Author: FairyPoweredProductions

NEW ADVENTURES

ANNOUNCE THEIR

2020/2021

‘OVERTURE’ DANCE ARTISTS

New Adventures is delighted to announce their Overture dance artist cohort for 2020/2021. Established in 2016, Overture is the annual New Adventures professional development programme for dance artists and dance teachers from a variety of genres who have been working in community or education settings for less than five years. Each year, the group of artists are chosen for their work that spans both urban and rural settings, representing the diversity of contemporary England.

New Adventures is passionate about creating pathways through the company and this year’s cohort include Felipe Pacheco who was part of the young ensemble in Matthew Bourne’s production of Lord of the Flies in 2014, and Roisin Whelan who performed in Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet in its world premiere last year. 

Found through an open call and through our dance networks, this year’s 16 talented community dance artists are:

• Callum Anderson, 28, Hove, East Sussex
• Phoebe Chung, 26, Ipswich, Suffolk
• Stephanie Donohoe, 25, Leeds, West Yorkshire
• Ellen Hathaway Spence, 25, Gateshead
• Sally Hendry, 22, Manchester
• Kirsty Holmes, 25, Tonbridge, Kent
• Stephanie Jenner, 28, Newton Abbot, Devon
• Rebecca Mulvihill, 25, Canterbury, Kent
• Felipe Pacheco, 23, Heswall, Merseyside
• Hannah Raynor, 30, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
• Lewis Sharp, 24, Barking, Essex
• Michael Sookhan, 22, Croydon, London
• Kashmira Sunni, 38, Northolt, London
• Jessica Truslove, 24, Rowley Regis, West Midlands
• Patrick Webster, 27, Croydon, London
• Roisin Whelan, 24, Woking, Surrey

Facilitated by Resident Artist Kerry Biggin and Community Dance Practice Educator Tom Hobden, the cohort of dance artists participate in three residential weekends at the Company’s base in Farnham Maltings, Surrey over a six-month period, as well as digital sessions during this current period of lockdown. Each residential comprises of practical workshops, class and skills-sharing as well as inspirational guest teachers from a variety of dance backgrounds sharing their practice. With workshops in areas such as personal development and networking, New Adventures aim to provide the cohort with a range of skills to support them in reaching the next level of their careers as community dance artists.

Kerry Biggin said today.‘ It is wonderful to be part of the journey and development of the dance artists and teachers that we work with each year on Overture.  It is continually inspiring to see how each cohort grow and build their network, confidence and aspiration. It is always inspiring to see alumni continue to strive for their goals and ambitions & stay connected to their Overture network well after the programme has finished.

Tom Hobden said today ‘It has been my absolute pleasure to co-lead OVERTURE with New Adventures for 5 years and it has been a wonderful journey for myself and the 70+ young dance artists we have worked with. To know we are sending out charged and inspiring artists into the sector gives real hope for the future of dance and in our uncertain times when the need will be greatest to move, we will thankfully have the OVERTURE artists ready to help.’

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WEST END STARS ANNOUNCED FOR ANNABEL MUTALE REED VIRTUAL CONCERT THIS SATURDAY

• ALI EWOLDT, DANIELLE FIAMANYA, SHARON ROSE AND ANTON STEPHANS FORM PART OF THE LINE UP FOR A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF THE MUSICAL THEATRE WRITER ANNABEL MUTALE REED

• THE CONCERT IS THE FIFTH OF THE BARN PRESENTS: SERIES, WHICH CELEBRATES THE MUSIC OF BRITISH MUSICAL THEATRE WRITERS.

• PREVIOUS CONCERTS CELEBRATING DANIEL & LAURA CURTIS, FINN ANDERSON, ELLIOT DAVIS AND AMIES & CLEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE BARN THEATRE’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The Barn Theatre has announced an all-star West End line up for their fifth virtual concert, The Barn Theatre Presents: The Music of Annabel Mutale Reed, which will celebrate the work of musical theatre playwright, lyricist and director Annabel Mutale Reed.

The concert, which will be hosted by Barn Theatre producer Jamie Chapman Dixon, is the fifth edition of the Barn Theatre in Cirencester’s virtual concert series, The Barn Presents:, which celebrates the work of British musical theatre writers.

