The Abingdon Science Partnership in collaboration with Science Oxford present:

"For me, wildlife cameramen don’t come much more special than Doug. There’s just no one else who knows these frozen worlds as he does" - David Attenborough

Did you ever wonder how to approach belugas underwater? Get up close and personal with polar bears without being eaten? Stop your fingers falling off from frostbite? And not lose that important dive hole when you’re diving under the ice?

Doug Allan is one of the world’s best known and respected cameramen, and in this presentation he’ll be giving his own personal insights about marine biology, diving, and filming at the poles. Illustrated with his own photographs and clips from his best-known series, and with a wealth of behind the scenes stories – Doug’s aim is to amaze, inspire and challenge. Because in the forty years since Doug first went to Antarctica, he’s witnessed first hand how the warming of the poles and the changing ice is affecting the animals north and south. What should we be doing to turn the tide? He’ll also be signing copies of his book Freeze Frame – A Wildlife Cameraman’s Adventures on Ice.

“What’s great about talking face to face is that it’s my chance to bring people right in behind the scenes. It’s like live TV only better, and it’s for all the family!” – Doug Allan

Doug Allan spent seven years in Antarctica as a research diver, scientist and photographer for the British Antarctic Survey, before changing direction to full time freelance filming in 1983.

Since then he has become one of the world’s best known and respected cameramen. He specialises in natural history, expeditions and science documentaries in some of the wildest and most remote places on our planet, particularly the polar zones. In his 35 year filming career, he's worked for the BBC, Discovery, National Geographic and many others, filming for series like The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Ocean Giants, Operation Iceberg, Wild Cameramen at Work, and Brian Cox’s Forces of Nature.

His photographic awards include eight Emmy’s and five BAFTA’s. He has three Honorary Doctorates in recognition of his camerawork, as well as two Polar Medals. He’s an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and of the Royal Photographic Society.

This lecture was rearranged from Friday 2 March 2018

Preparations are now underway for our annual ASPA Quiz Night & Supper taking place on April 28th in the Dining Hall. You can join with a team of 8 or simply buy your tickets and ask to be added to a team (if you do this, please specify your year group on the attached Google Sign Up form). The current champions, The Questionnables, have won for the last two years so it’s time to end their reign!  

We’ll have a quiz and fish & chips 'Abingdon Style’ with the plan to start quizzing by 7:45 with an end time of 11/11:30 pm. Doors will open at 7:15 pm.

Cash Bar available with beer/wines and soft drinks

Dress Code: Casual

Ticket Price: £20

Experience an evening of extraordinary short films from the world's most prestigious mountain film festival.  

Follow the expeditions of some of today's most incredible adventurers, see amazing footage of adrenaline packed action sports and be inspired by thought-provoking pieces shot from the far flung corners of the globe.

Ignite your passion for adventure, action and travel through an exhilarating collection of the latest films from the most talented adventure film makers of today. An exciting event not to be missed with free prize giveaways!

Visit www.banff-uk.com for more details.

Book now to join our  ‘Big Easy’ Cajun Night with a menu straight out of New Orleans!  A great opportunity to get the summer off to a jazzy Louisiana start and meet other first year parents. All for an amazing £20 per head to include three course dinner which kicks off with a welcome glass of something sparkling. Get your tickets now as numbers are limited. When booking, please remember to complete the accompanying Google Form so that we know who you are and whether you have any dietary restrictions we need to know about. The menu can be viewed here.

Dress Code: Casual

There will be a cash bar available selling wine, beer & soft drinks.

If you have any questions, please contact us at aspa@abingdon.org.uk

The ruined aftermath of a bloody civil war. Ruthlessly fighting to survive, the Macbeths are propelled towards the crown by forces of elemental darkness.

Shakespeare’s most intense and terrifying tragedy, directed by Rufus Norris (The Threepenny Opera, London Road), will see Rory Kinnear (Young Marx, Othello) and Anne-Marie Duff (Oil, Suffragette) return to the National Theatre to play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

For more information about the performance, please go to the National Theatre Live website.

Photograph (Anne-Marie Duff and Rory Kinnear) by Jack Davison

"Last July, long-distance cyclist Mark Beaumont pedalled out of Paris, just 78 days and 14 hours later he was back at the Arc de Triomphe having cycled 18,000 miles around the world. Mark’s record-breaking ride made headlines the world over, yet it’s just one part of his story.

Whilst Mark is perhaps best known for his cycling adventures - including solo trips covering the length of both Africa and the Americas – he's also rowed from Resolute Bay to the magnetic north pole, capsized during a crossing of the Atlantic and followed the Queen’s Baton Relay around the Commonwealth to hear the varied stories of athletes from a diverse range of backgrounds."

Tickets are available on the Horizon Lectures website.

Adventurer, Girlguiding ambassador and self-confessed “mischief-maker” Anna McNuff is joined by Charlie Walker and Jen Roberts for the first Horizon Lectures Adventure Fund Night.

Anna once represented Great Britain at rowing, but now spends her time darting around the world on the hunt for new and exciting endurance challenges.  Anna is a hugely entertaining speaker and will be telling the story of her self-supported run covering the length of New Zealand – from the characters she met along the way to her very special “Pants of Perspective”.  

Charlie and Jen both picked up grants through the Horizon Lectures Adventure Fund last year and will be returning to share their stories.  Between them, they've since completed a 5,000 mile journey from Siberia to Istanbul and a month-long science and mountaineering trip to the Stauning Alps in Greenland.

