Your guide to What's On this weekend

Mary Youlden
Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted Sunday, April 5, 2015 - 11:00pm

Don't make any plans for the Easter weekend until you've checked out our guide to the best of what's on in and around Exeter.

THEATRE

Sister Act the Musical
Friday & Saturday, Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Based on its namesake 1992 movie, Sister Act tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, an aspiring disco diva trying to make her way to the top in 1970’s Philadelphia. Deloris falls in love with Curtis Shank, a gangster. However, when she sees him commit a murder, the police put her in a witness protection scheme and send her to a convent. Deloris finds her calling with the choir. Her glamorous lifestyle and general ‘fabulousness’ keep you rooting for her every step of the way. www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

The Little Mermaid: A Legend of the Seas!
Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday, Exeter Corn Exchange
Join the Corn Exchange in the magical underwater world of the Little Mermaid, where true love must conquer the slippery evil of the terrible Sea Witch!  An enchanting new family show for the school holidays, with a fantastic West End cast, including Daniel Page as the mighty King Neptune. You'll have an amazing time under the sea... Tickets £14/£10 children. www.exeter.gov.uk/cornexchange

Christopher Brett Bailey's THIS IS HOW WE DIE
Friday & Saturday, Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter
A motor-mouthed collage of spoken word and storytelling. Tales of paranoia, young love and ultra-violence. From the desk of Christopher Brett Bailey comes a spiraling odyssey of pitch-black humour and nightmarish prose. With echoes of Lenny Bruce, William Burroughs, beat poetry and B-movies, THIS IS HOW WE DIE is a prime slice of surrealist trash, an Americana death trip and a dizzying exorcism for a world convinced it is dying... Tickets £10/£8 conc. Over 16s. www.bikeshedtheatre.co.uk

Le Navet Bete present Dick Tracy
Friday & Saturday, Exeter Phoenix
Newsflash! There’s been a series of high-profile crimes right across the city – but fear not…The police chief’s put his best man on the job – Dick Tracy. It’s now down to the square-jawed, hard-hitting, fast-shooting, comic book detective to solve the crime the only way he knows how…the crime solving way… Will Tracy be able to save the day, get the girl and get to the bottom of who’s causing the mayhem? Or perhaps the truth is closer than he thinks.Tickets £13 (£11). www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Little Howard's Big Show For Kids
Saturday, 1pm, Tiverton Community Arts Theatre, Tiverton
From the CBBC Show 'Little Howard's Big Question', the boys are coming to Tiverton!  Little Howard is the world's only live interactive animation. Little Howard's big new act keeps going wrong, Roger The Pigeon has spent all their money on cookie cutters, his comedy counterpart Big Howard has been diagnosed with being clinically unfunny and there's a slug in the backstage toilet. And it's about to get worse: a sinister figure arrives and Big Howard and Little Howard have to put on the best show of their lives to keep themselves out of jail! Tickets available from JT's Partyhouse, Bampton Street 01884 233741. http://www.tivertontheatre.com/

Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)
Sunday, Northcott Theatre, Exeter
They’ve skewered history, the Bible and the world’s most celebrated playwright, now the Reduced Shakespeare Company tackles the subject it was born to reduce. Tickets to The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) are far more affordable than tickets to an amusement park, but you’ll come away with the same feeling of nausea and motion sickness. From the high-brow to the low and everything in-between, the bad boys of abridgment leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes. Shows at 5pm and 8pm. Yickets: £16, £14 conc. www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

The Business of Murder
Monday, Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Acclaimed psychological thriller from the pen of Richard Harris. Stone, a humourless and dour man, invites Dee, a television playwright, over to his flat on the premise of discussing a script. Once there, she is surprised when superintendent Hallett, the man with whom she is having an affair, also arrives for an entirely different reason. But nothing is as it seems, and as the plot twists and turns the motive of their host Stone gradually becomes clear. They are all, it would seem, in the same business... The Business of Murder.  Tickets: £16.50-£27. www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

MUSIC

Exeter Cathedral Choir: Stainer's Crucifixion
Friday, 7.30pm, Exeter Cathedral
A devotional performance by the Cathedral Choir of The Crucifixion by John Stainer. All are welcome to attend; no tickets required.

Ghetto Funk
Friday, 9pm, Exeter Phoenix Terrace
Djs present an evening of breakbeat, funk, hip-hop, and bass music. 9pm-2am, over 18s www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Live Music - Friday
Exeter
Venezia, Exeter Quay:  Annika Skoogh Trio, 8pm, free.
John Gandys, Gandy Street: Eventine, 9pm, free.
The Ship & Pelican, Heavitree: Reckless, 9pm, free.
The Old Firehouse, New North Road: Jabbrock Root, free before 10.30pm, £1 after.
The Sorry Head, Blackboy Road: The Summertides, 9pm, free.

