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ISSUE 32 : 27TH OCTOBER 2020 | LATEST NEWS FROM HAFREN //////////////////// www.thehafren.co.uk

Hi All,
Another difficult couple of weeks here in Wales again with lockdown. For those of us with children or grandchildren that enjoy Halloween parties and trick or treating, Bonfire night parties and firework get togethers, once again 2020 is having none of it, all parties cancelled!  But, if you have been pumpkin carving once its finished with you can put it out for the birds to enjoy or instead of the pumpkins going to waste, why not try making pumpkin soup - you can also scoop out the seeds and roast them to go on top, perfect to have with this Autumnal weather!

If you have any Autumnal ideas or pictures that you would like to share, then please send them in to conference@thehafren.co.uk

Only go out if you need to, stay distanced but most importantly stay safe.
Lorna Davies - Editor
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Ballet
 I was lucky enough as a small child to be taken to the ballet by my mother and grandmother, although sadly, once my sisters were old enough to be taken, this seemed to be the signal that ballet was unsuitable for a boy until I was old enough to be the one of the three of us to be interested. From those very early days I have a wisp of a memory, which might be just wishful thinking, of seeing Margot Fonteyn but I definitely remember seeing Rudolf Nureyev, in his own, very dark production of Sleeping Beauty, which I think must have been 1975 at The Coliseum. Although by then past his exhilarating best I still remember his palpable stage presence and the emotion that he conveyed.
Fonteyn and Nureyev 1968
A school friend’s twin sister was studying at the Royal Ballet School and was good enough to dance the lead in their annual public performance, which that year (1975 or 76) was Coppélia. She played the eponymous Pinocchioesque doll beautifully but alas it was to be followed by cruel irony, as although picked out for Prima Ballerina roles, she stopped growing and my petite, doll-like friend, after a time in the corps, left the tough and unforgiving world of ballet performance.
This from 1990 is The Australian Ballet’s Coppélia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK6koS1b0uQ

‘Why these tales of ballet?’ you may ask: well 29th October is World Ballet Day so there will be some great treats available to watch on-line, see the trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhcq_-pBGt0&feature=emb_title

https://worldballetday.com will lead you to links to The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet and The Bolshoi for a day in front of the TV/Computer lapping up this world of athleticism, artistry and performance.
Mark Michaels - Front of House
The Crown, Princess Diana’s Hats
- and A Royal Connection for Barbara Michaels


When you watch the fourth series of The Crown, due on Netflix on TV next month, take note of Princess Diana’s hats. The Princess was one of those ladies who can really wear hats - my own mother could and so can my daughter in law (Mark’s wife, Sue). One of the Princess’s favourite milliners, from her early days as a Royal Princess, was John Boyd.
A young man just beginning to make a name for himself, John was thrilled to have the Princess as a customer. Remember I told you last week how I interviewed the Emmanuels who made Diana’s wedding dress? I also did an interview with Boyd, at the time when Diana was about to embark on one of her many wonderfully successful foreign tours - she had chosen his hats to accompany many of the outfits.
Boyd, like the Emmanuels, was not only excited to have his hats chosen but really grateful for the ensuing publicity. Not only was he great fun to interview, but highly appreciative. Consequentially, when I mentioned that my daughter was soon getting married, he offered to design a hat for me!

And he did. A hat to match my dress; a saucer-shaped confection in an apricot colour, with a ‘shush’ of material at the back just covering the nape of the neck, designed to be worn tilted forward at a jaunty angle and similar in design to a couple of those worn by the Princess, although not of course an exact copy; all his hats were unique.

As if that wasn’t enough, a couple of years later when my younger daughter got married, I went back to him. His prices were, of course, way beyond my budget, but I hoped that he might be able to use the original base and go from there.
Bless him - he did. The result was two completely different hats, but still bearing the unmistakeable hallmark of a Boyd design so loved by the Princess. Furthermore, he added a trim to the simple pillbox hat my elder daughter would be wearing which immediately transformed it.  So - watch out for the John Boyd hats as worn by the Princess when you are glued to the series! As you will see, you can’t mistake them or the similarity to mine! Barbara Michaels

Home Is Where The Art Is!

Zoe is back with her live, relaxed paint-along tutorial every Thursday from 5.00pm via Zoom. Suitable for all abilities and ages.

