Colors: Red Color

 

Bruno Tonioli will not be behind the Strictly Come Dancing judges' desk for some of this year's series, while he takes part in the US version.

The impassioned Italian usually appears on both Dancing With The Stars and the BBC show, flying back and forth. But that's not possible this year. He won't be replaced on the UK panel.

The BBC said Tonioli would still "be involved remotely" in the Sunday results shows and then return full time "towards the end of the series".

This year's series will be will be "slightly" shorter than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, the broadcaster has said. It normally begins in September and ends in mid-December. Its run largely overlaps with Dancing With The Stars, which normally ends in late November.

The BBC hasn't said how long this series will be, or how long Tonioli will be away. The timing of his return is likely to depend on the transmission dates of Dancing With The Stars and any quarantine requirements.

Previously, Tonioli has commuted between the shows every week. However, the current rules say anyone flying from the US to the UK and vice versa must self-isolate for two weeks. The BBC also didn't give any details of how he would take part in the results shows remotely.

In a statement, Tonioli said: "I absolutely adore being part of Strictly and can't wait to see what incredible dancing this year has in store.

"Lockdown has resulted in me being in LA for the foreseeable, but I'm excited to be involved as much as I possibly can."

Executive producer Sarah James said: "I'm overjoyed that we've found a way for Bruno to be part of this year's Strictly.

"His passion and enthusiasm are such a big part of the show, I'm thrilled we can continue to deliver that to audiences this year."

In the past, the choreographer has usually missed one week of Strictly every series, to give him a mid-season break from travelling. In recent years, he has been replaced on the judging panel during his week off by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro.

Tonioli's fellow UK judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood will all return.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) have announced they are embarking on a creative partnership to work on new shows together, starting with a ballet inspired by social distancing.

The two companies have joined forces to work together and develop dance productions for Birmingham audiences and help revive the city’s cultural life following lockdown.

It is the creation of the companies’ new artistic leaders, Sean Foley at Birmingham Rep, and Carlos Acosta at BRB, both of whom joined their respective organisations within the past year.

Acosta said: “I hoped the cross-sector collaboration would maximise our different creative networks and represented a shared vision to making Birmingham the greatest city in the arts".

The partnership will begin with four shows staged for live audiences at the Birmingham Rep in October. These will include the premiere of a new ballet by Will Tuckett, Lazuli Sky, which is inspired by and uses social distancing.

Of the plans Foley said: "This is the beginning of an exciting partnership that will encompass full-scale productions, and new ways to create audiences together. Combining the Rep’s own history with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s reputation for world-class ballet gives us both hope that we can help establish Birmingham as the very best city for theatre, for dance and the creative arts.

"The arts must find new and inventive ways to collaborate and create new works. The new collaboration will deliver excitement and artistic excellence for the people of Birmingham and wider afield - both nationally, and internationally".

Lazuli Sky will be part of a triple bill of ballet, with music by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, running from October 22 to 24 which will also include the neo-classical Our Waltzes by Vicente Nebrada and solo piece Liebestod, by Valery Panov.

Birmingham Rep and BRB are also developing a new work for 2021 entitled City of a Thousand Trades, which will be part of a season celebrating 30 years since BRB moved from London to Birmingham.

The one-act ballet, inspired by the stories of Birmingham and is residents, is due to premiere next May.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) have announced they are embarking on a creative partnership to work on new shows together, starting with a ballet inspired by social distancing.

The two companies have joined forces to work together and develop dance productions for Birmingham audiences and help revive the city’s cultural life following lockdown.

It is the creation of the companies’ new artistic leaders, Sean Foley at Birmingham Rep, and Carlos Acosta at BRB, both of whom joined their respective organisations within the past year.

Acosta said: “I hoped the cross-sector collaboration would maximise our different creative networks and represented a shared vision to making Birmingham the greatest city in the arts".

The partnership will begin with four shows staged for live audiences at the Birmingham Rep in October. These will include the premiere of a new ballet by Will Tuckett, Lazuli Sky, which is inspired by and uses social distancing.

Of the plans Foley said: "This is the beginning of an exciting partnership that will encompass full-scale productions, and new ways to create audiences together. Combining the Rep’s own history with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s reputation for world-class ballet gives us both hope that we can help establish Birmingham as the very best city for theatre, for dance and the creative arts.

