Tag: David Vass reviews
Pascoe proves it was worth the wait
27th Apr 2026
With some of the audience having bought their ticket last year, there were high expectations for the sold-out Comedy Night at the Corn Hall, keen to finally catch Sara Pascoe’s rescheduled headline slot. It was,… read more
Posted in Comedy
Denmark and Scotland join forces
17th Apr 2026
The idea of a double headliner concert is becoming increasingly common, as acts move away from the traditional support performer warming up the audience. I imagine “who goes on first” remains an issue wrestled with… read more
Posted in Music
A RAre double bill of Early Stoppard superbly performed
20th Mar 2026
Director Paul Baker has gathered his A team together for Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound with some of the finest acting talent RoughCast Theatre Company has to offer. The play is a typical Stoppard,… read more
Posted in Theatre
Life Before You Grips thoughout
5th Mar 2026
The Corn Hall has recently hosted a number of bold productions, thanks to its continued and laudable commitment to live theatre. Once every so often, however, a show comes along that is on another level,… read more
Posted in Theatre
McNish and Wright Fill the Corn Hall
28th Feb 2026
There wasn't an empty seat in the house for a double bill of poetry at the Corn, with folk coming from far and wide to listen to Luke Wright and Holly McNish present their latest… read more
Posted in Word
Obama's Elf has only seven teeth
21st Feb 2026
For many people, not least Ben Langley himself judging by his website, he's best known for his misheard lyrics routine on Britain's Got Talent. For me, his TV career highlight was appearing in an entirely… read more
Posted in Comedy
The Last of Jarman
13th Feb 2026
Mark Farrelly has carved out a niche for himself, portraying troubled souls in a series of one-man plays, exploring lives that range from Quentin Crisp to Frankie Howerd. Last year he came to the Corn… read more
Posted in Theatre
Murder, he deconstructed
31st Jan 2026
Tim Benzie has watched every episode of Murder, She Wrote, and has done so repeatedly, largely so we don't have to. The end result of this selfless act is Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote, a joyous celebration of a… read more
Posted in Comedy
Ed Entertains
10th Jan 2026
I’m still not sure whether I’ve just attended a comedy night headlined by Ed Byrne, or an Ed Byrne show with not one, but two, support acts. Either way, it attracted a full house which,… read more
Posted in Comedy
There's something fishy about Common Ground
9th Jan 2026
It's that time of year again, when Common Ground Theatre - erudite and accomplished adapters of Poe, Coleridge, Dickens and Dostoevsky - go ever so slightly bonkers with a post-Christmas show that is rarely troubled… read more
The Verdict is in
1st Dec 2025
The Raconteur Theatre Company examines capital punishment by dramatizing the cases of five women hanged over a fifty-year period. Annie Marler's text imagines all of the executions were presided over by Mr Pierrepont, the timespan… read more
Posted in Theatre
haunting notes, Pizzicato strings
23rd Nov 2025
The early eighties will be forever known as the era of big hair, shoulder pads, legwarmers, New Romantic synth pop, MTV, brick-sized mobile phones and the romance of the century. Though some may judge that… read more
Now and then we get a gem of a play
14th Nov 2025
Giles Shenton Productions have visited the Corn Hall several times over the years, and can always be relied upon to offer up well staged, thought-provoking shows. Flo' Smith Now and Then must rate as one… read more
Posted in Theatre
Open Space paint a picture of a young Dutch artist
13th Nov 2025
Nicolas Wright's sneaky relocation of Van Gogh's lodgings from Stockwell to Brixton must have triggered presumptions of urban grit for an audience in the noughties, when Vincent in Brixton was first performed at the National.… read more
Posted in Theatre
Hair raising magic from the Great Baldini
1st Nov 2025
I can honestly say I've waited years for the Great Baldini to visit Diss - he knows why - and his show at the Corn Hall certainly delivered on the promise of jolly, knockabout fun… read more
Bona polari from Apollo Theatre
25th Oct 2025
In the mid to late sixties television was starting to dominate home entertainment. Around the Horne, far from being part of the so-called swinging sixties, was effectively the last hurrah for radio comedy. To modern… read more
High Tide offers even more frights
14th Oct 2025
Last year, I was fortunate enough to attend the second iteration of HighTide's trio of supernatural tales at the spookily evocative Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, so I came to this third outing with… read more
Posted in Theatre
A company that Grows with every performance
11th Oct 2025
Adapting a nineteenth-century novella about wallpaper for the stage might seem an odd choice of source material, but that would be to reckon without the considerable talent of the author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The Yellow… read more
Posted in Theatre
The Tales Common Ground Told
8th Oct 2025
With Common Ground Theatre, you get one of two things – a frequently earnest and invariably erudite adaptation of a classic or an utterly bonkers mash up of myth, legend and slapstick comedy. I can… read more
Posted in Theatre
Acopalypse Yesterday
21st Sep 2025
Fans of Alfie Moore's radio show might be surprised that there were markedly fewer ethical dilemmas to grapple with in his live show. The occasional quandary was bounced off the audience — would you breathalyse… read more
Posted in Comedy
Griff Rhys Jones is the Cat's Pyjamas
15th Sep 2025
There's no denying the ease with which Griff Rhys Jones bounds on stage - despite his involvement in a catalogue of ground breaking TV comedy shows over the years, he has latterly seemed most at… read more
Posted in Comedy
Diss falls down a Fesshole
15th Sep 2025
Effectively a "greatest hits" show, Rob Manuel took us through the humorous, scandalous and frequently disgusting confessions posted to his Twitter account, Fesshole, reminding the audience there was a time when X was a safe… read more
Posted in Comedy
Pub Grub offers a feast of Poetry
6th Sep 2025
It's always worth settling in early for a Luke Wright show, if only to tick off his excellent pre-show warm up tunes. Intriguingly for a man born in the early eighties, you have to wonder… read more
Posted in Word
Mark Stratford has nowhere to Hyde
17th Jul 2025
It was a return trip to Diss for Mark Stratford, who earlier in the year had impressed the Corn Hall audience with his show about Macready, the actor manager who arguably invented modern theatre. This… read more
Posted in Theatre
Helen Anker captures the Essence of Audrey
12th Jul 2025
Having just been charmed by Helen Anker’s performance in The Essence of Audrey I’m trying to work out whether I’ve been beguiled by the performer or the character she played. Perhaps it’s a combination of… read more
Posted in Theatre
A Year and a Day to Remember
20th Jun 2025
Christopher Sainton-Clark first appears on an otherwise empty stage and then immediately breaks the fourth wall to explain that he going to tell us the story of his death. Given that he was standing in… read more
Posted in Theatre
An extraordinary performance by Henri Merriam
19th Jun 2025
Henri Merriam's extraordinary performance in her own play must be one of best we've seen at the Corn Hall in a very long time. Her acting throughout was intense, sometimes uncomfortably so, but never less… read more
Posted in Theatre
Chris Sainton-Clark celebrates Pub Life in Song
6th Jun 2025
The Corn Hall in Diss is about as far from North Norfolk as you can get without leaving the county, but I dare we've all had days out there. However, Chris Sainton-Clark didn't come all… read more
Posted in Music
Why the Dickens?
24th May 2025
I’m surely not the only person who hadn't heard of Willian Macready before Mark Stratford's performance, let alone appreciate his contribution to theatre as we know it. Stratford's masterly one man show took his audience… read more
Posted in Theatre
keeping abreast of ignorance with Open Space
16th May 2025
Given Arthur Miller's impressive body of work and the reputation it earned him, it’s easy to forget that All My Sons was effectively the last roll of the dice after a string of undistinguished attempts… read more
Posted in Theatre
have we eaten on the insane root?
11th May 2025
It's been a little over a year since the You’re Bard company last visited the Corn Hall. On that occasion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was given a mauling and I ended up on stage pretending to… read more
The play's the thing
10th May 2025
Written and performed by Mark Carey, Dead on Cue is a ghost story set in the dressing room of a London theatre where Sir Claude Mason is performing in Hamlet, the twist being we see… read more
Posted in Theatre
Ain't I a Woman?
2nd May 2025
The springboard for AIAW.org productions’ portmanteau presentation is Sojourner Truth's ground breaking speech, delivered in the seventeenth century having walked away, to use her words, from a life of slavery. Her rhetorical question, Ain't I… read more
Posted in Theatre
A love letter to Norwich
27th Apr 2025
Although John Osborne's CV no doubt describes him as a poet - the evening opened with a couple of fine examples - it is as a storyteller that he has truly distinguished himself. His autobiographical… read more
Was this is Swan Song?
26th Apr 2025
A full house at the Corn Hall welcomed Charlie Haycock's return for what could be the very last time. Not, I hasten to add, due to his diminishing popularity - this was his third visit… read more
A timely tale of love and loss
20th Apr 2025
Written by Nick Payne and directed by John Crowley, “We Live in Time” is set during three time periods — one lasts several years, another six months and the third about a day — that… read more
Posted in Film
It was going so well...
14th Apr 2025
Yet again, a capacity audience enjoyed another varied night of comedy in what is fast becoming a highlight of the Corn Hall calender. Peter Flanagan proved a companionable host for the evening, encouraging the audience… read more
Posted in Comedy
Sophia - A Princess, A Socialite, and a Suffragette
6th Apr 2025
Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of the deposed Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and God daughter to Queen Victoria, who nevertheless reconnected with her Punjabi heritage on a transformative trip to India. The play… read more
Posted in Theatre
From Norwich, its the film of the week
3rd Apr 2025
Tucked away on a Wednesday morning there is often a treat to be had at the Corn Hall in a way that feels a little like bunking off school. This Wednesday, Creative Arts East filled… read more
Posted in Film
Are you not Entertained?
