POWER was born from interviews Charmaine Childs recorded with real people, about their experiences of feeling strong and powerful and is coming to Settle Victoria Hall on Friday, September 16.

These people’s stories are the heart of the work, told with a mix of verbal storytelling, voice over from interviews, and physical storytelling through circus vocabulary.

She said: “My aim is that audiences leave the show energised and hopeful, considering the story of power they would tell if I interviewed had them - or better yet, to start telling it.”

Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly renewed their musical partnership in 2016 after a two year lay-off with some selected venues and festivals in the UK and Canada.

They now tour once a year playing just a few places, such as Settle Victoria Hall on Sunday, September 18.

Although both coming originally out of blues/soul explosion of the late 1960’s their repertoire is far broader . When they first got together in 2007 they both wished to sing ‘any song that took their fancy’, so the set includes folk, rock, country, gospel as well as blues and soul.

Power, on Friday, September 16, is a new work that combines circus physicality, voice-over soundtrack and storytelling to ask how people can feel powerful, even in an uncertain world.

It is described as ‘optimistic, uplifting, funny, physical and moving.’

It is presented by ‘Strong Lady’ Charmaine Childs who has spent the last 20 years touring outdoor arts festivals internationally, performing feats-of-strength with her signature mix of muscle, comedy and elegance.

“In 2020, I premiered POWER, my first solo theatre show and an exciting evolution in my work, to celebrating strength beyond purely the physical.

“ I also developed Stories of Strength, a creative engagement project to accompany it. Through 2021 the show toured to 12 venues around the UK in the lead up to being included in the London International Mime Festival in January 2022.”

On September 21, award-winning filmmakers, Phil Grabsky and Shoaib Sharifi, present a real-life epic of boyhood and manhood, filmed across 20 years in one of the most embattled corners of the globe. My Childhood, My Country - 20 Years in Afghanistan follows the journey of Afghan youth, Mir Hussain, growing up in a land ravaged by war.

Now an adult with a family and an emerging career as a news cameraman in Kabul, Mir’s personal journey of pride, resilience and hope is interwoven with the narrative of his nation.

Details at: settlevictoriahall.org.uk