SUMMER IN THE GARDEN at the Albany

The Albany is set to lift our lockdown blues with a season of outdoor events catering for all tastes and ages called Summer In The Garden.

A wonderfully eclectic programme will include open-air film, music, dance, theatre, poetry and family-friendly shows which will be staged at the legendary Deptford venue between 12 June and 19 August.

What’s more, all of them will be ticketed on a pay-what-you-decide basis. Chief executive Gavin Barlow said: “We want as many people as possible to enjoy live performance again regardless of financial situation.”

The season kicks off with two contrasting movies. On 12 June Deptford Cinema presents the Oscar-winning Marvel superhero blockbuster Black Panther and on the following two days you will be able to see the acclaimed London drama Rocks, a hymn to friendship, girlhood and resilience.

Three days later, on the 17th, Adam Kammerling unveils Seder, a new work-in-progress about togetherness which is brought to life by a dazzling cast through dance and poetry.

The Albany hosts Make Music Day on the 21st. At lunchtime, the City of London Sinfonia (below) offers us Comfortable Classical, a concert themed on nature and wildlife in which you’ll be encouraged to sing and interact with the musicians. And later on, South London Choirs join the fun with a roster of talent that includes the Grove Park Singers, Kender Singers, Downham & Whitefoot Community Choir and the Quaggy Community Choir. The evening will close with a mass singalong open to all.

June ends in raucous fashion with LASTheatre’s The Rascally Diner!, which will feature OTT chef Rufus Shumskins O’Parsley whose signature dish is based on blubber, cow-poo and mucus. The two daytime shows on the 27th are a must for kids of any age.

Poet Adam Kammerling makes a return visit with friends on 8 July with his Real-Life, Totally Awesome Book Launch Party to mark the publication of his debut collection Seder which celebrates his Jewish heritage and considers how it is perceived by others.

The future wellbeing of our planet is at the heart of this year’s Libraries Reading Challenge on 10 July when Deptford Library in association with WWF and the Reading Agency presents the all-day event Wild World Heroes to inspire youngsters to join the fight to save the Earth.

July closes with The Grimm Sisters, Scratchworks Theatre’s family show full of music and comedy which posits the notion that the Brothers Grimm stole the fairytales that made them world famous from sisters Brunhilda and Mitzi (top). There will be two performances on the afternoon of the 31st.

South London multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer Quinn Oulton will be joined by long-time collaborators Hugo Piper and Jack Robson on bass and percussion for a gig on 14 August.

Finally, on 19 August, UK Poetry Slam champion Tyrone Lewis offers Go With The Flow with his good friend writer-director Kayla Feldman.

For more details about all the performances and how to reserve your place, check out https://www.thealbany.org.uk/shows-and-events/