Entertainment News

Birmingham Comedy Festival and The Glee Club have announced Kai Samra as the recipient of the festival’s Breaking Talent Award 2017.

The young comic picked up his prize at a packed Glee Club on Friday night (6 October 2017), where he was presented with his award by BBCWM’s Richard Wilford.

The Handsworth-born comedian, whose family later moved to Warwick, has been performing stand-up for just 18 months, but impressed the judging panel with is confident and relaxed delivery, and exploration of such topics as the difficulties of tackling gun and knife crime, class and race, family, and the challenges of finding suitable attire for fancy dress parties.

“It means a lot to me,” said Kai of his award. The only Birmingham-born comic on the bill, he added: “The other competitors where really amazing and it was nice to be nominated and represent Birmingham.”

As former member of Warwickshire’s indie hopefully Paris Pickpockets, Kai looked set to make his name in music. But despite signing to The Arctic Monkeys’ management company and supporting The Libertines, he’s since turned his attention to writing and performing comedy.

Describing his style of stand-up, he said: “It’s observational, political. I try to do stuff that other people don’t, to take a fresh perspective on subjects like race, politics.”

Recently moving to Kilburn, London, Kai is developing several writing and interview-based projects, including his own sitcom, The 27 Club - a reference to a long list of stars who all died tragically at the age of 27, including Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain.

“I wrote it before I started stand-up,” explained Kai, who is also 27 years-old. “We’re going to do a pilot ourselves and try and sell it to a production company.”

Discussing his future plans, he added: “I love writing things, I love filming things … my aim is to work as hard as possible.”

Kai faced stiff competition from four other West Midland acts:  Staffordshire’s Eric Rushton, who parodied PM Teresa May’s Conservative Party Conference disaster with a cough and a P45; the dark and unexpected Rob Kemp from Wednesbury; Alex Black, who treated audiences to a music skit on social media based around the greatest hits of The Police; and Gemma Layton, aka Black Country cabaret singer/ stalker Beverley Vegas.

A spokesperson for the festival said: “All the acts were incredibly strong and all very different, which really demonstrates the richness and strength of the West Midlands comedy scene, but in the end the judges decided that Kai was the stand-out performer. We wish him all the best and are confident we’ll be seeing more from Kai in the very near future.”

A collaboration between the award-winning festival and The Glee Club, and sponsored by Edinburgh Gin, the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award aims to recognise and support emerging comedic talent from the city and wider West Midlands.

2017’s festival kicked off on Friday 6 October and continues at various venues across the city until Sunday 15 October. Highlights include appearances from Greg Davies, Henning Wehn, Comedy Central’s Impractical Jokers, Matt Lucas, The Fast Show’s Simon Day, and two Free Half-Dayers featuring 16 free comedy shows spread over successive Sunday afternoons at two city centre venues (Cherry Reds, The Victoria, 8 and 15 October).

Making unique alternative music events accessible to budget-conscious travellers from around the world, low-cost airline WOW air has sponsored new multimedia festival Norður og Niður, offering 10% off travel to and from Iceland.

Taking place between Christmas and New Year from 27-30 December at Reykjavik's renowned Harpa concert hall, the arts event is ideally timed to keep the fun and festivities of the holiday season going. Iconic Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós - best known for their hit "Hoppípolla" - will also be making a comeback at the festival, marking their first show in Iceland in more than five years.

Alongside Sigur Rós, the event's world-class line-up features big names from a multitude of genres such as Jarvis Cocker, Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip and Mammút to name a few, with many more acts still to be confirmed.

Having stolen the show at Radio 2’s Live in Hyde Park earlier this month, multiplatinum, multi-award winning Shania Twain announces six unmissable UK & Ireland arena dates for autumn 2018 - the first time Shania has toured here in 13 years!

With the imminent release of her stunning new album ‘NOW’ (out 29^th September on Virgin/EMI) and three decades into her storied career, Shania Twain has never sounded better.  Containing the singles ‘Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed’ (which impacts Sept 29^th) and the joyful lead track and radio mainstay ‘Life’s About to Get Good’, ‘NOW’ is the first time Shania has assumed the role of sole songwriter and co-producer.

Following recent performances on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and 'The One Show’ as well as the Radio 2 Breakfast Show with Chris Evans, Shania feels "it’s time to get back out there and give the music a chance to live a life!" and so will embark on her first UK & Eire tour since 2004's huge Up! Tour.

Shania is a five-time GRAMMY Award-winner and the reigning Queen of Country Pop. With 90 million albums sold worldwide, Shania remains the top-selling female country artist of all time. Shania’s albums include her Platinum-selling 1993 debut, Shania Twain; the GRAMMY Award-winning, Double Diamond-selling 1995 release, The Woman in Me; Come On Over, the best-selling studio album in Soundscan history by a female artist in any genre and the best-selling country album of all time with over 40 million units sold worldwide; and UP!, Shania’s third consecutive Diamond-selling album release.

