WhatsOnStage today announces that the 24^th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards will include performances from Disney’s Newsies, Flowers for Mrs Harris, Guys & Dolls, La Cage aux Folles, Next to Normal, Operation Mincemeat and The Sound of Music, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra, as well as an exclusive world premiere, and three additional specially curated performances.

Hosted by Melanie La Barrie and Bonnie Langford, the awards – the only major theatre prize-giving decided by the theatregoers themselves – will take place on Sunday 11 February 2024 for the first time at The London Palladium, where the evening will see winners crowned across a range of categories. The event, co-produced with creative directors Alex Parker and Damian Sandys, is currently on sale.

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Papatango today announce that their 2024 New Writing Prize will open for submissions at noon on Wednesday 17 January, until noon on Monday 11 March. This Prize launches a new partnership with Park Theatre, who will co-produce the winning play with Papatango in a full run on their main stage.

Judged anonymously, the Papatango New Writing Prize was the UK’s first, and remains the only annual, opportunity guaranteeing a new writer a full production – for 2025 in Park200 at Park Theatre, publication by Nick Hern Books, a royalty of 8% of the box office, and a £7,500 commission with full developmental support.

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Shortlisted from a total of 187 short films, Invincible has made its mark, as it currently awaits the results of the final nominee list, to be announced on Tuesday 23rd January. One of 14 nominees currently in the ‘Live Action Short Film’ category, the film delicately depicts the tale of a young man yearning for his freedom, and the drastic levels he will go to in order to achieve it. This is a piece created in memory of Marc-Antoine Bernier, recounting the last 48 hours of the 14-year-old boy’s life on a desperate quest for freedom. Ahead of this year’s announcement, Vincent tells us more about exploring this powerful story further, what the film’s journey has entailed so far and what audiences can expect from the film.

Hi Vincent, your film Invincible has made this year’s Academy Award shortlist in the ‘Live Action Short Film’ category. How are you feeling?

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The Bush Theatre, London has today announced that their latest script submissions window will run from 16 January until 5 February.

The Bush is internationally famed for developing the very best of the UK’s leading writers, often through cold submissions or its talent development programmes, which open routes into theatre to people who didn’t previously have access. The theatre has been supporting writers for over 50 years and has most recently helped launch the careers of Ambreen Razia (The Diary of a Hounslow Girl), Sophie Wu (Ramona Tells Jim), Ella Road (The Phlebotomist), and Temi Wilkey (The High Table).

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Devoted & Disgruntled (D&D), Improbable Theatre’s annual nationwide three-day event where challenges in theatre and the arts are discussed, will take place this March in Leeds. Now in its eighteenth year, anyone who is passionate about the arts from audiences to artists, CEOs to Front of House staff and grassroots groups to seasoned professionals is encouraged to attend. This will be the first in-person three-day event in five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

D&D uses Open Space technology which, aims to keep participants highly engaged by allowing them full control over their experience through organising their own agenda. Anyone can raise any particular issues or challenges at the start of the day, which are then discussed at breakout sessions where findings are later logged and reviewed. Attendees are free to come and go as they please and can sit in on any session they wish. On the final day of the event, reports are read out to the wider group and more sessions are held to discuss next steps and actions. All reports are saved to the D&D website and can be accessed by anyone at any time.

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The power of music to unite is undeniable – melodies, rhythms and lyrics connecting all to the human experience – whether music serves as markers of important life events, beacons of hope, support systems during times of heartbreak, there’s a playlist I’m sure we’ve all got curated ready to take on the day. Tapping into this deeply moving facet of our daily lives, Immersive Everywhere bring their Olivier Award nominated production of The Choir of Man to the Arts Theatre stage – a much welcomed, uplifting opener to the year!

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WhatsOnStage today announces that Melanie La Barrie and Bonnie Langford will host the 24^thAnnual WhatsOnStage Awards, the only major theatre prize-giving decided by the theatregoers themselves. Voting for the winners of the awards closes today.

Taking place on Sunday 11 February 2024 for the first time at The London Palladium, the evening will see winners crowned across a range of categories. Theatregoers will also enjoy a host of exclusive live performances, which will be announced soon, from top stage talent, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. The event, co-produced with creative directors Alex Parker and Damian Sandys, is currently on sale.

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The funeral of a loved one can be that life changing event that brings together long lost relatives and friends who otherwise wouldn’t have connected, or through time have lost contact. A time to say final goodbyes, the confrontation of life and death is stark. Exploring what these interactions look like, Blue Pear Productions’ Drop Dead reunites six souls all brought together to rehearse the funeral of Mr Bebach, an enigmatic wealthy extraordinaire. What ensues is an absurd encounter, one filled with plenty of comical twists and turns.

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