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FESTIVAL OF WESSEX 2026 • 51 A Room of One’s Own Take a wry, amusing, and incisive trip through the history of literature, feminism, and gender. Meet Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Aphra Behn, and Shakespeare’s sister - Judith! Introducing a different way to look at our creativity, it even comments on what life will be like in the 2020s! Come and be amused, challenged and changed. Rebecca Vaughan performs Woolf’s 1928 exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality on intellectual freedom and creativity. 9 July: Marine Theatre, Church Street, LYME REGIS, DT7 3QA. 6.30pm. £22 / £18. 01297 442394 / marinetheatre.com . Debs Newbold: Hot Crones Debs Newbold knows the meaning of the word ‘bawdy’ as well as any woman who has five aunts and a problem with Chaucer possibly can. In this ripe and juicy nugget of stand-up storytelling, the old tales get a feminist reworking: Knights are shy, wood nymphs are ruthless businesswomen, and romance endures despite flatulence. All this, along with a glorious dollop of Debs’ masterful Birmingham ribaldry. Warning though: this set is crafted strictly for adults. 30 July: The Archangel, 1 King Street, FROME, BA11 1BH. 8pm. £12. 01373 456111 / takeart.org . Shepton Mid Summer Fest Let’s Buy The Amulet together with other local promoters have crafted an exciting programme of events launching a new multi-venue music and arts festival in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. Over ten days this midsummer this festival offers free and ticketed events with something for everyone to enjoy: folk and indie music, jazz, punk, an outdoor ceilidh in the market square, spoken word and community arts activities. Highlights include a night with the legendary ‘god of hellfire’ Arthur Brown on the 27th at the Art Bank, and the biggest Prison Yard Party to close the festival on Sunday 28th June. 18 - 28 June: Various locations in and around SHEPTON MALLET, Somerset. buytheamulet.org.uk. BEANS ON TOAST Carmen In this boldly reimagined Carmen, sung in English, the story unfolds inside a vast cloth factory: the world of charismatic textile worker, Carmen, looking for life beyond the drudgery of the factory floor, of Don Jose, a lonely security guard drawn into her rebellious underworld, and of celebrity fashion designer Escamillo, full of bravado and iconic bull-ring style. Six singers are accompanied by piano and flamenco guitar in this unique re-telling of a classic tale. 26 June: Blakehay Theatre, 20 Wadham Street, WESTON-SUPER-MARE, BS23 1JZ. 7pm. 01934 645493. 27 June: Montacute House, MONTACUTE, near Yeovil, TA15 6XP. 7pm. 01935 823289. 28 June: Speedwell Gardens, 5 Abbey Street, CREWKERNE, TA18 7HY. 2pm. 01460 712052. 3 July: Bridgwater Arts Centre, 11 - 13 Castle Street, BRIDGWATER, TA6 3DD. 7pm. 01278 422700. 4 July: Church of St Peter & St Paul, Church Road, NORTH CURRY, near Taunton, TA3 6LJ. 7.30pm. 5 July: Hestercombe Gardens, HESTERCOMBE, Taunton TA2 8LQ. 6pm. hestercombe.com. reducedopera.com