Festival of Arts at Castle Drogo

Castle Drogo will be the backdrop for a creative programme of exhibitions and performances celebrating the creative spirit of Dartmoor from Saturday 14 May until Sunday 19 June.

There will be artist’s exhibitions, workshops, theatre and a costume display by the students of Plymouth College of Art. 

The event launched on Friday 13 May with an open evening, including live music, games and a chance to see ‘Trousseau’, a costume display by the students of Plymouth College in the castle.

As part of the Festival of Arts there will be ‘Art in the Hut’. Artists such as Diane Bailey, Caroline Turner, Janis Glover, Bert Bunis and Sophie Berger will be exhibiting paintings; Marielle Ebner-Rijke printmaking, Ann Courtney photography and Richard Tithecott poetry.

Martin Dowding, who planned the programme, says: ‘For me, I felt that the one criterion that should underpin this festival was the quality of the art. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and maybe even challenged.’

Students from Plymouth College are displaying costumes in the castle inspired by the ones Frances Drewe took on her honeymoon in 1890. The exhibition ‘Trousseau’ will see 22 costumes on display ranging from a bright red evening dress to a tea gown. Frances Drewe was wearing a bright red dress when she first met her husband at a ball at The Brighton Hotel in 1889.

Future events at Castle Drogo include a dramatic performance from Get Changed Theatre on Saturday 18 June. The company, based in Okehampton, will be performing their interpretation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on the Croquet Lawn.