Annabel Mutale Reed, who is mentored by legendary Tony award-winning composer, librettist and record producer Claude-Michel Schönberg, is known for her musicals such as the critically-acclaimed STOP(with Leo Munby) as well as her collaborations with composer Jack Trzcinski. Annabel is also known for her directorial work, which includes the recent concert production of Zorro! The Musical at London’s Cadogan Hall.

Alongside Annabel Mutale Reed, the concert lineupincludes: Natalia Brown (Motown), Ali Ewoldt (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables), Jemal Felix (Kinky Boots, The Book of Mormon), Danielle Fiamanya (& Juliet, The Color Purple), Connor Going (The Choir of Men), Gabrielle Lewis Dodson (The Boy Friend, 42^nd Street), Sam Oladeinde (The Prince of Egypt, Hamilton), Kathy Peacock (Les Misérables), Jack Remmington (The X Factor), Sharon Rose (Hamilton, Caroline, or Change), Robin Simões da Silva (Spring Awakening), Anton Stephans (The X Factor), Leah St Luce (Mamma Mia!, Beautiful), 2020 musical theatre graduate Meesha Turner and Amelia Walker (SIX).

The concert will be made available on the following link on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-J_fZmCq4eM

The Barn Presents: The Music of Annabel Mutale Reed will debut on the Barn Theatre’s Facebook and YouTube channels on 11 July 2020 at 7:30pm BST. The concert will be released on the Barn Theatre’s Facebook and YouTube channels and will see Annabel Mutale Reed chat with Barn Theatre producer Jamie Chapman Dixon about her career so far, the creation process behind her  songs and special appearances from some of the performers, to discuss their experience rehearsing and recording from home. Annabel will also be joined by Leo Munby and Jack Trzcinski to discuss their collaboration processes and the concert will also feature a special guest who will be announced at a later date.

This concert will bring the total to six British musical theatre writers that have been celebrated as part of the series, with previous virtual concerts celebrating the music of Welsh married award-winning song-writing team Daniel and Laura Curtis, Scottish award-winning composer Finn Anderson, who was recently announced as The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer from April 2020, the award-winning musical theatre composer and book writer Elliot Davis, and Amies & Clements, the award-winning composing team behind the musical Tomorrow, Maybe.

The Barn Presents: The Music of Daniel and Laura Curtis, featuring performances by Jon Jon Briones, Alice Fearn, Nadim Naaman, Oliver Savile and many more can be watched here: https://youtu.be/kJZVqGeazEg

The Barn Presents: The Music of Finn Anderson, featuring performances by Christina Bianco, Joanne Clifton, Matt Henry, Danielle Hope and many more can be watched here: https://youtu.be/1sVYFEyJ7Vs

The Barn Presents: The Music of Elliot Davis, featuring performances by Lucie Jones, Aimie Atkinson, Aaron Lee Lambert, James Bourne and many more can be watched here: https://youtu.be/ESQfFkZUf1I

The Barn Presents: The Music of Amies & Clements, featuring performances by Jodie Steele, Hiba Elchikhe, Marcus Ayton, Cameron Bernard Jones and many more can be watched here: https://youtu.be/bwLppT_J5h4

The series forms part of the Barn Theatre’s Behind The Barn Door live streaming service. Set up in March, when the theatre had to temporarily close following government guidance, the service includes a full recording of the Barn Theatre’s critically-acclaimed 2019 Built by Barn production of William Shakespeare’s Henry V, directed by Hal Chambers and starring Aaron Sidwell (EastEnders, Wicked) and Lauren Samuels (Bend It Like Beckham, We Will Rock You).

The Barn Theatre (registered charity no. 1174253) have launched their SAVE OUR BARN campaign, via their website and social media platforms, to ensure the Barn Theatre’s survival.

Fuelling new opportunities for Black women
writers through Burn Bright

Following the success of Burn Bright’s digitally commissioned pilot, Better In Person, the empowering not-for-profit led by Tori Allen-Martin and Sarah Henley, is continuing the series with the next instalment which will amplify Black women’s voices and stories, alongside launching a new initiative, Connect. In response to the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and the struggles of the Black community, the company are keen to provide a platform in keeping with their ethos of equality and diversity in the arts. The new plays will be showcased on Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August at 8pm.

