TRAVEL back 500 years to a time when sailors' greatest fear was falling over the edge of the earth.

Magellan – Circumnavigation: We Sail to Prove the Earth is Round comes to Dorchester Corn Exchange on Thursday, October 3 at 8pm.

This folk musical tells the story of love divided by the greatest voyage of exploration the world has seen.

Bob Whitley (guitar and mandola) and Lee MacKenzie (cello) perform in 16th century costumes which will take you back 500 years.

Dorchester Arts artistic director Mark Tattersall said: “Magellan’s Circumnavigation was the greatest voyage of human exploration, at a time when sailors believed in gigantic sea monsters, demons, boiling seas at the Equator and magnetic rocks that drew the nails out of the timbers. The sailors also believed that the world was flat and feared they would disappear over the edge. This musical story is set against the background of the voyage and follows an ordinary sailor and his wife mirroring the parallel story of Ferdinand and Beatriz Magellan.”

Bob Whitley is a Poole-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer who has been delighting audiences across the Dorset folk scene for more than 20 years. Playing a wide range of instruments, including guitar, bouzouki and mandola, he writes songs inspired by history, politics and the events of his own life. Throughout his two decades at the heart of the local folk scene, Bob has played at virtually every folk club and festival in Dorset and many in the surrounding area, and has also supported some of the genre’s most beloved artists, including Pete Moreton, Faustus, Nancy Kerr and James Fagin, John Tams and Barry Coope, Jez Lowe and Roy Bailey.

Lee MacKenzie is a Dorset based cellist and vocalist. He began his musical career as a classically trained string player and chamber singer, later studying string tuition. Stepping beyond the confines of the classical genre, Lee was drawn into the rich and diverse world of folk music. As the lead vocalist of folk trio Kadia he shares fresh and uplifting interpretations of traditional songs and tunes alongside original music.

As a session musician, Lee has recently worked with folk artists such as Ange Hardy, and he is part of a long term collaboration with duo Ninebarrow.

*Magellan – Circumnavigation: We Sail to Prove the Earth is Round, Dorchester Corn Exchange, Dorchester, Thursday, October 3, 8pm. Tickets are £12 full price or £10 for Members of Dorchester Arts, under-18s or those on low income and are available from the Dorchester Arts box office on 01305 266926, in person at the Corn Exchange (weekdays 10am - 4pm) or via dorchesterarts.org.uk.