23rd Mar 2025
Gladiator II is the sequel that was a long time coming. So long, in fact, that Paul Mescal plays the son of Russell Crowe's Maximus, all grown up since a dalliance with Connie Nielsen's Lucilla… read more
Posted in Film
Give them enough Rope
17th Mar 2025
Although Rope is probably best known as Hitchcock's audacious, single-take experiment, it was originally a stage play that the famous director took liberties with, not least relocating the action to New York. The original play… read more
Posted in Theatre
A Class Act from Russell Lucas
15th Mar 2025
The Titanic sank to the bottom of the ocean over a hundred years ago, and yet remains the subject of endless fascination. Books, films, documentaries, conspiracy theories and even a musical have all contributed towards… read more
Posted in Theatre
A Feast of East Anglian Drama
14th Mar 2025
Some of the finest productions staged at the Corn Hall have come from The Feast Theatre Company, so I had high hopes for Tales from the Motherland, not least as it has been written by… read more
Posted in Theatre
Conn Artists seduce their Corn Hall audience
9th Mar 2025
Attempting to adapt a novel as complex and involving as Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd for the stage is certainly ambitious, almost to the point of being foolhardy. It should come as no surprise… read more
Posted in Theatre
ELO Encounter prove Rock 'n' Roll is King
3rd Mar 2025
Having made the short trip up from Essex to Diss, Colchester based ELO Encounter were rewarded by a warm welcome from an enthusiastic capacity audience at the Corn Hall, keen to hear the music of Jeff… read more
Posted in Music
Paulus was looking for a friend
22nd Feb 2025
Can it really be nine years ago that we lost Victoria Wood to cancer? Someone who knows the cruel truth of that fact is Paulus, the self-confessed cabaret geek who has been keeping the memory… read more
Posted in Music
Mark Farrelly brings Patrick Hamilton to life
14th Feb 2025
Is Patrick Hamilton the most successful writer you've never heard of? The author of a string of best-selling novels in the 1930s that have now largely been forgotten, even his ground breaking plays Rope and… read more
Posted in Theatre
Small things like these - a preview
8th Feb 2025
Anyone used to seeing Cillian Murphy head up the Birmingham underworld, or run for his life chased by zombies, or invent the atomic bomb, is in for a shock as he brings to the screen… read more
Posted in Film
Matt Bragg steps in with only hours to spare
3rd Feb 2025
For once, the Corn Hall opened its doors on a Sunday night, seeing off the weekend for the near capacity audience with a welcome night of comedy, compered by American Russell Hicks. He grabbed the… read more
Posted in Comedy
Best Friends soothe a Little Bawl of Pain
24th Jan 2025
West End Best Friend Productions came all the way across the country from Birmingham's Old Joint Stock Theatre to present A Little Bawl of Pain, an evening of tearjerkers at the Corn Hall, the second… read more
Father Brown and the Curse of the Xmas Fairy
10th Jan 2025
It has become something of a seasonal tradition that in the New Year, Common Ground Theatre Group pay the Corn Hall a visit to remind us that Christmas was only a fortnight ago. Best known… read more
The Open Space of the Deep Blue Sea
29th Nov 2024
More than any other local theatre group, Open Space focuses on classic texts, favouring writers such as Anton Chekov, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. In doing so they set themselves the considerable challenge of doing… read more
Posted in Theatre
An Inspired Folly from Roughcast Theatre
22nd Nov 2024
George Bernard Shaw's tale of Eliza Dolittle's transformation has undergone so many iterations over the years that the themes and tone of the original play have been obscured, it not lost. Even the version of… read more
Posted in Theatre
Another full house for Corn Hall Comedy
17th Nov 2024
It was another full house for the reinvigorated Comedy night at the Corn Hall, with Steve Bugeja warming up the crowd nicely, exchanging the sort of good natured banter with the front row that we've… read more
Posted in Comedy
Simmons Measures Up
3rd Nov 2024
A member of the same club as Tim Vine, Milton Jones and Darren Walsh, Mark Simmons rejoices in word play and classic one-liners. Proving, once again, that there is an avaricious appetite for comedy in… read more
Posted in Comedy
A Haunting performance from Thom Bailey Theatre
26th Oct 2024
With Halloween only a week away Thom Bailey Theatre arrives just in time to scare the pants off the Corn Hall’s audience with four strange tales, based on East Anglian history and folk law. Reminiscent… read more
Posted in Theatre
Folk were away with the Faeries
21st Oct 2024
As winter inexorably draws in, as do the nights, it’s all the more important that the likes of the Peatbog Faeries are around to entertain us with their extraordinary mix of pipes, fiddles (not one… read more
Posted in Music
A Clogstravaganza at the Corn Hall
6th Oct 2024
The welcome return to the Corn Hall of musician Kathryn Tickell was met with a full house, eager to enjoy her very particular offering of Northumbrian pipe and fiddle music. As before, she was accompanied… read more
Posted in Music
An Uncommonly good ghost story
4th Oct 2024
The uncommon thing about a Common Ground production is that you never quite know what you're going to get, not just in substance but in tone. It will most likely be written and directed by… read more
Posted in Theatre
Well, that rascal hath good mettle in him
27th Sep 2024
Rumour has it that Elizabeth I was so enamoured with the character of John Falstaff in Henry IV, she persuaded Shakespeare to bring him back to the stage. Given the play can be charitably described… read more
Luke Wright brings Joy to Diss
21st Sep 2024
Luke Wright has appeared at the Corn Hall countless times with performances ranging from Poetry Nights, where new material is road tested in an informal setting, to the masterful long form trilogy of Johnny Bevan,… read more
Posted in Theatre
Ideal weather for an outdoors performance
26th Aug 2024
It’s a brave group that relies on the capricious weather of a British summer, but that's exactly what Dot Productions do, performing in outdoor venues all over the country. This time last year the Corn… read more
The music of Canada comes to Diss
22nd Aug 2024
A French-Canadian music group from Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu in Quebec, Le Vent du Nord played to a capacity audience at the Corn Hall, with an eclectic mix of their own compositions and traditional Québécois music. Though heavily… read more
Posted in Music
An evening in Praise of the Fender Guitar
10th Aug 2024
Who knew that there were so many fans of the Fender guitar living in Diss? An evening celebrating a particular guitar might sound like a niche evening appealing only the select few but that clearly… read more
Posted in Music
A Friendly Invasion of the Corn Hall by the Harleston Players
19th Jul 2024
The latest production from the Harleston Players was truly an all singing, all dancing affair, with the Station366 Singers and a team of dancers adding a sense of scale and spectacle to the story of… read more
Posted in Theatre, Uncategorised
Charlie Haycock Digs out his anecdotes
22nd Jun 2024
After Charlie Haycock's hugely entertaining talk on dialects back in April, it came as no surprise that he, once again, enjoyed a full house for his return visit to the Corn Hall, regaling his audience… read more
An Elephant in the room
21st Jun 2024
Feast Theatre’s mission statement is to bring theatre to the villages and towns of Norfolk, placing a heavy emphasis on stories rooted in the region. Having previously seen the excellent Canada Boys ( notwithstanding its… read more
Posted in Theatre
Paul Jones and Dave Kelly share the Blues
16th Jun 2024
When British blues royalty pay a visit to Diss, it’s a rare treat not to be missed. Paul Jones and Dave Kelly are no strangers to the Corn Hall, having previously appeared as part of… read more
Posted in Music
Best of Comedy at the Corn Hall
15th Jun 2024
Unusually for a compere, Matt Richardson was probably the best known of the comics on the bill, and having nicely warmed up the crowd with the usual Wickerman ribbing we grin and bear from London-centric… read more
Posted in Comedy
Greetings, grapple fans!
