Exeter Phoenix

I have always had a fascination with Mexican culture, not least Dia de los Muertos , the Mexican Day of the Dead fiesta.

This festival and the Mexicans’ attitude to death, offers a very different perspective to our culture, which has become a very grey, ‘under the carpet’ affair, as opposed to the Mexican day of the Dead which is a colourful celebration of life and death, a remembrance of those lost.

I felt that it was something we truly lacked in our culture – death seems to be something we have difficulty addressing and coming to terms with – what this festival does is it...

In view of The Exeter Daily 's recent partnership with the Exeter Phoenix, as sponsor of the main auditorium now renamed theexeterdaily.co.uk Auditorium, we asked the popular arts centre's director Patrick Cunningham what he loves about living and working in Exeter.

Patrick has been responsible for artistic and chief executive direction at Exeter Phoenix since 2003. With a long history of music promotion in the South West, including the co-founding of the famous Cavern Club in Exeter and the publishing of What's On South West events magazine, Patrick also programmes live...

As part of the fantastic Exeter Phoenix autumn programme, Robin Ince came to visit.

The auditorium was packed, so it's a good thing the Phoenix staff came up trumps to offer an alternative solution when Ince's laptop died. As a fan of stand-up, I found it unusual that a laptop was a necessary part of the show, but Ince makes it so and does a marvellous job of using a slide show as a visual prop to his verbal material.

Ince starts by describing the crux of his show, talking about 'everything I love about the Universe'. He gets his first big laugh admitting that the show was...

The talented people of Exeter are invited to audition to be part of the cast for the magical The Polar Express™ train ride in Dartmoor this winter.

Inspired by the hit Warner Bros. film The Polar Express and book by Chris Van Allsburg, the officially licensed train rides are looking for singers, dancers and actors to try out for a variety of exciting roles on Wednesday 2 October 2013 at Exeter Phoenix.

The Polar Express™ event manager, Tiffany Arthurs, and leading 2012 cast member, Jack Lovegrove from Devon who played the head dancing Chef, are holding auditions to find...

Tim Burgess, Exeter Phoenix, Thursday 19 September 2013

Perhaps it has something to do with Tim Burgess' keen practice of Transcendental Meditation, but rarely I have watched such a relaxed and admirably unshowy gig from a commercially successful artist.

Indeed, a low-key gig at the Exeter Phoenix - part of a UK autumn tour - seemed pretty apt for the laid-back recent solo work of the Charlatans ' front man.

Topped with an enviably lush mop of Dougal-esque blonde hair (Burgess is 46 now and nigh on 25 years of rock 'n' roll has been impossibly kind to him), Burgess...

Dance is one of my greatest passions… ballet, street dance, ballroom, latin, tap, you name it I love it, I could watch it for hours and occasionally (when I think no one is watching) I'll take part myself, dancing around the house with my children. And yes I too am waiting in eager anticipation for the next season of Strictly Come Dancing to commence this evening.

However, it is live performance that sends chills down my spine. Most of my appreciation comes from the fact that I still regret giving up ballet at an early age and am in awe of anyone who has followed their dreams. I...

As part of an innovative digital art and performance project, a series of new short films about Exeter are being released in weekly episodes on screens across the city as well as online. The micro-documentaries ­– 12 in total ­ have been created by filmmaker David Salas and are based on the experiences and memories of Exeter residents.

Divided into two strands ­– A Tale of Two Cities and The Potential for Important Moments to Occur in Non-Descript Places – the documentaries focus on unknown aspects of the city and bring to light the personal experiences of some of its residents....

Exeter’s Big Screen in the Park returns on Wednesday, playing host to a new set of cinema delights on the 10m, in the beautiful location of Northernhay Gardens.

Showing a different film a night until Sunday, Exeter Phoenix invites everyone for a unique viewing experience for less than the price of a standard cinema ticket - £3. Bring your own picnic, camping chairs and popcorn, or make the most of the food vendors and cocktail caravan for a magical night at the movies.

James Cross, Managing Partner of Kitsons, and one of this year’s sponsors says: “We are keen to put...