Tickets are available on the Horizon Lectures website.

The Royal Ballet presents a new production of Tchaikovsky's magnificent classical ballet, with additional choreography by Liam Scarlett and designs by John MacFarlane.

Swan Lake has had a special role in the repertory of The Royal Ballet since 1934. This Season The Royal Ballet creates a new production with additional choreography by Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett. While remaining faithful to the Petipa-Ivanov text, Scarlett will bring fresh eyes to the staging of this classic ballet, in collaboration with his long-term designer John Macfarlane.

Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful woman, Odette, he is enraptured. But she is under a spell that holds her captive, allowing her to regain her human form only at night.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

Marsh Tompsett School of Dance proudly presents two contrasting performances featuring it's Junior and Senior students:-

ACT 1 "THE FARAWAY TREE"

Three children discover an intriguing tree in an enchanted wood, climb to the top and encounter a series of bizarre and magical lands. With "Moonface" and "Silky the Fairy" as their guides, they experience night that the they will never forget...

Will they ever be able to return to the place that they have come to love? Childhood imaginings and secret dreams come to life in this tale of adventure and friendship.

ACT TWO "ELEMENTAL"

"Elemental" is an exploration of the concepts of Fire, Water, Air and Earth. The four elements are represented in their purest differing forms as well as in the way that communities around the world respond to them. The haunting, ritualistic symbol of candlelight is contrasted against a celebratory tribal fire dance. The comfort of an ethereal moonlit beach is followed by an unnerving and powerful storm. Chemical elements combine to pollute the air we breathe but there is hope for mankind if we can use the skies to "fly together", and though we battle to conquer the natural earth, we are reminded that the perpetual growth of a luscious forest is far stronger than we can ever hope to be.                                                

Known to millions as ‘The King of Waltz’, André Rieu is one of the world’s most popular music artists. His legendary annual Maastricht concert is the most eagerly anticipated cinema event of the year, last year setting new box office records in several countries.

Set against the stunning medieval backdrop of the town square in André’s Dutch hometown, the spectacular Maastricht concert features the maestro in his element, along with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra, sopranos, tenors and very special guests. André delivers an unforgettable musical experience full of humor, fun and emotion for all ages. This presentation of André Rieu’s 2018 Maastricht Concert in Cinemas features host Charlotte Hawkins, who conducts an interview with André Rieu the moment he steps off stage, exclusively for cinema audiences.

This summer it will be all about the world of love! Amore, my tribute to love is André’s tribute to love, the love for music and for both of his families : the small one, his wife and children - and the big one, the Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Take a front row seat and experience this spectacular musical event on the big screen. Enjoy backstage access, interviews with André and his special guests, musical favourites and much, much more, exclusive to cinema.

Set in a world very like our own, this Romeo and Juliet is about a generation of young people born into by the bitter divisions of

their parents.

The most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion and an irresistible desire for change, but leads all too quickly to heartbreaking consequences.

For more information about the performance, please go to the RSC website.

Please note that this is an Encore Screening of the Live Performance on 18 July.

Down on his luck in the suburbs, John Falstaff plans to hustle his way to a comfortable retirement by seducing the wives of two wealthy men. Unknown to him, it’s the women of Windsor who really pull the strings, orchestrating Falstaff’s comeuppance amidst a theatrical smorgasbord of petty rivalries, jealousies and over-inflated egos.

For more information about the performance, please go to the RSC website.

Calling all ocean lovers! The annual Ocean Film Festival is sweeping towards Abingdon with a brand new selection of the world’s most amazing ocean films, from both above and below the surface.

Brought to you by the team behind the Banff Film Festival UK Tour, this collection of short films celebrates divers, paddlers, surfers and oceanographers who live for the sea’s salt spray. Be wowed at the mind blowing marine life; exhilarated by the power of the waves, and inspired by the characters who dedicate their lives to answering the call of the ocean.

To book tickets, please visit the Ocean Film Festival website.

The story of the apocalyptic final year of the Great War, as the British and German armies are tested like never before. A lecture by BBC historical advisor Gareth Howell, accompanied by a comprehensive ordnance display by collector Rick Stevens.

No age restriction, but recommended for ages 10+.

"Lechery, lechery, still wars and lechery: nothing else holds fashion"

Troilus and Cressida swear they will always be true to one another. But in the seventh year of the siege of Troy their innocence is tested, and exposed to the savage corrupting influence of war, with tragic consequences.

Virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie collaborates with RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran to create a satirical futuristic vision of a world resounding with the rhythm of battle.

The Greek army is encamped under the walls of Troy and, at the point at which the play begins, the war has reached stalemate. The Greeks are quarrelling amongst themselves. Achilles, their greatest champion, refuses to fight and has withdrawn to his tent with his lover, Patroclus. Equally at odds with themselves, the Trojans are debating the value of continuing the war merely for the sake of keeping Helen.

Troilus is much distracted from these military concerns by his love for Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan who has defected to the Greek camp. The young lovers are eagerly assisted by Cressida's uncle Pandarus, who acts as their go-between. However, after only one night together they are parted when Cressida is sent to join her father in the Greek camp. Almost immediately she betrays Troilus with the Greek Diomedes and, discovering this, Troilus is plunged into despair.

With the fall of Troy certain, Troilus vows revenge on Achilles.

For more information about the performance, please go to the RSC website.