Trestle Arts Base has announced their programme of shows this autumn that will help brighten your days as they get darker and darker as we move towards winter…

Don’t miss thought provoking and challenging new works from theatre specialists, Mandala, with their performance of Castaways. Written by the award winning young playwright Atiha Sen Gupta, the play explores the nature of friendship, trauma and tribal loyalties in a neighborhood where the blue touch paper is waiting to be lit.

Critically acclaimed Paines Plough return with their latest gig-theatre extravaganza, Pop Music; G and Kayla’s lives are a mess but tonight they’re determined to Have It Large, follow them on a journey through thirty years of pop.

Trestle Arts Base will also play host to a series of events celebrating the life and music of I K Dairo, commemorating the 55th anniversary of his receipt of the MBE, the only African to achieve such an honour, for his services to music in Africa and the Commonwealth. Throughout October you will be able to explore an exhibition celebrating his life and music and join us for a workshop and social event complete with jollof rice and refreshments.

Their autumn season also promises an up close and personal experience of Wayne Parsons Dance. Without all the technical trappings of larger scale performances, Wayne Parsons Dance will present a double bill of dance-theatre where movement and text are seamlessly combined in what is a truly distinctive approach to storytelling.

Vestige is based on the life of a fictional celebrity named Livia. Her memory is kept alive in the stories of those who knew her. The touching, sensitive and playful duet, Meeting sees a couple navigate the retelling of a shared memory.

The Divya Kasturi Company will also be sharing a new work, Anvanya; exploring the connections between words and their interpretation, Divya will perform a unique palette of works showcasing a range of aesthetics that provide an insight into the glory of the world of Classical South Asian Dance.

Trestle School of Drama is back and open to new members, so be sure to book your free trial class for everyone aged four to 16. They have also announced the launch of a series of Adult Theatre Classes. These twelve, two-hour drop in masterclasses will focus on a key set of theatre techniques used in Trestle’s creative work.

Trestle will be back with their fifth Fun Palace and this year have teamed up with the new St Albans Museum + Gallery to celebrate arts and science all based on concepts of the human body. The event will take place at the new museum and as ever will be a free celebration highlighting the wealth of culture and community activity within the city.

Trestle will be creating a new Full Mask performance with clown specialists Small Nose, supported by Arts Council England. The show explores the life of Rachel Levy, a Holocaust survivor, through her eyes as a 13 year old girl. Be the first to see this full mask show, on September 28, before it goes on national tour.

Based in St Albans, Trestle Arts Base is a 100-year-old chapel beautifully converted into a unique performing arts centre. It is also home to Trestle, one of the country’s longest-standing and most innovative theatre companies.

Trestle Arts Base, Russet Drive, St Albans, AL4 0JQ. For more information and bookings contact the box office on 01727 850950 or visit trestle.org.uk.