Onstage with Natalie Anglesey

    Strictly Come Dancing  SUNDAY 29 th NOVEMBER 2020   Clara Amfo is the fifth celebrity to depart the dance floor in Strictly Come Dancing 2020 The quest for the Glitterball trophy continued as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman hosted the sixth live Strictly Come Dancing show.  Seven celebrity couples were in the race to be crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion 2020.   The judges’ scores were combined with the results of the viewers’ votes to decide the lowest scoring two couples facing the dance off.  This weekend, Clara Amfo became the fifth contestant to leave Strictly Come Dancing as she faced Jamie Laing in the dreaded dance off. Both couples performed their routines again; Clara Amfo and her partner Aljaz Škorjanec performed their Jive to River Deep – Mountain High by Tina Turner and Jamie Laing and his partner Karen Hauer performed their Tango to Tanguera by Sexteto Mayor in a bid to impress the judges and remain in the competitio...

Z-arts receives lifeline grant from Government’s 1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund   I'm delighted to report that  Z-arts, which does such sterling work in the community, has been awarded £132,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary announced two weeks ago.   Z-arts is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. £257 million of investment has been announced today as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.     This funding will allow Z-arts to explore alternative funding models, deliver the participatory activities for children and families that it is renowned for, a...

The Osmond's new musical is coming to Manchester!  M y best friend was an avid Osmond fan in her teens and she still is. Personally I've had the pleasure of interviewing Donny Osmond for @BBCRadioManchester and I also became a fan!  It's that kind of unfailing dedication that the Osmonds have held on to over the past 50 plus years.Now Osmondmania is returning to Manchester with a musical by Jay Osmond which tells the story of the brothers from Utah who were in the spotlight as children and went on to sell over 100 million records gaining a huge army of fans. From their star residency on The  Andy Williams  Show, to the arrival of Donny and Marie, The Osmonds lived a remarkable life recording chart topping albums, selling out vast arena concerts and making record breaking TV shows - until one bad decision cost them everything. Directed by  Shaun Kerrison  and choreographed by Olivier Award winning  Bill Deamer , this brand new musical features a chart...

    Tatton Park’s Parkland and Gardens to remain open   Tatton Park is open for visitors to the Parkland and Gardens during the four-week lockdown period. Plenty to do in the great outdoors A new addition to Tatton Park’s Garden is Forest Bathing. Several sites have been set up, introducing visitors to the Japanese art of spending time beneath trees to boost health and happiness. And the ‘Gallery in the Gardens’ open-air art exhibition is being extended over the winter, so more visitors have a chance to see the striking wildlife artwork displayed amongst 50 acres of beautiful Gardens. The Parkland offers 1,000 acres for you to wander as freely as the deer herds. The Stableyard is open with hot and cold takeaway from The Stables Restaurant and seasonal local and estate food and gifts from The Housekeeper’s Store. Children also have the adventure playground to let off steam. “Being outdoors and connecting with nature can really help improve people’s mental and p...

  Carlos Acosta: Refashioning ballet with socially distanced tutus By Anna Bailey BBC Radio 4 reporter Published 8 hours ago IMAGE COPYRIGHT TYRONE SINGLETON image caption Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers rehearsing amidst their lavish set and costumes Acclaimed Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta says "it feels great" to be venturing back to staging indoor performances for a live audience in the UK after months of being prohibited from doing so because of the pandemic. "It feels great because we've been in lockdown for far too long and it's a kind of career where if you don't exercise your body for a week you go back and pay for it," says Acosta, who is now the director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. "We were given Zoom classes at home but it doesn't stress your body to the level you want because you can't jump and use the space, so it's great to be back in the studio." Acosta and the Birmingham Royal Ballet are following in the footst...

LIVE THEATRE RETURNS TO LEICESTER AS CURVE ANNOUNCES REOPENING PLANS TRIO OF AWARD-WINNING MADE AT CURVE FAVOURITES THE COLOR PURPLE IN CONCERT – 23 NOV – 5 DEC SUNSET BOULEVARD IN CONCERT - 14 DEC – 3 JAN MEMOIRS OF AN ASIAN FOOTBALL CASUAL – 25 JAN – 6 FEB ORIGINAL MADE AT CURVE CAST MEMBERS DANIELLE FIAMANYA, T’SHAN WILLIAMS, RIA JONES & DANNY MAC TO RETURN TO LEICESTER STAGE SIR CAMERON MACKINTOSH DONATES USE OF REVOLVE FOR BRAND NEW BESPOKE AUDITORIUM TO FACILITATE SOCIAL DISTANCING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DAY TO BE HELD ON SAT 14 NOV Curve has today announced plans to reopen to the public. The theatre, which was forced suddenly to close its doors to the public on 16 March, will open again this autumn for spectacularly re-imagined, socially distanced concert performances of acclaimed Made at Curve productions, using the building’s unique theatre design. Ria Jones and Danny Mac will return to star in Sunset Boulevard ; T’Shan Williams and D...