of lectures to the staging of both dramatic and  musical presentations. The Society now uses entertainment as the means of meeting it’s objectives and a typical season is divided between eight musical and eight non musical evenings.

The Society is large enough to attract performers and groups of international reputation. Recently  artistes appearing have included – Sir John Mortimer, Bill Odie, Gyles Brandreth, David Hemplman-Adams, Chris Bonnington, Henry Sandon, The English Serenata with Angela Rippon,  the late Magnus Magnusson and Patrick Lichfield.  Drama, opera and dance presentations have also been staged.

THE CURRENT SITUATION

The Society is one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and meets in the prestigious Princes Theatre in the Clacton Town Hall complex.  For each of the last two years the membership has exceeded 900 but this membership has to be maintained if the high cost of providing the current level of entertainment is to be met.

The Society meets on Monday evenings at 7.30pm between mid October and March and the cost of a Season Ticket for all sixteen performances for the 2007/2008 Season is £37. 00.  Subject to availability tickets can be purchased at the Box Office for individual performances price £7.

Jan Rodwell.  March 2008.

Monday Night at the Princes Theatre

·         The Society, which is one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom, was founded in December 1904. 

·         It has a membership in excess of 890.

·         It is a registered Charity  -  Number 801385.

·         It meets in the Princes Theatre in the prestigious Clacton Town Hall complex on sixteen Monday evenings between mid October and early March.

·         The objects of the Society are “to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in an appreciation of Science and the Arts, including the Arts of literature, music and drama.”

·         The Society now uses entertainment as a means of meeting these objectives and in a typical season eight evenings are devoted to music (in many forms) and eight are given over to drama, dance, slides and lectures often with an adventurous or scientific interest. The programme is varied and wide ranging .

·         The aim is to bring to our Members high quality performers and speakers with an international reputation and also to promote performers of quality who may not be so well known but are the stars of the future.

·         The Society is sufficiently well known to attract top quality artistes. These include The late Magnus Magnusson, Bill Odie, Patrick Lichfield, Pam Ayres, Henry Sandon, Marisa Robles, Sir John Mortimer, Sir David Frost, Kate Adie, Sir Robin Knox Johnston, David Hempleman-Adams and members of the the Welsh National Opera.

·         The Society is funded by a very reasonable annual membership subscription and by generous donations and sponsorship.

·         The Committee endeavours to ensure that all members feel part of the Society therefore we maintain the tradition of our Edwardian origins and members are greeted on arrival by committee members who wear black tie for the occasion.

·         Events are promoted through membership mailing, local press and local radio.

·         Information about the Society can be obtained from :- Membership Secretary: Mrs S. Bishop, 66 Melbourne Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 3JA, Phone 01255 422469 There is a waiting list!

BBC Breakfast Kate Humble interview The Blue Planet Live

Added: March 13, 2008
Kate Humble is interviewed on BBC Breakfast about the sexy new show about the wet parts of our world.

Strauss presented at Clacton Arts & Literary Society this season

Blue danube waltz by Johann Strauss - Wiener Philharmoniker and Wiener Staatsopern ballet. Lorin Maazel, conductor. New year’s concert 2005

STATUS CYMBAL is the String Quartet with a difference. As well as playing the works of Mozart, Beethoven and all the other great composers for the medium, it is also able to bring the same dedication of performance to its own unique library of sparkling and witty arrangements of all kinds of popular music from Opera through Swing and Jazz to the great Musicals, Pop hits and Rock classics, including tunes by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Abba and many more.

“Banish all previous conceptions of a string quartet from your mind - Status Cymbal are definitely different. They gave us a brilliant classical first half programme then a fun packed romp through the 20th Century in the second half. It was a pleasure having them with us and their performance was thoroughly enjoyed by our audience of over 800 members”.

Cindy Hardy
Clacton & North East Essex Arts & Literary Society - November 2005