Brand-new this week on Royal Opera House Stream: Theodora (2022)
The Royal Ballet: A Diamond Celebration in global cinemas
Theodora, Royal Opera House, January 2022
This week, the Royal Opera House is delighted to be bringing world class art to audiences across the globe – offering the very best of The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera in cinemas and on demand.
On Thursday 17 November, Katie Mitchell’s gripping new production of Handel’s Theodora (4*) will be available to watch on Royal Opera House Stream.
Sung in the original English libretto and conducted by Baroque specialist Harry Bicket, the opera is a tour de force for soloists and chorus alike, with ensembles, duets and arias of profound depth and beauty.
The opera’s stellar cast includes soprano Julia Bullock as Theodora, making her Main Stage debut; Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato; Opus Klassik award-winning countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński; tenor Ed Lyon; baritone Gyula Orendt; and Jette Parker Young Artist Thando Mjandana.
The performance is released alongside a rich array of behind-the-scenes content, including a masterclass with Joyce DiDonato and an Insight event about the production.
Artists of The Royal Ballet in The Royal Ballet production of Jewels, a ballet in three acts choreographed by George Balanchine (1904-1983) to music by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and Igor Stravinsky, performed at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 16 December 2013
ARPDATA ;
JEWELS ;
Music by Gabriel Fauré, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky ;
Choreography by George Balanchine ;
Artists of The Royal Ballet ;
The Royal Ballet ;
At the Royal Opera House, London, UK ;
16 December 2013 ;
Credit: Bill Cooper / Royal Opera House / ArenaPAL
The night before, on Wednesday 16 November, The Royal Ballet: A Diamond Celebration will be broadcast live on opening night to over 850 cinemas in 31 countries around the world.
The evening will offer an unmissable opportunity to see a stunning roster of Royal Ballet Principal dancers, the highest rank in the Company, together on stage. The gala celebrates the breadth and diversity of the Company’s repertory with a mix of classic and contemporary gems.
It includes The Royal Ballet’s first performance of For Four by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon; world premieres by Pam Tanowitz, Royal Ballet Emerging Choreographer Joseph Toonga and First Soloist Valentino Zucchetti; and a performance of Diamonds, from George Balanchine’s Jewels. Encore screenings will run from Sunday 20 November 2022.
These two productions add to further free content on BBC channels. Oliver Mears’ new production of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia – conducted by Corinna Niemeyer and sung by a cast drawn from the Jette Parker Artists Programme and the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme – will be broadcast on Saturday 26 November 2022 on BBC Radio 3.
Additional Royal Opera House productions continue to be available on BBC iPlayer.
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation opens applications for £150,000 Award for Civic Arts Organisations
Cultural organisations across the United Kingdom have been invited to apply for the £150,000 Award for Civic Arts Organisations, run by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
This year’s award is themed around ‘Co-Creating the Future’. It spotlights organisations that are helping to transform communities, even in the most challenging of contexts – whether by igniting joy, hope, compassion and energy, improving wellbeing, forging new connections, or developing solutions.
The Award for Civic Arts Organisations began in 2020, as a response to the Covid19 pandemic. This year, many arts organisations still face difficulties: according to Arts Council Wales, the costs of staging cultural activities have risen by as much as 40 per cent. The Award offers prize funding of £150,000, one of the largest amounts for an award in the arts.
Louisa Hooper, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch), said: “The Award for Civic Arts Organisations is designed to support cultural projects that put community at their hearts. In difficult times, it’s more important than ever that art and culture are available to everyone.
“By prioritising co-creation, this year we’re looking to recognise organisations that create lasting change by working with and in communities to address their needs and concerns, deepen relationships, and use arts and creativity to enable positive change.”
Previous recipients of the award include The Art House in Wakefield, which created the first studio sanctuary for asylum seekers in the UK, Project Art Works, a collective of neurodivergent artists and activists based in Hastings, and Heart n Soul and the Museum of Homelessness, both based in London.