"The arts must find new and inventive ways to collaborate and create new works. The new collaboration will deliver excitement and artistic excellence for the people of Birmingham and wider afield - both nationally, and internationally".

Lazuli Sky will be part of a triple bill of ballet, with music by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, running from October 22 to 24 which will also include the neo-classical Our Waltzes by Vicente Nebrada and solo piece Liebestod, by Valery Panov.

Birmingham Rep and BRB are also developing a new work for 2021 entitled City of a Thousand Trades, which will be part of a season celebrating 30 years since BRB moved from London to Birmingham.

The one-act ballet, inspired by the stories of Birmingham and is residents, is due to premiere next May.

When you are an actress, a scriptwriter, a children’s author and a jazz singer, not to mention a mother, a friend, a lover and plenty else besides, how do you describe yourself? 

As Ada Morghe, Alexandra Helmig has the answer. Don’t put her in a box. This is the inspiration of Ada Morghe’s current journey - a jazzy, soulful, deeply personal and suitably titled second album, ‘Box’.
 
Written and recorded between Livingstone Brown’s studio in London and Peter Gabriel’s studio in Wiltshire,  the 10-track album features the recent singles:  the tight, upbeat funk ‘Wake Up’, the love letter to air ‘Oh My Love’ and the romantic Parisian inspired ‘Water Lilies’, which has just been placed on YouTube’s Jazz and Blues Experience playlist with over 1.36 million followers. Plus the highlight of the album, new single ‘Box’.  
 
The groove-based focus single ‘Box’ was co-written with Andrew Roachford, who knows a thing or two about being put in boxes. When he was having hits like ‘Family Man’ and ‘Cuddly Toy’ at the end of the 80s he was forever described as the Black guy who did rock music. 
 
Ada explains: “He related to the idea in the song. We both had the same question: in your professional life, do you need to have that identity for people to rely on? It got us talking about all aspects of life and being put into a box. We can often judge and make assumptions based on first impressions: by the way people look or the roles they play personally and professionally, but everyone can have several identities. Only by talking and learning from others can we find this out”.
 
Roachford says: “Writing with Ada was a unique experience and I’m happy that we managed to capture Ada’s strong individuality when we wrote this song Box”.  Directed by Annika Blendl and Leonie Stade, the video was shot in Munich before lockdown in March.

Ada specifically employed a team of people in front and behind the camera that had various professions and identities, to reflect the message of the song, “It’s about diversity and tolerance, the courage to express yourself and awareness. The video should be fun to watch and encourage to think outside the box”. 
 
The rest of the album stretches from the melancholic elegance of ‘Rainy Day’ to the hazy, Radiohead cover ‘Weird Fishes’. There is the jazz seduction of ‘Sugar Lips’, a perfect vehicle for the warmth and smokiness of her voice. Ending with the beautiful ‘Demons’, an orchestral epic with shades of Scott Walker and a message of self-acceptance, Box marks a true coming of age.

For someone who cannot be put in a box, how does Alexandra feel about being labelled as a jazz singer of verve, passion and elegance?
 
“Music makes sense to me because everything is in there,” she replies. “There is the writer, the musician, the performer. And this album is about where I am now.” 
 
Alexandra’s career in music began in earnest three years ago, after she wrote and starred in a play, then a film, called ‘Mother Bee’. A pun in its German title, Frau Mutter Tier, refers to an overprotective mother. Having been encouraged to also write songs for the film, those compositions fell into the hands of former Prince collaborator Hans-Martin Buff and just six week later, Alexandra found herself recording at Abbey Road.

That ultimately put Alexandra in the relatively unusual position of releasing her debut album ‘Pictures’ in her 40s, which has gained over 1 million streams across DSPs.
 
The album tracklisting is:
 
1. Wake Up
2. Water Lilies
3. Rainy Days
4. Box
5. No More Fools  
6. Oh My Love
7. Honey Juice
8. Sugar Lips
9. Weird Fishes – Arpeggi
10. Demons

Town Hall Symphony Hall, Birmingham have announced that the annual Brass Gala will take place online in partnership with 4 Bars Rest.

