Lark Rise to Spa Centre

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LARK Rise to Candleford becomes Lapworth to Barford at Leamington's Spa Centre this weekend (September 8 and 9).

Flora Thompson’s vision of village life in the 1880s provides the inspiration for the first community play from the Teatro/Spa partnership involves over 60 participants, both young and old, in a production which uses the villages of Lapworth and Barford to duplicate the villages in the book – Lark Rise and Candleford.

The project has sparked the imagination of people in the two villages, and from further afield, including Warwick, Leamington and Rugby.

Artistic Director Alan Gill said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring a really large group of people from quite different background into one big ensemble. We’ll have music, bands and Morris dancers all coming together in a joyous celebration of British life – so fitting with the success of the Olympics.”

A huge hit as a BBC series Lark Rise to Candleford tells the story as seen through the eyes of young Laura Timms.

The play follows a day in the life and relationships of the farm workers, craftsmen and gentry of the fictional hamlet of Lark Rise at the end of the nineteenth century. It is the first day of harvest, and the villagers celebrate with the simple pleasures of music, song and dance, creating a moving and evocative picture of a forgotten England.

The play will also be staged at Lapworth Scarecrow Festival on Saturday September 15.

The play can be seen at 2.30pm and 7.30pm on both days. For tickets and further details visit wwwroyalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk or call the box office on 01926 334418.

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