Join local actor Alastair Braidwood for a new and special event: a live ‘audiobook’ reading of Thomas Hardy’s famous novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’, performed in a relaxed setting with live music over 7 weeks in the centre of his Casterbridge.
Dorchester-based actor Alastair Braidwood is embarking on a challenging course: reading Thomas Hardy’s famous novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ as a live audiobook every Tuesday evening from 17th February – 31st March in the town centre.
Enjoy a drink from the bar, bring a craft to work on, or just listen in comfort as Hardy’s story of love, honour and betrayal is told in its entirety, with live music of the period. Taking over the Casterbridge Room in the King’s Arms Hotel, a location Hardy featured in ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, each evening will have about two hours of reading, with a break in the middle, followed by a flexible book-club-style discussion.
‘This will be quite a challenging undertaking,’ says Alastair, ‘but I’m looking forward to delving into this novel, especially bringing out the humour in the rustic scenes. The most difficult thing for me is keeping the different characters’ voices consistent.
‘As a knitter myself, I listen to lots of audiobooks, and I hope this communal listening and making will appeal to crafters. Otherwise, just listening to the performance might entice those who enjoy Hardy’s works and want to investigate the novel with someone who knows the music mentioned and also a little about the farming way of life.’
The course of evenings, which are relaxed performances and welcome everyone interested in literature, gentle evenings out, or companionable crafting, are in association with new Dorchester-based bookshop Teasel & Skylark, from whom tickets are available. Each evening is £7, but a ticket for the whole course is only £39, purchasable online on in the shop on Trinity Street. There will also be the opportunity to buy copies of the book at some of the evenings so the audience can read along, too.
Pre-booking is strongly recommended for the course. www.teaselandskylark.com/events