The event, which usually takes place at the world-renowned West Midlands concert hall, will be broadcast to Facebook and YouTube on Fri 11 September at 7PM featuring performances by Cory Band and Black Dyke Band, cult brass heroes Mnozil Brass, and the next generation of brass musicians graduating from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Cory Band and Black Dyke Band have both recorded brand-new performances for the gala during lockdown and will be closing the event with a world-exclusive digital massed-band performance. After visiting Town Hall in 2017 as part of their Cirque World Tour, Mnozil Brass will be premiering previously unreleased footage from that tour as part of the virtual gala.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire have commissioned composer Ryan Linham to create a brand-new composition for all of those brass players graduating from the Brass Department called Legend of the Lockdown Leavers, recorded during lockdown, which will be opening the Virtual Brass Gala.

Head of Brass for Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Amos Miller said: "The Brass department at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is delighted to have been invited to take part in this virtual gala performance. Whilst we are sorry not to be physically with our illustrious colleagues this year, we are hugely looking forward to being involved in the future."

4 Bars Rest Editor, Iwan Fox said: "We're delighted to have been invited by Symphony Hall to partner on this year's Virtual Brass Gala. Symphony Hall has become the annual home for brass banding over the past 25 years - what could be better than world class bands in a world class concert hall. Sadly this year we can't be there in person, but we're delighted to support the venues during these tough times. This year's Virtual Brass Gala will be a truly magnificent celebration of Brass banding, and definitely not one to miss!"

Chris Proctor, Head of Programme at Town Hall Symphony Hall commented: “Since 1997, our Autumn Season has started with the annual Brass weekend in September including the British Open Brass Band Championships and Brass Gala. For the first time in over 20 years, the weekend of events are unable to take place in our venues. I’m so proud that, in partnership with Iwan Fox and 4 Bars Rest, we have been able to work with these brass bands and find ways to bring the music to audiences online.

“The future of Birmingham’s Town Hall and Symphony Hall, and our future as the music charity responsible for them, looks very different from the plans we began the year with.

“Throughout this period, we remain committed to inspiring a love of live music, through performance, participation and learning across this city.” 

A survey conducted by the Music Venues Trust revealed that only 13% of venues could open with 2-metre social distancing in place and of those the majority said it would be financially ruinous to do so due to the reduced number of attendees. As concerts and gigs are still being cancelled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Town Hall Symphony Hall has continued to bring live music to the people of Birmingham and beyond.

Digital broadcasts from Town Hall and Symphony Hall in the last three months have amassed almost 200,000 views, whilst over 150 singers have joined online music making workshops.

Tune in on Facebook and YouTube on Friday 11 September 2020 at 7pm to watch the Virtual Brass Gala.

As a theatre which stages one of the UK's most popular pantomimes Birmingham Hippodrome has announced that it has cancelled its Christmas programme due to Covid-19 and will not reopen this year and that its major live performances were "not financially viable" amid social distancing.

With productions in the main auditorium not resuming until February at the earliest, it said, it means that the festive pantomime, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, will not go ahead.

Annual performances of The Nutcracker by Birmingham Royal Ballet, which uses the theatre as its home venue, have also been scrapped there.

The Hippodrome said the move followed discussions "at length" with both the ballet and pantomime producer, Qdos.

Fiona Allan, the theatre's chief executive and artistic director said it was "a massive blow" to lose the shows.

"It leaves us in a very difficult financial position... a quarter of our annual income comes from this Christmas season, 150,000 people come through our doors between pantomime and The Nutcracker, so it's really quite devastating. We're just trying to weigh-up it up, what it means, if we can continue to operate as we did before."

The Hippodrome had previously announced scale backs because of the pandemic. In June, the theatre said about 60 employees - around half its staff - could be made redundant in a bid to stay afloat.

It benefitted from the government's £1.5bn support package for the arts, announced in July, but Ms Allan said social distancing prohibited full-scale productions.

Goldilocks, starring Jason Donovan, has been rescheduled for the 2021 Christmas period.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Emma Rowley said: "My heart literally breaks with this news. I'm so sad to everyone at my absolute fave [sic] place."

Leon Phillips added: "This is sad to hear, but at a time like this what else can you do, safety of your audience and staff members is very important, and your [sic] being very responsible at this moment.

"It's nice to see how understanding your audience member [sic] are as well."

Birmingham Royal Ballet says it is "working hard" to find a new host for The Nutcracker and The Hippodrome said it would be contacting ticket-holders for the ballet production over the coming days.

Qdos announced it was pushing back pantomimes in Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Southampton to next Christmas amid ongoing uncertainty about when theatres would be able to reopen fully.

