Philip Walmsley is fascinated by the notion of how one mentally maps walking through complex architectural spaces. He thinks about the relationship of one room to another, one level to another and the interior to exterior. In large buildings such as a multiplex cinema or a shopping mall, we have little or no idea of our position in relationship to the overall building.

His drawings are ways of trying to understand these relationships.

The starting point for this series of paintings was the idea of a palimpsest – a multi layered and marked surface, as experienced in old buildings or in the built environment, which hints at traces of past activity. Making a non-figurative visual equivalent allowed the colour and spatial relationships to gradually assume precedence.

Through the play of colour and light the paintings evoke the sense of something real and concrete but at the same time constantly shifting and reforming.

The event is free with a pay bar. Join us afterwards for our Thursday film, Letters to Juliet.

 19-22 January Weds-Sat 7.30pm Saturday Matinée 2.30pm Tickets Box Office 01379 652241 or Stodel Opticians 01379 642598 Tiered seating £10 / Level £8.50

A tale of war, pillage and raucous innuendo – a family pantomime.

Set in the days when Vikings plundered the British coastline, kidnapping women and children, stealing booty and generally causing havoc with a scandalous disregard for personal hygiene. We follow the fortunes of the evil Smut the Smug, his three mischievous hostages, the Good Viking Sven and the hilariously coarse Dame Dustpan.

Prepare to embark on a madcap adventure with this wacky crew who stop only to sing the occasional popular song and to meet strange creatures in the form of dwarves, smelly wicked witches, a man the size of two, Commander of the Valkyries and the terrifying king of the Rock Trolls!

An evening of varied musical repertoire provided by the joint talents of young local musicians of the South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Band (SNYSB) and professional musicians of Her Majesty’s Band of the Royal Marines. Six trainee band masters from the Royal Marines will conduct, together with Mike Booty, Musical Director of SNYSB.

Tickets also available from Phil Anderson 01953 860370, Diss Tourist Information Centre or Diss Resource Centre (Tuesdays 7pm-9pm only).

All funds raised will benefit SNYSB.

Former truck driver Kevin’s down to earth humour, cuddly personality and utterly relaxed stage persona have made him one of the most popular compere’s on the comedy scene.

Lively, animated and with impeccable timing, Danny is fast making a name for himself as one of the up and coming comics to watch.

‘Danny Ward’s observational humour is brilliantly delivered… This is top quality stand up!’ – Three Weeks, August 2010 4 star review

‘His often hilarious riffs on everyday shopping at discount stores created a thread that worked brilliantly throughout, with a killer ending.’ – Bournemouth Echo, Oct 2010

Dan’s twisted logic has gladdened Stand Up audiences across the UK and Ireland. He’s also performed his accessible but frequently childish surrealism in Dubai and Oman, had his grammar corrected by the Dutch and the Germans, and has just become one of the very few comics to perform in Hanoi, Vietnam.

‘Skilful and surreal’ – The Scotsman

‘Original and Inventive’ – The Times

Sue’s Food – delicious homemade sweet and savoury treats –

and full bar, available from 7.45pm. All acts are subject to change.

Bringing the uplifting authentic sounds of the London-African underground to the mainstream, the nine-piece Zong Zings’ musical style is characterised by intricate guitar picking, soaring vocals and driving percussion. Their irresistible rhythms and harmonies combine to create one of the most infectiously danceable forms of music in the world!

In the last two years the Zong Zings have played to packed London audiences and at top UK music festivals – Larmer Tree, Secret Garden Party and Stokefest.

Food and Bar

After 21 years as a designer and silk-screen printer, Mike Webb became a full-time cartoonist and watercolourist in 1980. By this time, his Mere Quacks cartoon strip – created in 1974 for the Diss Express – was already much-loved by locals.

Mike’s watercolour subjects are mainly of rural East Anglia. Not the big skies and sweeping landscapes but farm livestock and old barns and sheds. His cartoon picture subjects can be anything, but as with Mere Quacks, often feature British birds and wildlife.

Mike Webb was born in Diss in 1943 and now lives in Palgrave on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

The event is free with a pay bar. Join us afterwards for our Thursday film, Salt.

Phillip Noyce’s neo-cold-war thriller is pacy, smart, subversive and knocked out with such verve and attack that you’re not in the least bit bothered by how far-fetched it all is.

CIA officer, Evelyn Salt’s (Jolie) loyalty is tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, but her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives. As the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues, the question remains: “Who Is Salt?” Jolie’s exceptional performance powers enough action for five movies. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Honeycombs burst onto the scene back in 1964 as part of the Joe Meek revolution. Their first single, the now iconic Have I the Right, was a massive No 1 hit in the UK and 28 other countries followed by many other hit singles. Now they are back bigger and better than ever.

