Not Fringed yet? There’s still time – just…

fringesmallEven if you haven’t taken part yet in the Wanstead Fringe there’s still time to get an injection of first rate cultural involvement.

Tickets are still available for Thursday night’s Kinema showing of Fire in Babylon, a powerful and moving documentary about the triumph and the trials of the great West Indies cricketers of the 70s and 80s. This trailer gives a taste.

The screening takes place in the open air at Wanstead Cricket Club – refreshments will be available. You can reserve tickets for it here.

Also on Thursday night, next door at the Wanstead Golf Club, will be the first of this year’s Fringe comedy nights, featuring Ian Stone, Dane Baptiste and musical comedy from David Elms. There are some places still available if you’re quick – you can get them here.

On Friday the big family Kinema night is not taking any more reservations – the evening promises to be a huge hit. But there are other things to do.

First off is an opportunity to learn something about champagne and fizz. The experts at Majestic Wine are leading an informed tasting at the Churchill Room – this was a sell-out last year and there are a few more tickets available here.

And a bit later on at the Manor House is the Fringe’s famous accoustic music night. This year called Fringe Benefrets, it features six local musicians and will again be a Fringe highlight.

Saturday is another dayful of events, starting with another chance to do some yoga among the trees. Full details of the day are here.

Scenes at the Fringe, day five

Wednesday was the busiest day yet at this year’s Fringe, with four events going on at the same time.

At the season’s first outing of the Kinema, veteran cyclists Alf Engers and Vin Denson discussed with author Robert Dineen some of the glory days of British cycling. The pub garden was packed, and the discussion was followed by a showing of the BBC documentary Death on the Mountain about cyclist Tom Simpson.

Nearby there was a Ladies’ Craft Night at the 84 Gallery while at the same time the first Wanstead Photo Night Walk was taking place.

 

Up at the Manor House, journalist Ted Kessler was talking to John Cryer MP about his memories of his father, Bob. Attitudes to the Soviet Union, the miners’ strike, and Mrs Thatcher were on the agenda, but so were his revealing memories of the Railway Children. Bob Cryer was, John said, the figure emerging from the steam in the memorable ”  Daddy, my daddy” scene, having stood in for the actor. Cryer Junior was an extra in the film (see picture).

In this clip of the discussion, Cryer describes his father’s occasional unorthodox approach to constituents’ email.
 

Elsewhere followers of the Art Trail were meeting artists who had exhibited their work, and the crochetbombing of Wanstead continued.

 
Coming soon – a rundown of events yet to take place for which you can still get tickets.

The Wanstead Fringe Mystery Challenge is here

mysterychallengeThis is the bit of the Wanstead Fringe that can be done at home – it’s the first Wanstead Mystery Photo Challenge. All you have to do is identify exactly where in Wanstead these photographs were taken. Download this sheet, and when you’ve filled in your answers and details, deliver it to Geoff Wilkinson’s gallery at 84 Nightingale Lane by 5pm on Friday. (You can see the photos in greater detail here, though that may not help you.)