Joan Hickson dies
Actress Joan Hickson OBE died in hospital today, aged 92. She made her acting debut in 1927 but is best known as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the TV series which ran from 1984 to 1992.
ROH and Sadler's Wells reach compensation agreement
A agreement has been reached between the Royal Opera House and Sadler's Wells over compensation for the ROH's decision to pull its 25 weeks of programming at the Wells in a bid to ease its massive financial problems. The ROH has agreed to pay the newly opened theatre £1m compensation. According to Sadler's Wells, this will keep the theatre out of a potentially fatal situation, although it does leave it dark for half a year and still in financial difficulty.
After the Royal Opera House was hit recently by the resignations of conductor Bernard Haitink and Judy Grahame, Director of External Relations, there are now rumours that Chairman Sir Colin Southgate may be preparing to resign. Theatre rumour also says that other resignations are imminent.ACE to back three major projects
ACCording to a report in the Independent, ACE is set to back three major capital projects: the rebuilding of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, the revamp of the South Bank Centre, and the creation of a new music complex in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The Gateshead project is the conversion of the old Baltic Flour Mill on the south bank of the Tyne.