Its managing director Michael Harrison said: "The Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime is the UK's biggest regional panto and postponing the show has been a difficult decision."

 

Bastille’s electrifying new song might feel like a bit of a surprise release, not least to the band themselves, but as frontman Dan Smith says: “We finished the song and it felt urgent. We didn’t want to sit on it.”
 
A thunderous, furious short sharp shock, ‘What You Gonna Do???’ comes after the dust settled on the band’s acclaimed third album Doom Days — the final instalment in a trilogy that’s spanned eight years and brought Bastille multi-platinum sales, global success and a position as one of the world’s most streamed bands. Fans may have grown accustomed to albums arriving with fully formed, meticulously executed creative ecosystems, but this time it’s all change.
 
“This next phase feels like a new beginning. It’s about completely tearing up our process, being spontaneous and starting again,” Dan states. “We’re just really excited by the new songs. I think we’re making some of the best music we’ve ever made. We want to put it out now and not wait for the whole album to be done before anyone starts to hear it. This is about where we are now and hearing us in real-time”
 
Produced by Dan and Mark Crew it’ll surprise anyone who thought they knew what to expect from the band - The song features Graham Coxon on guitar and vocals. 
 
The tongue-in-cheek chorus of ‘What You Gonna Do???’ explores a frustration with the attention economy in which our ears and eyes are fiercely fought over, yet so few use it for anything worthwhile. “Whether we’re outside or online we’re perpetually hit by so many people vying for our attention,” Dan adds, “but we’re just left rolling our eyes at how rarely it’s for anything that decent or funny.”

The track was written before 2020 turned on its head, but it’s hard to ignore the poignancy of a song that questions the squandered attention of billions of captive eyeballs.
 
The track’s extraordinary video sees Bastille collaborating with Rezza a British/Iranian, London-based animator who brings a seismic visual shift for Bastille: the video is a mash up of mixed media using illustration, photography and live action which resulted in a unique and innovative style that is winningly berserk.
 
Sonically ‘What You Gonna Do???’ is either the first clue to a brand new chapter for Bastille or a complete red herring. Either way it marks the beginning of an exciting and surprising new era for the band. 

Despite the theatre industry still in lockdown Worcester’s acclaimed Vamos Theatre has been busy over the last few months producing HOW HARD IS WAVING? a phenomenal 20 short films commissioned by the BBC’s Culture in Quarantine.

The first episode, which marked Vamos Theatre’s BBC debut, was broadcast on 7th July, and reached its touching finale on 1 August.
 
The 20 episodes, which are now available to stream in their entirety on BBC iPlayer, were viewed across social media, BBC Arts and iPlayer enabling the company to bring their work to a much wider audience. 

Vamos Theatre is the UK’s leading full mask theatre company and are recognised leaders in non-verbal communication training and performance. The company were in the middle of a UK national tour of their new production DEAD GOOD when theatres were forced to temporarily close due to COVID-19.
 
HOW HARD IS WAVING? was inspired by a series of films produced by the company and broadcast on its social media platforms every day during the initial lockdown period.
The commission was a huge challenge for the company during an unprecedented period for the whole country. Guided by film maker and editor Dan Hill, each of the cast performed at home filming their own footage.
 
Rachael Savage, Artistic Director of Vamos Theatre said: “It was bizarre making HOW HARD IS WAVING! at a time when our worlds were being turned upside down whilst trying to reflect honestly that world.  From hording, to running out of loo roll, to finding fun ways to stay connected and then deeper themes such as loneliness and depression, and how the care system could have been much better supported.
 
“Whilst filming I often thought, this is a piece of history we’re making, a true reflection of what our generations went through during the pandemic and an archive for future generations to come.”

Performed entirely without words, HOW HARD IS WAVING? features Ryan, alone in lockdown, who is doing his absolute best to support his family through video link alone. The shorts take the viewer on a journey through four weeks of daily online meet ups with Gran, who is living with dementia, and her carer Katie, Dad who is into DIY, and Ryan’s best friend Fingers.
 
Although the final episode was broadcast on 1st August, and to fully appreciate the detail on their smart TVs, the company recommend audiences tune into BBC iPlayer where all 20 episodes are now available to stream.
  
Episodes are 1-3 minutes in length.
 
