Entertainment News

William Shakespeare’s last will and testament will be making its way back to Stratford-upon-Avon this summer for the very first time since it was written in March 1616. Cared for by The National Archives, the original will of the world’s greatest playwright will be displayed at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust from 16 July – 4 August as part of a major exhibition celebrating 400 years of Shakespeare’s legacy.

Stonewall, Britain’s leading lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality charity, has named Birmingham City Council as one of the best local authorities in Britain for tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and celebrating difference in its schools. This comes as the charity today publishes its annual Education Equality Index, listing the Top 10 local authorities in Britain, with Birmingham City Council coming in eighth position.

Wolverhampton has made the top ten in a major survey of the best live music scenes – thanks to venues like the Civic Hall and the Robin2. It is a ringing endorsement of the city, which is currently in the middle of an exciting ten-day ‘Enjoy Wolverhampton’ programme of free or purse-friendly activities showcasing its gems. Leading entertainment listings site Ents24 places Wolverhampton in the top ten alongside London, at number one, Manchester, second, and Bristol, third, for live music venues.

Graffiti Spirits, widely regarded in Liverpool as prime innovators behind Liverpool's progressive new cocktail and independent eating out scene has revealed that Santa Maluco will open tomorrow. Director Matthew Farrell, one of the partners behind the fiercely independent group who already operate city centre bars Santa Chupitos, El Bandito, Salt Dog Slims, 81 Ltd and their 'smokehouse and cocktails' venue Slim's Pork Chop Express said guests can expect the team to bring a touch of Brazilian Rodizio to their Neapolitan pizza joint.

Mark Quartley has joined the cast to play Ariel in the RSC’s forthcoming production of The Tempest, which opens in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in November 2016 to conclude Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary year. Mark will be taking on a whole new area of stage craft by wearing a motion capture suit provided by The Imaginarium Studios, live on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage for the very first time. This allows the movements of his ‘avatar’ Ariel to be projected on and around the stage, including flying and morphing into different versions of the spirit which are delivered by using Intel technology.

The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is coming to Wolverhampton Art Gallery later this month. Visitors to the Lichfield Street gallery can take in some of the world’s most astonishing sights and see nature at its most staggering in this blockbuster show, which runs from Saturday, July 23 to Sunday, September 18. Now in its 51st year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition provides a showcase for the world’s very best nature photography.

Inspired by the release of the highly anticipated film, The BFG, and the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth, director Steven Spielberg, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Professor Stephen Hawking and Buzz Aldrin are among dozens of high-profile individuals supporting a project to raise money for children across the world. A new public art installation called The BFG Dream Jar Trail is launching in partnership with Unilever across the UK.

In celebration of this summer’s major sporting event taking place in Brazil, Victorian Arcade will be hosting their very own carnival celebrations on Saturday 6th August, the day after Rio’s official opening ceremony. Running from 11am to 4pm the carnival event is set to bring the party atmosphere of Brazil to Walsall and will feature a whole host of entertainment and activities for families to enjoy.

After many years of great service, Astwood Bank Carnival’s current logo will be retired at this year’s Carnival, in favour of a brand-new design. The latest logo has already been selected and is the result of a competition launched by the Carnival committee and Birmingham’s biggest signage and graphics company, Hollywood Monster. The competition called upon the children of Astwood Bank to illustrate an emblem that celebrated the diverse range of events that the Carnival committee organise throughout the year.

Britain's busiest jive and swing band, the Jive Aces are to play at Broadway Casino's Manhattan Bar this Friday and are set to get everyone dancing. The award-winning Jive Aces shot to fame after becoming the first ever band to reach the semi- finals of Britain’s Got Talent. The six friends complement one another perfectly with a variety of alternative instruments including the trumpet, ukulele, double bass, piano, drums, saxophone, trombone, washboard, bongos, blues harp, kazoo, spoons and the vuvuzela.  

With this season of Game of Thrones having vanished off our screens for another year head to Haven's Thornwick Bay Holiday Village in Yorkshire to immerse the whole family in the world of knights and medieval jousting. Enjoy a spectacular display of horsemanship in this breath-taking medieval jousting tournament. The actors are trained stunt men and have appeared in major films and TV series including Game of Thrones, Macbeth, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, King Arthur, The Da Vinci Code as well as James Bond movies.

Hundreds of volunteers led by Birmingham Repertory Theatre were part of a UK-wide event that took place on July 1, as a modern memorial to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.   Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, the work was conceived and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre.

Nottingham is building on the success of last year's first-ever Nottingham October Festival month to offer an even bigger programme of events this year - with more major festivals and events in October than any other city in the UK. Nottingham City Council has joined forces with Experience Nottinghamshire, Galleries of Justice, Broadway, Hockley Hustle, GameCity and CAMRA, to name but a few, to bring the city alive in October.

The cast for a new production of ‘The Importance Of Being Earnest,’ directed by Nikolai Foster, has been announced.  Opening at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 9-24 September before completing its run at Leicester Curve from 11-29 October, the production will star BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated actress Cathy Tysonas the iconic Lady Bracknall in Foster’s stylish reimagining of Wilde’s much-loved comedy. Cathy is best known for her role in the multi-award winning film 'Mona Lisa,'classic ITV drama series ‘Band Of Gold’and her stage work with The RSC and The Liverpool Everyman.

WV Active is offering free activities for all the family at Super Sunday on July 10. From fitness classes to fun swimming pool sessions, children’s activities and a huge variety of sport, there will be something for the whole family to enjoy. All three City of Wolverhampton Council-owned WV Active centres at Aldersley, Bilston-Bert Williams and Central - are open from 10am to 4pm. Councillor Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Environment, said: “Super Sunday is one of the final events on next month’s exciting Enjoy Wolverhampton programme.

Tottenham residents can enjoy a revamped library, with new books and state of the art IT,  as the Marcus Garvey Centre – Library  and Customer Services has opened its doors after a £3million refurbishment. The new-look library boasts a more spacious layout, modern furniture, more computers and 22,000 new books. While the facilities at the library are being tested, the refurbished library will be partially opened.