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Ellen’s Bucket List

  • Writer: Ellen Cheshire
    Ellen Cheshire
  • May 20
  • 6 min read

Updated: 2 days ago


I first drew this up in January 2022, as the world was emerging from the long shadow of lockdowns. I realised how easy it is to take experiences for granted, and I didn’t want to keep putting things off “for another time.”


So, I began a bucket list - part wish list, part reminder - and since then I’ve been adding to it and crossing things off as I go. It’s a mix of theatre, film, concerts, museums, places and the occasional wild card. Some items are big dreams, others are more “mustn’t forget to go.” If something’s ticked ✔ that means I've done it. If there's a hyperlink that means I've written a blog post about it!

Based on the things I’ve listed, if you’ve got any recommendations, I’d love to hear them.

 

THEATRE

BALLET

  • Edward Scissorhands – Matthew Bourne (14 January 2024, Sadler's Wells) ✔

  • Swan Lake – Matthew Bourne (25 January 2025, Sadler's Wells - had seen in 1997, but wanted to see it again as part of this project!) ✔

  • The Midnight Bell – Matthew Bourne (31 July 2025, Brighton Theatre Royal) ✔

  • The Red Shoes – Matthew Bourne (10 March 2026, Southampton Mayflower) ✔

  • The Car Man - Matthew Bourne (Booked September 2026)

  • Nutcracker! - Matthew Bourne (seen a recorded version, want to see live)

  • Cinderella - Matthew Bourne (did see in 1997, now booked for March 2027)

  • Play Without Words - Matthew Bourne

  • Dorian Gray – Matthew Bourne

  • Lord of the Flies – Matthew Bourne

  • Sleeping Beauty – Matthew Bourne (seen a recorded version, want to see live)

  • Romeo & Juliet – Matthew Bourne

  • It's a Sin - Rambert (dates & venues TBC)

  • Gentleman Jack - Northern Ballet (21 May 2026, Sadler's Wells) ✔

  • Wuthering Heights - Northern Ballet (dates & venues in 2027 TBC)

  • Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest - BIG (30 May 2026, London Palladium) ✔

  • Akram Khan Company

  • DV8 Physical Theatre


CONCERTS

  • Willie Nelson

  • Mandy Patinkin (18 November 2023) ✔

  • Pet Shop Boys (26 July 2024) ✔

  • Rufus Wainwright

  • The Proclaimers

  • The Puppini Sisters

FILM/LITERATURE FESTIVALS/EVENTS – UK

  • Agatha Christie Festival, Torquay

  • Daphne du Maurier Festival, Fowey

  • Film Noir Festival, Weston-super-Mare

  • Widescreen Weekend, Bradford

  • Flatpack Festival, Birmingham

  • GrindFest, Christchurch (19 - 21 September 2025) ✔

  • Wareham Silent Film Weekend

  • Forbidden Worlds, Bristol

  • The London International Mime Festival

  • Cary Comes Home Festival, Bristol (19 - 20 Nov 2022 & 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2024) ✔✔

  • Cinema Rediscovered, Bristol (22 - 24 July 2022) ✔

  • Slapstick Festival, Bristol (28 - 31 January 2022) ✔

  • Seeing a film in 4DX (21 August 2025) ✔

  • Solve Along A Murder She Wrote (5 February 2026) ✔ And I won the raffle!!!

  • Christian Marclay's The Clock (seen some of it, would love to see more)

  • A Murder Mystery event at somewhere special

  • Nigel Smith's Memory Palaces London Walking Tours (3 done, 2 to go) ✔✔✔

UK PLACES

MUSEUMS – UK

EUROPE


PARIS/FRANCE

  • Umbrellas of Cherbourg film locations ✔(October 2024)

  • Hotel Splendor-Elysees, Paris

  • Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione, Paris

  • Musée Méliès, Paris

  • Cinémathèque Française, Paris

  • Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris

  • Le Grand Rex – art deco cinema palace, Paris

  • Cinéma au Clair de Lune, Paris

  • Le Louxor Palais du Cinéma, Paris

  • Studio 28, Montmartre, Paris

  • Cité du Cinéma (St Denis)