HOW HARD IS WAVING? cast includes Rachael Savage (director and performer), and renowned full mask actors, Alan Riley, and James Greaves, with Rosa Savage making her professional debut for the company. Norah the dog also takes part, playing herself. All episodes feature an original score by composer, Janie Armour.
 
Vamos Theatre’s Culture in Quarantine project was made with support from The Space, a digital agency and production company helping to promote wider engagement across the arts and cultural sector, and Battersea Arts Centre.

In total, 25 projects have been selected from across England. These pieces will be exhibited through broadcast slots across BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV, through podcasts on BBC Sounds, and through the BBC Arts website, continuing the Culture in Quarantine mission to bring the arts to UK homes despite arts venue closures, social distancing, and UK-wide lockdowns.

The socially-distanced reopening of indoor performances in England has been delayed until at least 15 August, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

The easing of restrictions at theatres and music venues was due to start this weekend, but has been postponed amid concerns over a rise in virus cases.

In addition, masks will be required in museums, galleries and cinemas - enforceable in law from 8 August.

Mr Johnson said: "We simply cannot take the risk."

The government had been working with the arts sector on pilot performances with socially-distanced audiences in theatres and music venues in recent weeks.

Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, said it was "disappointing that socially-distanced indoor performances will not be able to go ahead" as planned.

"However, in reality, the majority of theatres were not planning to reopen for shows tomorrow so a two-week delay will not make a huge difference.

"Most theatres will not be able to put on productions until we reach stage five [of the roadmap for the return of professional performing arts], which allows fuller audiences, so that is the most critical date for much of the sector."

Ken Wright, managing director of London's Phoenix Arts Club took a slightly different view, saying the government's decision to postpone the opening of live performance venues with less than a day's notice had "pulled the carpet from under us".

"We've said all along that we would 'open once and open well'. Therefore with heavy heart and broken bank balance we must announce that we will remain closed until we are certain that indoor live performance is permitted," he said in a statement.

Earlier this month the government announced a £1.57bn support package for the arts, following several weeks of lobbying from theatres, music venues, art galleries and other cultural institutions, many of which had said they were on the brink of collapse.

The government also outlined measures to "support the safe return of audiences", including:

Reduced venue capacity and limited ticket sales to ensure social distancing can be maintained
Tickets should be bought online and venues encouraged to use e-tickets to reduce contact and help with track and trace
Venues should have clearly communicated social distancing marking in place in areas where queues form and adopt a limited entry approach
Increased deep cleaning of auditoriums
Performances should be scheduled to allow sufficient time to undertake deep cleaning before the next audience arrives
Performers, conductors and musicians must observe social distancing wherever possible

The government also recently revealed its "five-stage roadmap for the return of professional performing arts", which was detailed by Mr Dowden as follows:

Stage One - Rehearsal and training (no audiences and adhering to social distancing guidelines)
Stage Two - Performances for broadcast and recording purposes (adhering to social distancing guidelines)
Stage Three - Performances outdoors with an audience plus pilots for indoor performances with a limited distance audience
Stage Four - Performances allowed indoors/outdoors (but with a limited distanced audience indoors)
Stage Five - Performances allowed indoors/outdoors (with a fuller audience indoors)

In response to the delay, the Music Venue Trust said it was "saddened but not surprised" to hear that live music music events planned for the next few weeks must now be cancelled.

"Since May 2020, Music Venue Trust has repeatedly informed the government that live music events in grassroots music venues would be extraordinarily difficult to stage, not economically viable, and at risk of being cancelled at short notice during the current pandemic," it said in a statement.

"A number of venues across the country have attempted to stage such events based on advice from the government, incurring substantial costs to make their venues safe. That expenditure now adds to the growing mountain of debts accrued by those venues working within the government guidelines."

The trust reiterated its belief that "no grassroots music venue" will be able to "safely and viably" put on concerts before 1 October "at the earliest", and questioned the logic behind the Prime Minister's new proposed opening date.

On the subject of face masks, Bob Riley, CEO of Manchester Camerata orchestra added: "Can anyone tell me why we need masks in more places from 8 August... and not now?"

 

The acclaimed British director of such films as Fame, Evita and Bugsy Malone, Sir Alan Parker, has died.

The double Oscar nominee's many other credits include Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Angela's Ashes and Birdy.

Evita composer Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted Sir Alan had been "one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen".

The director died after a lengthy illness. He is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, five children and seven grandchildren.

Fellow ilm director David Puttnam remembered the director as his "oldest and closest friend," adding: "I was always in awe of his talent."

A founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain, Sir Alan was also first chairman of the UK Film Council and received the CBE in 1995 and a knighthood in 2002. Bafta said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of Sir Alan's death, adding that his films had "brought us joy".

The British Film Institute, which Sir Alan chaired in the late 1990s, expressed similar sentiments. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences remembered him as "a chameleon" and "extraordinary talent" whose work "entertained us, connected us and gave us such a strong sense of time and place".

Despite not winning an Oscar for best director, his films won 10 Academy Awards as well as another 10 Golden Globes.

Actor John Cusack, who worked with Sir Alan on his 1994 comedy The Road to Wellville, said he had been "a great film-maker".

Born in London in 1944, Sir Alan began his career in advertising as a copywriter but quickly graduated to writing and directing commercials.

In 1974 he directed The Evacuees, winning a Bafta for best single play - the first of seven awards he received from the British Academy. In 1984 Bafta honoured him with the Michael Balcon Award for outstanding contribution to British cinema, and in 2013 he was awarded the prestigious Bafta Fellowship. Sir Alan's last film as director was 2003 drama The Life of David Gale, starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet.

In 2005 he published Will Write and Direct for Food, a compendium of his often satirical observations on making films in the UK and US. In 2018 he donated his extensive collection of scripts and working papers to the British Film Institute's National Archive.

According to a family spokesperson, he spent his retirement indulging his passion for silk screen printing and painting.

He was 76.

 

The REP becomes the first theatre in the UK to partner with Open Kitchens -  providing 9,000 meals for children in poverty in Birmingham 


Birmingham Repertory Theatre has become the first theatre in the UK to partner with national food solution organisation, Open Kitchens, providing 1,500 nutritional meals per week for children in poverty across the city over an initial 6 week period, totalling over 9,000 freshly prepared meals.  

The REP, and its popular restaurant Marmalade, remain temporarily closed due to the ongoing restrictions as a result of COVID-19. However, recent Government advice that allows theatres to open their doors on the condition of no live performances has enabled the venue to gain access to its kitchens once again.  

The theatre will receive 1 tonne of surplus food each week from across the food industry including supermarkets, manufacturers and the hospitality sector. Meals will be prepared in The REP’s kitchens by volunteers from the theatre’s bar and restaurant team lead by Head Chef Dario Pinho, Sous Chef Marc Scott-Smith and Chef de Partie Matt Smith, working 3 days per week over an initial 6-week period. Meals will then be distributed free of charge by Open Kitchens partner organisation Fareshare, the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors. The food will be chilled for transportation and, once delivered, can be heated up easily in a microwave or oven. 

Adam Roberts, Founder and CEO of Open Kitchens commented; “We are delighted that The REP is the first theatre in the UK to join Open Kitchens at a time when, according to End Child Poverty (2019), Birmingham has one of the highest percentages of children in the Midlands living in poverty after housing costs, amounting to over 130,000 vulnerable children.” 

Jules Raikes, Catering Director at The REP added; “It’s fantastic to be able to open up our kitchens for such a worthy cause during a time when a lot of families will be struggling financially. Thousands of children in the city have been schooled at home during the pandemic, which also means for some that they have been missing out on vital access to free school dinners. Thanks to our partnership with Open Kitchens and our incredible team of REP volunteers, we are now preparing meals from food that would otherwise go to waste, providing vulnerable children with a regular free nutritional meal during these unprecedented times.” 

It is estimated that 8.4 million people in the UK, or the equivalent to the entire population of London, are currently struggling to afford to eat. 2 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry in the UK annually with 250,000 tonnes of the food that goes to waste each year still being edible, totalling a potential 650 million meals. 

Open Kitchens brings together organisations who volunteer to work for free to cook meals for those in need in their community. Funded by community donations, pledging restaurants work to a budget of £1.85 per meal to cover costs with Open Kitchens contributing to energy usage. The project has been made possible thanks to generous donations direct to Open Kitchens. 

The REP’s team of volunteers will be working to strict government guidelines. PPE will be issued, and strict social distancing will be in place. Temperature checks and steam cleaning will be carried out on a regular basis and staff will be working in bubbles to ensure safety and to allow work to continue should someone become ill. 

For further information about Open Kitchens go to: openkitchens.co.uk. 

 

Fleetwood Mac co-founder and influential blues rock guitarist Peter Green has died.

