At the Playhouse

AUTHOR and former children’s laureate Michael Morpurgo is telling his heart-breaking story The Mozart Question at Salisbury Playhouse this evening.

Morpurgo is returning to the festival for the musical retelling of the tale of a young newspaper reporter who is given a warning before she sets off for Venice to interview the great violinist Paolo Levi: don’t ask ‘the Mozart question’. But she doesn’t have to, because Levi has decided the time has come to tell his story.

Morpurgo will be joined on stage by actor Alison Reid, violinist Daniel Pioro and a string quartet to tell a story of survival, the horrors of the holocaust and the incredible healing power of music.

And this afternoon, former BBC news correspondent Kate Adie will be telling the story of the First World War through the eyes of women, exploring their uphill struggle for admission into the world of men by taking on vital wartime work.

Long Nose Puppets are bringing magical children’s show Arthur’s Dreamboat to the The Salberg tomorrow and Saturday.

On Friday, Opera Project is returning to the festival with a premiere of a new production of Donizetti’s comic opera Don Pasquale.

Set in the early years of the Great War, the witty opera is sung in English, accompanied by a small chamber orchestra.

Author William Atkins is giving a talk on Saturday afternoon, entitled The Moor: Lives Landscape Literature – The Landscape that Makes Britain.

Atkins will take the audience on a personal journey from south to north in search of the heart of the moors, which echo with the tales of the country and the people who live in it.

And in the main house on Saturday the Iceland Dance Company are performing a triple bill: Killer Pig, The Swan and Luggage.

The company is renowned for creating new choreography that merges classical training with the retained individuality of its dancers.

At Old Wardour Castle

SHAKESPEARE’S Globe Theatre brings one of the Bard’s finest comedies to Salisbury International Arts Festival this year.

The company is performing Much Ado About Nothing for five nights in the beautiful surroundings of Old Wardour Castle near Tisbury.

Claudio and Hero are inseparable, while Beatrice and Benedick banter playfully to deny their own love until Benedick is forced to prove his love with potentially devastating consequences.

The performances started on Tuesday and run until Saturday at 6.30pm each night.

People are invited to bring picnics, blankets and settle down to see if love will conquer all.

At Salisbury Arts Centre

COMPELLING and wonderfully eloquent, The Ice Museum journeys through the far north as you have never experienced it before.

An ardent believer in the beauty and mystery of Arctic lands, Joanna Kavenna takes A Literary Tour of the Far North tonight.

Or take an expedition to the End of the World with documentary filmmaker Daniel Dencik.

In Danish with English subtitles, join a team of scientists, artists and explorers sailing on a three-mast schooner into the previously un-charted territory of northern Greenland.

Breathtaking scenery, evidence of ancient human settlements and the discovery of an alienlike new species give this documentary the feel of a sci-fi movie and, as the crew muse over the wonders of evolution, climate change and our place in the world, the film’s title begins to take on a profound new meaning.

Comedian Luke Wright is the Essex Lion – and he is inviting his audience to hear him roar tonight.

While Volcano, at the centre tomorrow, tells of a pilot’s personal experiences while grounded during the Icelandic Eyjafjallajökull volcano ash cloud in 2010.

And Radio 4 favourite Mark Steel brings his award-winning show to the city as he travels around the country researching the history, culture and heritage of each place he gigs in and offers a bespoke evening of comedy.

On Saturday, Monski Mouse provides perfectly danceable fodder for the under 5s.

Whiile the older centre visitor can find out more about The Fateful Year: England 1914 with author, biographer and historian Mark Bostridge.

Tickets for festival events: salisburyfestival.co.uk.