Better In Person will once again be directed by Abigail Sewell (I AM [NOT] KANYE WEST, Bunker Theatre), and hosted by Tori Allen-Martin, inviting audiences to be an online fly-on-the-wall witnessing these intimate, hilarious, and always very human conversations. Burn Bright are looking to commission five talented Black writers, to have their work shared via Zoom. Short extracts of existing works will be welcomed for submission until the closing date, Tuesday 14th July. A recording of the pilot event, which aired live on Monday 25th May, will also be made available for pay per view via the Burn Bright website

Abigail comments, These uncertain times have been a challenge for so many of us; we are social beings that desire connection. I think that’s what makes Better In Person so special. Theatre and live performance connect us in a really unique way – those who are present get to share a once in a lifetime experience. Amidst this period of isolation, over 200 households came together to experience the pilot; a timely series of conversations that so many of us can relate to right now. Heart-warming exchanges that reassure us that we are connected because of our shared isolation. We’re so excited to be sharing five more brilliant stories with you all.

Building on their portfolio of initiatives for writers who identify as women, Burn Bright are also launching Connect, a series of online panel discussions over the summer, including a peer-topeer networking event for writers co-hosted by playwrights Dawn King (Foxfinder, West End) and Matilda Ibini (Little Miss Burden, The Bunker), a session on understanding your rights run by the Writers Guild, and an exclusive Q&A with three amazing industry professionals, including casting director Annelie Powell. Seeking to continually provide opportunities for women writers, these events are designed to be an invaluable tool for personal development.

Burn Bright’s original networking initiative, Time Bank, has also seen huge success since their launch, with 35 industry advisors offering up over 150 sessions (more than 100 hours of free advice to writers who identify as women). However, this is only the beginning and to pave the way for a fairer industry the company want to see more high-level experts donating their time – in particular, male gatekeepers. In an industry dominated by (White) men in leadership positions, to enact change and challenge gender inequality, Burn Bright are actively calling out for men to step up and offer their services and mentorship

Sarah and Tori comment, We are super excited to announce our newest initiative Connect,
providing new ways for writers to engage with each other and industry experts, and we are
beyond thrilled by the success of our first networking scheme, the Time Bank. We’re so grateful
to those who have offered their time to help so many writers – and we’re delighted that a
number of people reached out in response to Black Lives Matter and have used our platform for their own activism. Our whole raison d’etre is to fight for equal opportunities for women in
theatre, and we commit to amplifying and supporting the voices of those within that community
that are further marginalised due to their race, sexual orientation, socio-economic background
or any other reason. We are thrilled to commission and platform the work of five Black women for our next Better In Person event and can’t wait to read the submissions.

The full line up of events are as follows:

‘It’s Lonely Out There…’ hosted by Dawn King and Matilda Ibini
Tuesday 21st July, 8pm
Being a writer can be a lonely job – join us for an evening of peer-to-peer networking to meet other writers to hear about and discuss routes into the industry and hot topics.

‘Squad Goals’ hosted by Tori Allen-Martin
Tuesday 4th August, 8pm
Get to know some of the wider team involved in making a production and understanding how their work relates to you and your script. This first event features Casting Director Annelie Powell, Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate Theatres James Dacre and Movement Director Kane Husbands.

‘Know Your Rights with The Writers Guild’ hosted by Lesley Gannon
Tuesday 18th August, 8pm
The Assistant General Secretary of WGGB looks at how to avoid the common pitfalls when getting your work produced and explains how the Writers’ Guild are there to support you at every stage of your career.

Better In Person
Monday 31st August, 8pm
Five new plays inspired by conversations that would be ‘better in person’ but are happening online due to the lockdown. The audience are invited to be an online fly on the wall witnessing these intimate, beautiful, sad, uncomfortable, hilarious and always very human conversations, as they take place in real time

After tremendous success with ‘The Show Must Go On’ t-shirt, The Theatre Support Fund + have designed a face mask of the same design which is now available to purchase from their website.

The Theatre Support Fund & ‘The Show Must Go On’ t-shirt was created in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. All profits from the project are split between Acting for Others and the Fleabag Support Fund who are providing financial aid to people working in the theatre industry who are experiencing hardship as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic. As well as the NHS COVID-19 Urgent Appeal. The team have now created a re-useable face covering to add to their list of merchandise which also includes a notebook, mug, badge and tote bag.

