Economic Boost - The UK's newest film and TV studios have fully opened. Shinfield Studios near Reading, boasts 18 sound stages, including two of the biggest in the country at 43,000 sq ft and has already attracted major feature films and TV series. Situated alongside the M4 motorway, the site was given the go-ahead by planners in 2021 and has opened in stages over the past two years.
Its US owners say the studios should provide an economic boost with major films typically requiring productions crews of three to 500, including skilled technicians and craftspeople. The studios have already played host to the latest Ghostbusters film where one of the sound stages was turned into a New York street, complete with the iconic firehouse.
It has also been providing a site for home grown productions. Occupying one of the sound stages at the moment is a film of the Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree, which has been adapted by writer Simon Farnaby, who helped bring Paddington to the cinema and starring Clare Foy, who played the young Queen Elizabeth in Netflix's The Crown.
On The Farm - Glastonbury Festival opens its gates on Wednesday, as 200,000 revellers descend on Worthy Farm for a weekend of music, comedy, poetry, dance and theatre. This year promises one of the most diverse line-ups in years, with the main stages exploring Afrobeats, Drum & Bass, Grime, Folk and Ballet among the usual diet of rock and pop.
Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA headline the Pyramid Stage, with other highlights including Shania Twain, Jungle, Disclosure, Avril Lavigne, Fontaines DC, Peggy Gou, The National, Burna Boy, Janelle Monae, Jessie Ware and Charli XCX.
The first festival at Worthy Farm was called the Pilton Pop, Folk and Blues Festival and took place in late Summer 1970, opening the day after Jimi Hendrix died. It was attended by 1,500 people. Admission was £1, which included free camping and free milk. Featured acts included Tyrannosaurus Rex, later known as T. Rex, Steamhammer, Quintessence, Stackridge, Al Stewart, Pink Fairies and Keith Christmas.
Unchained - Disney’s Hercules will have its UK premiere at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane next year, it has been confirmed. Disney Theatrical Group is behind the musical, which has music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel and a book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah. The musical, which will open in the summer next year, will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and co-choreographed by Tanisha Scott. Dates have yet to be confirmed. It will follow the successful run of Frozen at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which closes in September.
Pop Art - A gallery in Brighton is hosting an exhibition celebrating pop artist Sir Peter Blake who created notable album sleeves including Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for The Beatles, The Who’s self-titled album Who, Oasis’ Stop the Clocks, as well as the 2012 Brit Award statuette. Work by the artist, including rare prints, is now on display at Enter Gallery, coinciding with his 92nd birthday. A gallery spokesperson said the "godfather of pop art" was a "trailblazing figure in British contemporary art".
(Jim Evans)
25 June 2024
