T in the Park director Geoff Ellis told BBC Scotland the event had gone from 17,000 people a day in its first year to a capacity of 85,000. He said the move to Balado had opened up the festival to the whole of Scotland and beyond. "We do attract a lot of people from outside of Scotland. "About 20% of our crowd comes from outside Scotland and about 2% from outside the UK but the real passionate element is the Scottish crowd."
Transfer News - The Royal Opera House is to transfer its production of The Wind in the Willows to the Duchess Theatre this Christmas, in an attempt to replicate the success that other subsidised organisations have enjoyed in the commercial West End. The dance-based show will run at the Duchess for an eight-week season, marking the ROH's debut transfer into the West End. In recent years the National Theatre has transferred its productions of War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to the West End while the Royal Shakespeare Company has seen its show Matilda the Musical move to London's Cambridge Theatre.
Sally O'Neill at the ROH, said, "This is the first time we've gone into the West End, which makes it quite exciting. Having said that it's not a War Horse or a Matilda - it's not going to make us a fortune. It's a small show going into a small theatre for a finite period of time, which makes it a really good first step."
Gentlemen Of The Road - Marcus Mumford says Mumford & Sons would have cancelled all their live commitments if bassist Ted Dwayne needed more time to recover after having an operation last month. He had surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain but was well enough to headline Glastonbury with the group. "We would have cancelled the whole summer because it's way more important that he's OK," said Marcus Mumford. It was stressful but the doctors were amazing and the whole thing went as smoothly as it could have when that kind of thing happens. Thank God he's fine."
Sustainable Theatre - A temporary theatre made entirely from recyclable materials is to be built in the grounds of Cardiff's Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama this summer. The Willow Theatre will be made from hired industrial scaffolding and will feature re-usable wooden seating and a retractable roof. The 150-seat venue, which will be created from locally-sourced materials, is the winner of an international design competition for a sustainable theatre.
Architect Tim Lai and theatre designer Brad Steinmetz, who are behind the plans, were selected from more than 100 entries. Their theatre will be used to hold talks, workshops, debates and shows exploring environmental sustainability and the arts as part of the World Stage Design festival, which celebrates the "newest and best" in design work for live theatre, opera, dance and other events. The festival takes place in Cardiff from September 5 to 15, marking the first time the UK has hosted the event.
Charity Notes - Ed Sheeran is putting his name to a new guitar which will raise money for children's hospices. Acoustic guitar manufacturer CF Martin will produce a limited edition guitar embossed with the East Anglia Children's Hospices (EACH) logo. The price of the guitar has yet to be set, but the charity estimated it will benefit to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds. EACH runs three hospices in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The LX1E Ed Sheeran Signature Edition features the EACH logo as well as
