With Body Horror’s re-emergence on the world’s stage, thanks recently to Coralie Fargeat’s award winning cautionary tale The Substance as a cinematic niche not to be reckoned with, the subject of human biology is increasingly becoming the focus of our 21st century lives. Social media a prism heightening what it is to supposedly achieve ‘perfection’, and the intentional omission of the horrors that lay beneath this. Team this with the alarm bell being rung about the state of our planet, and we’re presented with insidious issues of microplastics and climate very gradually intruding on our way of life. Post this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival which took place between 7th to 17th August, writer and director Guy Trevellyan had his short Body Horror film Plastic Surgery Screened at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre. A metaphorical piece examining the way plastic pollution is infiltrating our health, Guy tells us more about what inspired him to produce the film, establishing his production company Nice Guy Pictures and what he’s learned from creating the film.
New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich has opened applications for a new round of its Associate Artists Programme in a bid to support local diverse talent across Ipswich, Suffolk and East Anglia.
The 18-month programme is part of the theatre’s commitment to investing in the creative ecology of the region, championing East Anglian voices and supporting sustainable, diverse careers in theatre and performance. From developing a new project, to scaling for the midscale stage to seeking support to secure funding, Associate Artists will receive bespoke mentorship to help them achieve their goals.
Recent Associate Artists include Mae Munuo who first worked with New Wolsey Theatre’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul when he directed her in shows at New Wolsey Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. Mae started her journey with the New Wolsey Youth Theatre at 11 years old, moving to the (then) Young Company at 15. She left at 18 to start her degree in Acting with Collaborative and Devised Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, before embarking on a successful professional career as a theatremaker.
Tickets On Sale Now for UK Theatre’s Most Powerful Celebration of Black Talent
The Black British Theatre Awards (BBTAs) are proud to officially announce that the 2025 ceremony will take place on Sunday, 26 October 2025, at London’s legendary Piccadilly Theatre, home to Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Now entering a landmark year, the BBTAs return to honour the transformative power of Black artistry in British theatre. The 2025 ceremony—sponsored by ATG Entertainment and presented in partnership with Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Global Creatures, and with thanks to Playful Productions—promises an unforgettable evening of live performances, emotional tributes, and a vibrant celebration of creative excellence.
The Stage Debut Awards in association with Netflix today announces the nominees for the industry’s most prestigious annual awards ceremony celebrating breakthrough talent in UK theatre. The winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, on September 28, 2025.
The 46 nominations originate from UK shows staged in all four nations, marking this year’s awards as the most geographically representative to date. The eight categories shine a spotlight on individuals making their professional or West End debuts, and salute excellence in acting, directing, design, writing and musical composition. The varied shortlist demonstrates a thriving transference of cross-genre skills with novelists, screenwriters, film-makers, film stars and podcasters among this year’s talent.
Very recently, it was discovered that microplastics were present within blood. This in turn damaging cells and leading to very serious complications, most notably cancer. A play on the term ‘plastic surgery’, Guy Trevellyan presents a matter of urgency in timely watch Plastic Surgery – a clinical body horror offering a cautionary tale for our times.
A seemingly routine operation carried out by young physician Dr. Terra (Anna Poppelwell) and her colleagues eerily turns into a chaotic catastrophe. On the cusp of taking her maternity leave and leaving the chaos behind – this may not necessarily turn out as once hoped. Trevellyan crafting a haunting reminder of the damage microplastics cause to the human body and the obliviousness present that shrouds the real dangers of this. The obliviousness arguably the more terrifying aspect of this epidemic.
Today, globally acclaimed rock band Bad Omens have announced their DO YOU FEEL LOVE EUROPE 2025 tour dates in the UK and Europe. Spanning 13 shows, this marks the band’s biggest headline run to date. Kicking off in Dublin on November 21st, the Live Nation promoted tour will take to major arenas and venues across the UK and Europe – including London’s iconic Alexandra Palace and Zenith Paris – before concluding in Amsterdam on 12th December.
Tickets can be purchased HERE and Via LiveNation.co.uk
Sign up for pre-sale access HERE
Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in France, Netherlands and Belgium starting from Wednesday 20th August. Preferred ticket access is available to Mastercard cardholders in the UK on Friday 22nd August. Visit www.priceless.com/music to find out more.
Artist pre-sale: Tuesday 19th August – 10AM local
General on sale: Friday 22nd August – 10AM local Continue reading
Medical advancements are an incredible thing, the natural world holding many of the answers to our ailments. A pioneer in the field of medicine, Betty (Beatie Edney) has acquired the gift to heal, but in late 19th century England, the scientific realm aren’t ready to accept Betty’s gift. Something she’s determined to battle. A male doctor (Ali Cook) tasked with finding out the ‘truth’ regarding her abilities in Ali Cook’s ethereal mythological thriller The Pearl Comb.
Art has the power to inspire, provoke, start conversations, educate as well as transform the space that it’s in. Its meaning shifting as time passes by and trends change. Tapping into the elusive world of art, writer and director Freddie Fox observes both human and metaphysical interaction with quirky watch The Painting and the Statue.
Typically works of art subject to human scrutiny, The Painting & the Statue somewhat flips this notion on its head, the well to do household exhibiting a prized collection of art works simultaneously the focus of the film as well as not being the focus – an impossible reality that gives the film its magic. Camera angles predominantly zoned in on the various characters that inhabit the museum hall, we the audience function as flies on the wall. At points as if we ourselves are the art works looking within.
“Home is like a turtle in its shell, you take it with you wherever you go.” A sentiment stated by Musa (Zak Elsokari), the protagonist in timely short film Largo and a sentiment that echoes through this warm, perilous tale.
Located by the white cliffs of a quiet UK based coastal town, Largo tasks itself with the mission of reuniting child refugee Musa with his estranged parents who reside in Syria. Musa’s foster mother (Tamsin Greig) the measured anchor responsible for his care.
We live in a time of tremendous change, sadly conflict an indicator of the hostility harboured by century or decade-long tensions. 3 years post the ongoing Russian-Ukranian war and the impact of this conflict echoes through Europe and beyond. Lives devastated and changed forever. Made in collaboration with Ukranian communities, BAFTA Award-Winning short Film Rock, Paper, Scissors centres on a father and son who run a makeshift frontline hospital until their world is violently upended by the arrival of Russian troops. Ahead of the film’s screening at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival on Saturday 16th August, producer Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer tells us more about exploring the film’s immediate reality further, how his production company Who’s Here? Productions approaches creating films and what he’s learned from creating Rock, Paper, Scissors.