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Dateline: 19th October, 2003

News from the Midlands

Another plea for Leicester theatre cash

Theatregoers in Leicester may suffer more misery - the city's replacement for the now-closed Haymarket may not go ahead after all.

Leicester City Council needs to find £4m in sponsorship within four months, otherwise the centrepiece of a new £70m cultural quarter may be scrapped.

The new venue, designed by New York architect Rafael Vinoly, is expected to be funded largely by the Arts Council, the European Union and East Midlands Development Agency.

But leisure boss Councillor John Mugglestone says he's not certain the city council can raise the remaining £4m and the authority won't bail out the project if it doesn't get the required sponsorship.

This is the latest blow to the theatre. Only recently it was revealed the original plans might have to be scaled down because the Government might block the demolition of an old warehouse on the site. Leicester Victorian Society has asked the Government to make the warehouse a Grade II-listed building.

The Haymarket closed in July after running up debts of £450,000. The Arts Council has bailed it out with a £1.3m grant. The theatre is due to reopen next year. A recovery plan involves its operating costs being dramatically reduced.

Guy enters the Arena again with another Dylan tribute

Guy Masterson is to return to Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre with another show marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Dylan Thomas.

After the success of Under Milk Wood, Masterson will present Fern Hill and Other Dylan Thomas at the Arena on Friday, October 31st. Masterson's command of the text is said to be remarkable and akin to that of his great uncle, the late Richard Burton.

Not The National Theatre will be staging Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Arena on Wednesday, November 5th.

The play was premiered in Dublin in 1996 and has won awards both in the West End and on Broadway, where it captured four Tony awards.

The following evening Volcano Theatre Company take to the Arena stage with This Imaginary Woman, a musical collaboration between Volcano's Fern Smith and singer-songwriter Patrick Fitzgerald.

It has been described as a "powerful and passionate show" and is said to be "a piece of musical theatre that is candid and devastating in its intensity".

More details at www.arena.wlv.ac.uk

Coming to Warwick

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, has announced its autumn season.

Alladeen
October 23rd to 25th
A re-working of Aladdin by the motiroti company

Cry Wolf
October 28th to November 1st
Kneehigh Theatre

The Wildebeest Lounge by Gary Carter and Neil McCarthy
October 27th and 28th
A co-production by Fierce and London's Drill Hall

Duck by Stella Feehily
November 10th to 14th
An Out Of Joint and Royal Court co-production

Reporter: Steve Orme

Index A-F
Index G-K
Index L-Q
Index R-Z

News Archive A-L
News Archive M-Z
Production News Archive

Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.

 

 

©Peter Lathan 2003