8th Jun 2024
Those of us of a certain age can remember Saturday afternoons in front of the telly, listening to Kent Walton commentate as the likes of Big Daddy, Kendo Nagasaki and Mick McManus knocking seven bells… read more
Posted in Family, live entertainment
The Norfolk & Norwich festival comes to Diss
18th May 2024
Last year, Geneva Lewis performed at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich alongside pianist Evren Ozel, but this time she was flying solo, showcasing the superb sound of a violin constructed by Guadagnini in the eighteen… read more
Posted in Music
There is no substitute for the Real Thing
28th Apr 2024
Before the evening’s headliner took to the stage, Richie Sampson warmed up the crowd with a lovingly curated selection of soul and Motown hits. Showcasing a fine voice, he kicked things off with The Temptations'… read more
Posted in Music
Brilliant performances have the audience buzzing
20th Apr 2024
Its over twenty years ago since I saw my first Eastern Angles play, and since then everything from Boudicca's Babes to Booming Voices have explored the history and landscape of East Anglia. It's always worth… read more
Posted in Theatre
Rachel Stockdale takes a Fat Chance
13th Apr 2024
Rachel Stockdale is a jobbing actor and serial audition failure, so unsuccessful in the latter that she's written a play about it. Described by a casting director as Northern, fat and a woman, he went… read more
Posted in Theatre, Uncategorised
Best of Comedy debut is a sold out success
7th Apr 2024
Over the years, the likes of Sara Pascoe, Dave John, Simon Munnery and Mitch Benn have entertained the Corn Hall Comedy Club, but not all on the same night. I don't think there's ever been… read more
Posted in Comedy
Townsend Theatre Brings History to Life
3rd Apr 2024
Townshend Theatre Productions have been coming to the Corn Hall for over ten years, highlighting overlooked figures from history that have been involved in the struggle for social justice. Subjects as diverse as the Tolpuddle… read more
Posted in Theatre
Wonka is a chocolate box of delights
28th Mar 2024
Director Paul King is the man behind the Paddington movies, so we have every right to expect great things from Wonka, and his trademark whimsy has certain certainly been put to good use again. The… read more
Posted in Film
Top Marks for Top Girls
23rd Mar 2024
Roughcast Theatre's focus on classic texts - over half of their productions in the last ten years have been Shakespearean - has inevitably meant that the lion's share of significant parts on offer favoured male… read more
Posted in Theatre
Hamlet gone for a burton
22nd Mar 2024
Jack Thorne’s play is about rehearsals for a play that is staged as if were a rehearsal of Hamlet, which features Hamlet staging a play. The fact that The Motive and The Cue recently transferred… read more
Posted in Theatre
A Final Curtain Call for Caine and Jackson
21st Mar 2024
Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson bring their considerable acting skills to bear on The Great Escaper, a simple, heart-warming story of a D-day veteran who "escapes" to France to attend the 70th… read more
Posted in Film
Radio Brought to life on Stage
18th Mar 2024
The Crime and Comedy Theatre Company benefit from a number of familiar faces (and voices) to draw in an audience, with Colin Baker - best known for his playing of the Doctor during the classic… read more
Posted in Theatre
Come and see the violence inherent in the system
14th Mar 2024
They say the necessity is the mother of invention, and I doubt there's a better exemplar of the maxim than Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a film that, as the posters said at the… read more
A Fabulous Theatrical Feast
9th Mar 2024
Rob John's sharply written Hollyhock Trilogy benefits hugely from the acting talent of Dawn Finnerty and Robin McLoughlin, who both breathe life into the characters sketched out in three separate mini-plays focusing on loneliness, loss… read more
Posted in Theatre
An Unlikely tale of Contrition and Kindness
8th Mar 2024
Adapted from Rachel Joyce’s bestselling novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a deceptively simple tale of a man that walks the length of England, imagining that the act itself will prevent an old friend… read more
Posted in Film
A Word to the Wise from Charlie Haylock
3rd Mar 2024
If a history of our spoken language doesn't sound like your idea of a fun night out, then I have to assume you've never spent time in the company of Charlie Haylock. Combining an encyclopaedic… read more
Posted in Word
Wozniak's Family Fable Fills the Corn Hall
1st Mar 2024
Unique is one of the most overworked words in comedy, but Mike Wozniak really is one of a kind. Impeccably well mannered, dressed in his signature suit and tie, and with a moustache that would… read more
Posted in Comedy
A Haunting tale of Murder
29th Feb 2024
Kenneth Branagh’s latest Poirot adventure, very loosely based on Agatha Christie's Halloween Party, is a significant departure from the star filled travelogues that preceded it, and is all the better for it. While the essential… read more
Posted in Film
Painting the Modern Garden
24th Feb 2024
The Royal Academy’s exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse‘ traced the emergence of the modern garden using a vast collection of works by some of the most important Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Avant-Garde artists… read more
Magical Comedy delivered Just like that
16th Feb 2024
Given the ubiquity of tribute bands that make an honest living pretending to be someone else, it’s perhaps surprising that the idea doesn't branch out into other forms of entertainment. Admittedly, I've seen the likes… read more
And Then Come The Nightjars
15th Feb 2024
The fictional world of the Detectorists, the fishing exploits of Whitehouse and Mortimer and Benjamin Myer's Perfect Golden Circle all deal with the stoic, idiosyncratic, emotionally repressed bond between two heterosexual men, but its a… read more
Posted in Film
Past Lives wonders what might have been
7th Feb 2024
Celine Song's astonishingly assured directorial debut seems all the more poignant when you learn it is loosely autobiographical. Much like Greta Lee’s Nora, she lives in New York, having migrated from Korea twenty years previously.… read more
Posted in Film
Delf Delves into the Wilderness
4th Feb 2024
Last year, Eliza Delf gave what was only her second live performance at the Corn Hall, supporting Roddy Woomble of Idlewise. Eight months later, she has returned, accompanied by her Wilderness Collective, as headliner. Before… read more
Posted in Music
A Magical Night at the Corn Hall
28th Jan 2024
The last time I can recall magic coming to Diss was Morgan and West, and that was in Garboldisham before the refurbished Corn Hall reopened. There is clearly an appetite for it though, as the… read more
Posted in Theatre
Joseph Fiennes Scores a Winner for Dear England
27th Jan 2024
Sport and Stage make uneasy bed fellows, generally requiring two members of any self-respecting pub quiz team. Attempts to dramatize the former, in particular football, have generally fallen short of their goal. It would be… read more
A celebration of Django Reinhardt
26th Jan 2024
The regular jazz evenings at the Corn Hall, hosted by Chris Ingram, always attract a sizeable audience, and their loyalty is invariably rewarded by excellent musicians playing the music they love. The four-piece London Django… read more
Posted in Music
A whip smart script makes for a cracking film
24th Jan 2024
Can it really be over forty years since the first Indiana Jones film? If so, can it really be Harrison Ford running atop a moving train in the latest one? With the assistance of some… read more
Posted in Film
The Cawston Band raises the roof off the Corn Hall
21st Jan 2024
If you've never heard a brass band play live - and these days that sadly places you with the majority – it might be hard to appreciate why those of us who have simply love… read more
Posted in Music
A Special Trip to Cromer
18th Jan 2024
Who would have thought that a German documentary about Cromer would even be a thing, let alone a success, both in producer Jens Meurer's home country and here in the UK. Seaside Special is all… read more
Mark Watson Embraces Diss
14th Jan 2024
I've seen Mark Watson a few times over the years, and I'm never sure how much of his intended routine ever gets delivered. Such is his conversational, seemingly disconnected, style, it’s tricky you work out… read more
Posted in Comedy
Nolan's Explosive Biopic lights up the screen
11th Jan 2024
Christopher Nolan’s formidable, if occasionally unwieldy, biopic of Robert Oppenheimer is huge in both its scale and ambition. Over the course of its considerable playing time, it interweaves Oppenheimer's time in academia, his romantic entanglements,… read more
Posted in Film
The Ice Wolf Cometh
9th Jan 2024
MISS MIMPLE MEETS THE ICE WOLF - Common Ground Theatre Company Ushering in the New Year in the company of Common Ground Theatre has become something of tradition in the last few years, and one… read more
Bah Humbug!
6th Jan 2024
Just when you thought it was safe to put away the tinsel and the baubles, Simon Callow pops up with a version of Charles Dickens's classic, ghostly tale to remind us that the spirit of Christmas… read more
A Magical Seasonal Treat for All the Family
15th Dec 2023
The Corn Hall has hosted a Christmas pantomime for many years, but this is the first created in house, and it's a gamble that has paid off handsomely. The ensemble cast and crew may not… read more
Sprowston Boy is a winner
24th Nov 2023
In the mid 80s, salesman Geoff Whiting and coal merchant Kenny Blanch bought a racehorse and named it after the road they both grew up on. The horse went on to romp home ahead of… read more
Posted in Theatre
In the Barbie world life in plastic is fantastic
23rd Nov 2023
Greta Gerwig's surprisingly subversive movie about the eponymous Barbie, in all her weird and wonderful incarnations, stars Margot Robbie in a role that she was surely born into, as Stereotypical Barbie. Her stereotypical pal Ken,… read more
Posted in Film
A Timely reminder of the horrors of conflict
10th Nov 2023
It was nearly one hundred years ago that RC Sherriff's extraordinary treatise on life in the trenches was first performed in the West End. And yet, in both its language and sensibilities, Roughcast's staging of… read more
Posted in Theatre
Return of the Romcom
9th Nov 2023
Shekhar Kapur, probably best known as the director of Elizabeth returns after an extended period with the romcom What’s Love Got to Do with It? It's the sort of fun, frothy and good-natured romp that… read more
Posted in Film
Julian Dutton salutes John Le Mesurier
6th Nov 2023
