News January Region one.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2015 17:30 Page 1
News
A ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
A Summer In The South... at the Birmingham REP This month sees two of Britain’s most acclaimed actors come together to host a tribute to one of France’s greatest writers. Robert Powell and Sian Phillips will pay homage to Sidonie-Gabrielle Collete in A Summer In The South at Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 15 February. Devised and directed by Midlands theatre critic Richard Edmonds, the two-hander is described as ‘fusing dark and disturbing stories with colourful and amusing ones to create a haunting mosaic of prose and dramatised passages’. A Summer In The South made its debut at Bromsgrove Festival. It’s since received a warm welcome at the Edinburgh Festival and Hampstead’s Kenwood House.
Darcey attends launch of BRB’s new facilities
Second annual outing for after-hours museum event Organisers behind a UK-wide series of events celebrating arts, culture and heritage have added a new date to the calendar. Museums At Night, which traditionally takes place in May, will now also take the form of a two-day festival on 30 and 31 October. Now in its seventh year, the event offers visitors an opportunity to explore museums, galleries and historic spaces out of hours, and also features a series of programmed events. To find out what’s happening in your area, visit www.museumsatnight.org.uk
Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) has unveiled its new-look home following a ‘dramatic’ transformation costing around £2.7million. Darcey Bussell CBE attended the recent launch event, which was open to invited guests who’ve supported the fundraising campaign. The retired ballerina, who is BRB’s Campaign For The Future President, spoke of her delight at joining the company as it welcomed people to its new home. “The new facilities will allow Birmingham Royal Ballet to welcome the community, nurture the talent of the future and maintain their position at the forefront of both British and international dance,” said Darcey. The refurbishment sees BRB’s Hippodrome-based facilities transformed into an accessible first-class rehearsal space. The refurb will also enable the company to deliver further publicengagement initiatives, strengthening its ability to put learning and outreach work at the heart of its artistic and organisational strategy. House, to tell the story of Shakespeare’s mature years as a writer and a man of Stratford. Any significant finds from the dig will join other rare and important artefacts on display in a conserved and extended exhibition area when New Place re-opens to the public this year, the four-hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Phill Jupitus to star in Mel Brooks’ hit musical comedy
Digging for spoils in Stratford A new archaeological dig is to take place on the site of Shakespeare’s family home at New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon. Archaeologists will soon begin work on an area believed to be the Bard’s living quarters. Commissioned by Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the dig forms part of a project to transform New Place and Nash’s 4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
New Alexandra Theatre has confirmed that Phill Jupitus is to join Jason Manford, David Bedella and Louis Spence in Mel Brooks’ musical comedy The Producers when it shows at the Birmingham venue in April. Jupitus will take the role of Franz Liebkind, the short-fused, carrier pigeon-keeping former Nazi who’s brought on board by Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom to help them stage the worst musical of all time.
Sound Investment continues to fund commissions Birmingham Contemporary Music Group’s (BCMG) Sound Investment programme is this month celebrating the completion of its seventy-fifth commission. The programme was the UK’s first crowdfunded scheme for classical music, and aims to raise money to support living composers through the commissioning of new music. Commenting on Sound Investment, BCMG Artistic Director Stephen Newbould said: “When we set up Sound Investment in 1991 it was ahead of the time. This was the era before the internet, and the term ‘crowdfunding’ wasn’t yet common parlance. The scheme has allowed us to commission a great number of composers, giving established names free reign to try new, creative ideas, and giving a step up to others who’re right at the start of their career. I truly believe that it’s been essential in keeping contemporary classical music alive and vibrant in this country.” The seventy-fifth Sound Investment commission - Gerald Barry’s Crossing The Bar - is being performed at Birmingham’s CBSO Centre on Friday 27 February.