Baroness Bull, chair of the Award panel, said: “The Award for Civic Arts Organisations is vitally important in encouraging and rewarding genuine engagement and co-creation with local communities.
“In the years since the award was founded, we’ve seen hundreds of entries from organisations across the UK demonstrating a commitment to changing lives through art.”
Sydney Thornbury, CEO of The Art House in Wakefield, highlights the impact the award can have for organisations themselves: “The stability the Award provided combined with these new funding opportunities has deepened the work we were already doing and has opened up new opportunities for how we can further extend our civic impact.”
The independent panel of judges are Darren Ferguson, CEO/Founder, Beyond Skin; Ica Headlam, Founder, We Are Here Scotland; Philipp Dietachmair, Head of Programmes, European Cultural Foundation; Rachel Noel, Head of Programmes and Partnerships, Tate; Rhiannon White, Co-Artistic Director, Common Wealth Theatre; Saad Eddine Said, CEO/Artistic Director, New Art Exchange; and Sydney Thornbury, CEO/Artistic Director, The Art House (main recipient of 2022 Award).
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch, founded in 1956, was one of the earliest champions of community engagement in the arts.
In 1959, it published the seminal report Help For The Arts, which pioneered ideas including artists and writers in residence in non-artistic institutions, and arguing for more focused and sustained funding for arts organisations outside London and the major cities.
‘Perfect storm’ of financial pressure facing Scotland’s cultural sector
In a report published this week, Holyrood’s Committee looks ahead to the Scottish Government’s 2023-24 budget and the impact of budgetary decisions on Scotland’s culture sector. It calls on increased urgency to address budget pressures through innovative approaches to funding.
The report underlines recommendations made by the Committee during previous budget scrutiny. It calls for these innovate approaches to be accelerated in order to address the difficulties being faced.
During its consideration, the Committee heard the challenges facing that sector have become more acute as it struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and further compounded by the cost of living crisis following on from longer term budget pressures. The Committee has recommended taking an innovative approach to budgeting including greater use of public and private investment as well as multiyear funding.
The Committee also repeats its call from last year for the mainstreaming of the culture budget. It also asks the Scottish Government for updates on embedding culture more broadly as part its plans for a wellbeing economy. This would take into account the contribution which preventative spend in areas like the arts and other cultural activities makes towards health and wellbeing.
Speaking as the report launched, the Committee Convener Clare Adamson MSP said:“Scotland’s cultural sector plays a vital role in Scottish life. But we heard blunt warnings from those within the sector that stark choices lie ahead.
“Increased operating costs come at a time when most cultural venues are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, and without truly innovative approaches to funding, there is a real danger that Scotland’s skilled cultural workforce will be lost along with some of our best loved cultural icons.
“There are no doubt considerable pressures across all areas of the Scottish Government budget, and there are no easy choices. But the current situation provides an opportunity to accelerate these innovative solutions. The Scottish Government must take action to protect this fundamental part of our society.”
AROUND 30 arts and culture organisations attended a Roundtable on the impact of the cost of living crisis on culture, hosted last week by Scottish Labour’s Spokesperson for Culture, Sarah Boyack MSP and shared their concerns about the future of the sector.
The roundtable was organised to better understand how dramatically increasing running costs and falling income due to overstretched households will impact on arts and culture organisations in Edinburgh and across Scotland.
From smaller, community-based organisations such as Sing in the City, Project Artlink and the Scottish Contemporary Art Network, to bigger and diverse institutions, including Scottish Ballet, Museum Galleries Scotland and Glasgow Life, the picture painted was grim and raised questions about current plans to address the unfolding crisis.
Sarah Boyack said that the organisations varied in size, budgets, challenges and needs for the future, highlighting the scale of the problem and the need for action.
The list MSP for Lothian commented: “A common theme that emerged during our roundtable is that without urgent support, many of Scotland’s Arts and Culture organisations will collapse.
“In the last fortnight, Falkirk Town Hall, the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, the Belmont in Aberdeen and the Edinburgh International Film Festival have all gone under so we need urgent action and support for the sector now.