Julian Dutton's tribute to John Le Mesurier, the actor best known for his role in Dad's Army, was an affectionate but candid look at the life of a man that met triumph and disaster, and… read more
Posted in Theatre
Caulfield covers Kangaroos and Coat hangers
4th Nov 2023
Diss Station isn't really in Diss, observed Jo Caulfield, and I suppose if you've come all the way from Edinburgh by train, it must feel quite a slog from Gilray Road to the Corn Hall.… read more
Posted in Comedy
A Romantic Thriller that confounds expectation
26th Oct 2023
Park Chan-wook has a seemingly effortless ability to confound expectation. Very few would have thought the director of Oldboy would have turned his hand to the overt eroticism of The Handmaiden, and with Decision to… read more
Posted in Film
A compelling drama of chilling relevance
20th Oct 2023
At 8.15 in the morning, on the 6th August 1945, the United States unleashed the terrible power of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Michael Mears’s The Mistake is a complex and involving play that offers… read more
Posted in Theatre
Zerdin's Stand up for Dummies is a masterclass
14th Oct 2023
Is Paul Zerdin Britain's finest ventriloquist? Fans of Nina Conti might have something to say about that, but it's fair to say they are the only two masters of the art that could sensibly lay… read more
Posted in Comedy
James Norton's Challenging Little Life
7th Oct 2023
The Corn Hall frequently showcases the best the National Theatre has to offer, and it's always a treat seeing what London is enjoying, presented in a way that faithfully captures the theatrical experience. Filmed at the… read more
Eric Ravilious is drawn to War
2nd Oct 2023
Given the interest shown in the work of Eric Ravilious following the ground-breaking exhibition of this art back in 2015, it's hard to imagine that his work was almost forgotten until his children found a… read more
Luke Wright’s Celebrates his Silver Jubilee
16th Sep 2023
It's hard to believe that Luke Wright, or anyone else for that matter, has earned a living through stand up poetry for the last twenty five years. Once you've ticked off John Cooper Clarke, Attila… read more
Alfie Moore gives an arresting performance
9th Sep 2023
Regular Radio 4 listeners, the great majority of which appeared to have turned up to a full-to-bursting Corn Hall, will be familiar with Alfie Moore, a former police officer and stand-up comic who presents a… read more
Posted in Comedy
Dot Productions weather the storm
29th Aug 2023
It was with some trepidation that I made my way to the grounds of the Oaksmere for Dot Production's open air performance of their adaptation of Jane Austin's Persuasion. The heavens had opened only moments… read more
Posted in Theatre
Fraser Anderson and Bex Baxter in perfect Harmony
26th Aug 2023
Confronted by a bare stage, there was a palpable feeling of both expectation and curiosity amongst the audience at the Corn Hall, waiting for Fraser Anderson to take to the stage. I wasn’t alone in… read more
Posted in Music
By Jove, Robertson & Collett play to a full house
28th Jul 2023
What does a theatre company do when cast, props and sets are stuck in a van that's broken down on the M6? As everyone knows, the golden rule is the show must go on. Gavin… read more
Emma is The Pantaloons at their very best
23rd May 2023
Those coming to a show by The Pantaloons expecting a faithful adaptation of their favourite novel might come away disappointed. However, those more familiar with their style will enjoy this riotous, irreverent and hugely entertaining… read more
A unique window into the world of Vermeer
19th May 2023
With the exhibition at the Rijksmuseum museum sold out for months, this film is now the only chance to see the largest grouping of the artist’s work ever assembled. It’s hard to argue that the… read more
Posted in Art, Uncategorised
His Luton bungalow had more than one story
15th May 2023
It might be a stretch to call John Hegley’s show multimedia, but we did get a series of slides, starting off with a drawing of the Luton bungalow where he grew up, featuring inspirations for… read more
She Said is a gripping account of dogged journalism
13th May 2023
Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s solid adaptation of Jodi Kantor’s book of the same name follows in the footsteps of Spotlight and Post, as a team of journalists doggedly investigate wrongdoing that has been covered up by powerful… read more
Posted in Film
Woomble and Delf offer a rare Double bill
10th May 2023
Founding member and lead vocalist of Idlewild, Roddy Woomble, is currently touring on own, albeit with a little help from his friend and fellow band member Andrew Mitchell on keyboards and guitar. In a relaxed… read more
Posted in Music
Coracle floats the Corn Hall Boat
7th May 2023
Accordionist Paul Hutchinson, multi-instrumentalist and singer Anna Tam, and clarinettist Karen Wimhurst are a pleasingly eccentric trio, bringing their disparate musical talents together to offer up a sound that is grounded in folk, yet clearly… read more
Posted in Music
SOLD - a Powerful and Provocative indictment of Slavery
1st May 2023
Amanda Edmund's dramatization of the life story of Mary Prince is an astonishing and powerful mix of song, dance, drum rhythms and riveting narrative from Kuumba Nia Arts. Based on Prince's biography, a best-selling treatise… read more
Posted in Theatre
The Baghdaddies get Diss Dancing
29th Apr 2023
It’s been a while since the Corn Hall has been quite so packed and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it quite so boisterous, as the Baghdaddies took Diss by storm with a grand standing… read more
Posted in Music
A Medieval Miracle is Ivor Cutting's Swansong
14th Apr 2023
Eastern Angles’ tale of mischief, devils and song is Ivan Cutting's final production as Artistic Director of a company he founded forty years ago. It is as ambitious and bold as we have come to… read more
Posted in Theatre
Townsend Productions' return to a classic Text
31st Mar 2023
Townsend Productions are so overtly political their polemical shows can be something of a shock to anyone expecting a cosy night at the theatre. Having previously dramatized the Shrewsbury 24, the chain makers of Cradley… read more
Posted in Theatre, Uncategorised
Singing the Praises for Love Song
25th Mar 2023
Abi Morgan's play spans forty years, with the four members of the company playing a couple at the beginning and the end of their marriage. Anyone familiar with the work of Roughcast Theatre, will realise… read more
Posted in Theatre
A Classic Performance from Chamber Philharmonic
14th Mar 2023
The Chamber Philharmonic Europe brought a rare, but very welcome, programme of classical music to the Corn Hall that teetered teasingly between the populist and the adventurous. Lead violinist Pawel Zuzanski took us on a… read more
Posted in Music
Bowjangles get their teeth into Dracula in Space
20th Feb 2023
I can’t imagine many people knew what to expect from a show that featured a string quartet and a space vampire, so full marks to the audience at the Corn Hall that took a leap… read more
Wright brings mirth in his night with McNish
19th Feb 2023
The poetry club at the Corn Hall has long since outgrown the cosy Waveney Room, and now wins audiences in the main hall that rival shows that you might think would have a wider audience.… read more
Posted in Luke Wright, Stand-Up Poetry
Hal Cruttenden is heard at his best
12th Feb 2023
Over the years, the Corn Hall has played host to many fine comedians, but Hal Cruttenden's sold out show must surely rank as one of the best for a very long time. Deep down, we… read more
Posted in Comedy
John Etheridge lifts Spirits with a virtuoso performance
3rd Feb 2023
John Etheridge is probably best known as guitarist for the prog-rock/jazz outfit Soft Machine, but he’s played with everyone from Stéphane Grappelli to Hawkwind. Known for his extraordinary dexterity and eclecticism, his visit to the… read more
Posted in Music
Pierre Hollins Banishes the January Blues
28th Jan 2023
A regular highlight on the Corn Hall calendar, the Comedy Club brought some much needed cheer to frosty 2023 for a packed crowd keen to shake off the January blues with an international roster of… read more
Posted in Comedy
A boiling Crucible of terror and tragedy comes to the Corn Hall
23rd Jan 2023
Arthur Miller’s 1953 study of hysteria and public shaming marks a welcome return of live performance beamed in from the National Theatre to the Corn Hall. The play is notionally a period drama, retelling the… read more
Posted in Theatre
A delightful confection starring Leslie Manville and fifties fashion
20th Jan 2023
Anyone familiar with the films of Mike Leigh will know how good an actor Leslie Manville is, but it’s only as recently as 2017, for the performance in Phantom Threads, that this was widely acknowledged.… read more
Posted in Film
Tom Cruise goes Maverick in this astonishing spectacle
13th Jan 2023
Viewed through the prism of all that followed, the first Top Gun film looks oddly dated now, but at the time it was a game changer, instrumental in bringing the vitality and economy of advertising… read more
Posted in Film
Common Ground have fun with nuns
8th Jan 2023
The Common Ground Theatre Company specialises in the dramatization of challenging classic texts, fearlessly tackling the likes of Coleridge, Poe and Dostoevsky. Their shows make for intellectually nourishing and wonderfully enlightening evenings that educate as… read more
Blancmange makes Waves in Diss
18th Nov 2022
In what was an exciting departure for the Corn Hall, Blancmange brought Synth-pop to Diss, brilliantly showcasing a new album and a back catalogue stretching back forty years. The evening kicked off with Rodney Cromwell,… read more
Posted in Music
Roughcast Theatre revive a comedy classic
13th Nov 2022
Frank Capra’s movie of the same name is such a perfect example of the screwball comedy genre he made his own, it’s easy to forget that Arsenic and Old Lace was originally a play, and… read more
Posted in Theatre
Full Steam ahead for the Railway Children's Return
12th Nov 2022
It’s been over fifty years since Jenny Agutter stood on a railway platform calling for her Daddy in the definitive family film. In this belated sequel, it’s Beau Gadsdon that does much the same, in… read more
Posted in Film
Daliso Chaponda Stands Up to Lockdown
11th Nov 2022
Daliso Chaponda is best known for reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent, having been fast tracked by Amanda Holden with the golden buzzer. A sweet, self-effacing performer, he describes himself as a D list… read more
Posted in Comedy
Open Space takes Miss Julie in a new direction
29th Oct 2022