Green, from London, formed the band with drummer Mick Fleetwood, in 1967, after Green's stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where he filled in for Eric Clapton.

Green and Fleetwood convinced John McVie to join the band as bass guitarist, in part by naming the band Fleetwood Mac an under Green's direction, they produced three albums and a series of well-loved tracks including Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well.

Green left the band in 1970, as he struggled with his mental health. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in hospital in the mid-70s.

Singer-songwriter Green was among the eight members of the band - along with Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer - who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

The news comes days after Fleetwood Mac announced they will release a retrospective boxset, documenting the band's early years between 1969 and 1974.

Paying tribute, Whitesnake's David Coverdale said Green was an artist he "truly loved and admired". In a tweet, he said: "I supported the original Fleetwood Mac at Redcar Jazz Club when I was in a local band... he was a breathtaking singer, guitarist and composer. I know who I will be listening to today. RIP"

In February this year, artists including Fleetwood, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and guitarists Jonny Lang and Andy Fairweather Low performed at the London Palladium in a gig celebrating the early years of Fleetwood Mac and its founder, Green.

He was 73.

Kim Kardashian West has publicly addressed her husband Kanye's mental health issues following his recent series of erratic statements after writing on Instagram: "As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder.

"Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, know how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand."

She described him as a "brilliant but complicated person whose words sometimes do not align with his intentions."

Noted by many as one of America’s biggest music stars, the rapper is currently attempting to run for US president. But his first campaign rally and a number of recent Twitter messages have sparked confusion and concern.

Married in 2014, Kim and Kanye have four children together and in her message, the Reality TV star and model said she had not previously spoken publicly about how his mental health had affected the family "because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health".

She wrote: ‘But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health. Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behaviour know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor. People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgemental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.’

She went on to say her husband was ‘subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions", but asked for greater empathy and understanding.

‘He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a Black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder’, she added. ‘Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.

‘Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true. We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most.

‘I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this’.

Theatre officials will stop using the term BAME (Black, Asian and Multy Ethnic), saying it is outdated.

Coventry's Belgrade Theatre said it made the decision after listening to local Black artists who want to see the term eradicated across the industry.

Echoing the reasons set out by Black Creative Network, the theatre said its use "reinforces the assumption of white British as the 'norm' or default". The move was "only the first step on a long journey", it added.

Recently, UK students and artists explained why they felt the term - which originated in the '60s and '70s - was no longer relevant to them.

Corey Campbell, co-artistic director at the theatre, said the decision had already attracted criticism but he stood by it.

Setting out its "statement of intent", the theatre said the group of West Midlands-based artists identified several problems with the term and similar acronyms.

It said: "Although originally intended to refer to groups of people as a means of measuring diversity across organisations... it stripped away people's individual identities and encourages us to see those who are not white British as a single, homogeneous group."

To assign a "single, collective identity to the vast range of racial, cultural and ethnic groups currently living in the UK, it assumed that all of these groups share broadly similar
experiences as well as reinforcing the assumption of white British as the "norm" or default".

The term also "conflated physical characteristics with geographic identity... Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic are not equivalent terms".

The theatre added: "It has always been important to us to provide a space where all of the people who make up our city feel seen and supported, and now more than ever, we want to listen to and act upon the requests of those who currently do not,".

BAME will no longer be used in its public and internal communications, but theatre officials said they accepted the acronym may still appear in some official documents they would be required to use.

Due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, and the extended closure of both concert halls, Town Hall Symphony Hall have entered a period of redundancy consultation, with half of their staff at risk of redundancy.

The future of these two iconic concert halls, and the music charity responsible for them, looks very different from the plans they began the year with.

“Though we have been awarded emergency relief funding by Arts Council England, it remains the case that all other income generated through the core business of live music and entertainment has stopped,” the statement said.

“This period of closure has already resulted in huge losses and it is still unclear as to when it may be possible to re-open. In order to have a chance of survival we must now take the painful decision to reduce our staff in anticipation of the continuing uncertainty ahead.”

“We have responded to the challenge of declining public subsidy through the unwavering enterprise and spirit of our team. The announcement today is all the more painful because of this. Over the last few years we have evolved into an organisation that earns more than 90% of its turnover from our trading activities and this supports every aspect of what we do, from presenting international superstars on our stages to supporting emerging talent and creating first musical experiences for children in local schools. Our vulnerability to the current closure is a direct consequence of a business model that is less reliant on public subsidy than most.”

