The Tolmen Centre is at the heart of village life in Constantine, Cornwall. Many residents and friends enjoy events here; a wide and loyal audience has developed for the varied arts programme including music, theatre and cinema, and the Centre has built up an excellent reputation in the Cornish arts community. Miracle, Cube, Cscape, and Pipeline theatre companies are regular visitors both to perform and to develop new work.

The Café Tolmen is often open for meals when there’s an event at the Centre. Please call us on 01326 340630 to pre-book your meal from 6pm.

The Tolmen Centre is a not-for-profit organisation entirely run by volunteer help – no-one gets paid for their time. This creates a rather special ethos around the place – and allows us to be ambitious in what we promote and undertake.


 

Early announcement: a very special gig coming in our autumn season…

We are thrilled to announce that on October 5th the Tolmen Centre will be presenting Catrin Finch and Aoife Ní Bhriain in concert, touring their sensational new album Double You. Both musicians have their roots in their native traditions, but both share a rigorous classical training and are complete virtuosi of their instruments: the harp and the violin respectively.  Their album has received rave reviews from all quarters, such as: 
‘Both astonishing musicians individually, as a duo they connect on an almost transcendent level, bringing their classical knowledge and folk heritage together to create a work of breadth and beauty, inspired by Bach, bees, mathematics and wanderlust’
Ellen Cranitch, RTÉ

For more details and samples of the music see www.catrinfinch.com

Tickets for this exceptional high profile concert will come on sale on June 1st.  We expect demand to be high so you may wish to book well in advance to secure them.


UPCOMING MUSIC PERFORMANCES INCLUDE:

  • BROOKS WILLIAMS
  • LINDE NIJLAND AND BERT RIDDERBOS
  • THE MYSTERY GUEST TOUR
  • BLACK UMFOLOSI

Tolmen Building Fund

The Tolmen Centre is housed in a beautiful building, which is old and listed, and requires constant maintenance and renovation. While our regular activities bring in enough money to keep the centre safe and in running order, there are inevitably larger amounts of expenditure that need to be prepared for. We have therefore decided to set up a special fund, to be known as the Tolmen Building Fund, which we hope will provide some reserve of cash which we can call on when required. Our supporters will be invited – but not pressurised – to contribute to the Fund when they purchase tickets online. Of course we would also welcome donations outside this route at any time. If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Discounted tickets

As a response to the cost-of-living crisis, we are trialling a new discounted ticket option for some events, starting in our summer season. This will be labelled as “students, low-waged and unwaged”. No proof of eligibility will be required, and we rely on the honesty of our audience to use this option in the spirit in which it is intended. To put it simply, if you feel you cannot afford a full price ticket but can manage the discounted one, that’s fine: there is no age limit or other qualification.

 

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Wednesday March 20th
7:30 pm

PAST LIVES

Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends, are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life. “heartbreakingly romantic and sad movie” ….Peter Bradshaw.

 

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

Tickets £5 on the door

Sunday March 24th
7:30 pm

THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

Farnham Maltings

Farnham Maltings is proud to announce the production of a new play from Barney Norris, one of Britain’s most celebrated dramatists. The production will tour to community audiences across the U.K., and tells the story of a group of friends reuniting later in life to reform a band they started in their youth.
The Band Back Together marks an exciting new chapter in Farnham Maltings’ long history as a producer of contemporary theatre, having created and toured original productions to communities across the U.K. for over two decades. Farnham Maltings’ past productions include The Syrian Baker, which won Best Play at the Writers’ Guild Awards 2022, the acclaimed Jess and Joe Forever, which transferred to the Orange Tree Theatre, and Mountain Music, co-produced with the Olivier Award-winning company Little Bulb.

About The Band Back Together
A new play remembering teenage dreams, rock n’ roll and returning home…
Joe, Ross and Ellie used to be in a band. They were pretty good too, making waves in a rugged patchwork of pubs and clubs. They even had a song on Radio 2. But that was all a decade ago and the songs, the stories, the secrets are long since buried. Until now.
Drawn back together for one night only to play a benefit gig in their hometown, three former bandmates find a community reeling from a poisoning and a pandemic. Will the old songs still work their magic? And just how far has time thrown these friends from their younger selves? As showtime draws nearer, the friends come face to face with the memories of their youth. Feeling lost in the community they once called home, they must confront the past in order to make sense of the future.