Those familiar with Strindberg’s play, might be surprised by how much of it has remained intact in Patrick Marber’s updated version. Marber’s abiding message, by implication, is that nothing much changed in the sixty years… read more
Posted in Theatre
Mark Rylance fits the Outfit like a glove
28th Oct 2022
Single set dramas – anything from 12 Angry Men to Reservoir Dogs – are compelled to do something interesting with words, and The Outfit is no exception. Mark Rylance is reliably excellent as the cutter… read more
Posted in Film
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is caught in a trap
23rd Oct 2022
Baz Luhrmann’s latest movie is a kaleidoscopic biopic of Elvis Presley, audaciously telling the story of his rise to fame through the distorted prism of Colonel Tom Parker. There have been so many attempts to… read more
Dunstan Bruce didn't go gentle into that good night
22nd Oct 2022
As lead singer (a description he balks at even today) and front man of Chumbawamba, Dunstan Bruce had his moment in the sun with chart-topper Tubthumping. The definitive one hit wonder (they even had t-shirts… read more
Time and Tide waits in the Cromer Cafe
12th Oct 2022
Relish Theatre’s play has been touring across East Anglia throughout October, and will continue on manoeuvres after this performance at the Corn Hall, finishing up with a brief run at the Theatre Royal. It’s a… read more
Fantastic terrors never felt before
8th Oct 2022
The latest production from the Common Ground Theatre Company sees them venture into ambitious territory, taking on both the biography and stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven uses a recital by Poe as a… read more
Posted in Theatre
A tiny show with a huge message
3rd Oct 2022
String Theatre have brought, crows, chimney sweeps and circuses to the Corn Hall in previous years, in productions that featured the changing of the seasons, the aquatic world of fish and myriad forms of insect… read more
Natalie Songer’s Satellites was utterly Spellbinding
23rd Sep 2022
Natalie Songer’s extraordinarily ambitious and complex show took in the vastness of time and space, and yet did so by exploring the most intimate and touching of family stories. Taking inspiration from her family’s hazy,… read more
Posted in Theatre
This riveting documentary perfectly complements the Corn Hall's latest Art Exhibition
21st Sep 2022
Paula Rego, Secrets and Stories, a documentary made by her son Nick Willing, was never going to be the usual detached academic dissection of a painter and their work, but neither is this a… read more
Operation Mincemeat is a resounding success
15th Sep 2022
Ten years ago I read a fascinating book by Ben Macintyre, outlining an extraordinary scheme to trick Nazi Germany into thinking the allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia, rather than their actual target, Sicily.… read more
Posted in Film
Licorice Pizza is a tasty treat
8th Sep 2022
Fans of Paul Thomas Anderson films won’t be disappointed by this leisurely exploration of dysfunctional young love. Like Punch-Drunk Love, Boogie Nights and Inherent Vice it takes its time to work its way into your… read more
Posted in Film
Walker and Styles - a workshop where we dug deep to reveal our own concerns
7th Sep 2022
It’s been a long 18 months since the People’s Cabaret last came to the Corn Hall but back in 2021 (as part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival), Jessica Walker came to Diss accompanied only… read more
Benedict Cumberbatch gives an electrifying performance
3rd Aug 2022
It turns out that I have Louis Wain to thank for a life in service to my cats – before his whimsical illustrations became popular at the turn on the last century cats were apparently… read more
Posted in Film, Uncategorised
Almodóvar is on top form with his latest film
16th Jul 2022
Two mothers, not really parallel at all, come together in this moving melodrama that celebrates the courage of single mothers, while nodding to the unhealed wounds of Spain’s troubled political history. Pedro Almodóvar’s new movie… read more
Posted in Film
Death on the Nile is a sumptuously filmed romp
8th Jul 2022
In the case of Death On The Nile, director Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green’s sequel to their polished adaptation of Murder On The Orient Express, we get nothing less than the origin story of… read more
Posted in Film, Uncategorised
Shaparak Khorsandi delights her audience with gentle good humour and salacious anecdotes
19th Jun 2022
Back in the 90s, there was no social media, no dating sites, and – if we are to believe Shaparak Khorsandi – no shame. In her early twenties Shappi, as she was then known, was… read more
Posted in Comedy
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is a spellbinding masterpiece
5th Jun 2022
Kenneth Branagh’s elegiac, autobiographical movie has a tremendous warmth to it, notwithstanding its grim subject matter, and although it focuses on a specific time in Branagh’s life, it touches on surprisingly universal themes. When, it… read more
Posted in Film
Unfolding Theatre Breaks Bread with the people of Diss
20th May 2022
Unfolding Theatre's deceptively complex examination of memory, family life and friendship was a delightfully positive, yet unusually thought-provoking two-hander, written by Luca Rutherford. There was dancing on tables, music from Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, free… read more
Posted in Theatre
A return to form for the King's Man
15th May 2022
Director Matthew Vaughan appears to have, unusually, listened to critics of the earlier Kingsmen films, retaining the stiff upper lip of the protagonist, while dispensing with much of the leering, laddish attitude that marred what… read more
Posted in Film
Tim Holt-Wilson discusses the elephant in the room
14th May 2022
Despite an early start for Tim Holt-Wilson's fascinating lecture, the Corn Hall attracted a healthy audience in search of the Lost Beasts of Norfolk and Suffolk. His walk-through of the region’s pre-history was the opening… read more
Posted in Uncategorised
Catfish thrill audience after a two year wait
6th Mar 2022
Too bluesy for rock, and too rocky for blues - these are, I hasten to add, guitarist Matt Long’s words, not mine. It’s true the sound that Catfish produces is a sometimes curious hybrid, but… read more
Posted in Music
Black is the Color of my Voice plays to a full house
4th Mar 2022
Apphia Campbell’s award-winning show has been performed in London, New York, Shanghai and Edinburgh but, finally, it has found its way to Diss. I’ve seen many shows at the Corn Hall that warranted a full… read more
Mark Watson finally finds out that Diss Exists
26th Feb 2022
Over the years, I’ve seen Mark Watson several times (he’s practically a permanent fixture at Latitude) and he has never failed to mention Diss at some point in his act. It seemed to gain near… read more
Posted in Comedy
Britten Sinfonia brings a World Premiere to our doorstep
26th Feb 2022
It's been a long time coming, but chamber music has come to the Corn Hall, with a day of activities that culminated in an evening recital from Britten Sinfonia. What immediately became apparent was how… read more
Dune is an extraordinary, spectacular visual treat
18th Feb 2022
Director Denis Villeneuve’s decision to take on Frank Herbert’s mammoth Dune novel might be thought brave to the point of foolhardiness, given the almighty mess David Lynch made of it back in the eighties. For… read more
Gary Delaney makes a triumphal return to Diss
6th Feb 2022
Gary Delaney took the Corn Hall on a trip to Punderland for a second sold out night, delighting his audience with an exhausting, and seemingly inexhaustible, supply of gags. With help from his warm up… read more
Posted in Comedy
After Love is a stunning debut
21st Jan 2022
Dominating this debut movie from director Aleem Khan is a superb performance from Joanna Scanlan, probably best known for her work in comic gems like Getting On and The Thick of It. Her understated acting… read more
Posted in Film
No Time to Die proves well worth the wait
8th Jan 2022
Daniel Craig’s final Bond film is a fitted conclusion to his record breaking fifteen year tenure. Packed with set-piece action and outrageous stunts, there’s more than enough to keep fans of old-school 007 movies happy.… read more
Posted in Film
Elvis McGonagall returns to the Corn Hall as funny, and as angry, as ever
13th Nov 2021
Luke Wright hosted his poetry night with his usual charm and good humour, but otherwise seemed in reflective mood. Perhaps conscious that this quarterly treat is packed with a regular audience, he was keen to… read more
A View From the Bridge marks Open Space's triumphal return to the stage
12th Nov 2021
After interminable covid rescheduling, Open Space Theatre Company have finally been able to tour with their production of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge. Judging from the number of people that had come along… read more
Posted in Theatre
Common Grounds handsome adaptation of Dostoevsky is a bold triumph
6th Nov 2021
One thing you can’t say about Common Ground Theatre Company is that they lack ambition. Taking on Dostoevsky is bold under any circumstance. Adapting him for the theatre is brave indeed. The Dream of a… read more
Posted in Theatre
The Courier is a Ripping Yarn - but is so much more as well
4th Nov 2021
We are so used to seeing Benedict Cumberbatch play dysfunctional geniuses that it’s a little disorientating to discover he’s more than capable of playing a man distinguished by his ordinariness. Greville Wynne, a salesman with… read more
Promising Young Woman is an engaging, thought provoking and gripping examination of date rape.
27th Oct 2021
Given the films industry’s focus on the #MeToo movement, it’s surprising that a move exploring the issues raised hasn’t come along earlier. It’s also surprising that it should be marketed as a revenge thriller. Director… read more
Posted in Film
First Cow is a triumph of gentle story telling
21st Oct 2021
Based on screenwriter Jonathan Raymond’s novel, director Kelly Reichardt film is not a story that gets told in a hurry. As much a collage of scenes as a narrative, it is shot with simplicity and… read more
Posted in Film
The Killer Question answered in this funny, inventive mystery
8th Oct 2021
It is always a pleasure and a treat to see new writing performed, and all the more so when the text is as sharp and witty as Dave Payne’s comedy thriller. Payne readily acknowledges a… read more
Kathryn Tickell lights up the Corn Hall with the Darkening
29th Sep 2021
Kathryn Tickell is a composer, a recording artist, a Radio 3 presenter, and probably one the country’s best pipe players. She’s made a career out of exploring the musical heritage of her native Northumbria (from… read more
Posted in Music
Arthur Smith headlines a cracking evening of merriment.
