Five of the best things to do in Banburyshire this week

1 THEATRE

What Once Was Ours, The Mill, Banbury, October 19

What Once Was Ours uses interviews from more than 200 teenagers to examine how to increase understanding between people holding different views.

The show focuses on a half-brother and sister from very different backgrounds and the struggling relationship when one asks for help.

Toby Ealden, artistic director of Zest Theatre and director of What Once Was Ours, said: “The impetus for this new production came the day of the EU referendum result.

When the result came in, we spent the day hearing so many of the towns we tour to portrayed in the media as somehow less intelligent, racist and small minded. This portrayal didn’t do these communities justice.”

Details: themillartscentre.co.uk

2 THEATRE

Luke Jermay’s Sixth Sense, The Mill, Banbury, October 25

Luke Jermay says he can read minds. He says he doesn’t use mind games or psychological tricks.

He says he is not a trickster, and there are no smoke and mirrors – he says he can simply read your mind.

Jermay’s intuitive abilities have gained him high profile fans such as Derren Brown, Dynamo and Uri Geller.

Luke Jermay’s Sixth Sense has gained critical acclaim with five star reviews from Edinburgh to London’s West End.

The Times said of his show: “My jaw dropped repeatedly – Jermay puts us in a state where we can wonder whether life has more possibilities than we thought it did an hour before.”

Details: themillartscentre.co.uk

3 LITERATURE

Jane Austen celebrations, Compton Verney, October 22

It’s your chance to meet some of Jane’s most memorable characters and experience an entertaining one-woman show celebrating the wit of her writing.

Test your knowledge of all things Austen with a quiz and, if you’re not already a fan, get into her writing with a series of readings from Jane’s best-loved novels.

Details: comptonverney.org.uk

4 MUSIC

Piva, Church of St Peter and St Paul, Swalcliffe, October 21

A touch of Elizabethan life will be visiting Swalcliffe when Piva perform. Piva specialise in music from the 16th century played on authentic reprod-
uctions of the instruments of the period, such as shawms, curtal, bagpipes, crumhorns, violin and recorders.

Piva’s Swalcliffe concert will reflect the broad range of music that would have been heard in Elizabethan London.

“Music was part of everyday life in the city”, said Eric Moulder, the group’s director, “whether you were a visiting dignitary at court, watching a play at the theatre or simply visiting the local ale house.

“Londoners could also have listened in to the first ever public concerts which were performed by the city’s musicians every Sunday afternoon.”

In this show, Piva will be playing a mix of music from the period from the stately court through to the lively tavern and they will be bringing the city to life with stories and tales from the time.

Details: swalcliffe.org

5 BALLET

Sleeping Beauty, The Mill, Banbury, October 21

Vienna Festival Ballet dance this classic fairytale to Tchaikovsky’s classic score in a show promising to enchant audiences of all ages.

Details: themillartscentre.co.uk