Royalties have been pledged from shows on stages all over the world including Hamlet and Moonlight (Jon Clark); Warhorse, Clybourne Park, and Les Mis 25th Anniversary Tour (Constable); La Cage Aux Folles (Deans and Nick Richings); Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Deans and Nick Schlieper); Billy Elliot and Sweeny Todd (Fisher); Arcadiaand Rock of Ages (Gregory Gale); The Book of Mormon and The House of Blue Leaves (Pask); Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Malcolm Rippeth); Ghost and Tanz der Vampire (Vanstone).
Established in 2007 as Light Relief Day and now renamed By Design Day, 23 April is the day that, each year, people in the professional entertainment design business give something back to help others less fortunate than themselves. Light Relief assists those involved in the UK lighting industry while Behind the Scenes aids professionals based in the US and Canada working in any area of the entertainment technology industry. To join your colleagues and pledge your support, please visit: www.lightrelief.org.uk or www.estafoundation.org/bts
Classical Update - Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2, known to many as the Brief Encounter theme, has been voted the nation's favourite piece of classical music. The work, featured throughout the 1945 film about lost love starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, came top in the poll of Classic FM listeners. Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending came second in the annual poll, after coming top in the previous four years. Mozart was the most popular composer with 20 entries in the list of 300.
Farewell - The former president and chairman of Sony, Norio Ohga, who was credited with developing the compact disc, has died aged 81, the company has said. Sony's chairman, Sir Howard Stringer, said his predecessor's foresight and vision had transformed the company into a global entertainment leader. Ohga was still a senior adviser to the company at the time of his death.
In 1953, Sony's co-founders recruited Ohga while he was still studying at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and hoping to pursue a career as an opera singer. They sensed his knowledge of sound and electrical engineering would benefit the firm. During the development of the CD, it was Ohga who pushed for a disc that was 12cm (4.8in) in diameter, because it provided sufficient capacity at 75 minutes to store all of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
(Jim Evans)
