The Icarus Theatre Collective perform ‘The Lesson’ on Friday 5 October at Dorchester Arts Centre.

Described as a dark and disturbing comedy, ‘The Lesson’ was written as a brutal criticism of Nazi fascism, but the Icarus Collective have added a contemporary twist and turned it into an attack on capitalist greed and consumer righteousness.

Dorchester Arts Centre:  8pm:  Tickets £8

If you fancy a night out at the theatre this weekend, tickets are still available to see the comedy ‘There’s No Place Like a Home’ at the Lighthouse in Poole.

Written by the renowned theatrical producer Paul Elliot and starring Gordon Kaye (of ‘Allo ‘Allo fame) and Ken Morley (Coronation Street’s Reg Holdsworth) the play is set in a retirement home for theatrical performers, and it promises a belly full of laughs.

With the home under the threat of closure, the residents plot an elaborate plan to kidnap Jeffrey Archer and hold him to ransom!

Lighthouse:  7.30pm  Tickets: £19.50

With the Labour Party conference taking place at the Bournemouth International Centre this week, keep an eye out for Thursday’s edition of Question Time, which comes from Poole’s Lighthouse.

Oxjam is a nationwide music festival that runs throughout October and aims to increase the profile of unsigned bands and raise money for Oxfam at the same time.

Musicians and bands who participate can upload recorded footage of their gigs to the MTV website and the most popular will appear on a special MTV show.

The Dorchester Oxjam takes place on Sunday 7 October at the Firestation in Trinity Street, with the following local bands lined up to play:

• Zak Harris (Acoustic)
• The Blue Feeling (R&B)
• The Yearning (Indie/Rock)
• Three Minute Heroes (Punk)
• The False Pretences (Indie/Rock)
• Memphis 56

The latest Retrogression live music event takes place at The Borough Arms in Dorchester this Friday (21 September). 

Retrogression was set up by local musicians (Moontown and  Go Swirl) and aims to bring live music and the heydays of the 1960’s/70’s back to Dorchester, when bands like Yes and Free trod the boards.

Previous Retrogression nights have gone down a storm, and with live music from indie to acoustic to punk to funk in a ‘quirky and classic styled venue’, this looks like one not to be missed.

The Rex hosts ‘An Evening of Clairvoyance’ with TV’s Marion Goodfellow (Most Haunted) and Andy Matthews (Haunted Homes).

Wareham’s gas-lit cinema is the perfect venue for an evening of the paranormal, and judging by the accompanying photograph it will be a very very spooky evening’s entertainment!

The Rex:  Tickets  £8.50

The Phoenix Theatre Company 
present ’An Elegant Portrayal’ of the the life of Jane Austen at Dorchester Arts Centre on 28 September.

Austen wrote 3 novels by the age of 21 but it wasn’t until 6 years before her death at the age of 41 that her first novel, Sense and Sensibiilty, was published. This perfomance includes extracts from her letters and scenes from her novels.

Dorchester Arts Centre:  Tickets £7, £4 children

Tickets are now on sale for Hard-Fi who are playing Bournemouth in December.

The Mercury Prize nominated Staines boys and purveyors of surburban angst will be touring their recently released album, ‘Once Upon a time in the West’.

BIC:   Tickets £22.50

As part of the Inside Out Festival,  French artists Carabosse will transform Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens into “a spectacular night-time promenade of flickering flames and spectacular fire sculptures”.

The enchanting and magical atmosphere will be enhanced by live music, and at 7.30pm on Thursday in Central Gardens there will be a performance created by hundreds of local school children.

Make an evening of it with Festival food and drink also available.

Windfest 2007 takes place on Poole Bay this weekend with the country’s best wind and kite surfers competing for top honours.

The title of UK Windsurfing Association National Freestyle Champion is up for grabs with competitors hoping to hop, jump and twist their way to success on the water.

If you fancy a bit of the action there will be wind and kite surf lessons for beginners or if you prefer to stay dry then volleyball, biking and crazy golf are on offer.

Party animals can top off Saturday night at the notorious Animal party on Sandbanks beach.

Dorchester Arts Centre launches its 9th season of Bluesnights with a performance by US-born bluesman Michael Roach.

Michael plays in an east-coast blues style dating back to the 1920s; he spent several years learning directly from well known figures as John Jackson, John Cephas and Jerry Ricks before developing his own unique style. 

Dorchester Arts Centre:  Tickets: £10.50 adults, £5.25 under 18

As part of the Inside Out Festival, which runs from 13-23 September, Spanish artists ‘Sarugga’ present Pexios, a street parade recreating a ’spellbinding underwater world’ at Poole Quay on Saturday 15.

The Inside Out Festival is the biggest programme of free outdoor performances ever to take place in Dorset; watch out for other events at West Bay, Wimborne, Weymouth, Bournemouth and Hambledon Hill.

This year’s Purbeck Film Festival runs from 12-27 October and in addition to this year’s Indian theme there will be a selection of French, German and 70s classics on offer.

Indian delights include Bride and Prejudice, Monsoon Wedding, A Passage to India, an Indian Evening at the Rex - Sholay, Ghandi, Rang De Basanti, and Nishabd. Check out the venues as some are also offering Indian food so you can really indulge yourself in the culture!

The Purbeck Film Festival is organised by Sir Bill Cotton and is the biggest and longest rural film festival in the UK. With over 80 films to choose from there is something for everyone.

Chococo, the Swanage based chocolate maker has won 3 Gold Great Taste Awards at a prestigious national food awards ceremony. 

The awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, are the equivalent of the Oscars and over 4500 foods are blind tasted by experts.

Chococo’s winning products were their Melting Milk Truffle, Purbeck Marble cake and Pure Kakawa truffle.

Chococo was set up in 2002 and in this short time thay have won 18 fine food awards for their hand crafted, fair trade products.

More fine weather and some great events to look forward to this weekend in Purbeck.

The Swanage Folk Festival starts today and as well as superb music there will be lots of street entertainment, dancing and kids activities.

There’s also the Medieval Festival at Lulworth Castle, the Swanage Railway Gala and Vintage Transport Rally and Heritage Open Days across Purbeck and Dorset.