The design is an amalgamation of the world-famous branding of 16 of the biggest musicals in the West End. Shows included on the design are & Juliet, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Everyone’s Talking about Jamie, Hamilton, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Matilda The Musical, Six The Musical, Tina, The Tina Turner Musical, The Book of Mormon, The Prince of Egypt, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.

All ‘The Show Must Go On’ merchandise can be found on the website including face masks which cost £9.50 –https://theatresupportfund.co.uk/

BIRMINGHAM STAGE COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW DATES FOR

UK CAR PARK TOUR OF HORRIBLE HISTORIES: BARMY BRITAIN

Birmingham Stage Company today announces new tour dates for Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain in association with Car Park Party, Troubadour and Live Nation. The production opens at Henley on Saturday 11 July and will now also visit Bolton, Birmingham, Newmarket, Darlington, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool, Lincoln and Cheltenham throughout July and August. Please note that productions scheduled in Dudley on 24 July and Manchester on 26 July can regretfully no longer go ahead and ticket holders will be refunded.

Audiences will drive in and enjoy the show from the comfort of their own car, with sound transmitted through each car’s radio. This very special production of Barmy Britain live on stage will then tour to the previously announced Northampton, Newbury, Chelmsford, Exeter and Edmonton, concluding the run at Cheltenham on 31August.

Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain features Queen Boudicca, King Henry VIII, Guy Fawkes, Dick Turpin, Queen Victoria and a special guest appearance by King Richard III, who in 1485 famously bought a long-stay ticket for a car park in Leicester.

Horrible Histories Live on Stage isbased on the bestselling books written by Terry Deary, illustrated by Martin Brown and published by Scholastic. It first launched in 2005 with the world premieres of Terrible Tudors & Vile Victorians. Since then the Birmingham Stage Company has produced eighteen different Horrible shows, performing to over three million people in the UK, including the longest running children’s show in West End history, with its record-breaking series Barmy Britain. Horrible Histories Live on Stage has also become a worldwide phenomenon, performing in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Qatar, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, New Zealand and Australia, where it performed in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Terry Deary is the author of Horrible Histories which is the world’s bestselling children’s history book series. The series is illustrated by Martin Brown. There are over 80 Horrible Histories titles with sales over 30 million in 40 countries. Deary is also the author of over 300 fiction and non-fiction books for young people. ‘A cultural phenomenon. The Horrible Histories series of books have been formative experiences for anyone born since the late 1980s’ Daily Telegraph

Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain Listings

Henley Festival – Henley on Thames RG9 2LY

Saturday 11 July 2020 at 11.30am & 2.30pm

Northampton Saints Rugby – Northampton NN5 5JT

Saturday 18 July at 11.30am & 2.30pm

Newbury Racecourse – Newbury RG14 7PN

Saturday 25 July at 2.30pm

University of Bolton Stadium – Bolton BL6 6JW

Sunday 26 July 2020 at 2pm

Chelmsford City Racecourse – Chelmsford CM3 1QP

Saturday 1 August at 2.30pm

Teesside International Airport – Teesside DL2 1LU

Saturday 8 August at 2pm

Resorts World Arena – Birmingham B40 1NT

Sunday 9 August at 2pm                                                                                       

Newmarket Racecourse – Newmarket CB8 0TF

Monday 10 August at 2pm

East Airport – Leeds LS24 9SE

Thursday 13 August at 2pm

Filton Airfield – Bristol BS34 7ST

Friday 14 August at 2pm

Powderham Castle – Exeter EX6 8JQ

Saturday 15 August at 11.30am & 2.30pm

Troubadour Meridian Water – North London N18 3QQ

Wednesday 19 August – Sunday 23 August at 11am & 2pm

Liverpool Central Docks – Liverpool L3 0BH

Saturday 29 August at 2pm

Lincolnshire Showground – Lincoln LN2 2NA

Sunday 30 August at 2pm

Cheltenham Racecourse – Cheltenham GL50 4SH

Monday 31 August at 2pm

Tickets: £30 + £2.50 booking fee per car

Running Time: 70 minutes

Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain is suitable for anyone aged 5 to 105 years. Please note 106-year olds may not like it!

www.birminghamstage.com/

Twitter @birminghamstage

Birmingham Repertory Theatre wholeheartedly welcomes this vital pledge of support from Government for the UK’s world-leading arts sector. This vote of confidence recognises our industry’s huge role in the economic, educational, and social wellbeing of the UK.

