THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

NewsA
ROUND-UP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
ATG buys Broadway theatre
Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), which
owns the New Alexandra Theatre in
Birmingham, as well as the Regent Theatre
and Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, has
announced that it’s acquired the largest theatre
on Broadway. Situated in a prime position
on New York’s 42nd Street, The
Foxwoods Theatre is currently home to the
most talked-about show on Broadway -
Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. This latest
purchase brings the number of theatres in
ATG’s portfolio to forty.
Fierce Festival announces
return of Franko B
One of the most provocative performers ever
to appear at Fierce Festival is to make a welcome
return to the event this year. Franko B
will join forces with a dancing animatronic
polar bear to present a large-scale theatrical
performance, combining dance and film, at
Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry.
Other Fierce highlights include French artist
Denis Tricot creating a giant Birmingham
City Centre sculpture from strips of wood,
and culinary fun with Blanch and Shock,
who’ll be creating a feast using produce
grown in Edible Eastside. Fierce runs at various
locations around Birmingham from 4 to
6 October, with full programming details due
to be announced in August.
Franko B
Grand Union gets a £100,000
birthday present
Birmingham’s Eastside gallery and artists’ studio
Grand Union has been awarded a grant of
£100,000 by Arts Council England.
The funds will enable the artist-run space in
Digbeth, which is celebrating its third birthday,
to increase its programming and bring more
international artists to the city. A Small Hiccup,
a group presentation featuring eight new commissions
that
include performance,
video,
sculpture and digital
media, will continue
to show at
the venue until
Saturday 29 June.
4 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Midlands’ youngsters to take to the stage
An eclectic programme of plays, including Carlo Goldoni’s A Servant Of Two Masters,
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Mark Ravenhill’s Totally, lies at the heart of a July festival for budding
performers. Inspired by Birmingham Rep’s centenary and its exploration of both new and
classic literature, The Young Rep Summer Festival of Theatre takes place at Birmingham’s Old Rep
venue. The two-week-long mini-festival will see more than two hundred young people from across
Birmingham and the West Midlands (aged between nine and twenty-five) come together to perform.
A highlight of the festival will be the world premiere of Evan Placey’s Girls Like That, a play
written especially for young people which explores ‘the perilous consequences that can happen
when teenagers and technology join forces’. The Young REP Summer Festival of Theatre plays at
Birmingham’s Old Rep from 1 to 13 July.
More folk for Shrewsbury
In addition to hosting a highly regarded
annual folk festival every August, the
Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury is
also earning itself a mighty fine reputation for
attracting quality folk performers throughout
the year. American singer-songwriter Richard
Shindell, Cara Luft, Katriona Gilmore, Jamie
Roberts and Belshazzar’s Feast have all
been booked to appear at the town’s Hive
venue between August and December.
Check out whatsonlive.co.uk for further information.
Spice Girl urges children to
raise funds for UNICEF
Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton has
launched a nationwide initiative to tempt UK
children to take part in the Giant Sleepover -
the largest event of its kind in the world - and
in the process raise money for UNICEF.
Children are also being invited to try their
luck at winning the chance to enjoy ‘the ultimate
sleepover’ at one of six special venues
up and down the country - with Eastnor
Castle in Herefordshire and Trentham
Monkey Forest in Staffordshire the two venues
on offer in the Midlands. To have a
chance of taking part in the initiative, children
must submit a story or drawing of their
dream sleepover. UNICEF supporter Emma
will be one of the judging panel and has stated
that she’ll “be looking for those who have
written or drawn a truly creative story or picture,
and someone who has really used their
imagination”. For more information, visit
www.giantsleepover.com
Coventry theatre takes the
show on the road
The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry has
launched an initiative designed to reach out
to new audiences. The theatre’s Unplugged
series will feature numerous scenes and
readings performed by professional actors,
with excerpts from Charlie Peace: His
Amazing Life And Astounding Legend, One
Night In November and The Prodigals all featuring.
The events will take place in some
very unconventional settings around
Warwickshire, including Coventry’s medieval
Charterhouse, Draycote Water, The Butcher’s
Arms Restaurant in Priors Hardwick, Rugby
School’s Lewis Art Gallery, Foleshill Road’s
Edgewick Play Centre and Compton Verney
Art Gallery, which will stage the first event on
Sunday 9 June.