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The Box is being renovated ahead of the UK City of Culture 2021 to add a moveable stage, theatre lighting and seating for up to 250 people. Coventry City Councillor Jim O'Boyle said the redevelopment would encourage more visits to an area that is "alive with creative talent".

A contractor leading the project has promised the redevelopment, initially budgeted at £4m, will be delivered on time and on budget. Stockton councillors have expressed concerns about the scheme's viability, but voted last month to grant it an extra £6.5m. The theatre's reopening has been delayed until November 2020.

Online arts magazines Shortcom and The Mumble were demanding cash for reviews of shows. The Edinburgh Fringe Society said the publishers' approach discriminated against performing arts companies and producers who were unable to pay for exposure.

Dawn Fidler and Jenna Sabine celebrated the opening of Monkton Arts in Ryde on Sunday. The pair had been displaying and selling local artists' work in their cafe and wanted bigger premises in the area, Fidler said. The new centre includes a gallery and two studios.

Adrian Monahan said he has been suffering from a prolonged illness that meant he was "uanble to maintain the necessary energy" to run the Wightman Theatre. The venue opened four years ago and hosted musicals, dramas, concerts, poetry sessions and food fairs. 

A contest is under way to find architects to design a 700-person auditorium for the central London venue. The project aims to transform the Grade I listed building "from a series of government offices into a pioneering working arts centre and a groundbreaking cultural ecosystem" by the end of 2024.

Milton Keynes Council plans to approve the application from Abbey Homes to build on the western boundary of local music venue The Stables. The stables says the application, which does not include a Deed of Easement, is  a deliberate attempt by the developers to circumvent the previously-imposed noise conditions" that could threaten its future.