As the Second City’s major producing theatre, The REP can now look forward to making our contribution to recovery. Working with other organisations, freelancers, ACE and DCMS, we hope that funds can be distributed in a representative and inclusive way that embraces the challenges and creative opportunities of working in a new cultural landscape. 

The recently announced Theatre Artists Fund, which has been set up to provide emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK, is also a welcome development in ensuring the future of the UK’s cultural landscape, and support a large part of the industry’s workforce. 

Whilst we have been continuing with our wider civic mission during these unprecedented times – proceeding with our vital education and outreach work, and engaging with our communities – we can now also look forward to creating new shows, and welcoming audiences back to our building once it is safe to do so. 

At a time where Birmingham’s vibrant cultural renaissance will be coming to the forefront of international attention in Commonwealth Games ’22, it is reassuring to know that this investment will enable The REP to grow our international reputation as a leading producing theatre, and to contribute to the life of the nation with playful, popular and pioneering theatre for all.

Bristol Old Vic responds to government’s cultural investment announcement

In the wake of the government’s cultural investment announcement on Sun 5 Jul, pledging £1.5bn to keep the UK Arts Sector afloat, Bristol Old Vic’s Artistic Director Tom Morris said today:

We are delighted by the scale and range of last night’s announcement. Artists, economists, producers and audience members have powerfully argued that the national theatre infrastructure would be impossible to rebuild if we were to let it collapse. Government has heard that call and invested.

There’s much to find out about how the funds will be applied but this investment feels like a decisive vote of confidence by Rishi Sunak and Oliver Dowden in the enormous contribution that the arts and culture can make to our social, educational, creative and economic recovery from the COVID19 disaster. It can’t save every organisation or support every artist, but we unreservedly welcome and applaud it. 

Like others across the sector, we look forward to working closely with ACE and DCMS to ensure that the funds can be released quickly enough to minimise the damage of cuts being made to many organisations, and be used speedily to employ the freelance artists who have been so badly hit by the pandemic.

We need to make sure that money reaches freelance artists fast, not only through the hardship funds announced from Netflix and others, but through meaningful employment too.

In Bristol, we fervently hope these funds will allow us renew our work with our communities in the immediate term, and to rebuild our programmes through experimental performances until we can play safely to full houses again.

It is also hugely encouraging to see that some in government are thinking ahead towards the next five years of cultural investment. The economic impact and global reputation of British creativity has been tested, proven and newly understood through the many debates in parliament and the media over the last few months. Today’s announcement creates a brilliant platform for a cross-party conversation to ensure that we have the strongest possible cultural infrastructure to deliver the inclusive and equalising vision of the Arts Council’s ten year strategy, Let’s Create.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have both referenced Roosevelt’s New Deal in relation to the infrastructure investment to be announced this Wednesday. Art and culture were also a crucial part of that visionary economic intervention, and Britain’s artists in every art form are now ready to play a central role in the transformation of our country to make it fairer, greener, more representative and more confident in the transformative value of creativity for all.

Musical theatre CD on sale now to raise money for NHS heroes

A SUCCESSFUL musical theatre group has produced a compilation of lockdown classics to help support the National Health Service.

Darlington Operatic Society has released a CD called “Strictly Lockdown” – comprising 18 musical theatre songs – with 50 per cent of the profits being donated to the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust’s Charity.

All of the songs have been created by members singing in isolation from their spare bedrooms, under-stair cupboards, bathrooms and conservatories during the period of lockdown due to the Covid 19 outbreak.

The result is around 80 minutes of “virtual musical theatre magic”, with the CD on sale now.

DarlingtonOS spokesman Julian Cound said: “I’m so happy to be able to say the CD is on sale now as it has been such a challenging project over the past three months.

“The idea of creating a compilation CD came fairly soon after the lockdown happened. It has taken many weeks of planning and organisation to get the CD on sale.”

The process involved choosing the right mix of songs, arranging backing tracks as well as making sure the project meets all legal requirements.

