The Week in Light & Sound
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The award comes as Glastonbury gears up to celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer. Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift have already been named as headliners, while Diana Ross will play the Sunday afternoon legend slot, but the rest of the line-up is still under wraps.
Foundation Grants - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has awarded 16 grants totalling more than £225,000 to organisations including Bristol Old Vic, Southwark Playhouse and Chichester Festival Theatre.
Bristol Old Vic was awarded £20,000 to support its ensemble of young performers from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, while Southwark Playhouse and Chichester Festival Theatre also received funding towards their programmes for young people. Other projects to receive grants included an assistant director programme at the Gate Theatre in London, Graeae Theatre Company’s Ensemble training programme for young D/deaf and disabled people and the National Student Drama Festival.
The charity Arts Insight’s ‘Production Week’, which offers performing arts experiences in secondary schools, was awarded a grant of £25,000, the Willow Primary School and Broadwaters Children’s Centre was awarded a grant to support theatre trips for primary school children, and Brighton Dome was given £15,000 funding for a young musicians’ bursary scheme.
Lloyd Webber said: “Engagement in the arts changes lives. The positive impact of the arts on health, social mobility and well-being is now irrefutable. I passionately believe that everyone in this country, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, should be able to participate.”
NYT Redevelopment - The National Youth Theatre is to undergo a £4.25m redevelopment of its north London home, which will enable it to double the number of young people it can work with – from 3,000 to about 6,000 each year. NYT’s premises on Holloway Road will add a new 200-seat studio theatre and four new rehearsal spaces as part of the project, which has been awarded £2m of funds from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. The “radical development” designed by architects DSDHA will also construct a new pavilion, with an accessible entrance, and co-working facilities. There are also plans to create a ‘pocket park’ to improve air quality in the immediate vicinity. The theatre will stage performances by NYT and its associate companies, and will be available to young people from around the UK to create new work.
No Show - Madonna has cancelled another show on her Madame X world tour, as she battles an ongoing, but unspecified, injury. The star gave fans in Lisbon just 45 minutes' notice that her show on Sunday night was being called off. "We regret to inform you that Madonna is unable to perform this evening," an email informed. "Sorry I had to cancel tonight," the star wrote on Instagram, "but I must listen to my body and rest!"
Farewell - American singer-songwriter David Olney died on stage during a performance at a festival in Florida. The 71 year-old was mid-song when he apologised, closed his eyes and fell silent, two musicians who were performing alongside him said. He suffered an apparent heart attack during the show in Santa Rosa Beach on Saturday night, a statement said. Olney was a key member of Nashville's music scene and his songs were recorded by a number of country and folk stars. RIP.
(Jim Evans)
21 January 2020