26th Sep 2021
Unavoidable absences are becoming so commonplace these days they hardly warrant a mention, but hats off to the three comedians that did make it to the Corn Hall for what was a slimmed down comedy… read more
Posted in Comedy
A superbly staged production that is both ambitious and original
18th Sep 2021
It’s been awhile since we’ve enjoyed theatre of any kind, but setting that aside, a while longer since The Keeper’s Daughter have presented one of their adaptations of classic texts. The works of Conan Doyle,… read more
Hollie McNish signals the triumphant return of Luke Wright's Poetry evenings
11th Sep 2021
Luke Wright’s poetry evening at the Corn Hall returned with a genuine star turn, as Hollie McNish read from her latest collection. As ever, though, Wright kicked things off with work of his own, and… read more
Posted in Theatre
A Magically Nostalgic Evening with Dad's Army
3rd Sep 2021
Back in the 70s it was not uncommon for a successful TV show to be adapted for the radio, and Dad’s Army was no exception. David Benson’s and Jack Lane’s audacious idea was to replicate… read more
Ezio thrill the Corn Hall audience with a cracking gig packed with fan favourites
23rd May 2021
This was the third is a series of gigs presented by English Folk Expo at the Corn Hall. Notionally a folk artist, Ezio is at the rockier end of the spectrum, with a sound that… read more
Posted in Music
The Corn Hall reopens with a celebration of protest and song
20th May 2021
Presented as part of the of N&N festival, The People’s Cabaret is a work in progress, with this premier intended as seed corn from which a bigger, bolder event will emerge through community involvement. We… read more
The Gentlemen is a Exuberant, Labyrinthine Romp
14th Oct 2020
After dipping his toe into family friendly films, Guy Ritchie returns to what he does best with The Gentlemen. The film is a scabrous, exuberant romp, with a labyrinthine plot that will have your head… read more
David Copperfield is very funny, breathlessly energetic and endlessly imaginative
8th Oct 2020
Armando Iannucci’s exuberant adaptation of David Copperfield opens with our eponymous hero telling his life story to a rapt audience in Bury St Edmund’s Theatre Royal. What follows is a joyous romp around East Anglia,… read more
Parasite is meticulously plotted, perfectly cast, and hugely entertaining
4th Oct 2020
Parasite is deservedly the first foreign language film to win an Oscar for best film. It is meticulously plotted, perfectly cast, and hugely entertaining, Bong Joon-ho won two more, for direction and script, along with… read more
Posted in Film
Red Shoes is a Marvellous Spectacle full of glamour and romance
30th Sep 2020
Michael Powell's masterful adaptation of a Hans Christian Anderson story famously inspired Mathew Bourne to enter the world of dance, and his adaptation of the film is full of the glamour, romance and creativity that… read more
1917 is a thrilling, spell-binding triumph
23rd Sep 2020
Much has been made of the technical brilliance of Sam Mendes’s 1917. This is a film that takes place in real time, with the camera seemingly following soldiers Schofield and Blake in a single unbroken… read more
Posted in Film
Live Theatre returns to Diss with The Handlebards’s Romeo and Juliet
20th Sep 2020
It was a slimmed down version of the Handlebards that entertained people in the park, as part of the Corn Hall’s continuing efforts to reintroduce live theatre to Diss. Fortunately, what the company lacked in… read more
Little Women breathes new life into into the Classic Novel
16th Sep 2020
Louisa May Alcott’s book has been adapted many times, and as recently as the mid-nineties, so Greta Gerwig had to bring something very special to the screen in order to justify yet one more retelling… read more
THE REMAINS OF LOGAN DANKWORTH Completes Luke Wright's stunning trilogy
16th Mar 2020
It was perhaps inevitable that in the third of Luke Wright’s trilogy of political monologues he would come bang up to date with an examination of Brexit. In previous outings, in the company of Johnny… read more
The Peanut Butter Falcon is a delightful buddy movie that plucks on your heartstrings
5th Mar 2020
Anyone who remembers Huckleberry Finn fondly will find much to love in The Peanut Butter Falcon. Set in the North Carolina Outer Banks, this delightful buddy movie is a film that plucks on your heartstrings… read more
Posted in Film
The Crow's Tale was charming, imaginative, and delightful
2nd Mar 2020
This was the third visit to the Corn Hall for London based String Theatre, presenting their most ambitious production yet - a charming tale based on a Lenni Lenape Native American legend. The story of… read more
Bait is a true original in both form and content
23rd Feb 2020
Shot with clockwork cameras on grainy 16mm stock, which Cornish film-maker Mark Jenkin hand-processed in his studio in Newlyn, Bait is a true original in both form and content. Clearly influenced by Nicolas Roeg, this… read more
Posted in Film
Dom Joly shares his holiday snaps with Diss
22nd Feb 2020
From the outset, Dom Joly made it clear there were to be no squirrel costumes or giant phones for the evening’s performance. What we got instead was a fascinating and insightful talk on some of… read more
Horrible Histories is a fun packed romp through Roman Britain
18th Feb 2020
The Horrible Histories book series has sold over 25 million copies, inspiring toys, magazines, and video games. In 2009, CBBC showcased a sketch show based on the franchise which continues to this day. Perhaps inevitably,… read more
Pain and Glory is a Stunning return to form for Pedro Almodóvar
14th Feb 2020
This is a stunning return to form for Pedro Almodóvar, consolidating the success of Julieta after the misfire of I’m so Excited. Just as his previous film revolved around a woman confronting the ghosts of… read more
Posted in Film
Judy is Zellweger’s chameleon like transformation makes this her movie from beginning to end
7th Feb 2020
Adapted by Tom Edge from Peter Quilter’s the stage play, this is a raw portrait of Judy Garland at the end of her career, and a showcase for Renée Zellweger’s uncanny ability to get under… read more
Downton Abbey film - a lavishly produced treat for the series many fans
3rd Feb 2020
Fans of Downton Abbey won’t be disappointed by this big screen opportunity to catch up with old friends. Gifted a bigger budget, Julian Fellowes’s drama about upstairs/downstairs has been turned from a show where thoughtful… read more
Boothby Graffoe headlines the strongest comedy line up for months
1st Feb 2020
It was a welcome return to form for the Corn Hall’s Comedy Club, with a varied lineup hosted by MC James Dowdeswell. Hugely personable, Dowdeswell had a pleasingly large crowd on side from the outset,… read more
Posted in Comedy
The Blues Band are better than ever in concert & on their new album
25th Nov 2019
The Blues Band, and permutations of its constituent parts have come to Diss quite a few times but I don’t recall them ever playing quite so well. The reason may be The Rooster Crowed, their… read more
Present Laughter – Andrew Scott's brilliant performance in the National Theatre's Production makes Noel Coward's play sparkle
21st Nov 2019
Noel Coward’s furiously funny farce is given a new lease of life in this frenzied production at the Old Vic. Largely a vehicle for Andrew Scott’s brilliant incarnation of preening thesp Garry Essendine, the play… read more
A triumphant and life affirming return for Paul Sinha
18th Nov 2019
Paul Sinha made a real impact at the Corn Hall last year - he seemed to enjoy the evening as much as his audience did - so perhaps it’s no surprise that his return was… read more
Posted in Comedy
The Pantaloons Master one of Shakespeare's Greatest Tragedies
16th Nov 2019
The members of the Pantaloons Theatre Company pride themselves on accessible interpretations of classic theatre, from Homer to Shakespeare to Dickens, unlocking the playfulness and good humour from the most sober of texts. Othello must… read more
Posted in Theatre
Yesterday is a funny, feelgood film that will delight fans of Richard Curtis's very particular brand of film making
13th Nov 2019
When Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle teamed up it seemed such a provocative combination that it was hard to imagine what would emerge. The end result is a lot closer to Love Actually than Trainspotting,… read more
Hazel O’Connor held her audience spellbound
10th Nov 2019
Given the revival of interest in eighties music it’s no surprise that Hazel O’Connor played to a full house at the Corn Hall. But to attribute her success merely to nostalgia would be to greatly… read more
The Dave Thomas Big Blues Band delivers a masterclass in classic Chicago blues
21st Oct 2019
If Dave Thomas ever took to running, I suspect he’d go for a marathon rather than a sprint. With a carefully curated set that lasted only a few minutes shy of three hours, Thomas took… read more
Gary Delaney brings down the house with his Gagsters Paradise show
21st Oct 2019
You have to wonder if Gary Delaney’s brain is wired up differently from everyone else’s. His prodigious gag writing ability is such that, even before settling down to the show, he has bombarded us with… read more
Rocketman - screening tomorrow - is bold, imaginative and original
8th Oct 2019
Considering that both David Furnish and Elton John were producers of this film, it’s a remarkably frank and unflinching examination of Reg Dwight’s rocky path to fame and its almost disastrous consequences. Even more remarkable… read more
Another chance to see Fleabag on the big screen - it's a terrifically entertaining showcase for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s considerable talents
2nd Oct 2019
I wonder how many others were belatedly catching up with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s extraordinary Edinburgh debut back in 2013, kicking themselves that, at the time, they went to see something else instead? Given the global success… read more
The Keeper - a watchable, engaging story of hope & humanity triumphing over bitter resentment
20th Sep 2019
Marcus H Rosenmüller’s robust, no nonsense account of Bert Trautmann’s improbable, but true, journey towards a role as Manchester City’s post war goalie is a loving tribute to reconciliation and forgiveness that is a paean… read more
Cast your prejudices aside, you’ll be cheering over this heart-warming tale with family, East Anglia & wrestling at its heart
12th Sep 2019
If you’re wondering whether a film about wrestling is for you, then wonder no more, and not just because it largely takes place in East Anglia. This heart-warming tale of a close knit, loving family… read more
Can You Ever Forgive Me? - you will, after seeing next week's hugely enjoyable film
29th Aug 2019
Continuing the current fashion for true tales that are stranger than fiction, Marielle Heller turns Lee Israel’s improbable career as a forger into a jolly, breathless romp that skips from scene to scene. Israel’s wobbly… read more
Green Book - in spite of its hard hitting subject matter - is an absolute delight from beginning to end
13th Aug 2019
Loosely based on Don Shirley’s tour of the Deep South of America, Peter Farrelly’s film - showing on Wednesday 21st August - is an absolute delight from beginning to end, notwithstanding its hard hitting subject… read more
Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie give powerful performances as the rivals in next week's Wednesday film
1st Aug 2019
Mary Queen of Scots The rivalry between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I has been repeatedly dramatized and documented, but most often from the perspective of the English monarch and the furore surrounding the… read more
Roughcast's rumbustious romp of A Midsummer Night's Dream features a scene-stealing, marvellously exuberant Bottom
26th Jul 2019
A Midsummer Night’s Dream RoughCast Theatre Company has never been afraid to take on challenging writing, tackling everything from Ibsen to Orton, and in their latest production they take on that most formidable of oxymorons,… read more
All is True - Branagh & Dench are magnificent in this film which seeks to explain the great mystery of why Shakespeare retired so suddenly
19th Jul 2019
All is True (12A) Kenneth Branagh’s career is so closely associated with Shakespeare, it was perhaps inevitable that he would one day play the man himself. To that extent this is very much Branagh’s film,… read more
Stan & Ollie - next Wednesday's film - is a warm, affectionate delight
21st Jun 2019
Stan & Ollie Jon S Baird’s gentle, unassuming biopic of the most famous double act the world has ever seen, is a warm, affectionate delight that touches on far broader issues than the pair’s final… read more
The Favourite - screening next Wednesday - is an eccentric, intriguing delight from beginning to end
14th Jun 2019
The Favourite (15) - a review Set in the court of Queen Anne, the last of the Stuart monarchs, Yorgos Lanthimos’s quirky, profane and shamelessly anachronistic period drama is an eccentric, intriguing delight from beginning… read more
Old Herbaceous - a night at the theatre that was a delight from beginning to end
10th Jun 2019
Old Herbacious - Kick in the Head productions Alfred Shaughnessy’s sensitive adaption of Reginald Arkell’s novel is a delight from beginning to end, cleverly distilling not just the narrative, but also the spirit of Arkell’s… read more
Ryan Gosling is excellent as Neil Armstrong in next Wednesday's film, First Man
6th Jun 2019
First Man Adapted from James R Hansen’s book by Spotlight screenwriter, First Man is similar in tone to Philip Kaufman’s The Right Stuff. Sombre and respectful, this is a film that is immersed in its… read more
Thomas Paine play was sometimes melancholy, frequently moving, and ultimately life affirming.
