News

The venue, owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Theatres, will close for 20 months. Work will include reducing capacity by 200 to create more space and better sightlines, offering theatre-makers a choice of seating configurations, and a range of adaptations to improve access.

A Government spokesperson says reports in The Sun that Treasury Chief Secretary Liz Truss and Cabinet Office minister David Lidington are in talks about a new ‘super ministry’, which could potentially be introduced alongside the Government’s Spending Review in the autumn, are not true. The Sun report said it was argued such changes – alongside a similar merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign Office -- would save hundreds of millions of pounds and streamline work. 

Tamara Harvey, Artistic Director at Theatre Clwyd, was forced to take to the stage this week in her production of Dick Whittington, after the leading actress twisted her knee in the opening minutes of the performance and was unable to continue.

Architects De Matos Ryan will retrofit the Wyeside Arts Centre in Powys, expanding bar facilities, creating a ‘gathering space’ and introducing a new cinema studio.

Culture Minister Josepha Madigan is to propose overhauling the Irish Government’s Per Cent for Art scheme, increasing the allocation for public art commissions from 1% to as much as 3% of the total budget for state infrastructure projects.

A group of Labour MPs, led by Yvette Cooper, has written to Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright urging him to establish a new ‘Town of Culture’ award to complement the current ‘City of Culture’ and ‘London Borough of Culture’ initiatives. The politicians say this would generate “new investment, footfall and national recognition for the towns involved”.

Although Muni Arts Centre recently announced it had closed after being “dogged by financial problems”, Pontypridd MP Owen Smith has said there are plans for it to “reopen at the earliest possible opportunity”.

The broadcaster’s series of new dance-focused shows, including talent competition The Greatest Dancer, aim to “bring the nation together around a love of dance” and “showcase the extraordinary artistry in the UK”. The move comes after the BBC recently featured contemporary dance company Candoco on its flagship dance programme, Strictly Come Dancing.