The Music of John Denver
Saturday, 8pm, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
This is not a tribute show, but a musical experience featuring the music of John Denver. With great integrity and attention to detail, Chris Bannister will entertain you with some of the best songs ever written and performed. He has travelled the world with this show and previously played with members of John Denver’s band, we are very pleased to welcome him back to the Barnfield Theatre. Tickets £12 www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk

Dark Knights
Saturday, Exeter Phoenix Terrace & Bar
Dark Knights formidable terrace parties bring you the finest in house and techno DJs. DJ Marek Skibinski. 6pm - 2am. Admission £5 (free before 10pm).Over 18s.

Live Music - Saturday
Exeter
The King’s Arms, Cowick Street: The Real Me, 9.30pm,f ree.
The Bishop Blaize, Commercial Road: Booster, 9pm, free.
Venezia, Exeter Quay: Mark James Acoustics, 7pm, free.
Prospect Inn, Exeter Quay: Evolver, 9.30pm, free.
The Old firehouse, New North Road: John Fairhurst Band, free before 10.30pm, £1 after.
The Sorry Head, Blackboy Road: Roni Perry Band, 9pm, free.
The Bowling Green, Blackboy Road: New Heroes, 9.30pm, free.

Gemfest 2015
Sunday, 11am, Exeter Phoenix
Gemfest is back for its third year of festival fundraising, having raised over £11,000 for Hospiscare and The Brain Tumour Charity at the last two events. Organised by local Brain Tumour ‘survivor’ Gemma and her friends, Gemfest promises a day packed with free family activities topped off with a variety of live music and entertainment in the evening from 6pm. Something for everyone – guaranteed. 11am – 4pm: free and 6pm – 1am: £12.50 (all profits donated to charity).  For the full line-up visit www.facebook.com/gemfestexeter or www.exeterphoenix.org.uk and follow on Twitter @gemfestexeter

Live Music - Sunday
Exeter
The Bishop Blaize, Commercial Road: Kiss This! 7pm, free.
The King’s Arms, Cowick Street: Eventne, 4pm, free.
The Old Firehouse, New North Road: Easter Sunday cider, ales and live reggae, dub, ska and D&B, free before 10pm, £1 after.
The bowling Green, Blackboy Road: The Gadge Band, 4pm, free.

Stefan Grossman
Monday, 8pm, Exeter Phoenix
When it comes to keeping the blues alive, vibrant and exciting, there are few people who can claim such an overall prolific body of work as Stefan Grossman. A former student of Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt and Skip James, Stefan went on to found what has become the world’s largest ‘blues school’, Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop. If you play acoustic blues guitar, chances are you learned something from Stefan Grossman, either directly or indirectly. An amazing guitarist with a seemingly infinite knowledge of many esoteric, archaic or nearly forgotten styles, techniques, and tunings. Tickets £12 (£10) seated.  www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Live Music - Monday
Exeter
The Royal Oak, Heavitree: Shovelhead, 3pm, free.
The Old Firehouse, New North Road: Student quiz night with Terry & Jude, 9pm, free.
The Sorry Head, Blackboy Road: SoulMondaysLive! 8.30pm, free.

EVENTS

Exeter Chiefs v Newcastle Falcons
Saturday, 8pm, Sandy Park, Exeter
Exeter Chiefs' super season continues in Saturday's European Challenge Cup quarter final. Tickets available here.

Exeter Dissenters Graveyard open day
Saturday, 11am, Magdalen Street, Exeter
The Dissenters Graveyard in Exeter will be open to visitors between 11am and 4pm on Easter Saturday. At least 1,300 people are buried at this site on the corner of Magdalen Street and Bull Meadow Road. Visitors will also be able to see transcribed copies of the grave inscriptions and and read short biographies of some of those buried, putting flesh on the bones, as well as the results of last year's investigations. www.edgt.org.uk

Easter weekend racing
Saturday, Newton Abbot Racecourse
Join Newton Abbot Racecourse on Easter Saturday and enjoy an afternoon of thrilling jumps racing. To celebrate the Easter weekend, there is a free Easter egg for the first 200 children through the gates on the day. Racing for the afternoon starts at 1.15pm, with gates opening at 11.15am. The last race will be at 4.45pm.  www.newtonabbotracing.com

Inside Outside Craft Market
Sunday, 10am, Transit Shed, Exeter Quay
Lots and lots of arts and crafts by local makers, as well as facepainting, a free Easter egg hunt and the amazing RYN will be playing. 10am-5pm. More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1571357983108018/

Family disco & barbecue
Sunday, 3pm, The Royal Oak Nadderwater, Exeter
Family friendly disco and barbecue from 3pm with a free bouncy castle. For more information call 01392 272352.

