Dame Kiri tops Pavilion bill

They include opera legend Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, home-grown comedy genius Eddie Izzard and the renowned Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Jazz star Jacques Loussier also appears.

Traditional pantomime returns with Cinderella and the BATS and the BLODS are back after the Pavilion's two-year shutdown.

A major art exhibition will include works by Turner Prize winners.

The 8million facelift of the former civic theatre is said to be on course for a grand opening in the Autumn.

The Pavilion is now in the hands of a trust with reduced financial support from Rother District Council.

A string of live performances from mid-September also includes the BBC Big Band, The Shout, the Royal Marines Band and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

More than 25 artists will also be taking part in a central exhibition, including works by award - winning, as well as some of the finest emerging artists.

November will see the return of the Bexhill Light Operatic and Dramatic Society (BLODS) with Meet Me In St Louis, and the Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) will celebrate its 70th anniversary with Scenes From A Memory.

A spokesman for the BLODS said they are excited to be moving back after squeezing in productions at St Peter's Community Centre, and look forward "to meeting supporters old and new" from November 2 to November 5.

Pantomime will also be revived at the De La Warr with a production of Cinderella, created by West End producer Ian Ross.

Art on show features work by Ian Breakwell (creator of 'The Other Side' at the Pavilion in 2001), Daria Martin (shortlisted for the 2005 Becks futures Award), Jeremy Deller (winner of the 2004 Turner Prize), Boyd Webb, Cindy Sherman, Jo Bruton, Gilbert and George (winners of the 1984 Turner Prize), Gary Stevens, Mark Wallinger (who represented Britain at the 2004 Venice Bienale) and more recent graduates Zoe Brown and Caroline McCarthy.