A free to attend performance night returns to Thirsk for 2016, giving everyone in the region the chance to see some exciting new performance for no set fee.
Last year Rural Arts, the arts charity based in Thirsk, pioneered a brand new scheme called ‘Fresh’ – which gave residents the unique opportunity to decide their own ticket prices. After great success and 6 fabulous events in 2015, ‘Fresh’ is back for another season of emerging artists showcasing their talent. The season runs March to August with a range of special guests gracing The Courthouse monthly. 
Audiences loved the opportunity to give new, experimental work a go with out the financial commitment, while artists got to strut their stuff in a friendly setting. Vanessa Kisuule, a performance poet who wowed a full house last February with her unique style, said of ‘Fresh’ “I really enjoyed my experience at Rural Arts – having a relaxed space in which I could perform new things was a really rare and worthwhile opportunity”
All of these performances operate on a ‘pay-what-you-think’ basis. Audience members do not have pay a specific ticket price but instead can contribute a small fee of any amount at the end of the show.
The first ‘Fresh’ event takes place this month with a performance by York poet Henry Raby. Henry is a nerd punk poet who after discovering that he couldn’t play guitar embarked on a quest to become the Joe Strummer of spoken word. With his anarchic, honest, funny and passionate style, this performance promises to set the bar incredibly high for the new season.
“Henry is a hugely talented performer and we are thrilled to have him on the Fresh scheme” said Sophie Backhouse, who is the performance and events manager at Rural Arts “Not only is one of the best poets in the region, he is also a theatre producer, a promoter and a host for live events – we can’t wait to watch him in action!”
Henry Raby will be performing at The Courthouse on Thursday the 31st of March at 7.30pm. Booking is advised and can be done by visiting www.ruralarts.org or phoning 01845 5263536.