Family open weekend, Darlington Civic Theatre, on Saturday/Sunday, noon-4pm

 

THE Civic Theatre is throwing open its doors for two days of fun family activities, with competitions, workshops, performances and guided tours of the beautiful Edwardian theatre.

 

On hand to welcome you will be characters from the past, including Signor Rino Pepi, his wife, the Countess, and their little Pekinese dog. Highly Sprung will also be there with their Travelling Treasury, a magical storytelling experience that takes place in a beautifully transformed caravan.

Step inside the pages of a book and let the stories unfold, quite literally, before your eyes. They will take you on a journey through sound, stunning visual paper creations and animated story telling. Tel 01325 486555.

The Sounds of Simon, The Forum, Northallerton, on Saturday, 7.30pm

A TRIBUTE to the music of Simon and Garfunkel. All The Hits 1957-87 is the new show that does exactly what it says.

From Hey Schoolgirl, released in 1957 when they were known as Tom & Jerry, all the way through to the hits from the Graceland album, they are all here: The Sounds of Silence, Homeward Bound, Scarborough Fair and into Paul Simon’s solo career with songs like Late in the Evening and Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover. Lose yourself to nostalgia as the full band play all the hits that have established Paul Simon as one of the most successful songwriters of all time.

With video clips, stories, and memories from the last 50 years plus, this is a show filled with excellent music and nostalgia. For tickets, call 01609 776230.

Jeeves & Wooster, Harrogate Theatre, on Saturday, 7.30pm

A NEW play adapted from the works of PG Wodehouse by the Goodale Brothers, directed by Sean Foley, and starring Robert Webb, Jason Thorpe and Christopher Ryan, this hit West End comedy is now on tour.

This production layers joy on joy, joke on joke, in a delightful evening of theatrical absurdity featuring Wodehouse’s famous double act.

When a country house weekend takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker, but also to steal a silver cow creamer from Totleigh Towers. Naturally, the ever dependable Jeeves is there to prevent Bertie from making a fool of himself. Tickets on 01423 502116.

Water Wheel Workshop, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Ripon, on Sunday, 11.15am & 1.15pm

COME and make a splash down by the 800-year-old mill as Simon shows you how a water wheel works – and gets you to make your own. It’s completely free and there’s no need to book beforehand.

Workhouse Connections, The Workhouse Museum, Ripon, on Friday/Saturday

DISCOVER if there are any workhouse connections in your family history and find out more about your relative’s experiences. Take a close look at original workhouse records, find out more about using archives and hear from leading experts in both family research and workhouse history.

This event brings together experts including Peter Higgenbotham, who is a familiar figure from TV shows such as Heir Hunters and Who Do You Think You Are?, and Piers Dudgeon, a biographer who made the shocking discovery that author Barbara Taylor-Bradford’s grandmother had spent time in Ripon Workhouse. For more information, call 01765 690799.