TANYA Bruce-Lockhart is an impresario of local festivals playing a major part in both the Beaminster Festival and the Bridport Literary Festival. Having moved to Dorset from the capital 12-years-ago, Tanya didn’t want to grow old gracefully and became influential in the local cultural scene.
Having spent a career in TV, working mainly on live shows and arts documentaries, Tanya was the perfect person to handle the pressure of organising a yearly, event packed festival.
In her time in television Tanya worked on 'The Russell Harty Show' and 'The South Bank Show' with Melvyn Bragg, making vital contacts when it comes to bringing the biggest names to West Dorset.
WHAT are you looking forward to at this year’s Beaminster festival?
I have the band of the Coldstream Guards coming down here and they are terrific. They were top of the Classic FM charts for weeks with their album Heroes, which wasn’t just band music it was popular music as well so I’m really looking forward to having them here. Also the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain who are terrific. They are wonderful musicians but they are also very funny. They did a prom last summer in the Royal Albert Hall. Also we have our family Ceilidh which is very important, people always associate Beaminster with the golden oldies but there is a huge youthful community here as well.
WHO does the festival appeal to?
I hope it appeals across the board. There are things like the celebrated conductor Sir Neville Marriner who is one of our patrons, he will appeal to the music connoisseurs. Then you have things like the Ceilidh, which is very much a family event and then we have music workshops for the primary schoolchildren. We also have the Armonico Consort coming down who are going into Beaminster Secondary School to do a musical in a day.
WHAT will be new this year at the Bridport Literary festival?
Last year we had Alexander McCall Smith who was an amazing sell out and I have never seen so many people pouring into Bridport. This year I am trying to get Barry Humphries because he is bringing out a biography of Edna Everage and so he will hopefully talk as Barry about Edna as a sort of psychological profile. Hopefully Barry Humprhies will be the star this year. It’s still in the planning phase but we have got lots of different ingredients.
WHAT have been your highlights in your time on the festivals?
Every year there is a different quality, you think that was a good year and I’m not going to be able to do the same next time round. Sometimes it’s the most surprising things which turn out to be very popular. Last year there was a young man called Horatio Clare who did a travel memoir about following the swallows from southern Africa back to northern Wales and he followed them by foot, by train and by air and managed to get home as they arrived. It was the most enchanting talk because it was a memoir, very much about him but also about this migratory journey. In terms of the musical things I always like the opening ceremony in the square because it brings everybody together. That’s what festivals should be about, you want to bring everybody together.
WHO would be your three dream guests at a dinner party?
I’d have Jonathon Miller because he is a polymath and he can talk about almost anything and I feel an evening with him would be like doing a crash course at university. I could ask him anything and I’m sure he would answer me in a very accessible way. I’d also have Robert De Niro who I did a film with once as a filmmaker and ever since I’ve rather fancied him. The other person who is a great enthusiast is David Attenborough.
WHO are the most interesting celebrities you’ve worked with?
David Niven, who was delightful and charming and everything you’d expect him to be. David Bowie who is probably the most intelligent man of popular music I’ve had to interview and spend time with.
WHAT was the last book you read, film you watched and CD you listened to?
The last book I read was 'Three Cups of Tea' Greg Mortenson, the last CD I listened to was Nick Drake and the last film I watched was The Ghost. I think Pierce Brosnan was a little miscast as the Tony Blair character but it’s a good film and an arresting film but the book is much better, a real page turner.
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Do you know, I have met Tanya and she scares me to death. But I love her dearly. Her oomph and contacts have really made the Beaminster Festival something amazing.
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