Joining the Honeycombs will be fellow 60s hitsters Vanity Fare, performing some of their many numbers including Hitching a Ride, Early in the Morning and I Live for the Sun.

Rock into February with this great 60s show – hosted by Richard Headingly (a member of Chickory Tip) – featuring two of the bands which made that era so memorable.

In aid of the East Anglian Air Ambulance

www.thehoneycombs.org.uk www.vanityfare.co.uk

Only just released, already an animated classic and tipped as an Oscar Best Film contender this year. The best Toy Story film yet, great for adults and children and, even if you’ve seen it at home, its far better on the big screen.

Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nicely. So, it’s time to plan the great escape. A real treat not to be missed.

 

A successful strike is hardly the stuff of commercial cinema, but Cole (Calendar Girls) turns the Ford women’s walkout in 1968 into an up-beat and inspirational movie. Sally Hawkins, confident and forthright as an ordinary working mum, brings out her fellow workers, claiming the same wages as men. The women find themselves battling not just the employers, but also the male unions, quite prepared to stitch them up. Miranda Richardson plays a sympathetic Barbara Castle, and Bob Hoskins their fatherly union rep.

Band DISScovery – Diss Corn Hall’s own X-Factor – will showcase the wealth of musical talent in the region, so come along to see the best local bands perform and support your favourites!

Music industry professionals will judge each band giving honest feedback about their chances of making it and the winners of each heat will go through to the Grand Final on 8 April. A place in the Grand Final will also be given to the Audience’s Favourite, so make sure you’re there to help the band you think is destined for success.

Regular Band DISScovery updates, including details of the bands who’ve made it through to the heats, the judges and special ticket offers will be posted on www.disscornhall.co.uk, www.myspace.com/banddisscovery and twitter @DissCornHall so keep checking.

If you know a band who you think should make it big, go to www.disscornhall.co.uk for details on how to apply. The deadline for applications is 7 January 2011.

Critically acclaimed company, Common Ground apply their trademark techniques of physical theatre, music, storytelling and humour to the classic ghost stories of Charles Dickens, including the haunting tale, The Signalman. Prepare to have your spine tingled and your goose… bumped!

A true old school stand-up, Martin is a master of the one liner who can handle anyone from drunken grannies to boisterous rugby players. In 1998 he won Time Out Comedian of the Year and his comedy career took off. He’s appeared in three series of the football comedy drama Dream Team and written for many TV and Radio shows.

Winner of winning the Jimmy Carr Search for a Star competition in 2005, Colin’s laconic style and material about his insecurities is delivered with confidence and warmth.

‘A comedian who’s star is set to shine brightly’ – Guardian 2009

Combining one-liners, observational comedy and the occasional song, John has headlined comedy shows from Doncaster to Dubai.

‘Warburton is much in demand at the moment. His set bursts with clever wordplay and smart-Alec asides.’ – 5 star review TIME OUT

‘Rock’n’roll and very, very funny’ – Loaded 9/10

Sue’s Food – homemade sweet and savoury treats – and full bar, from 7.45pm.

All acts are subject to change.

A high-energy show with tons of 70s and 80s attitude. Performing the greatest hits from the Swedish super group, ABBA Revival creates a show that takes audiences on a wild ride back to the party decade where ABBA ruled the dance floor.

Using fantastic costumes, incredible musician- ship, great lighting effects, choreographed dance moves and crazy Swedish accents, ABBA Revival deserve their reputation as one of the top ABBA Tribute Shows. Don’t miss a night to remember.

In aid of the ‘Thanks for Life’ campaign to rid the world of polio.

No band has ever attracted so much media coverage as The Beatles, and this exhibition presents a collection of rarely seen photographs of the world’s most successful and popular band and other vintage ephemera.

Highlights include rare images by some of the most renowned photographers of the 60s, including Norman Parkinson, Terry O’Neill, Frank Hermann, Michael Ward, Harry Benson and Tom Murray’s rarely seen ‘Mad Day Out’ pictures, shot in one day in 1968.

Screenprints of each Beatle by the legendary Robert Whitaker will be shown alongside his photographs.

On sale will also be rare film posters and original cartoon cells from Yellow Submarine.

The evening is free, with a pay bar. Join us afterwards for our screening of Nowhere Boy, the hit biopic of John Lennon’s early years.

Artist Sam Taylor Wood’s gem of a film is the most entertaining and thought provoking piece of Lennon mythology to date, chronicling the adolescent years of the young John. Having been brought up by his Aunt Mimi, (the brilliant Scott Thomas) Lennon’s world is turned upside when his free spirited mother (Anne-Marie Duff) re-enters his life. Relative newcomer Aaron Johnson shows Lennon as a complex and multi- faceted young man, a lairy-mouthed teenager caught between the women he loves. Visually exciting with a great soundtrack crammed with rock classics, this is a handsome film made with real flair.

