Posthumous Hit - Cilla Black landed her first ever number one album, with her Very Best Of compilation, just a day after her funeral. She beat both singer songwriter James Bay and the Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine to claim the top spot in the UK album chart. She first graced the albums chart 50 years ago when she made number five with the eponymously titled Cilla.
Rock School - Classical musicians should learn from rock stars to overcome snobbery and engage more with their audiences, Nigel Kennedy, the violinist, told The Mail on Sunday. Kennedy, who is about to tour playing the music of Jimi Hendrix, said the classical music establishment had frowned on audience interaction, with musicians too often expected to snub the people who have paid to see them. Instead, he said, they should follow the lead of pop and rock music to work with their audiences, talking to them mid-performance and letting them show their appreciation. "The classical music world has to learn from rock - the way it involves the audience. Jimi was a showman and the audience embraced that."
House Lights - The Royal Opera House will be transformed next month as its building becomes the canvas for a large-scale visual art project celebrating the organisation's history. The facade overlooking London's Covent Garden piazza will be illuminated with a six-minute film made up of animation and footage, as well as a specially curated score. It will take place every half an hour between the times of 8.30pm and 10.45pm on 4-6 September and will be taking place to mark the opening of the ROH's annual Deloitte Ignite festival.
ROH chief executive Alex Beard said the project would be a celebration of the people that make up the organisation, both on and off stage. "This year, the Deloitte Ignite festival is about peeling back the layers of the ROH and telling the story of one of London's most remarkable buildings from the 18th century through to today," he added.
Expansion Mode - Plans have been submitted for a major upgrade of Hull's New Theatre, which would include increasing both the stage size and the auditorium. By expanding the stage size and increasing the height of the fly tower by five metres, larger touring shows will be able to visit the theatre. The proposals also include increasing the auditorium's capacity, which is currently 1,159. In an application submitted to Hull City Council, the theatre's foyer facilities and dressing rooms would also be refurbished. Dedicated rehearsal spaces and a dance studio would also be developed if the proposal is successful.
Legal Affairs - Creative Scotland has launched a claim for almost £4m following the closure of former Glasgow venue the Arches. The funding body has launched legal proceedings in a bid to recoup funding invested in the troubled organisation, which was forced to close earlier this year. A spokeswoman for Creative Scotland said: "With the Arches in a process of administration, as a public funder Creative Scotland has a responsibility to formally register its interest in the level of public investment previously distributed to the company. Any f