10th May 2019
Thomas Paine’s To Begin the World Over Again Thomas Paine only worked in Diss for a year, but we still make a claim on him, so it was pleasing that the playwright and performer, Ian… read more
Wednesday 15 May - your chance to see one of the best films ever made
7th May 2019
Ingmar Bergman's dark masterpiece, The Seventh Seal reaches back to scripture to create a nightmarish, episodic journey for Max von Sydow’s world-weary crusader, questioning everything while the long shadow of death chases him all the… read more
Luke Wright’s Stand-Up Poetry - a night of great pleasure
4th May 2019
One of the great pleasures of Luke Wright’s stand-up poetry nights is hearing his new work in progress, and it was fascinating to hear his continued look inward. We heard about his mum, his dad,… read more
Next Wednesday: Bohemian Rhapsody - with a roster of superb concert recreations - is hugely enjoyable
18th Apr 2019
After the much-publicised troubles that have beset this movie, it comes as a pleasant surprise that Bohemian Rhapsody is such a fun ride, with a roster of superb concert recreations, including Life Aid – where… read more
Gillian Anderson and Lily James - superb in the National Theatre live screening of All About Eve
16th Apr 2019
This adaption of a 1950s movie films its actors while they perform live, projecting them onto a screen, while yet more the actors perform live on stage - all of which has then been filmed… read more
Mary Poppins flies into the Corn Hall this Wednesday
8th Apr 2019
Mary Poppins Returns Fans of the original Mary Poppins who approach this belated sequel with some trepidation need not worry. The film has been created with them in mind as much as a family audience… read more
The Pantaloons inventive reworking of The Odyssey is a triumph!
28th Mar 2019
The Pantaloons are no strangers to the inventive re-working of classic texts, but this must be their most ambitious attempt to date. Slimming down Homer’s epic Greek poem into two hours of knockabout fun is… read more
Lady Gaga CAN act - See her in 'A Star is Born'
21st Mar 2019
A Star is Born Bradley Cooper’s version of this much told story is more a reimagining than a remake, with his fading rock star crossing paths with Lady Gaga’s ascendance as an all singing, all… read more
Next Wednesday's film - a master class in screen acting that is as enjoyable as it is compelling
15th Mar 2019
When Joe Castleman wins the Nobel Prize for Literature his wife is delighted for him – who wouldn’t be – and yet there is something niggling away at her that isn’t fully explained by his… read more
Super Happy Story - genuinely good theatre with real emotional impact
15th Mar 2019
A Super Happy Story (about feeling super sad) A musical about depression and self-harm is not an easy sell. It takes imagination to write, empathy to perform, and courage to programme. Silent Uproar’s collaboration with… read more
Stranger than fiction, Wednesday's film BlacKkKlansman, is probably the best Spike Lee film in 20 years
9th Mar 2019
Probably the best Spike Lee film in 20 years, this stranger than fiction story of a black man infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan mixes absurd comedy with jaw-dropping racism to brilliant effect. Both a social… read more
Luke Wright's latest show – Poet Laureate - is unusually thoughtful and moving
4th Mar 2019
Following in the wake of his ambitious play/poems of recent years, Luke Wright’s latest show might at first appear a tad conventional, but there was a lot more going on here than just a collection… read more
Hotel Salvation - anyone who has spent time with an ageing parent will find much that is achingly resonant.
2nd Mar 2019
In this story of an ex-schoolteacher who decides to spend his final days in Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges, Shubhashish Bhutiani’s directorial debut presents a world that will be alien to European viewers,… read more
Posted in Film, Uncategorised
East Anglian film premiere brought to life George Butterworth - a man who might have become one of Britain’s foremost composers
28th Feb 2019
The Corn’s Hall’s presentation of Stewart Hajdukiewicz’s biography of composer George Butterworth may not have been quite the world premiere, but it was only the third public outing for the film, and was attended by… read more
In an age of zero hour contracts and offshore sweatshops, Townsend productions provide a timely reminder of how effectively historical drama can resonate with the issues of today.
16th Feb 2019
Rouse Ye Women – Townsend Productions Thursday 14th February Townsend Productions have been edging ever closer to contemporary issues over the last few years, with their last show - an examination of the Grunwick strike… read more
Posted in Theatre
A stellar cast makes The King of Thieves by far the best and most poignant cinema version of the Hatton Garden heist
7th Feb 2019
The Hatton Garden heist in 2015 has already been repeatedly dramatized, but this is by far the best, and most poignant, with a stellar cast of British heavyweight actors who, much like the characters they… read more
Cold War - A sweeping, yet oddly intimate love story
29th Jan 2019
Winner of the Best Director award at last year’s Cannes Festival, Paweł Pawlikowski has created a sweeping, yet oddly intimate love story about two people brought together, and then torn apart, by circumstances way beyond… read more
Posted in Film
January Comedy Club had a packed house cheering with laughter
27th Jan 2019
John Mann got straight down to business as MC of the Corn Hall’s comedy club, largely dispensing with audience interaction if favour of a very silly series of one-liners that had the audience nicely warmed… read more
Posted in Comedy, live entertainment
NT's Antony & Cleopatra next Thursday is packed with enough intrigue to fill a mini-series
22nd Jan 2019
Simon Godwin’s production of Antony & Cleopatra for the National Theatre may be in modern dress, but it is otherwise a surprisingly mainstream and coherent retelling of Shakespeare’s complex, episodic tale of his other star-crossed… read more
Fire your imagination at ARCADIA!
15th Jan 2019
This arresting collage of archive footage is notionally a movie that explores our changing relationship with the land, and opens with scenes of a bucolic and idealised countryside that will have the viewer settling in… read more
'Royalty' at the Corn Hall in the shape of Paul Jones & Dave Kelly!
14th Jan 2019
British blues royalty paid a visit to the Corn Hall last weekend, with Paul Jones and Dave Kelly (describing themselves as 40% the Blues Band) performing an acoustic set of blues classics. The pair made… read more
Allelujah! - something to celebrate!
8th Jan 2019
The arrival of a new play by Alan Bennett is always something to celebrate, not least as they are increasingly rare. His latest, set in a rundown NHS hospital, is his first in six years,… read more
David Vass is swept away with the surprisingly moving new production of The King and I
27th Nov 2018
The King and I has long been the “problem” Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, and there is certainly a hint of condescension in a story about an English governess showing the King of Siam the error… read more
Enter the Dragon - weird and wonderful but David Vass wants more like this
19th Nov 2018
Enter the Dragons - review In what amounted to a significant gear change for the Corn Hall, Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards presented a short, sharp shock of a show that was funny, provocative, and… read more
Luke Wright's Stand Up Poetry Club presented a compelling contrast of talent
19th Nov 2018
Promoted to the main auditorium, Luke Wright's Stand-Up Poetry Club swapped intimacy for elbow room in an evening dominated by the anger of men who can’t quite believe what is happening in the world. First… read more
Open Space's Browning Version - their finest ever
9th Nov 2018
The Browning Version Never shy of a challenge, Open Space Theatre Company’s latest production is a play generally regarded as Terence Rattigan’s finest. Judging by the opening night at Wingfield Barns, it may well also… read more
Next Wednesday's film, The Happy Prince, has a message which is ultimately positive
8th Nov 2018
The Happy Prince Rupert Everett has written, directed and starred in this film, a project he has toiled for years to get off the ground, and his commitment and belief in the endeavour is evident… read more
Journey's End - the Wednesday film - is a quietly magnificent - and hugely respectful - testament to those we must not forget.
3rd Nov 2018
Journey’s End (12A) While watching Saul Dibb’s superb adaption of R C Sherriff's masterpiece, I found myself being continually astonished that the play on which it was based was written only 10 years after the… read more
David Vass enjoys reliving the many hits of The Kinks
23rd Sep 2018
Resolutely not a tribute band, The Kast off Kinks are essentially the real thing without the Davies brothers, and have been performing their considerable back catalogue for well over 20 years. Obviously pleased to be… read more
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- Don’t wait for the world to change – ACT NOW!
- Start with Art! with some Awesome Owls, Swirling Otters and very Creative IMPs
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- David Copperfield is very funny, breathlessly energetic and endlessly imaginative
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- 1917 is a thrilling, spell-binding triumph
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- The Dave Thomas Big Blues Band delivers a masterclass in classic Chicago blues
- Gary Delaney brings down the house with his Gagsters Paradise show
- Rocketman – screening tomorrow – is bold, imaginative and original
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- The Keeper – a watchable, engaging story of hope & humanity triumphing over bitter resentment
- Cast your prejudices aside, you’ll be cheering over this heart-warming tale with family, East Anglia & wrestling at its heart
- Can You Ever Forgive Me? – you will, after seeing next week’s hugely enjoyable film
- Green Book – in spite of its hard hitting subject matter – is an absolute delight from beginning to end
- A Splash of Colour with IMPS: Abstract Expressionism
- Follow the Lost Boys, Hoist the Jolly Roger and Look Out for Captain Hook.
- Arts Award News
- In Loyal Company – a masterpiece of war storytelling
- Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie give powerful performances as the rivals in next week’s Wednesday film
- Roughcast’s rumbustious romp of A Midsummer Night’s Dream features a scene-stealing, marvellously exuberant Bottom
- All is True – Branagh & Dench are magnificent in this film which seeks to explain the great mystery of why Shakespeare retired so suddenly
- Ruby Watkinson: Work Experience Review
- Tom and Bunny Save The World – A review by Lissy Mapes Graham
- Ruby Whitehouse: My Work Experience at the Corn Hall 2019
- Stan & Ollie – next Wednesday’s film – is a warm, affectionate delight
- The Favourite – screening next Wednesday – is an eccentric, intriguing delight from beginning to end
- Julius Caesar by Silas Tooth
- Old Herbaceous – a night at the theatre that was a delight from beginning to end
- Ryan Gosling is excellent as Neil Armstrong in next Wednesday’s film, First Man
- Spring Flowers and Little Dewdrops
- Thomas Paine play was sometimes melancholy, frequently moving, and ultimately life affirming.