Farnham Maltings’ Chief Executive Officer Peter Glanville said: ‘We are delighted to be premiering this exciting new work which has been commissioned to tour to community audiences across the U.K. Barney’s writing speaks to many of the most important issues of our day, whilst making for a thoroughly entertaining night of theatre. I am pleased that this production continues Farnham Maltings’ important work reaching into the heart of communities.’

About Barney Norris
Barney Norris is a playwright and novelist from Salisbury. He is the founder of touring theatre company Up in Arms and author of multiple critically-acclaimed works, including Visitors (Arcola / The Watermill), Nightfall (Bridge Theatre) and the bestselling novel Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain.

 

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

Adult Ticket  £12.00, £10 concessions

 

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Saturday April 13th
7:30 pm

JAMES ROWLAND

PIECE OF WORK and LEARNING TO FLY

This is a rare  chance to experience a storyteller/dramatist at the top of his game.    Both these shows have played to sellout audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe and received multi-starred reviews as well as touring to venues large and small across the country.

We have been trying to arrange a visit from James for some time since we journeyed up country to see ‘Learning to Fly’ and just loved it.  Now we have persuaded him to bring that show, along with his more recent smash hit ‘Piece of Work’ as a double bill of storytelling theatre.

With minimal set and staging, James will deliver  a mix of humour, music, and two emotionally engaging stories in his unique and captivating style, infused with personal experiences of childhood, relationships between generations, and much else – with a hint of Shakespeare thrown in!

Don’t miss this chance to see two remarkable performances in one evening.

Café Tolmen suppers available pre-show – booked in advance  with Barbara on 01326 340630

★★★★★‘A riveting, remarkable hour of theatre…’ -Guardian

★★★★‘He delivers his story with grace and self-deprecating humour‘ – The Times

★★★★‘Rowland is a natural storyteller…very funny, disarmingly honest and surprisingly tender’ – The Scotsman

Read the Guardian reviews  of Piece of Work and Learning to Fly here:

 https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/aug/21/james-rowland-piece-of-work-review-an-affecting-account-of-fathers-sons-and-shakespeare

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/14/learning-to-fly-review-james-rowland-summerhall-edinburgh

 

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

Tickets £12/11(discount)

 

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Saturday May 4th
7:30 pm

LINDE NIJLAND AND BERT RIDDERBOS

Sandy Denny Songs and More

Linde Nijland has been called ‘best folk singer in the Netherlands'(Heaven magazine).  In the UK she’s best known for her sincere renditions of Sandy Denny material. Legendary producer Joe Boyd said “Linde has given Sandy Denny’s music the respect it deserves, and made a lovely record that shows off her beautiful voice as well as her good taste.” She has sung several times with Fairport Convention, including an All Star reunion concert at the Barbican in 2009.

Linde will perform with multi-instrumentalist Bert Ridderbos (“seemingly a one-man orchestra” – fRoots) on guitars, cittern, accordion, banjo and dobro.  Especially for the Tolmen Centre they will put an emphasis on Linde’s project of Sandy Denny songs, with some additional pieces from her own singer songwriter albums. Acapella songs are mixed with ballads, instrumental tunes and up-tempo singalongs.  Expect a unique atmosphere, not to be missed.

See www.lindenijland.nl

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

Tickets £12/£10(discount)/£6(children)

 

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Saturday May 11th
7:30 pm

SHOTGUNNED

By Kangaroo Court

We welcome to the Tolmen Centre SHOTGUNNED – a new play by exciting new company Kangaroo Court based in Falmouth.

Shotgunned is the company’s debut production, and has already played to enthusiastic audiences around Cornwall with excellent reviews. The company now have bookings across the country before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe for a full month in August.

Written and directed by Matt Anderson, it tells the story of Dylan and Roz, a couple who unexpectedly fall out of love.

Described as equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, Shotgunned is a deeply relatable and intimate piece of theatre about the people we lose that shape who we become.

We are delighted to support this emerging young company who we expect to hear much more from as they take their work across the country later this year.

‘You find yourself laughing out loud one moment and gripping for tissues the next… Shotgunned breaks your heart, patches it together and then breaks it again.’ – FalWriting

 ‘Despite focussing on a break up, Shotgunned is very funny throughout.’ – ★★★★★ The Packet

 ‘Pure Annie Hall’ – The PRSD

Pre show  suppers available from our much loved Café Tolmen – must be prebooked from Barbara on 01326 340630

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

Tickets £10

 

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Saturday May 25th
7:30 pm

THE MYSTERY GUEST TOUR

A Celebration of Collaboration, Togetherness and Community.”