“Despite reassurances from the Scottish Government that our National Collections will remain open to the public free of charge, we recently found out that flagship Edinburgh galleries might have to not only reduce hours but also cut on their outreach programmes funded by earned income.
Sarah Boyack continued: “The Scottish Government has a history of empty promises and soundbites over action – they’ve been warned, time and time again, about the “perfect storm” of the pandemic, declining incomes, rising energy bills and inflation.
“Year on year real terms cuts to local government have exacerbated the sustainability community based art and culture organisations and led to a loss of highly skilled staff. The Scottish Government has been warned about the long-lasting impact that this will have on the sector, with haemorrhage of talent and skills, closures and under-provision of services.
“Arts and culture organisations are hugely important not only to our cultural landscape, our economy and people’s well-being and mental health, but are also spaces that people can spend time in during the cost of living crisis – for free.
“I will be writing to the Cabinet Secretary to ask about a detailed cross government plan to support our arts and culture – we need clarity and action now, not soundbites.”
Words most associated with EDINBURGH are history, architecture & theatre/arts
New research has revealed that Edinburgh is labelled as historical by people across the UK. The survey by Legal & General asked respondents to select the words they most associate with various UK cities, including their own.
The survey found that the top words associated with Edinburgh are historical (53%), architecture (42%), and theatre/arts (40%).
Other key findings include:
Respondents living in Edinburgh chose historical (71%), theatre/arts (65%), and architecture (62%) as the top words associated with their city
The words least associated with Edinburgh are industrial (10%), rugby (11%), and football (14%)
Edinburgh was the second most prosperous (23%) and innovative (16%) city, behind London only
Edinburgh is the UK city most associated with architecture, chosen by 42% of respondents
Legal & General also investigated the various satisfaction levels of people living in the UK in their Rebuilding Britain Index report.
The study finds that 69% of Brits are satisfied with their local area – this was 68% among those in Scotland. However, there are many factors such as healthcare (62%) and public green spaces (50%) that significantly affect levels of contentment.
People in the south-west of England have the highest levels of satisfaction with their local area (76% of survey respondents).
In contrast, just 62% of those polled in the north-east say they are satisfied with their area – the lowest of any region.
“Expensive” is the word Brits most associate with London (68% of respondents).
“Historical” is how Brits are most likely to describe Edinburgh (53%), while Sheffield is viewed as “industrial” (43%), and the word most associated with Newcastle is “football” (44%).
Overall, 69% of the UK are satisfied with the place where they live.
Access to high quality health services (GP, dentists, pharmacy) is the factor that most determines satisfaction with an area – 62% selected this option.
Satisfaction runs deep
There is no shortage of local pride in Britain’s regions, but the sunny south-west, including Bristol, Bath and the towns and villages of Somerset and Gloucestershire, has the highest levels of satisfaction (76%) among locals when asked to rate the place where they live.
New research from Legal & General as part of their Rebuilding Building Britain Index explores satisfaction levels across the UK.
As part of the research, 20,000 people were surveyed to find out how satisfied they are with their lives – and how different factors – from work opportunities to transport – affect their levels of contentment.
The study found that Brits are largely happy with their neighbourhood – 69% say they’re satisfied with their local area.
The key to happiness
But not everyone would describe their local patch as a happy place to live. In the north-east of England, just 62% of respondents said they’re satisfied with their area – the lowest of any region. And when asked which factors have the biggest impact on satisfaction levels, the survey revealed that healthcare, public green spaces and a reliable mobile signal are crucial to how people view their surroundings.
Other factors include congestion and quality of local roads, as well as the availability of well-paid employment options.