Request the Zoom link in advance by messaging ‘Zoe Mach Community Artist’ on Facebook or emailing zoemach@gmail.com

Art with Zoe Mach, a Hafren Community Initiative with funding from Arts Council Wales.


Pumpkin Soup
(BBC Goodfood)

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1kg pumpkin or squash peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
  • 700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 150ml double cream
For the croutons
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices wholemeal seeded bread, crusts removed
  • handful pumpkin seeds
Method
  • Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured.
  • Add 1kg pumpkin or squash, cut into chunks, to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.
  • Pour 700ml vegetable or chicken stock into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft.
  • Pour 150ml double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can pour the soup through a fine sieve. The soup can now be frozen for up to 2 months.
To make the croutons
  • Cut 4 slices wholemeal seeded bread into small squares.
  • Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp.
  • Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until they are toasted. These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container.Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve scattered with croutons and seeds and drizzled with more olive oil, if you want.

New 2020 West End Cast recordings of
Mary Poppins and Les Misérables

It has just been announced by Cameron Mackintosh with First Night Records and Warner Music that they will be releasing onto DVD new live cast recordings of the hit West End productions of Mary Poppins and Les Misérables - The Staged Concert, filmed earlier this year.

Mary Poppins is due to be released on 6th November
and Les Mis on 20th November.


Hafren Seating Plan
This is a Socially Distanced (2m) Seating Plan.
Please note, every other row (blue shading) is unavailable.


Seating Plan Key:
  • Black Central Seats - Seats removed to allow central aisle.
  • All blue seats - unavailable for seating or using as an extension to your area for the placing of coats or bags.
  • All numbered seats - available to purchase tickets.
  • Row AA - 4 Wheelchairs with 1 carer each.
  • No Large Backpacks or Bags (Clutch bags and purses are admissible).
  • No Food and Drink unless purchased from Hafren and delivered to your seat.
  • No Large Coats.
To download a copy of the seating plan, please click here.
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To view the full 10-page Business Update, please click here.
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Rescheduled in 2021....
THE ELO
TRIBUTE SHOW

FRIDAY 28TH MAY 2021

Internationally acclaimed musician Brian Cummins brings this stunning show celebrating the music of Jeff Lynne and E.L.O. with a band of amazing musicians including a female string section. This will be a fabulous night of hit after hit from such a vast back catalogue.

Jeff Lynne and ELO famously carried on the legacy of the Beatles where in his own words he wanted to 'Carry on from where I am the Walrus left off' and combined Classical music with motifs of the greats with Rock and Roll like no other musician before. The album ‘Out of the Blue’ released in 1977 catapulted them into Rock history and truly made them one of the biggest bands in the World at the time.

The ELO SHOW has an amazing light-show and 3D video screens very similar to Jeff’s current backdrop.

Expect songs like, ‘Evil Woman’, Don’t bring me down’, ‘Telephone Line’, ‘Sweet Talkin Woman’, ‘Turn to stone’, ‘Wild west Hero’, ‘The Diary of Horace Wimp’ and of course the legendary ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ plus many more with a surprise or two.
BUY TICKETS

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN
WEDNESDAY 30TH JUNE 2021

From the writers of the hit comedy Hormonal Housewives, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is the brand-new musical comedy show that does exactly what it says on the tin.

Join the star cast of four refreshingly honest and unreserved girls on a riotous evening of laugh-out-loud sketches and classic pop anthems that define being a 21st Century woman.

We take a no-holds-barred comedy romp through everything life throws at a modern day woman, dating, relationships, breakups, fashion, dieting, chocolate, more dieting, sex, going out, staying in, wine, more wine and of course, men. All are thrown under the microscope of uproarious dissection - no subject is too taboo!

Get involved and come along to channel your inner diva because Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

“A seriously funny evening - it’s like an episode of Loose Women but with music, singing, dancing and a bottle
of bubbly!”

BUY TICKETS
ACW COVID CULTURAL RECOVERY FUND UPDATE
Hafren would like to thank the Arts Council of Wales for it’s successful bid in revenue funding awarded from the COVID Cultural Recovery Fund to cover ongoing operational support and maintenance for the building.
Hafren wishes to thank the Arts Council of Wales for the
Sustainability Funding (Covid 19) Grant they have been awarded
to cover ongoing operational support and compliance for the building.
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