Exeter Cygnet Theatre

Two bands trace their shared connections to the Canterbury scene along an axis that includes avant-rock, Rock in Opposition & mythic prog.
Yumi Hara’s Groove Study are an avant-rock trio consisting of ex-Henry Cow drummer Chris Cutler; London-based Japanese composer/pianist/vocalist Yumi Hara, and ex-MELT-BANANA and collaborator with Jim O’Rourke and Eiko Ishibashi, bassist Toshiaki Sudoh.
Temple of Shibboleth: Billie Bottle - voice/keys, Viv Goodwin-Darke - flute/voice & Roz Harding - alto sax, are a surrealist sisterhood who in trio form are able to fully experiment with stretching out their material beyond the jazz horizon.

Kevin joins us midway through his UK tour ‘Here Comes The Sun’, performing his fingerstyle guitar arrangements of popular Beatles songs plus some of his own compositions together with tunes from a new album he is currently recording (The Balladeer) and other popular fingerstyle guitar pieces.
He is supported by Pres Hotlas - a talented young fingerstyle guitarist from Cornwall who will open with both classical and percussive fingerstyle guitar pieces in a 30 minute set and then join Kevin later to perform some Beatles together at the end of the evening.

Sara Colman is an acclaimed British jazz singer, songwriter, and composer based in the UK. Blending jazz with roots, folk, and Americana, she has collaborated with major artists like Laura Mvula and Liane Carroll, serves as a vocal educator at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and is widely known for her celebrated projects.

Before Eve, there was Lilith... A dramatic, uplifting one-woman storytelling show. An exploration and celebration of female power through the mythological figure of Lilith....

1846, the personal and political tensions simmering in the Abolitionist movement reach boiling point with the arrival escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass in the Westcountry. The fight to end slavery intensifies, and the stakes couldn’t be higher, particularly for Douglass himself. He is torn between being the public face of an international movement and being true to himself....

1846, the personal and political tensions simmering in the Abolitionist movement reach boiling point with the arrival escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass in the Westcountry. The fight to end slavery intensifies, and the stakes couldn’t be higher, particularly for Douglass himself. He is torn between being the public face of an international movement and being true to himself....

Glorious harmonies, superb guitar playing and a fabulous love story? That’s Kathy’s Song! This
hugely enjoyable show follows the highs and lows of Simon & Garfunkel’s rise to fame, told
through the eyes of Paul’s English girlfriend Kathy....

You are invited to an intriguing and thought-provoking evening in the theatre. Hour Before Nightfall is a fast-moving and entertaining stage play based on the true story of Frederick Densham, a mysterious living hermit who lived in the remote Bodmin Moor village of Warleggan from 1931 until his death in 1953. Written about by Daphne du Maurier and others, the story is rooted in the landscape of Cornwall and is driven by the evolving relationship between its two contrasting characters: the eccentric Rev Densham, and a young American journalist from Life Magazine on her first European assignment....

'One of the world great mandolinists’ (BBC Radio 3) Simon Mayor is also very funny! His many faceted career includes two nights at Wembley Arena, a song on the iconic American TV series, The Simpson, , his own series on BBC Radio 2, an album in the Classic FM Top Ten chart and causing mayhem at a Canadian humour festival….But his most thrilling moment was a journey through the square window on BBC TV’s Playschool! Possessed of “one of Britain’s finest voices’ (BBC Radio 4), Hilary James also plays the amazing giant mandobass, adds guitar to anything from blues to Vivaldi and picks a mean banjo break....

Join Coach York, Al Swainger & Craig Milverton as they jazz with their special guest this month: Ben Cummings. One of the most versatile and sought after trumpeters on the British music scene, Ben Cummings has played and recorded at the highest level in every genre - from New Orleans, vintage, swing and modern jazz, to funk, soul, pop and salsa. His rich, warm tone coupled with dazzling technical ability and harmonic awareness makes him one of the hottest players around....

The Apocolypse has come and gone. Two actors have holed up in and old theatre with the aim of keeping showbiz alive despite the end of days. However, the only bums on seats belong to the cockroaches....

This Halloween, Shake on the Exe presents Arthur Miller’s — a chilling story of fear, suspicion, and mass hysteria. Set in the shadow of the Salem witch trials, our production remains rooted in its traditional world while drawing unsettling parallels to the society we live in today. As accusations spread and neighbours turn on one another, truth becomes dangerous and panic takes control....

This Halloween, Shake on the Exe presents Arthur Miller’s — a chilling story of fear, suspicion, and mass hysteria. Set in the shadow of the Salem witch trials, our production remains rooted in its traditional world while drawing unsettling parallels to the society we live in today. As accusations spread and neighbours turn on one another, truth becomes dangerous and panic takes control....

This Halloween, Shake on the Exe presents Arthur Miller’s — a chilling story of fear, suspicion, and mass hysteria. Set in the shadow of the Salem witch trials, our production remains rooted in its traditional world while drawing unsettling parallels to the society we live in today. As accusations spread and neighbours turn on one another, truth becomes dangerous and panic takes control....

This Halloween, Shake on the Exe presents Arthur Miller’s — a chilling story of fear, suspicion, and mass hysteria. Set in the shadow of the Salem witch trials, our production remains rooted in its traditional world while drawing unsettling parallels to the society we live in today. As accusations spread and neighbours turn on one another, truth becomes dangerous and panic takes control....

This Halloween, Shake on the Exe presents Arthur Miller’s — a chilling story of fear, suspicion, and mass hysteria. Set in the shadow of the Salem witch trials, our production remains rooted in its traditional world while drawing unsettling parallels to the society we live in today. As accusations spread and neighbours turn on one another, truth becomes dangerous and panic takes control....

Alongside performing their favourite contemporary folk arrangements, the musicians will also offer an insight into
the Scandinavian tradition of hygge. The evening's programme centres on tunes from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, arranged by the Danish String
Quartet, and also includes original music from closer to home. The repertoire features pieces by Exeter based composer Ali Jones....

Our regular trio of Craig Milverton, Al Swainger & "Coach" York are joined by Colin Oxley, one of Europe’s finest jazz guitarists.
Colin Oxley has played and recorded with vocalist Stacey Kent, US greats Bill Charlap, Warren Vache and Harry Allen, as well as British clarinettist Julian Bliss.

This is the opening night of the Exeter Story Fix festival. Line-up features performance storytellers Amy Douglas, Inez Aponte, Rebecca Bletcher and Henry Everett. Expect strong words, mythic resonance and a warm welcome from your host, Katy Cawkwell, current Bard of Exeter.

Award winning fiddle player and singer Tom McConville is internationally renowned for his fiery, heart-stopping performances. Winner of the BBC Folk Musician of the Year in 2009, he is truly the most original fiddle player in the UK. Blending traditional music from his home town of Newcastle with Irish, American and Scottish influences, he creates a sound that has jazz, folk, bluegrass and classical influence....