The Great British Dog Walk, friendly Alpacas, Agatha Christie, and the Cavern Beatles - What's on this April in Exeter

Your monthly guide to what's on this April in Exeter and beyond

FEEL GOOD EVENT OF THE MONTH

21 April

GREAT BRITISH DOG WALK AT CANONTEIGN FALLS

There will be waggy tails and wet noses in abundance at Canonteign Falls, near Exeter, when hundreds of dog walkers gather to raise money for national charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. By taking part in either the 2km or 4km sponsored dog walk, people will be helping to train more incredible hearing dogs to alert partners to life-saving and important sounds and help them reconnect with life. Alongside the walk, the event will feature a fun dog show and a doggy-themed pop-up market. The Great British Dog Walk is run by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the national charity that trains dogs to alert deaf children and adults to important and life-saving sounds. Tickets are £12 in advance for adults and are available online at The Great British Dog Walk or £15 on the day. Children under 16 go free; www.hearingdogs.org.uk

THEATRE / PERFORMANCE  

12 April

I’M SEXY AND I KNOW IT

Anna Friend, award-winning queer theatre maker brings her sell-out 5-show fresh from Alma Theatre in Bristol and the Edinburgh Fringe. Through heartfelt comedy, 80s nostalgia and a banging soundtrack; come and experience Anna's journey of self-discovery, where she learns to love the person she is. Laugh-and-cry kind of show.

Cygnet Theatre

15-20 April

THE MOUSETRAP

Agatha Christie’s genre-defining mystery is coming to Exeter on its whopping 70th anniversary tour. Keeping you on the edge of your seats is a cast that includes Toddy Carty (Eastenders) and Gwyneth Strong (Only Fools and Horses). 

Exeter Northcott Theatre

19 April

BOWJANGLES IN DRACULA IN SPACE

With over 15 years of performing under their belts, Bowjangles have performed all over the world from rural village halls to concert halls, festivals and street performances, hospitals and the occasional prison. Expect an irreverent, anarchic group of genre-spanners, bringing music, theatre and comedy together in a way you’ve never seen before.

Barnfield Theatre

MUSIC

19 April

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE

Pulsating with tribal drum beats and chanting from the soul of Africa, African Head Charge fuse together primal rhythms with heavy psychedelic dub, roots reggae and 21st century electronica.

Exeter Phoenix

20 April

THE CAVERN BEATLES

50 years on, The Cavern Beatles, a band fully endorsed and licensed by the Liverpool club are coming to Exeter. The show is a Magical History Tour through the works of the greatest pop music phenomenon. Replicating, in both sight and sound, the excitement and energy of Beatlemania, the psychedelic era of Sgt. Pepper, and the creative masterpieces of The White Album and Abbey Road. 

Exeter Corn Exchange

27 April

DEVON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA SPRING CONCERT

Led by conductor Benjamin Voce, the orchestra will be performing Elgar’s Falstaff, Tchaikovsky’s Overture to Romeo and Juliet, and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2.Exeter Cathedral.

 www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk

3 May

SILENT DISCO AT THE HALL, EXETER

Three Channels of music guaranteeing something for you in every moment. Funk, Soul, Classics, Northern Soul, Disco, Drum & Bass, 80s/90s Cheese, House. Bags of fun. These monthly discos always sell out so hop to it if you’re interested. 

The Hall Exeter

COMEDY

23 April

TOMMY TIERNAN: TOMMEDIAN

This is a wild, uninhibited and fiercely physical display of stand up from Tommy Tiernan of Derry Girls. A madcap parade of characters, memories and ridiculous flights of fancy. Theatrical, poetical and slightly unhinged.

Exeter Corn Exchange

28 April

JO CAULFIELD

Hot on the heels of her sell-out Edinburgh Fringe run, Here Comes Trouble is packed with brilliant routines and fantastically embarrassing stories. Audiences can expect razor-sharp observations and scandalous one-liners as Jo gets her claws into everything and everyone.

Exeter Phoenix

FILM

6 April

THE COLOUR PURPLE

A bold new take on the beloved classic story about the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share an unbreakable bond. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steve Spielberg, Scott Sanders, and Quincy Jones. 

The Gateway Theatre

16 April

EOS: JOHN SINGER SARGENT: FASHION & SWAGGER

Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s film will examine how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture and fashion.

Exeter Picturehouse

25 April

NATIONAL VELVET

When Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor), an equine-loving 12-year-old living in rural Sussex, becomes the owner of a rambunctious horse, she decides to train it for England's Grand National race. This nostalgic Cinema screening will have soft lighting, subtitles, relaxed table seating, and refreshments served throughout. Whilst promoted as a dementia-friendly screening, anyone who loves nostalgic films is welcome.

The Beehive

EXHIBITIONS

On now until 11 May

THE GLOW OF HOURS: REBECCA PARTRIDGE IN DEVON

The works in this exhibition shift between acutely observed oil paintings of wild flowers at night, found in the local landscape of Honiton, to large watercolours of skies, built of dozens of thin washes on raw canvas, painted from memories of observing the transitions of dusk and dawn in the Mojave desert. 

Thelma Hulbert Gallery

On now until 2 June

ARTISTS ROOM BILL VIOLA 

American artist Bill Viola (born 1951) is recognised internationally as a pioneer of video art, and today remains one of its leading practitioners. His work explores universal human experiences – birth, death and the unfolding of consciousness – and is shown in museums and galleries worldwide. This exhibition presents three intimate and moving works from his well-known series The Passions.

RAMM

ON NOW UNTIL 27 April

NATURAL LIGHT 

Local artist Rachael Bennetts' mixed media work considers landscapes, seascapes and the ever changing weather. “People sometimes have strong reactions to my work, often on first sight my paintings appear a calm and tranquil surface, then I notice them step back and forward, trying not to touch surfaces, perhaps then taking time as they unravel the story and underlying energy,” she says. 

South Gate Gallery

27 April - 23 June

LAURA PORTER

Working with discarded clothing – a material that carries with it cyclical histories of land, worker, consumer and waste – Laura breaks down the garments to create a raw material that is re-formed into solid structures, often in response to the environments in which she works. In doing this, she re-imagines our material world as neither rigid nor organic – straddling the space between biological and human-made; rural and urban; lived and inactive.

Exeter Phoenix

OTHER

9 April

ALPACA EXPERIENCE AT CANONTEIGN FALLS

A chance for visitors young and old to connect one-to-one with the gorgeous visiting Alpacas. Canonteign Falls, about 30 minutes South West of Exeter, is officially open for the season now so you can also visit the Willow Dinosaurs Among the Ferns, the Model Boat Harbour on Lily Lake, all against the backdrop of the amazing waterfalls and lakes. 

Canonteign Falls

17 April

LIBRARY LECTURES: FROM RACE ACROSS THE WORLD TO RACE ACROSS LIBRARIES AT EXETER LIBRARY

A free lunchtime talk with the incredible Tricia Sail; winner of last year’s Race Across the World (BBC). Come and hear her talk about her work, her adventures across Canada, and her Race Across Libraries project.

Exeter Library

25 April

AGILE RABBIT: HUMAN VS ROBOT 

Algorithms are an essential part of how our world functions nowadays. Can our human brain still compete with the rapid advancements of our technological inventions, however? Nathan Lapora, Professor of Robotics and AI at the University of Bristol, will be doing a deep-dive into the intersection of artificially embodied intelligence and neuroscience and how, in turn, this manipulates how we perceive our surroundings, learn, and interact with one another.

Exeter Phoenix