“Over 40 members have submitted individual vocal tracks to be used on the CD which contains a mix of duets, small groups and full company numbers. This would be challenging enough in a recording studio but to create a CD of this quality in isolation has required a fantastic effort from everyone involved.”

“The CD is full of songs from the best loved musicals including Wicked, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Sister Act, Hairspray and many more.”

Commenting, Pat Chambers, charity manager at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said, “We’re enormously grateful to Darlington Operatic Society for sharing the profits from sales with us. The volunteers who run our hospital radio are also looking forward to playing the CD. Donations are used to fund a variety of projects to enhance the experience of both patients and staff and are much appreciated.”

As well as supporting the NHS, sales of Strictly Lockdown will also help DOS through a difficult period until it can resume staging its high quality shows at the Hippodrome.

The CD is priced at just £10 plus p&p and is available to buy now through the DarlingtonOS website www.darlingtonos.org.uk

West End stars unite for special Godspell 50th
Anniversary concert
Streaming worldwide: 27th, 28th and 29th August
Thomas Hopkins & Michael Quinn for Ginger Quiff Media in associate with the Hope Mill Theatre

Prepare ye the way of Godspell in concert! Theatrical legends will come together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Godspell in an exciting online concert experience. Ruthie Henshall (Chicago; Billy Elliot), and Darren Day (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) will return to reprise their roles from the 1993 cast recording; they will be joined by Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen), Ria Jones (Sunset Boulevard; High Society), and Jenna Russell (The Bridges of Madison County; Fun Home).

Starring alongside them will be leading West End Talent: Jodie Steele (SIX; Heathers), Danyl Johnson (The X Factor finalist), Jenny Fitzpatrick (Tina, The Musical; Our House), Natalie Green (The Prince of Egypt; Hair), John Barr (The Story of Bart; Tommy), Sally Ann Triplett (Mamma Mia!; Viva Forever), Gerard McCarthy (Tina, The Musical; Beautiful Thing), Alison Jiear (Jerry Springer: The Opera), Shekinah McFarlane (Six; Hair), Lucy Williamson (The Fix; Judy & Liza), Ronald Brian (Beautiful, The Carol King Musical; Newsies), Jerome Bell (The Voice USA; Hairspray) and supported by an ensemble from Italia Conti.

With a driving message of hope and community, Godspell is the acclaimed work of renowned composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked; Pippin; The Prince of Egypt) which tells a series of parables leading up to the Passion of Christ. To look towards a brighter future post-lockdown, the concert will raise money for wonderful charities: Hope Mill Theatre (A Factory of Creativity CIO), Acting
For Others, and National AIDS Trust.

Directed by award-winning Michael Strassen (Billy; Assassins), it will be filmed from the cast’shomes and edited together with striking visual animations. It is a revival of Godspell like neverbefore, revamping the show for the modern technological age. Available for three days only to stream worldwide this summer, this promises to be the online theatrical event not to be missed.

Joseph Houston, Artistic Director of Hope Mill Theatre comments, We are so honoured to be collaborating on this online concert celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the musical Godspell and to be using this opportunity to support not only our own venue, but the incredible work that Acting for Others and the National AIDS Trust are doing during this time. The line-up of talent we have assembled is incredible and I know that this is going to be an online event not to be missed. We are also thrilled to be once again presenting a Stephen Schwartz musical and to share the musical genius of one of the world’s best musical theatre composers.

Sharon Coleman, Director of Fundraising at National AIDS Trust, adds, We’re absolutely thrilled to be one of the charities benefiting from the online concert marking Godspell’s 50th anniversary. It promises to be an exciting show, full of our favourite performers, so we hope lots of people buy a ticket and raise money to support our vital work tackling HIV stigma and discrimination

CEO of The Lowry in Salford responds to DCMS funding announcement

Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “The announcement of £1.57bn of emergency investment in the UK’s culture sector is welcome news, but we are fast running out of time.

“This lifeline will come too late for some organisations who have already been forced to close their doors for good or made valued employees redundant.

“While we await precise details of the funding mechanisms, I would remind Government that the priority now must be to get these much-needed funds to the organisations most at risk – and fast. 

“In doing so, they can help save programmes of work and thousands of jobs across our sector that will otherwise fall victim to COVID.”