Michael Grandage today announces the recipients of the seventh annual MGCfutures Bursaries awarded across a range of theatrical disciplines including directing, writing, producing, designing, performance-makers, and for the first time a puppet maker and a theatrical shoemaker. A registered charity, MGCfutures offers both financial and ongoing mentoring support to the recipients who come from across the UK.

This year’s recipients are Tom Bailey, Jessica Brigham, Nur Khairiyah Bte Ramli, Sarah Burton, Ruth D’Silva, Sharon Kanolik, Lubna Kerr, Roisin McCay-Hines, Louise Orwin, Em Spoor, Eleanor Taylor, Nikhil Vyas, and Alice Ortona Coles and Nicola Holter who receive Stephanie Arditti Bursaries, and Carys-Haf Williams who becomes The Other Room Production Manager Placement.

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Over 1,000 cultural organisations, leaders and practitioners have added their voices to a Global Call to Action which happened in advance of this year’s COP 28 in Dubai, which started on 30 November and runs until 12 December. They are urging the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) to adopt a groundbreaking ‘Joint Work Decision on Culture and Climate Action’ to ensure culture-based solutions to climate change are recognised and implemented.

Existing climate policies have proven inadequate and left the world struggling to meet Paris Agreement targets. Culture-led solutions that are inclusive, rights-based, place-specific, demand-oriented, and focused on people and nature are already abundant. Yet in spite of its potential, culture has not yet been integrated into climate policy and planning.

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National Theatre at Home, the theatre streaming platform where global audiences can enjoy the best of British theatre, celebrates its third birthday this Friday 1 December.

National Theatre at Home launched in 2020 after the National Theatre hosted weekly free streams of archive productions during the summer lockdown when theatres around the world were closed, garnering over 15million views in 173 countries.

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NEWARK, N.J. and NEW YORK, N.Y. – December 7, 2023 – Audible Inc., the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, released today a new slate of five Audible Theater titles. In addition to presenting thrilling live performances at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York, audio releases are a staple of Audible Theater’s programming, which continues to deliver the live performance experience to millions of listeners around the world. Now celebrating its fifth season, Audible Theater’s dynamic mix of live and audio theater productions have been praised as “an agent for change.” (Forbes)

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A recent graduate of Guildford School of Acting, and currently represented by BBA Management, musical theatre performer Tobias Turley has had a very promising start to his career – starring in Heathers the Musical as Kurt at The Other Palace Theatre and Strictly Come Dancing professional, Giovanni Pernice’s This is Me as lead male vocalist. Currently seen on ITV’s search to find the next Sky Ramand – the lead protagonist in ABBA’s smash his musical Mamma Mia! Tobias currently prepares for the final of I Have a Dream, to air on Sunday 9th December! He tells us more about his experience of the overall audition process.

Hi Tobias, you’re currently competing in ITV’s ‘Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream’, a talent competition in search of the next Sophie and Sky to star on the West End next year. You’ve reached the final, congrats! How are you feeling?

It is crazy to be in the final – it has been such an amazing whirlwind experience and I am just so so thankful. The experience of working with everyone on the show is something I will never forget. We’ve got to work with so many industry titans and I have honestly learn so much from everyone – it has been invaluable.

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Marisha Wallace, Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Hiba Elchikhe and Tim Mahendran today announced the nominations for the 24^th AnnualWhatsOnStage Awards, the only major theatre prize-giving decided by the theatregoers themselves. The announcement of the nominations marks the opening of the final voting stage (until 11 January), with winners announced at the annual Awards ceremony held on 11 February 2024 at The London Palladium for the first time in the awards’ history.

WhatsOnStage’s Darius Thompson and Alex Wood said today, “Watching our readers nominating in their record-setting droves was such a fantastic way to spend November and we’re thrilled to see them generate such a stellar and vibrant shortlist – filled with rising stars shoulder-to-shoulder with long-time favourites. It’s been an incredible year for the National Theatre, under out-going Artistic Director Rufus Norris, seeing the flagship venue receive an incredible 24 nominations across 5 productions – two of which, Dear England and The Motive and The Cue also transferred to the West End.

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The winners of the prestigious Manchester Culture Awards 2023 were announced earlier this week on Monday night (4 December) at a special awards ceremony held at the city’s newest cultural venue, Aviva Studios.

First launched back in 2018 by the city council, the annual awards celebrate the very best of culture and the arts in the city with nominations invited from the public, arts professionals and others.

More than 400 nominations recognising cultural organisations and events big and small, were made in the twelve different categories of the awards this year, with the judges having a tough job to whittle the entries down to the final winners.

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• Save big on top theatre shows with a 10 percent discount on Theatre Tokens, exclusively with TfL
• Theatre Tokens make the ideal Christmas gift and people can save even more by booking their theatre experience in Official London Theatre’s New Year Sale with prices starting from £10

• Leading shows including Six have partnered with TfL and Official London Theatre to promote the Theatre Tokens offer, with more to be revealed

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With pantomime season now in full swing, delighting audiences young and old (with many experiencing it for a magical first time), The UK Pantomime Association (UKPA)’s team of anonymous judges is busy secretly sat amongst them, ready to shortlist the very best performers, creatives and producers that the artform has to offer, for The Pantomime Awards 2024.

The UKPA’s 78 volunteer judges will have their biggest year ever, as they are collectively scheduled to make 767 visits across 257 venues (up from 240 in 2022). One judge is in for a particularly busy time as they will assess over 60 pantomimes across the country!

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The Society of Authors has announced eight shortlists for its annual Translation Prizes.

Sharing a total prize fund worth £28,000, the winners – including the winner of the inaugural Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize – will be celebrated at a ceremony on Wednesday 7 February 2024. We are grateful for our continued collaboration with the British Library, who will be hosting the event at their Knowledge Centre.

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