The Joy of Live Entertainment

Last night, I went out to our local arts venue. When I say, local, I mean, local because it is just a short walk, maybe 10 minutes, from my house and I don't live in a big city. I live in a small town in a delightful district of England called The Cotswolds which has beautiful architecture, historic squares, golden stone and character in abundance. And I love living here for all of those reasons and more, but one of the things that I love the most and this surprises me somewhat, is The Goods Shed.

Formerly, a building associated with the railway, the rails having long gone, The Goods Shed is now a venue which hosts a variety of different arts shows on a weekly basis. These can be bands, quartets, theatre, exhibitions, talks - whatever. It is a brick building with large arched windows and when an event is held, they have concertina seats which they can pull out to accommodate show goers and it is compact but comfortable.

I've been a little skeptical and snobbish about small arts' venues in the past, I am ashamed to confess. My thought has been that they are a little parochial and the performances reflect this - unpolished, amateur affairs which make less than easy viewing. My preference for performance has always been bigger venues, flashier shows with lights and professionalism oozing out of the flawless production - a spectacle.

Maybe it's a sign of getting older, that I don't enjoy the crowds and the smoke and the loudness as much anymore. That's not to say that I would forgo the chance to see a world-renowned act in a stadium, because I wouldn't. Foo Fighters, Santana, AC/DC, Duran Duran - these are all bands/artists that I have seen in more recent years and they were great, great nights. And not just music. Cirque du Soleil have been one of the singular best performance acts that I have ever seen, Luzia being a particular favourite.

The nearest concert venue is now a good drive away but I am coming to the realisation that that doesn't matter that much at all as I have a wonderful resource for the arts a short walk from my own doorstep.

My first experience was Shylock, a play by Gareth Armstrong, a one-man play performed by the playwright. Based on the character from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, the play is a monologue told by Tubal, a minor character and associate of Shylock in the play and it is an interesting slant on an established play. Tubal talks of Shylock as you would expect but also Jewish history and perceptions that others have of Jews as well as the context of the play in Elizabethan England, when it was written. As an English teacher, I have a love of Shakespeare, again more recently developed and certainly not present in my younger years, and I was prepared to be challenged by this spin-off, maybe even to find it a bit boring - you know the scenario: wishing that I had brought a cushion, type of night and that I had worn a watch, instead of relying on my phone as a time-telling device, as it is infinitely more subtle.

But it was none of this. It was exemplary. Armstrong's performance was one of the finest that I have ever experienced on a stage anywhere - intense, transformative, informative, flawless. Praise indeed.

And it was with some trepidation that I had suggested we go as my husband is very different to me in his tastes for entertainment. He is, however, very accommodating and having seen Twelfth Night in Cedar City, Utah at their Shakespeare Festival (which is awesome, by the way) and enjoyed it, he was at least open to it.

I was a bit worried that it would be an endurance test but I needn't have worried. I came out into the night full of words - effusive words of praise and revelation; enthusiastic words of surprise and delight; thoughtful words to describe how astute and entertaining the play was; words of praise about how it takes a skilled actor to hold your attention for a time with just words.

I was, it is not too much of an overstatement to say, completely surprised and pleased at my night out.

And it was the start of many.

Last night, it was our fourth time at The Goods Shed. Previously, we have seen two classical music acts, which highlighted music by great composers such as Schubert and Beethoven. And of course, Shylock. Our latest visit was to see a band called Bill and the Belles, all the way from Tennessee. They were touring, promoting their new record and their music has a vintage feel, combining country and blues, played with a fiddle, a guitar and a banjo and some absolutely amazing harmonies. They were, are, great musicians singing songs that were witty and lively as well as sombre and more deep. They obviously have a clear love for what they do. And they are champions of small arts' venues in their home state but more particularly in Bristol, Tennessee. There was one particularly moving moment in the evening where Kris and Kalia, two of the band members did a beautiful duet of a song written during Covid lockdown which they performed when things started to open up again, at a small arts' venue which had asked them to support the venue by performing. The arts must have suffered enormously due to the restrictions and Kalia's description of how she felt being back on a stage again after so long away and the appreciation she felt at being there again was humbling and full of gratitude. You could see that she was visibly stirred emotionally in her remembrance and was keen to explain how she would never take that for granted again, but hold onto it and try and replicate that feeling in her performance of this song into the future.

I felt the enormity of her words and their importance. She thanked us for supporting places like this and I felt warm at the praise - it's nice to be in support of something that brings people joy, that is creatively stimulating. There was a great buzz about the place last night and I was glad to be part of it.

Today, I've been prompted to write about it purely because I feel lucky. I think that the past two years have been hard in so many ways but the not being able to go out thing has been stifling and for small places, trying to bring people together to experience creativity together, this must have been especially hard. Because the virus was all about survival and isolation and remaining inside and away from others. For small venues, size must make a difference as must margin - these places can't have much of a financial buffer - and as a result, a lot must be struggling.

In the past, this would have been an issue with which I would never have been concerned but now? I feel very differently. I love these intimate experiences where the artists can see as much of you as you can of them, sharing an evening together.

Next week, we are seeing Purple Zeppelin, a Deep Purple/Led Zeppelin tribute act if you hadn't already guessed and I am looking forward to it enormously. It will be different to the Shakespeare and Bill and the Belles but if it is as good as the acts we have seen so far, then it will be great.

I would urge you to seek out your local arts' venue for yourself and see what's going on down there. You may be surprised at what you can experience on your doorstep and if it's as varied as what I've discovered at mine, you'll be in for a treat.