The words on the street
Our health, happiness and sense of place is affected by the way we perceive the world around us. So how do Brits view different cities across the UK? A new survey commissioned by Legal and General asked respondents which words they would use to describe different urban centres. Here are the top answers:
LONDON
Expensive (68%)
SHEFFIELD
Industrial (43%)
BIRMINGHAM
Industrial (36%)
GLASGOW
Historical (35%)
BRISTOL
Historical (28%)
NEWCASTLE
Football (44%)
CARDIFF
Rugby (35%)
LEEDS
Football (33%)
EDINBURGH
Historical (53%)
BRIGHTON
Lively (42%)
Newcastle had the most UK respondents label the city as ‘friendly’ with 35% selected this as an option to describe the area. Sheffield (25%), Birmingham (24%), Cardiff (26%) and Brighton (30%) were the only other UK cities where ‘friendly’ was selected as one of the top 3 associated words.
Respondents offered other words and phrases as part of the survey which they believe resonate with UK cities, such as the ‘Commonwealth Games’ for Birmingham, ‘University’ for Bristol and ‘LGBTQ’ for Brighton.
John Godfrey, Director of Levelling Up, Legal and General comments: “Our Rebuilding Britain Index focuses on how economic infrastructure and the built environment can support efforts to level the playing field of opportunity.
“The end-game is in people leading happier and more fulfilling lives – but we’ve found that life satisfaction can be significantly impacted by our surroundings. Our research into the common associations people in the UK have with our capitals gives us interesting insight into this specifically.”
What are you up to this weekend? Come along to our 17th annual arts and music festival!
Over 75 artists, from a huge variety of disciplines, will throw open doors to their homes & gardens over the weekend – so lots to see and discover … also visit our Campervan Brewery pop up bar, chow down food from @The Safari Lounge & listen to live music at the Hive!
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND WILL NOW TAKE PLACE NEXT WEEK. FURTHER DETAILS WILL FOLLOW.
On Monday (08 August), 11.20am-12.20pm a free panel at Underbelly’s Friesian Theatre, McEwan Hall, will discuss the issue of producing theatre and art under the rising threat of censorship, with three international grassroot theatre companies to share their personal experiences.
Index on Censorship are partnering for the event, with moderator Nik Williams to give a global perspective on arts censorship.
Panellists include Max Percy and Natalie Chan with their Untapped Award winning show This is Not a Show About Hong Kong, a visually stunning piece of dance theatre which explores the blanket censorship trigged by the imposition of the Chinese government’s National Security Bill in Hong Kong. If the show were to be performed in Hong Kong performances could be summarily banned, and Max & Natalie could face a minimum five years in prison.
Davinia Hamilton and Sam Edmunds of Blanket Ban (also an Untapped Award winner)will be on the panel to discuss their multimedia, docu-theatre show which explores the blanket ban on abortion in Malta and features video testimony of Maltese women who have had abortions.
Of course hauntingly timely in the wake of overturning of Roe V Wade in USA which has caused a seismic shift in the conversation surrounding abortion rights worldwide. Again, if this play were to be performed in Malta, the creative team could face prosecution.
Finally Rhum + Clay’s Julian Spooner and Syrian composer Khaled Kurbeh of Project Dictator will contribute to the panel.
Their shows follows two clowns performing a show amid political instability; initially enjoying apparent freedom of expression against the backdrop of liberal democracy, before the production is slowly engulfed by the creeping shadow of authoritarianism. The play was inspired by conversations with artists living under autocratic regimes from Brazil to Venezuela and Afghanistan to Azerbaijan.
Index on Censorship is an organization campaigning for freedom of expression, which produces a quarterly magazine of the same name from London.
MORE than sixty artists will open their studios to visitors as Largo Arts Week kicks off on Saturday July 16 in Fife’s “Robinson Crusoe” village of Lower Largo.
The festival combines art, concerts, free gigs and talks with renowned crime novelists Sir Ian Rankin and Val McDermid each featuring in “an audience with” session.
The third annual Largo Arts Week – www.largoartsweek.com – runs from Saturday July 16 – Sunday July 24 and will also feature appearances by folk music legend Rab Noakes, Americana R&B guitarist Brooks Williams, international sculptor David Mach, singer and broadcaster Richard Jobson and children’s illustrator Jill Calder.
A total of 66 artists – nearly double the number who participated in the festival’s inaugural year in 2019 – will be exhibiting in 36 homes and studios, which will be open to the public throughout the week.
