ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
JAM ON THE MARSH
A DIFFERENT FESTIVAL · A SPECTACULAR LANDSCAPE
FESTIVALS IN KENT
HOW MANY FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD CAN BOAST 14 MEDIEVAL VENUES , A STEAM RAILWAY , A 15-MILE STRETCH OF COASTLINE , AND A DESERT AS THEIR BACKDROP ? FOR 11 DAYS EACH JULY , KENT ’ S OWN MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL , JAM ON THE MARSH , TAKES PLACE IN THE UNIQUE LANDSCAPE OF ROMNEY MARSH . TRAVERSING THIS MUCH-LOVED TERRAIN , THE FESTIVAL INVITES ITS AUDIENCE AND COMMUNITY TO GET UP CLOSE TO WORLD-CLASS PERFORMERS AND EVENTS , INCLUDING : MUSIC , THEATRE , SCULPTURE , ART , FILM AND POETRY . THERE IS SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL ABOUT EXPERIENCING GREAT PERFORMANCE IN SMALL , INTIMATE SPACES . AN ANCIENT CHURCH WITH A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE COMPARED WITH A FACELESS HALL WITH A FEW THOUSAND ; THE PERFORMERS A FEW FEET AWAY , RATHER THAN A FEW HUNDRED METRES .
CHANGELING THEATRE SNOW OVERHANGING THE BRANCHES OF A TREE
JON FOREMAN BEACH ART LONDON MOZART PLAYERS
JAM on the Marsh ’ s ninth festival will be truly remarkable , as it crosses the Marsh from Hythe to Dungeness and Snargate to New Romney . For the first time , every one of the famous Marsh churches will be used in the festival , bringing art and audience to these unspoilt wonders . Regular collaborator , the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway , one of the county ’ s greatest attractions , will host a mobile exhibition in the carriages of the railway , as will community spaces such as the Marsh Academy Leisure Centre and the recently opened Cinemarsh .
On 7 July , Changeling Theatre opens the festival with their brand new , hysterical and irreverent production of Oscar Wilde ’ s ever-popular The Importance of Being Earnest . This bold , imaginative and magical open-air theatre company , a festival favourite , returns to the heart of New Romney , performing at the Old School Garden , where the church and town become the play ’ s sets .
Music has been at the heart of every festival since 2014 , and this year is no different . Between 7 – 17 July , concerts come thick and fast , featuring some world-famous names such as VOCES8 ; Lucy Crowe and James Gilchrist performing William Walton ’ s Façade ; Michael Collins with the London Mozart Players giving the world premiere of Judith Bingham ’ s Concerto for Clarinet , a festival commission ; Ashford Youth Jazz Orchestra and London Tango Quintet bring an abundance of melody and rhythm to get the toes tapping .
Visual art is represented in seven exhibitions , including a communitydriven project designed by Yolanda Houston of New Romney ’ s Teach Me , where a mosaic has been created for each of the 14 Marsh churches . These wonderful pieces of art , made by the local Marsh community , will be on display in each church ; true legacy for such a creative , community project . Other examples to see include Angela C Smith ’ s breathtaking sculpture in the transept of St Leonard ’ s Church , Hythe and John Ballard ’ s fabulous large , abstract oils filling St George ’ s , Ivychurch .
Many local and international stars will visit the festival over its 10 days , though not all the stars are famous ; on 13 July the first year of a two-year singing project , run by JAM on the Marsh , culminates when 60 children from St
Nicholas and Brookland Primary Schools come together to perform with one of the UK ’ s finest brass groups , Onyx Brass . Conducted by Rebecca Lodge Birkebaek , the children will come together and sing Timothy Jackson ’ s Opening Night , a song-cycle setting brilliant poems like : Our Teacher Sings The Beatles by Kenn Nesbitt , Conjuring Kevin by Gareth Lancaster , and Rockstar by Valerie Garcia . The finale ends with : “ Pump up the volume , No shirt and no pants . Jamming in my socks , My own private dance . I ' m a Rockstar in my mirror with my hairbrush microphone .”… What could possibly go wrong ?
JAM on the Marsh runs 7-17 July at venues across Romney Marsh . See www . jamconcert . org for more details and to book tickets for this vibrant festival .
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