The life and works of a remarkable West Somerset artist, with a daringly independent spirit, are being celebrated in a new exhibition opening at the Museum of Somerset on October 19. 

Rachel Reckitt, who lived from 1908 until 1995, was a 20th-century modernist artist who lived and worked in West Somerset for over 60 years. She was a unique-artistic talent who worked entirely on her own terms, even training as a blacksmith when she was in her 60s. Reckitt is amongst previously-overlooked female artists to feature in a new film, War Paint – Women at War. This feature documentary, by BAFTA award-winning director Margy Kinmonth, champions the powerful female perspective of conflict through art.

Sarah Cox, Exhibitions Manager at the South West Heritage Trust, said: “Reckitt was a woman who, in many ways, rejected the conventions of her time, gender and class. Her lifelong-artistic endeavor, inspired by her astute observations of people and places, spans avant garde painting, sculpture, wood engraving and blacksmithing.”

In preparation for the exhibition the South West Heritage Trust has acquired a total of 13 new works by Reckitt, adding to its growing collection of works by local female artists. Amongst them is Ruins which was painted by Reckitt whilst she was travelling in Sweden, shortly before the outbreak of WW2.

Ruins will be displayed alongside paintings, sculpture and wood engravings on loan from public and private collections. Highlights include the RAF Museum’s Spanish Refugee Family, which further shines a light on her war-time experiences. In 1939 Reckitt moved from Somerset to London to support the war effort, helping to evacuate families from the city and sending children to Golsoncott, her family home in Somerset, which became a nursery. 

The exhibition, Chance Encounters: The Art of Rachel Reckitt, opens at the Museum of Somerset, October 19 - March 15. It will be supported by a programme of events.

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This autumn heralds the opening of a theatre in Watchet. The Backyard Theatre is based in the recently renovated double skittle alley behind the Radio Museum in Anchor Street. The brain-child of Neil Wilson and Cath Cooper, both with extensive theatre experience, the Backyard Theatre not only intends to provide a not-for -profit venue for those in the locality who have an inkling to perform, but also for incoming touring theatre companies. We launch the theatre this November with some fabulous touring shows courtesy of the Watchet Task Force.

Our first show on Friday, November 8 will be a fantastic performance of a madcap version of ‘Elvis in Blue Hawaii’ by the wonderfully uplifting Spitz & Co. Be prepared to laugh until you cry, as this show descends into anarchy- it will be an absolute riot! Guys don your Hawaiian shirts, wear your sunglasses and ladies think pedal pushers and Bardot tops to get you in the mood. Yes, we know it’s November but there will be a prize for the best outfit! The Bar will open an hour before the show.

Our second launch event on Saturday, November 23 is the charming show ‘Hats off to Laurel and Hardy’ by Lucky Dog Theatre Productions. This is a must- see show whether you are fans of these two iconic comedians or discovering their true story for the first time. This show has crossed many international borders, and the duo have performed to sell out audiences. Look-a-likes Tony Carpenter and Philip Hutchinson recreate the life stories of the partners both on and off stage. We suggest you wear your bowler hats, bow ties, pop on a moustache or gel your hair. This charming show will bring on smiles, chuckles and outright laughter as the amazing actors take you on a nostalgic performance of famous skits, and relay the ups and downs of this tenacious duo.  The Bar will open an hour before the show.

Tickets for Elvis and Laurel and Hardy will go on sale by Monday, September 9 via the group’s website, which is: backyard-theatre-watchet.uk, which will also be published in Watchet Connects and We Love Watchet. Alternatively, people can look out for the fliers that will be posted throughout the town.

On Saturday, November 9 Taunton’s @2k Theatre company will be bringing us their show of Alan Bennett’s The Lady in The Van. Tickets will be on sale exclusively through their website at2ktheatre.co.uk

Book early to secure a seat.

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On Friday, September 13, Watchet Community Cinema will be showing "Swede Caroline". As up-and-coming allotment holder Caroline readies herself for the big championship, the competitive giant vegetable growing world is rocked by scandal when her prized marrow plants are stolen.  With her life now in turmoil and desperate for answers, she turns to two private detectives, who are then dramatically kidnapped. Are the events linked? Caroline thinks that they are and the hunt for her missing marrows takes her way beyond the allotments, plunging her into a national corruption scandal that goes all the way to the top.

This is a delightful masterpiece that seamlessly blends satire with heartfelt storytelling. Directorial brilliance shines through, as the film navigates the absurdities of competitive vegetable growing with wit and charm, but takes on increasing emotional depth as the film rolls on. 

For more information or to make a reservation please call Anne on 07557 734795.

This film will be shown at Watchet Community Cinema, Knights Templar School, Watchet TA23 0EX. Doors open for refreshments at 6.30pm and the film starts at 7pm. Tickets at £4 are available on the door. 

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Mozart’s comic opera The Marriage of Figaro will be screened live at the Minehead Regal from the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden on Tuesday, September 10 at 6.30pm – please note the earlier start time for this live screening.

It’s Figaro’s wedding, and you are invited to join the Almaviva household for an uproarious day of revelation and scandal with plot twists, forbidden desires and unforgettable melodies, combining laugh-out-loud comedy with moments of breathtaking beauty.  

The opera is sung in Italian with English subtitles and the running time is 240 minutes, including one interval.

Tickets for The Marriage of Figaro cost £15.50 (Film Society members/Regal Theatre Friends £14 Students/ES40s £13, under 14s £10).  Numbered seats may be booked in advance online and at the Regal box office (Tel 01643 706430) between 9.30am and 12.00pm Monday to Saturday.  The Regal bar will be open for refreshments from 6.00pm.  

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In early August, members of the Minehead Amnesty International Group held a vigil outside St Peter’s Chapel on Minehead quay. The event was to mark the fifth anniversary of the downgrading of Kashmir from an independent state to two union territories ruled directly by the Indian Government from Delhi.

This change was accompanied by significant repression of free speech and massive changes affecting the lives of residents. For example, a proposed railway development will take land away from farmers who grow apples, one of Kashmir’s major exports and sources of income. The farmers were not consulted and have no choice about the compulsory allocation of their land to the project.

More information about this and other campaigns is available on the group’s website www.amnesty.org.uk/minehead or by emailing [email protected]. The Minehead Group’s next event is a fundraising Harp Concert and tea at Roadwater Village Hall at 3pm on Saturday, September 14. Local harpist and best-selling author, Hazel Prior, will perform a variety of traditional popular songs and original pieces for Celtic harp. It will also feature readings from Hazel’s books together with unique harp accompaniments. Signed copies of her novels will be available.

Tickets, at £8 including tea/coffee and cake, are available in advance from Toucan, The Avenue, or by phoning 01984 641052. Tickets may also be available on the door.