Lower Largo is famous as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the man who inspired the story of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
Val McDermid and Ian Rankin will take part in “an audience with” events in the village’s Crusoe Hotel, being interviewed by Skids frontman and broadcaster Richard Jobson, who also hails from Fife.
The Crusoe Hotel will be the main ‘hub’ for the Festival with the Upper Largo Hotel and community café The Aurrie as other key venues.
Festival director Andrew Stenson said: “It’s shaping up to be a fantastic week of art and music and we hope there is something for everyone in the programme with the combination of internationally-known artists and writers along with local artistic talent.”
Key highlights of the festival include:
Scots folk music legend Rab Noakes, who is making his third appearance at the Arts Week, will join Georgia-born guitarist and Americana songwriter Brooks Williams in a gig at community venue, The Aurrie.
Internationally recognised opera singer, soprano Charlotte Whittle, will also give a recital at the community venue.
Award winning illustrator and calligrapher Jill Calder, whose work has featured in children’s picture books, huge hospital murals and global advertising campaigns, will be stage a Children’s Workshop at the Community Library.
Lower Largo’s harbour, next to its historic pier, will be the location for an open-air free concert for the community on Friday 22nd July, featuring a retro 80’s band.
Local bands Astral Suns, Longway, The Passing Stages and The Best Dressed Blues Band will be playing in a series of free gigs at the Upper Largo Hotel.
Leading entertainment industry training programme and talent management. Stagebox, has announced audition dates taking place across the nation from April 2022.
The annual search sees experts audition passionate performers aged 8-18 years old from across the country (and internationally), offering successful members the chance to benefit from world class training and opportunities in a contemporary supercharged industry accelerator for musical theatre, television and film.
Last year’s auditions saw the Stagebox team meet thousands of performers from across the UK and beyond, and this year they anticipate similar interest. This year, auditionees will be able to select whether they are auditioning for an acting or musical theatre membership and their audition day will see them be put through their paces in this discipline.
Many young performers training at Stagebox have already landed dream roles on stage and screen, thanks to the expert training and management.
Stagebox has secured their clients major lead talent screen roles in Oscar nominated and Emmy award winning productions, including Peaky Blinders (Netflix), Sex Education (Netflix), Robin Robin (Netflix), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Avenue 5 (HBO), The Power (Amazon Studios), Pistol (Disney +), BAFTA anthology Superdad (Channel 4), Gentleman Jack (Netflix/HBO), Lagging (BBC) and many more.
Stagebox management clients also continue to star in West End and UK Tour musicals including Frozen, Matilda the Musical, School of Rock, Annie, The Grinch, Mary Poppins and Tina the Musical to name a few.
To further the opportunities for their clients, Stagebox Management has also brokered agency partnerships stateside, working alongside Innovative Artists, Paradigm Talent, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Gravity Hill, KMR, Maverick and more.
Commenting on the upcoming 2022 auditions, Stagebox’s General Manager, Jasmine Quinlan Gardner, said: “We are so excited to begin our nationwide search for the stars of today and tomorrow.
“We are proud of our inclusive, diverse and extraordinarily talented community and we can’t wait to meet those who will join us on the journey.”
Kirsti Bagger, Head Agent at Stagebox, adds: “At Stagebox, the training is second to none, preparing our young stars for careers on the stage and screen. 2021 was one of our most successful years ever with Stagebox Management clients wrapping on global award-winning feature films and television series and critically acclaimed theatre productions.
“We’re committed to making auditions for Stagebox free as part of our ongoing dedication to inclusivity in the arts. We only open for auditions once a year, and we’re excited to see our 2022 auditionees’ incredible new talent!”
These auditions are guaranteed to fill up fast and limited spaces apply. To register your spot for your preferred audition date, please visit the Stagebox website to apply.
Scotland’s major festivals are to benefit from a share of the Scottish Government’s £2m Festivals Expo Fund.
The funding has been awarded for events that run across the year including Edinburgh’s international, book, film and fringe festivals as well as Glasgow International Festival and Celtic Connections.