- Wednesday 15 May – your chance to see one of the best films ever made
- Luke Wright’s Stand-Up Poetry – a night of great pleasure
- David Vass talks to Ian Ruskin about his play Thomas Paine’s To Begin the World Over – performed at the Corn Hall on Thursday 9 May
- Next Wednesday: Bohemian Rhapsody – with a roster of superb concert recreations – is hugely enjoyable
- Gillian Anderson and Lily James – superb in the National Theatre live screening of All About Eve
- Mary Poppins flies into the Corn Hall this Wednesday
- The Pantaloons inventive reworking of The Odyssey is a triumph!
- Lady Gaga CAN act – See her in ‘A Star is Born’
- Next Wednesday’s film – a master class in screen acting that is as enjoyable as it is compelling
- Super Happy Story – genuinely good theatre with real emotional impact
- ‘Tom and Bunny Save the World’ Review by Roisin
- ‘Tom and Bunny Save the World’ Review – By Malachy
- TOM and BUNNY SAVE the WORLD. A review by Elvis
- TOM & BUNNY SAVE THE WORLD Review
- TOM AND BUNNY SAVE THE WORLD THE MUSICAL…
- TOM AND BUNNY SAVE THE WORLD THE MUSICAL!
- Stranger than fiction, Wednesday’s film BlacKkKlansman, is probably the best Spike Lee film in 20 years
- Luke Wright’s latest show – Poet Laureate – is unusually thoughtful and moving
- Hotel Salvation – anyone who has spent time with an ageing parent will find much that is achingly resonant.
- A Right Royal Draw-Along with Nick Sharratt, The Cat and The King, Timothy Pope and Tracy Beaker
- East Anglian film premiere brought to life George Butterworth – a man who might have become one of Britain’s foremost composers
- Singer ,Georgia Mancio delighted Diss Jazz Club with her interpretation of songs by Tom Jobim
- In an age of zero hour contracts and offshore sweatshops, Townsend productions provide a timely reminder of how effectively historical drama can resonate with the issues of today.
- A stellar cast makes The King of Thieves by far the best and most poignant cinema version of the Hatton Garden heist
- Cold War – A sweeping, yet oddly intimate love story
- January Comedy Club had a packed house cheering with laughter
- NT’s Antony & Cleopatra next Thursday is packed with enough intrigue to fill a mini-series
- We are Persimmon Community Champions!
- Fire your imagination at ARCADIA!
- ‘Royalty’ at the Corn Hall in the shape of Paul Jones & Dave Kelly!
- Allelujah! – something to celebrate!
- LECTURE ON WORLD WAR ONE ART WAS ENTERTAINING, EDUCATING, AND ENRICHING
- David Vass is swept away with the surprisingly moving new production of The King and I
- Enter the Dragon – weird and wonderful but David Vass wants more like this
- Luke Wright’s Stand Up Poetry Club presented a compelling contrast of talent
- Open Space’s Browning Version – their finest ever
- A riotous performance of Peter Pan is captured by a drawing soldier
- Next Wednesday’s film, The Happy Prince, has a message which is ultimately positive
- Journey’s End – the Wednesday film – is a quietly magnificent – and hugely respectful – testament to those we must not forget.
- Common Ground’s, The Mariner demonstrates just how good a touring company can be
- 4 star review of ‘The Mariner’ Common Ground’s latest production – coming 26 Oct
- The Hilarious World of James Campbell… yes everyone thought it was really hilarious.
- ARTS AWARD STUDENTS AT THE CORN HALL VOLUNTEER WITH PETE’S FAMILY JAM AT OUR SATURDAY CLUB
- David Vass enjoys reliving the many hits of The Kinks
- Wednesday film – part comedy, part travelogue, part mystery, part romance – will delight fans of Downton Abbey
- The Corn Hall Presents Diss in WWI
- Lady Bird – next Wednesday’s film – features superb performances
- I, Tonya – An absorbing tale that is both tragic and hilarious
- Toyah – Up Close & Personal at the Corn Hall
- Next Wednesday’s film – literate, profane and very clever.
- Next Wednesday’s film – The Shape of Water – is a modern fairy tale that is both startling and uplifting
- Have you tried wolf tail soup? Our three little pigs thought it was delicious…!
- Authentic and truthful, A Fantastic Woman holds a mirror up to society
- Christopher Plummer – a brilliant performance as cantankerous Getty in next Wednesday’s film
- Bethany Crow’s review of Life on the Deben
- Rowan Whittington Reviews Life on the Deben
- Elliot Grayston Work Experience At The Corn Hall
- Joseph Grayston Has Enjoyable Time During Work Experience Week At The Corn Hall
- Luke Wright & Mike Garry mesmerised at June Poetry Club
- Gary Oldman’s Oscar winning performance invests the character of Churchill with doubt, humanity and righteous anger – Darkest Hour Preview
- This Wednesday’s film – heart-warming and beautifully judged
- In Between – David Vass previews this Wednesday’s film
- Luke Wright’s Stand-Up Poetry Club
- Young Reviewer thinks Water Babies is fantastic
- Wednesday’s film is a gloriously cinematic rollercoaster ride
- String Theatre’s inventive mix of puppetry and magic lantern entranced audience
- Arts Award students make a ‘spectacle’ of themselves!
- This Wednesday’s film will keep you gripped until it’s surprising conclusion
- Community Choir continuing due to popular demand
- Sour Puss – A magical performance according to our young reviewer
- Get Out! – an intelligent thriller says reviewer David Vass
- Eastern Angles latest play is powerful and moving
- Oscar & BAFTA winning film is a beautifully photographed love letter to Northern Italy
- Review of Open Space production of Dancing at Lughnasa
- This Wednesday – Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool is refreshing and authentic, says David Vass
- Julius Caesar from National Theatre a hit
- ARTS AWARD STUDENTS TAKE A STAND
- Paddington 2 wins over our reviewer, David Vass
- Local children explore the world of Winnie the Witch at the Corn Hall
- RoughCast Theatre – a bold and comedic Measure for Measure
- A preview of The Party, screening this Wednesday
- This Wednesday’s film – Goodbye Christopher Robin – previewed
- Townsend Productions latest is another hit with our reviewer, David Vass
- Dan Cruickshank – from heartbreaking destruction of Palmyra to the delights of Diss
- David Vass reviews Corn Hall Comedy
- Wednesday film preview – La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast)
- Churchill – A preview of the Wednesday film
- A preview of Wednesday film – A Man Called Ove
- My Cousin Rachel – a preview
- Dunkirk – A Preview
- Young Marx – A Preview
- The Sense of an Ending – A Preview
- Great Family Fun – Aladdin at the Corn Hall
- Audiences are loving Aladdin!
- A woman of no importance review
- Mark Thomas: A Show That Gambles on the Future – a review
- Baby Driver – A preview
- Suddenly Last Summer at Wingfield Barns – A Preview
- Griff Rhys Jones – Where was I?
- Team Viking review
- Michael Portillo at the Corn Hall
- The Old Curiosity Shop review
- Lady Macbeth Review
- I am Not Your Negro (12) – A Preview
- Finding Joy – A Review
- Denial (12A) – A Preview
- Moonlight (15)- A Preview
- Their Finest (12A) – A Preview
- Work Experience at The Corn Hall
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- THE JUNGLE BOOK (PG) – A Preview
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- The Wandering Spectre – An Update
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- Arts Awards Students Near Completion
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- NOTES ON BLINDNESS (U) – A Preview
- Alice Lee Bird Colouring- In Days
- Toni Erdman (15) – A Preview
- ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD (12A) – A PREVIEW
- Dr Phil’s Health Revolution – A Review
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- Professor Robert Winston – A Review
- Flying Scotsman (15) – A Preview
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- LA LA LAND (12A) – A PREVIEW
- Have a go at weaving memories over half term- Bring your own materials!
- Diss Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers demonstrate and exhibit at the Corn Hall
- The Corn Hall galleries relaunch with Past Present Future and Nicola Hockley
- Our Kind of Traitor (15) – A Preview
- Families – stuck for something to do over Half Term? Come to the Corn Hall!
- A Review: Saturday Club – Nick Cope
- A United Kingdom (12A) – A Preview
- A Review: Lady Maisery
- A Review: Luke Wright – The Toll
- A Street Cat Named Bob – A Preview
- A Review: Burton by Gwynne Edwards
- Mermaid and Sea Monster craft workshop at DC3 this morning
- Edna tells Grace her stories about Diss
- ALLIED (15) – A Preview
- See How They Run – A Preview
- Julieta (15) – A Preview
- SULLY: MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON (12A) – A PREVIEW
- Welcome to our Arts and Heritage Outreach Officer
- Getting your Board on board!
- Job Opportunities with Fredricks at the Corn Hall
- FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (12A) – A Preview
- Creative Collaboration on Wind Back Time Project
- Bolognaise, beautiful buildings and brilliantly crafted children’s theatre
- I, Daniel Blake (15) – A Preview
- Free Figure Drawing at Keeper’s Daughter Rehearsal
- Corn Hall Comedy Club – A Review
- The Girl with All the Gifts (15) – A Preview
- Our Technical Bronze Arts Award begins
- The Queen of Katwe (PG) – A Preview
- Dare Devil Rides to Jarama – A Review
- Share your memories of Diss
- Introducing The Keeper’s Daughter
- Refurbishment Update by Lucy Kayne
- Bridget Jones’s Baby (15) – A Preview
- Lucy Kayne documents the refurbishment
- Wind Back Time Event
- Kubo and the Two Strings (PG) – a preview
- The Corn Hall welcomes new Technical Manager
- Departure (15) – A Preview
- Wind Back Time – A Community Project
- Arts Awards Students and Big Draw 2016
- Felix Tooth Exhibition
- Luke Wright’s Stay-at-Home Dandy – a review
- Kast off Kinks – a review
- A Strange Wild Song by Rhum and Clay – a review
- Henning Wehn – Eins Zwei DIY – a review
- Bleak House – The Pantaloons Theatre Company – a review
- Electric Swing Circus – a review
- The Will Pound Band – a review
- Marcus Brigstocke: Je M’accuse – I Am Marcus – a review
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