Following his fascinating presentation on Shakespeare two years ago, Professor Wood has proved the popular draw of the Festival, selling all 180 seats at Rook Lane Arts less than three weeks after going on sale.
Other top sales are, more predictably, the Frome Tunnels walks. All three walks, accommodating 45 people in all, sold out on the morning of release to the general public. Two workshops have now sold all tickets: Making a Felt Wall Hanging and The Ukulele Workshop, which has now added an additional session to cater for demand on Saturday July 14.
Two other events combining history and literature are also full. Both celebrate the centenary of the end of World War I. The talk on “Wilfred Owen, A Somerset Son and the Great War” by Ed Green will pack out the Archangel, while “In the Footsteps of Siegfried Sassoon” a walk and readings conducted by Festival founder Martin Bax also sold out rapidly. Both Sassoon and Owen are portrayed in Frome Drama Club’s production of “Not About Heroes” at the Assembly Rooms for three nights from Tuesday July 10 and is currently selling well.
Commenting on the sales for this year’s Festival, Director Martin Dimery explained: “It’s always great to have sell out events, even if some of them are in small spaces. Talks and presentations often work best when presented to 20 or 30 devotees, whilst rock and pop gigs are expected to draw a big audience. It’s all relative to expectations.”
The most popular event over all in the Festival is Badly Drawn Boy on Thursday July 12 who has sold close on 400 standing tickets at the Cheese and Grain. Punk Poet John Cooper Clarke’s seated show, also at the Cheese and Grain, and comedian Tom Allen at the Memorial, are both on course for capacity. The Busquitos - a Dutch jazz band who proved popular at Rook Lane last year - are also close to full at Rook Lane Arts on Friday July 13. Their inventive and humorous stage presentation has made them popular at many European festivals, and with the great Pee Wee Ellis now confirmed as a special guest, audiences are advised to book soon.
For further details of 200 plus events in the Frome Festival check online: fromefestival.co.uk