“In order to have any chance of survival we desperately need a time-based reopening strategy from the government and the funding to reach that point. Making an Entrance, our £13.2million transformation of Symphony Hall, is approaching completion and poised to reconnect the city through music. The government must now give the cultural sector a proper road map, and allow us to play our part in rebuilding the City’s cultural and community life following this pandemic.”

“This is heart-breaking news to share,” said Nick Reed, Chief Executive for Town Hall Symphony Hall, “We have a superb team of staff who care passionately about what they do and who openly share their love of live music with everyone that we connect with as a music charity.

“The digital activities we have continued to deliver in these desperate times are testament to that, sharing music from our halls, artists homes and venues from across the continent. Music has the power to bring people together and it fills me with great sadness that we remain unable to bring people together in our halls.

“Our thoughts are very much with the employees and their families that will be affected by this decision, as well as the numerous freelance musicians and artists who have been impacted by this global pandemic,” Reed continued.

“Along with the executive team, I continue to demand clearer guidance from the government on the detail of the grants and loans available and clearer guidelines for re-opening our cities cultural institutions,” said Anita Bhalla, Chair of the Board for the music charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall.

Despite improving the reserves of our music charity in recent years, due to the hard-work of our staff, this unprecedented global pandemic will have long term ramifications for our business. We have seen a vast number of redundancies across the arts and culture sector and it saddens me that we are today joining that long list. This is a difficult and sad time for all.”

“Those affected have been contacted and no final decision for redundancies we will be made until the consultation process has been completed.”

 

Hollyoaks actress Talia Grant has spoken about how the TV industry, "like life in general", treats Black people as being "disposable".

She told the soap's Don't Filter Your Feelings podcast that the media "can capitalise off of us without actually doing the real work behind the scenes".

Grant, 18, was discussing racism alongside co-stars Trevor A Toussaint and Richard Blackwood. It comes a month after Rachel Adedeji said she witnessed racism on the soap.

Grant, who plays Brooke on the Channel 4 soap, told the podcast: "It's amazing that there is a Black cast, and there's all of us, and there is that diversity.

"But I can't help but feel that sometimes in the industry, and in life in general, they treat Black people like we're disposable." She said she had "dealt with difficult situations and micro aggressions" on the soap. The actress added: "It's great for us to be in a high up position, but we're still going to experience it.

"The revolution will not be changed by diversity training, or racism training. It is changed by people changing their attitude and the way that the structural system works."

Toussaint, who plays Walter, pointed out that there were no senior Black staff on the Liverpool set of the soap, which is made by Lime Pictures.

The actor said: "There's racism in society... TV is no exception to this. There is not one person of colour... who has a position of authority within Lime Pictures. Why is that? I think I've seen two Black directors in all the time I've been there and definitely no Black producers. Why?"

Lime Pictures said Toussaint's comments did not apply to its London operation, but acknowledged it needed to do better.

"Hollyoaks celebrates inclusivity on screen and off," a statement said. "Whilst we believe that is evident on screen, we recognise that we need to do more to increase and support inclusivity behind the camera, especially for Black writers, directors and crew.

"We have significantly increased the number of writers of colour working on Hollyoaks, but we need to do more to support Black writers in particular."

The company said it had various initiatives in place to increase diversity, including a new writing award and internships.

Grant also said she was "extremely grateful" for the way the soap had dealt with her autism. They really made an effort, they all went on training, I felt just accepted and understood. People didn't view me as the problem," she said.

The trio also discussed racism and micro-aggressions beyond the broadcasting industry.

Recounting a recurring experience, Toussaint said: "I'm sitting on the Tube and it's a white person and they look around and there's only one seat left and it's the seat next to me and they will look directly at me and they choose to stand.

"If you say to a white person, 'That is a micro aggression', they will discount it because they haven't lived through that time and time and time again.

"Even at this point in my life, someone will say to me, 'You're really eloquent, aren't you?' And then there's a pause."

Toussaint also said: "I have lost jobs because I've spoken out and I'm not scared of losing my job. I have been vilified because I've spoken out about racism within companies. I've been beaten up because I've spoken out, I've been arrested because I've spoken out."

The podcast was the first in a series of special episodes in which Hollyoaks cast members will discuss racism and their personal experiences in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.