The In The Round Mystery Tour, featuring Daisy Chute, Hollie Rogers, and Lady Nade, is set to bring a unique experience to venues across the UK. Daisy Chute, Hollie Rogers, and Lady Nade are dynamic artists leaving a lasting impact on the music scene, uniting to celebrate collaboration in music, paying homage to community strength and creativity.

Performing on stage in turns, each show “ Songs In The Round” includes a mystery local guest for an uplifting, emotional, and unexpected experience at every stop.

More about the artists:

Daisy Chute

Scottish/American artist Daisy Chute, known for her award-winning songwriting and captivating vocals (and the occasional banjo number) is making waves touring her folk/americana music at sold-out shows around the world and at festivals like Glastonbury and Black Deer.

Hollie Rogers

Hailing from Cornwall, singer-songwriter Hollie Rogers, celebrated for powerful vocals, graced stages at festivals like Glastonbury. Her unique blend of humor and sincerity shines through, with critical acclaim for her album, “Criminal Heart.”

Lady Nade

Recently honored at Bristol Beacon, Lady Nade secured a 2022 UK Americana Awards Song of the Year win and a 2023 nomination for AMAUK Artist of the Year. Her genre-defying music resonates globally, with hits like ‘Willing.’

 

https://www.daisychute.com
https://www.hollierogers.com
https://www.ladynade.co.uk

Tickets £15
£12 (discount)
£7.50(children)

 

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

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Friday June 7th
7:30 pm

LOST SONGS OF SCILLY

Piers Lewin & John Patrick Elliott

Contemporary folk music from the Isles of Scilly
Lost Songs of Scilly is a unique collaboration that seeks to capture the stories and essence of the Isles of Scilly in music. Foot-stomping reels blend into timeless songs and ambient immersive instrumentals – this is music infused with an unshakeable sense of place. Expect evocative island soundscapes, with samples of field recordings woven through songs of the sea, celebrating the resilience of a creative, independent island community and transporting audiences to this truly beautiful place.
Piers Lewin has lived on the tiny island of St Agnes, Isles of Scilly for twenty five years. Following the disappointing realisation that his island home (unusually for a Celtic outpost) has no surviving indigenous music, he has made it his personal mission to compose and perform music that reaches the very heart of the place. Early on in this quest, he began collaborating with award-winning composer and producer John Patrick Elliott, a regular visitor to the islands.
Having worked together on numerous Scilly-based musical projects over the years, the duo conceived Lost Songs of Scilly in 2023 to create and share a new and vibrant version of the island sound, drawing on all this experience of setting Scilly to music. The result: a unique album and live experience, touring the UK in summer 2024.
Much of the music is created and recorded outside in the landscape – the ambience of wind and wave reflecting Scilly’s unspoilt soundscape. Many of the dance tunes draw inspiration from the powerful traditional Celtic music of neighbouring Cornwall, while the songs distill the rich stories and complex traditions of a remarkable, resilient maritime community.

Every note of this music is saturated in a profound sense of place – the aim of each performance is to take everyone in the audience, just for a night, to this unique and magical island.

www.lostsongsofscilly.com

*New music from Lost Songs of Scilly due for release January 2024*

A selection of music Piers Lewin and John Patrick Elliott have collaborated on for other projects can be found on the above website.

Various Press for Piers & John’s other musical projects:

“Bold and different…stretches boundaries.”
The Guardian

“Entrancing…deeply atmospheric…songwriting of a real rich quality.”
Clash

Tickets £14
£10 (discount)
£7 (children)

 

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

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Saturday June 29th
7:30 pm

BLACK UMFOLOSI

Black Umfolosi is an award Winning Acapella singing and traditional dance group that was formed in 1982 by students who wanted to develop themselves and contribute to their communities, in a positive way.

The main reason for this initiative was to preserve and revive the Imbube Culture which was at the time invaded by Break Dance and Western Culture, in which it was now facing elimination from African Dance Culture.

Black Umfolosi is the best traveled Group in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, hence having toured extensively nationwide and internationally; Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and Asia.

They have represented Zimbabwe at International events such as Universal Expo 1992 in Spain, Universal Expo in Portugal 1998 and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada among many more.

Venue Opens: 18:00
Event Starts: 19:30

Tickets £15/12(discount)/7.50(children)

 

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