Monday morning news from South Petherton

News in from The David Hall Arts Centre in South Petherton is below:

Events at The David Hall Arts Centre in South Petherton are proving to be a sell-out this season, so patrons are being encouraged to book well in advance to be sure of a seat."Our Spring programme - which runs to the end of April - is a huge hit," reports Cliff Keating, Chairman of the Petherton Arts Trust. "We had capacity audiences through January and February and gigs in March and April are already booking well.

Many regulars have become used to either reserving at the last minute or just turning up on the night; but to be certain of a place, we recommend booking in advance. We hate having to turn people away!"Mr Keating added that The David Hall's seating capacity was increased from 100 to 130 towards the end of last year. "It is terrifically rewarding to see every seat taken and know that we are providing the type of music and theatre that local people really want," he said. Performers like Phil Beer - of Show of Hands fame; the dynamic quartet Cellorythmics; Flook, with their Celtic roots and the vibrant young trio, Uiscedwr, all played to a full house. The much-acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues - presented by local theatre company, Portfire - also filled The David Hall for two performances.

Music events scheduled for the next few weeks include top roots-rock band, Equation (25th March); La Boum! - a formidable line-up of 10 top Scottish musicians (7th April); Martin Simpson - billed as one of the finest acoustic finger-style and slide guitar players in the world (16th April) and Michael Marra, who is widely acclaimed as one of Scotland's most talented and original songwriters and performers (23rd April). For family audiences, Kneehigh Theatre Company will present "Wagstaff the Wind-up Boy" on 31st March.

The David Hall Box Office is open 11am-3pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; or call 01460 240 340 (24hr answerphone). The venue can be found on Roundwell Street, South Petherton.

The Editor