Olivier Award-winning hip hop dance theatre company Boy Blue has been appointed as the next Guest Artistic Director of National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) for 2024/25. Boy Blue was founded in East London in 2001 by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and is a radical force that has defined the potential and power of hip hop dance theatre across the UK.

National Youth Dance Company, run by Sadler’s Wells is the country’s flagship company for young dancers. Since its inception 336 dancers have joined the company, working intensively with renowned dance artists as Guest Artistic Directors including Oona Doherty, Wayne McGregor, Alesandra Seutin, Russell Maliphant, Botis Seva, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Michael Keegan Dolan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan & Jasmin Vardimon.

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From 2-25 August 2024, Edinburgh International Festival presents a hand-picked selection of leading international and local artists in the world’s Festival City, with 24 days of world-class opera, dance, music and theatre.

Much to the delight of her UK fan base, girl in red has announced that she will be returning to the UK later this year with her ‘DOING IT AGAIN’  tour. The Norwegian alt-pop superstar will hit some of the UK’s most iconic venues including Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom, Manchester’s O2 Apollo, and London’s OVO Arena Wembley.

Tickets go on general sale from Friday 15^th March, at 10am local time via www.worldinred.com.

The news comes in support of her forthcoming sophomore album ‘I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!’ which will be released on 12^th April via Columbia Records. Pre-order/save here. Fans who pre-order the album will gain access to the artist’s pre-sale which starts Wednesday 13^th March, at 10am local. For more information on pre-sale access visit www.worldinred.com.

girl in red: Doing It Again UK Tour 2024

Thursday 29 August       Barrowland Ballroom   Glasgow, United Kingdom
Sunday 1 September     O2 Apollo                     Manchester, United Kingdom
Tuesday 3 September   OVO Arena Wembley    London, United Kingdom

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It has been announced today that an original, signed piece of artwork created by Johnny Depp has been gifted to The Bright Foundation and will be auctioned online by Kerry Taylor Auctions, closing date 10 March. All proceeds will help the arts education charity to provide access to creative activities for children and young people facing disadvantage in the UK.

Depp’s work on paper will be auctioned alongside highly collectible memorabilia and experiential lots donated by global ambassadors and supporters of The Bright Foundation, founded by Oscar and BAFTA award-winning costume designer John Bright.

“Unfortunately, too many young, emerging artists lack access to proper resources and opportunities needed to hone their craft,” says Depp. “I hope my artwork will help in providing those tools in a way that most empowers them to succeed.”

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Singer-Songwriter Dylan Gossett, known for his authentic country sound, announces his UK and Europe headline tour, kicking off in Stockholm on 12^th June and concluding in Cologne on 3rd July. He will make stops in Glasgow, Manchester, London, and other cities, as well as festival performances at Heartland and Black Deer. Tickets go on general sale Friday 8^th March at 10am via livenation.co.uk.

Tour news follows Gossett’s triumphant sold-out shows in Dublin and London last week, his first ever headline shows. Gossett’s journey from posting songs online to critical acclaim is remarkable. His debut single To Be Free, entirely self-written, recorded, produced, and mixed in his bedroom, along with his breakout hit Coal, has earned him over 150 million global streams and Gold certificates in multiple countries, making him one of country music’s most exciting breakthrough artists.

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Alternative British rock legends, Editors, announce headline show at O2 Academy Brixton on Thursday 2^nd May. Tickets go on general sale Friday 8 March at 10am via Metropolismusic.com

Editors have cemented their status as one of Britain’s most influential and innovative rock bands since their debut in the early 2000s. With Chart-topping hits and number-one albums, Editors have gained critical acclaim, platinum sales, and multiple award nominations including, Mercury Prize awards and Brit award for Best British band.

From their breakout debut album “The Back Room” to the experimental “EBM,” Editors continue to push the boundaries of alternative rock music and evolve their own sound while maintaining a loyal and dedicated fan base. Continuing to captivate audiences worldwide with their dynamic live shows and musical evolution, Solidifying themselves as a pioneering force in British alternative Rock.

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Awarding £3,000 for the best original script by a writer new to radio, this year’s Imison Award shortlistees are Benny & Hitch by Andrew McCaldon, Happy Hour by Liv Fowler and In Moderation by Katie Bonna. The award was judged by members of the Society of Authors’ Scriptwriters Group: Ian Billings, Ben Carpenter, Imogen Church, Trish Cooke, Sean Grundy, Barney Norris, Robin Mukherjee and Rhiannon Tise.

Shôn Dale-Jones, John R. Gordon, Huw Brentnall and Lindsay Sharman are the shortlisted writers for this year’s Tinniswood Award, which is organised by the Society of Authors and Writers Guild of Great Britain to recognise the best audio drama script of the year. The Tinniswood Award judges this year were Polly Thomas and Hannah Khalil.

The Imison and Tinniswood Awardsare presented each year as part of the BBC Audio Drama Awards. The 2024 awards are for a drama broadcast or made available online in the UK between 1 October 2022 and 31 October 2023.

Both awards will be presented as part of the BBC Audio Drama Awards on Sunday 24 March in theRadio Theatre. See the full list of BBC Audio Drama Awards finalists here.

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Magic Radio’s much-loved event, Magic at the Musicals is back for another year, taking place once again at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 22^ndSeptember.

Magic Radio Breakfast presenters Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott announced the first five incredible musical acts that will be part of the line-up, on their show earlier this week and tickets went on sale at 9am today.

This September West End fans will be treated to performances from musicals including the critically acclaimed, Tony Award winning Hadestown – now at London’s Lyric Theatre – as well as some feel-good fabulousness from MAMMA MIA!. The smash-hit fan favourite is one of only three musicals to have run for over 25 years in the West End.

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A more strategic approach to transport, energy, trade and investment, and creating vibrant communities will enable the North to once again become a powerhouse and boost the UK’s economy while helping achieve net zero ambitions, Northern Mayors, Leaders, and businesses will say today.

Almost 1,000 leaders from across the North’s business, political and education institutions will meet today to thrash out a manifesto for the North, which will be presented to all political parties ahead of the upcoming General Election.

This could include proposals to fast-track bus franchising to make services quicker, cheaper and more reliable, creating a Northern energy strategy to harness the power of renewables that could heat and power the entire region, putting culture and the arts at the centre of placemaking so every community inspires and can thrive, and a strategic approach to funding railways including getting Northern Powerhouse Rail built in full once and for all.

The North of England’s leaders are committing to a deepening of collaboration on these shared priorities, as over 800 business, political and civic society leaders gather in Leeds for the annual Convention of the North. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will also address the Convention of the North tomorrow (1 March) and will face calls to back the manifesto in this pivotal General Election year.

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