Killerton Easter Eggstravaganza
Daily, Killerton House, Broadclyst
Open throughout the Easter holidays there are masses of Eggs to at Killerton House! Join the fun between 11am and 4pm daily. Become Eggsplorers by following a special trail around the spring outdoors and claim your Cadbury chocolate Egghead prize. There will also be extra fun activities led by Cadbury between 3-6 April. £2 per trail plus normal admission fees. Killerton House and grounds will be open 11am-5pm on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton/

Easter Egg Trail
Daily, A la Ronde, Exmouth
Fun for all the family with craft activities, face painting, Cadbury sponsored Easter Egg trail and the Egg Scramble at 2pm. £1.50 per child. 10.30am-4.30pmNormal admission applies. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/a-la-ronde

Chocolate and Candy Fortnight
Daily, Powderham Castle, Kenton
The amazing chocolatier returns with his tasty team from Pocketwatch Theatre who have affection for perfection in confection! There is plenty to see and you can discover the science behind sweets and chocolates. Don’t forget we are open Saturday 4th April. This event is included in a child's standard admission. (Children returning with a free return ticket or a discounted ticket may take part in our themed activity for £2.50). Themed Activity provided by Jonty Depp and Pocketwatch Theatre. http://www.powderham.co.uk/

Easter family fun
Daily, The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth
Visit The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth during the Easter holidays to take part in Donkey Grooming and a spectacular Easter Holiday Hunt. The Sanctuary’s Easter activities are sure to be a hit with children of all ages. Donkey Grooming takes place daily between 10.30am-2.30pm and, at £3 per person, is the perfect opportunity to make friends with some of the charity’s rescued donkeys. Explore the Sanctuary’s walks and woodlands with the chocolatey Easter Holiday Hunt or get your daily dose of fresh air by picking up a Signs of Spring pack from the Visitors’ Centre for just £3 each.  www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

Easter egg hunt and open afternoon
Monday, 3pm, Trill Farm, Axminster
Trill Farm, the organic farm and education centre in Musbury, Axminster, is opening its gates on Easter Monday between 3-5pm. Families and friends will have the opportunity to explore the farm and woods, meet the spring lambs and chicks, and talk to the team of staff and volunteers (wwoofers) who oversee the the farm and garden that provides such an abundant year-round harvest. An Easter egg hunt will be held for children under 8 years old, and a treasure hunt will take place for older children. Both activities will have a £2.50 entry charge. Entrance to the farm is free.  www.trillfarm.co.uk

EXHIBITIONS

The F-Word: The Changing Language of Fashion
From Saturday, Killerton House, Broadclyst
From a 150-year-old crinoline to a 60s mini, garments have shaped not only their owners but also the entire face of fashion. Killerton’s latest costume exhibition ‘The F-Word: the changing language of fashion’ opens on Saturday 14 February and explores how fashion has responded to the latest innovations and made its mark across the centuries. For more information and opening times visit  www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton or telephone 01392 881345.

The Faces of Conflict
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Queen Street, Exeter
New exhibition reveals the impact of the First World War on art and facial reconstructive surgery. The ‘Faces of Conflict’ exhibition is a collaboration between the University of Exeter and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter, and brings together historical objects such as surgical instruments and masks and works by artists such as Otto Dix, Wyndham Lewis, René Apallec and Paddy Hartley. The Faces of Conflict exhibition is free-of-charge at the RAMM until April 4.

Oliver Raymond-Barker
Innovation Centre, Rennes Drive, University of Exeter
CCANW presents three distinctive yet intertwining projects from Oliver Raymond-Barker. Oliver’s work encompasses photography in its broadest sense, working with the raw potential of light and the mechanism of taking pictures, producing images and objects that expand upon our notions of what photography is or can be. Aesthetic and cultural concerns contribute to the shaping of ideas, but haptic perception remains fundamental to creation; with traces left by immersion in wild environments playing out through the work. The exhibition runs until 16 April. www.ccanw.co.uk/oliver

Re-Making the Past
Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey
Re-Making the Past is a new exhibition of objects that 'commute between different times and cultures'. The exhibition brings together a group of artists who share a common fascination with bygone eras. While their objects are newly-made, inspiration is based on ancient landscapes and materials from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Mainly sculptural work is created from natural fibres, metal, resin and ceramics with wall-based installations in enamels, glass and textiles. Entry to the exhibition is free and it's open daily, 10am-5.30pm until 10 May 2015. www.crafts.org.uk

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