Emma Thompson returns as Nanny McPhee, scripting the film, playing the lead and delivering great family fare with an excellent cast. Set in 1940s rural England, where Maggie Gyllenhaal tries to run a struggling farm and keep her boisterous children in check. Her troubles multiply when the kids’ cousins are evacuated from London to stay with them. Cue adventures in which the children break things, get spattered with mud and generally run rampant; only Nanny McPhee’s magic can restore order. Plenty of thesp stars – Rhys Ifans as a baddie, Fiennes as an army officer and Maggie Smith as the village shop owner.

Renowned for an action-packed pyrotechnic-fuelled explosion of a show, Limehouse Lizzy continue to keep the spirit of Celtic rock icon Philip Lynott and his band Thin Lizzy alive, well and dominating stages worldwide. Attention to detail and playful audience interaction create the feeling of witnessing the real thing so that audience and critics alike have described their performance as ‘beyond tribute’.

Their ‘Into the Limelight’ 2008 tour was featured on an episode of BBC2’s ‘Arena’ of the same name and their latest tour continues to celebrate the artistic and musical legacy of the hard-living, hard-rocking, yet at times surprisingly tender and romantic artist that was Philip Lynott.

‘Limehouse Lizzy’s Wayne Ellis, an uncanny ringer for Phil Lynott…’ – The Guardian

‘entertainment for more than a decade…fantastic live music’ – Arena BBC2

‘if you’re sceptical about tribute acts, you won’t be after seeing Limehouse Lizzy’ – Radio Times

The top UK country music entertainer who has made over 40 records, written around 3,000 songs and was voted top male singer by the British Country Music Association for six years in a row is still going strong. Raymond Froggatt’s songs have been recorded by artists around the world and he has toured with Rod Stewart, ELO, Tammy Wynette and Glenn Campbell.

‘Froggie’ has regularly delighted audiences at the Corn Hall and due to public demand is back once again.

‘An evening with Raymond Froggatt is pure magic, and not to be missed.’ – Wolverhampton Express & Star

In aid of the Diss Corn Hall Trust

Stieg Larsson’s novel trilogy has become a global phenomenon, with a heroine seemingly impossible to bring to the screen, but Lisbet Salander is brilliantly incarnated by Noomi Rapace as an avenging punk-angel. In this second story, Mikael Blomkvist (Nyquist) continues his investigations into the corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. When a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation. Salander helps and hinders with her own brand of justice.

Featuring favourite songs from the shows along with popular classics, this concert by our local Waveney Choir will raise funds for the Town Mayor’s Charities, the Diss First Responders and the South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Band.

Established for over 40 years, the Waveney Choir have a large local following and their versatile repertoire guarantees this will be a truly enjoyable evening to suit all tastes.

Licensed bar

Award-winning comic and Perrier nominee Luke Toulson’s banter is very funny and hugely impressive, and his disarming charm encourages interaction which results in some hilarious improvisation. With a 4 star Edinburgh Review for his solo show, Luke is a comic to watch.

‘a gifted comic’ – The Sunday Times

Adam’s poignant yet laidback style – and almost infinite range of diverse material – is seamlessly knitted together with bursts of surreal musings and tall tales, taking the audience on a dark Munchausen-style adventure.

‘Surprisingly witty results, delivered with expert timing’ – Chortle

‘Really funny!’ – Ricky Gervais

Huge in every sense of the word, East Ender Bob Mills is a comic institution whose popularity as a stand-up doesn’t falter. With a string of acclaimed TV and radio credits including In Bed with Me Dinner’ and regular appearances on BBCR 5 Live Fighting Talk, Bob is a good old- fashioned gag teller and its done with mighty aplomb.

Sue’s Food – delicious homemade sweet and savoury treats – and full bar, available from 7.45pm.

All acts are subject to change.

Piaffinitée present the songs of Edith Piaf with inspired arrangements for accordion, guitar and the outstanding vocals of Djamila. Originating from the South of France, Djamila’s passion comes through in her performances which are totally committed and heartfelt.

A cabaret-style evening of favourites from the Piaf repertoire – as well as some lesser-known gems – all given the Piaffinitée treatment that oozes French atmosphere and has enthralled audiences far and wide, great and small.

‘(Piaffinitée) bring to vivid life the cafe society… in an emotive concert of performances of the highest order from all three musicians.’ – Dorset Echo

‘Astonishing… Piaffinitée have got it exactly right.’ – Chelsea Arts Club

Bar and french-themed food available from 7pm

The Old Stables, beside the Corn Hall, St Nicholas Street, Diss IP22 4LB

www.disscornhall.co.uk        email: [email protected]