  • La Pagode (when reopened), Paris

  • Cinéma Eden-Théâtre, La Ciotat

  • Institut Lumière, Lyon

  • La Piscine Museum, Roubaix

AUSTRIA

  • Bregenz Opera Festival, Lake Constance

  • Sound of Music locations, Salzburg

  • The Third Man & Before Sunrise locations, Vienna

  • Seeing performances at Vienna Opera House and other key venues, Vienna

GERMANY (RUHR REGION)

  • Starlight Express, Bochum

  • Lichtburg Essen

SLOVAKIA

  • Orava Castle & Village


SWITZERLAND

  • Chaplin’s World, Corsier-sur-Vevey

ITALY

  • Verona – open-air opera in ancient arena

  • Pordenone Silent Film Festival

SPAIN

  • Malaga – to visit friends

  • Barcelona – Gaudi architecture

  • Sitges Film Festival

  • Phenomena Experience, Barcelona

  • Salvador Dali Museum

CZECHIA

  • Noir Film Festival – Šternberk Castle

  • Lucerna Palace Cinema, Prague

  • Barrandov Studios Tour, Prague

  • Karel Zeman Museum, Prague

  • Prague Municipal House

POLAND

  • Hotel Stare Kino Łódź

  • Łódź Film Museum

  • The Łódź Trail of the UNESCO City of Film


HUNGARY

  • Budapest – thermal baths

  • Columbo statue

  • Uránia National Film Theatre, Budapest

  • Budapest Classic Film Marathon

  • Matthias Church Cinema Concerts

NETHERLANDS

  • Museum Speelklok, Utrecht

  • Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam

  • Imagine Film Festival, Amsterdam

  • Tuschinski Theatre, Amsterdam

  • FilmHallen, Amsterdam

  • Electric Ladyland, Amsterdam

  • Various rides at Efteling ✔ (18 - 22 August 2025)

BELGIUM

  • Cinematek, Brussels

  • Horta Museum, Brussels

  • Train World, Brussels

  • Jeanne Dielman Mural, Brussels

  • Audrey Hepburn Gardens & Plaque, Brussels

MALTA

  • Popeye Village

SWEDEN

  • Göteborg Film Festival

  • Bergmancenter, Fårö

AMERICA (USA)

  • New York

  • San Francisco

  • The Ellen Theatre, Bozeman, Montana

  • Somewhere in Time Weekend, Mackinac Island

  • Drive-In Movie Theatres – Route 66, Midwest, or California

  • Twin Peaks locations

  • Nashville

  • Field of Dreams, Iowa

  • Sleepy Hollow Film Fest

  • San Francisco Silent Film Festival

  • Nitrate Film Festival – George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY

  • Borscht Belt Film Festival – Ellenville, NY

  • To Save and Project Film Festival – New York, MoMA

  • Museum of the Moving Image, Queens

  • Coney Island

  • Radio City Music Hall

 

WILD CARDS Alongside the main bucket list, I’ve set myself a mini challenge: to choose four Wild Cards between October 2025 and 2026. These are spontaneous, slightly unexpected experiences - things I wouldn’t normally plan or might even hesitate over - chosen simply to keep life curious and unpredictable.


  1. Something planned for October 2025: Not my usual frequency. A moment to be still, to listen and maybe to tune in to something unexpected. Can you guess what it is? It was a Sound Bath, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. (12 October 2025)

  2. Something planned for May 2026: It’s a chance to drift somewhere unexpected, to let the rhythm of the day set the pace rather than me. A moment to watch, to listen and to notice things I might normally miss. Can you guess what it is? It was a three-night Canal Barge Holiday on the Basingstoke Canal, and I would happily do it all again. A slower rhythm, a different perspective and exactly the reset I didn’t realise I needed. (22 - 25 May 2026)

  3. ?

  4. ?





Last updated 29 May 2026

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Do get in touch with me if you'd like to discuss any Marketing, Fundraising & Project Management opportunities or Film Writing and Lecturing projects.

Ellen Cheshire  - cheshellen @ gmail.com

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