Following their previous sell-out performances of ‘Oliver’, ‘Bugsy Malone’ and ‘Shrek The Musical’ at Storyhouse, Castaway Theatre returns this year with the hilarious international award-winning musical ‘Legally Blonde’.Popular high-school blonde, Elle Woods is shocked when she’s dumped by her boyfriend, Warner. Her obsession with re-kindling the relationship ends up leading her to Harvard Law where she struggles to fit in with the masculine, serious ethos – where bright pink really isn’t the norm! However, with the looming trial of Brooke Wyndham – a previous Delta Nu sorority sister turned TV fitness superstar, can Elle turn the tables and prove there’s more to her than meets the eye..? Castaway Youth Theatre was founded in 1999 to offer young people an opportunity across the North West and North Wales to perform once a year on a professional stage, and offers young people the chance to work as a team, make new friends and learn new skills. They performed at the Gateway Theatre from 1999 to 2007 and reformed in 2018 as a charity after Storyhouse opened. https://www.storyhouse.com/event/castaway-legally-blonde
Taste Cheshire have announced the first ever Cheshire Cocktail Champion competition in association with Three Wrens Gin, and Chester Food and Drink Month. The Taste Cheshire Food and Drink awards have been running for just over 20 years and have previously related to the Taste Cheshire Chester Food and Drink Festival. As part of the festival a young chef of the year competition has been running for well over a decade but for the first time this year, the bartenders will take centre stage. Bartenders from across Cheshire have been invited to compete in a very special cocktail competition to find the inaugural Cheshire Cocktail Champion from 3pm on Tuesday 6th September at the Abode Hotel, Chester. Taste Cheshire’s Tori Hayes commented “We are so thrilled to be launching this new award as part of Chester Food and Drink Month and the Food and Drink Awards. Bartending, and in particular cocktail making is a very complex skill. Mixology is not a simple thing and has to be performed under the watchful eye of the customer who wishes to be entertained as well as delighted with their drink. We are really pleased to be able to recognise this vital part of hospitality and encourage this generation of cocktail Champions. In particular we are over the moon to be working with Three Wrens Gin on this, their gins are truly the Spirit of Cheshire, multi award winning, and I know that owner Nick Wadeson comes from a mixology background himself, so he is the perfect partner for this project”. Contestants will have to create their own cocktail utilising a minimum of 35ml of any Three Wrens Gin products under the banner of” A Taste of Cheshire”. Entrants can interpret this brief either in the taste of the drink, it’s presentation or both. They will have 5 minutes to create, explain and present their drink to the panel of expert judges which led by founder, creator and Distiller of Three Wrens gin, Nick Wadeson alongside Rick Warrier, owner operator of RW Training & Development Ltd. We Love Good Times founder Izzy Grey The winner of the competition will be announced at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Awards Gala Dinner at Chester Racecourse on Wednesday 28th September 2022. Members of the public are invited to come along and watch the competition at the Abode Hotel in their stunning top floor brasserie on 6th September.
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Library Service is asking for views to shape the service provided by its Mobile Library via a consultation that launched on the 8 August. The Mobile Library offers a wide range of stock including adult and children’s books as well as audiobooks. It also provides access to the Library Management System, enabling customers to borrow books from across the library service and to make reservations, as well as update their library accounts. Mobile Library staff can also provide online Council information and a Council enquiry service. Library members have free access to a wide range of online resources, including eBooks, via the libraries’ webpage. The Library Service will be introducing a new modern mobile library later this year. The new vehicle, which will replace the existing mobile library vehicle, will be fully electric and therefore much cleaner and greener. Other sustainable features include solar panels and LED lighting. There will also be improvements to services offered, such as an awning for summer activities and onboard Wi-Fi and digital access for customers. Council Leader Louise Gittins said: “It’s really exciting to be getting a new all-electric mobile library vehicle. With the introduction of a new vehicle, we would like to take the opportunity to review existing mobile library stops and the activities held at some stops. We want to understand the views of service users, residents, and stakeholders on the proposals for the mobile library service. We know how important this service is and I would urge everyone who has a view on our proposals to get in touch to let us know their comments.” Proposals include enhancing some stops by adding activities, such as a Storytime or Craft Session in partnership with community centres or village halls; reviewing existing stops on a six-monthly basis; and withdrawing five stops that are not well used, but adding three additional stops, some near to the stops being removed from current mobile library routes. Full details of existing routes and proposed routes are available here: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/mobilelibraryconsultation Complete an online survey at www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/mobilelibraryconsultation
Coming to Storyhouse for the October half term (24 – 30 Oct) is the Wayword festival. Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, multi award-winning author Dame Jacqueline Wilson and comedian and novelist Julian Clary are among the line-up in the festival for children which aims to celebrate the power of words to ignite imaginations. Many of the events are free, while Storyhouse has committed to keep ticket prices for others as low as possible. Meanwhile 200 tickets for each event on the main stage and 10 tickets for each Garret Theatre event will be reserved for free distribution to low-income families and groups through Storyhouse’s Community Connectors partnership. The festival includes a LEGO stop motion workshop, a family version of Romeo and Juliet , storytelling for babies, drop in craft sessions, puppetry, music, a Halloween disco and much more. Highlights include Julian Clary and illustrator David Roberts with their book The Bolds Go Green (25 Oct), Storyhouse’s artist in residence Benjamin Zephaniah is live on the main stage on the 27th Oct talking about his iconic collections of children’s poetry and stories, plus former Children’s Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson (29 Oct) will be talking abiut her writing career and how she created some of her best-known and loved characters as well as hearing all about her latest book, Project Fairy. For the full packed programme including adapatation sof The Wind in the Wilows and Gilliver’s Travels, and a Halloween Drawalong with illustrator Nick Sharratt visit the Storyhouse website.
The Chester blog 