Since the annual fund was set up in 2008 it has given out over £30 million to support the development of Scottish-based artists and practitioners to create a legacy of important new work for a range of Scotland’s international festivals.
Funding this year will also support festival resilience plans following the Covid-19 restrictions.
Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “As many of our world-class festivals return to full operation following the pandemic, the Festivals Expo Fund plays an important role in building innovation across the sector.
“This helps to maximise the opportunities both nationally and internationally for emerging and established creative artists to showcase and tour their work at home and abroad.”
Sorcha Carey, Chair of Festivals Edinburgh said: “The welcome news today from the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund opens up a world of opportunity for our country’s artists and thinkers, by helping us invest in their talent and showcase their work on our world-renowned platforms.
“After two years of event restrictions and financial hardship for artists, freelancers and cultural organisations, including our festivals, this Expo investment lays a solid foundation for revival in our 75th anniversary year and speaks strongly of Scotland as a creative, outward-looking nation.”
Lorna Duguid, Multi-artform Manager at Creative Scotland said: “The support from the Scottish Government Expo fund is invaluable to Scottish artists and companies in enabling them to present work to international audiences and promoters.
“As Scotland begins to recover from the pandemic this opportunity to reconnect with audiences around the world is more important than ever as part of the recovery for the arts and creative sectors.
“The funding will enable the festivals to extend their reach and provide ambitious and innovative programmes for audiences at home and abroad.”
The 2022-23 Festival Expo Fund has a budget of £2 million. The fund is managed by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Details of the 2022-23 allocations are as follows:
10th April – Edinburgh Festival Theatre audition date
Leading entertainment industry training programme and talent management, Stagebox, has announced audition dates taking place across the nation from April 2022.
The annual search sees experts audition passionate performers aged 8-18 years old from across the country (and internationally), offering successful members the chance to benefit from world class training and opportunities in a contemporary supercharged industry accelerator for musical theatre, television and film.
Last year’s auditions saw the Stagebox team meet thousands of performers from across the UK and beyond, and this year they anticipate similar interest. This year, auditionees will be able to select whether they are auditioning for an acting or musical theatre membership and their audition day will see them be put through their paces in this discipline.
Many young performers training at Stagebox have already landed dream roles on stage and screen, thanks to the expert training and management.
Stagebox has secured their clients major lead talent screen roles in Oscar nominated and Emmy award winning productions, including Peaky Blinders (Netflix), Sex Education (Netflix), Robin Robin (Netflix), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Avenue 5 (HBO), The Power (Amazon Studios), Pistol (Disney +), BAFTA anthology Superdad (Channel 4), Gentleman Jack (Netflix/HBO), Lagging (BBC) and many more.
Stagebox management clients also continue to star in West End and UK Tour musicals including Frozen, Matilda the Musical, School of Rock, Annie, The Grinch, Mary Poppins and Tina the Musical to name a few.
To further the opportunities for their clients, Stagebox Management has also brokered agency partnerships stateside, working alongside Innovative Artists, Paradigm Talent, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Gravity Hill, KMR, Maverick and more.
Commenting on the upcoming 2022 auditions, Stagebox’s General Manager, Jasmine Quinlan Gardner, said: “We are so excited to begin our nationwide search for the stars of today and tomorrow.
“We are proud of our inclusive, diverse and extraordinarily talented community and we can’t wait to meet those who will join us on the journey.”
Kirsti Bagger, Head Agent at Stagebox, adds: “At Stagebox, the training is second to none, preparing our young stars for careers on the stage and screen. 2021 was one of our most successful years ever with Stagebox Management clients wrapping on global award-winning feature films and television series and critically acclaimed theatre productions.
“We’re committed to making auditions for Stagebox free as part of our ongoing dedication to inclusivity in the arts. We only open for auditions once a year, and we’re excited to see our 2022 auditionees’ incredible new talent!”
These auditions are guaranteed to fill up fast and limited spaces apply. To register your spot for your preferred audition date, please visit the Stagebox website to apply.