Recognising her indelible impact and achievements in music, Shania is the first and only female artist to receive CMT’s Artist of a Lifetime Award. She was also honoured with the Icon Award at Billboard’s Women in Music ceremony. Shania’s hits include “Any Man of Mine,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “You’re Still the One,” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”.

Wolverhampton-based creative filmmakers and aerial specialists Skies Untold have released their latest film, which depicts the raw beauty and natural spectacle of winter across Iceland like never before.

Titled ‘Ísland’, the short begins above the Nordic country’s Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon. Without even the faintest whisper of wind, the filmmaking duo capture the blue skies ahead reflected perfectly below like a gigantic mirror.

Viewers are then taken on a journey across Iceland, stopping for breathtaking overhead shots of Seljalandsfoss and Brúarfoss waterfalls, the Vatnajökull glacier at Skaftafell, and the lighthouse at Arkanes, built in 1918 and one of the oldest concrete structures of its kind in the country.

Along the way, the aerial photography and cinematography experts take audiences along deserted highways, swoop among smouldering geysers and halt for close-ups of a herd of wild horses.

The spectacle is heightened by the film’s almost three-dimensional quality, achieved through combining camera movement with foreground and background elements, creating a parallax effect that brings depth to each frame.

Skies Untold was set up by fully certified and insured drone pilot Alex Hatfield, who has been building multicopters in his spare time since 2010. Born and raised in Wolverhampton he met his partner, Ina Krombholz from Berlin, Germany, while she was studying for her Masters in Graphic Design at the University of Wolverhampton, and they both discovered a mutual passion for aerial cinematography.

Ina Krombholz, Camera Operator and Editor, Skies Untold, said: “We have wanted to visit Iceland for some time. Seeing the it for the first time feels like stepping onto an alien planet that is still in the process of forming; the black sands, endless lava fields, jagged cliffs, waterfalls, glaciers and yellow green moss that carpets huge swathes of land. It feels raw and beautifully unfinished. What better place to film?”

Both aged 27, Alex and Ina work at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre as a Stage Technician and Dresser respectively, while Ina also has her own successful jewellery business.

Alex Hatfield, Founder and Head Pilot, Skies Untold, said: “On complex shoots where I need to concentrate entirely on flying, Ina operates the camera. There are two controllers, one operates the drone and the other controls the camera settings and direction independently. Ina is gifted with a camera and really has an eye for macro photography.

“If she isn't operating the camera she is busy acting as my spotter, keeping the take-off and landing areas clear in case of emergency, and speaking with the inevitable curious passers-by. Ina is also responsible for any design elements within Skies Untold, which includes the website, our logo, business cards, flyers and the like.”

Regarding their Iceland expedition, most aerial footage is filmed during the spring or summer, but Skies Untold wanted to capture the Scandinavian country’s winter from the air, using their trusty unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) – or drone – which they have affectionately named ‘Gertrude’. As a result, the filmmakers often struggled with the gruelling weather conditions during the seven days they spent there in March this year.

Alex Hatfield, Founder and Head Pilot, Skies Untold, added: “They really aren't joking when they say the weather is entirely unpredictable in Iceland! This made filming difficult and we weren't able to shoot a lot of the things we had planned prior to the trip. Due to this, a lot of the locations shot aren't the usual tourist spots.

“They are smaller things we just happened across and took advantage of whilst driving the main A roads around the island. We stopped and filmed where and when we could, if the weather allowed. I'm sure these places have names, but a lot of the time they weren't signposted.

“Furthermore, due to Iceland’s latitude and ground make up, magnetic interference can prove to be problematic when flying drones. Gertrude has a digital compass which it uses to stabilise and orientate itself, and this would often fail, requiring sequences to be reshot or abandoned. However, we persevered throughout the shoot and I think the end results were more than worth the struggle.”

Following the success of ‘Ísland,’ which has been featured on Vimeo’s travel category, the duo’s next project will seem them undertake more coastal filming around the UK, as well as explore more of continental Europe in the near future.

Kew the Music is a glorious week-long festival of summer picnic concerts set within the stunning and iconic grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The 2018 concerts run between Tuesday 10 July – Sunday 15 July with a fantastic line up that offers something for everyone.

A series of sensational summer evenings, with an eclectic mix of artists guaranteed to appeal to all generations of music lovers, the popular concerts make the perfect outing for the whole family to enjoy. Guests are welcome to bring their own food and drink, or to enjoy the open-air bars and tasty street food stalls.

The Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonnino Baliardo
 Wednesday 11 July The legendary Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonnino Baliardo achieved world-wide recognition in 1988 with the release of their eponymous album which featured the global smash hits Bamboleo, Un Amor and Djoba Djoba. They won a Grammy in 2014 for their album Savor Flamenco. The band are all members of two related families from France and are credited for pioneering the sound of progressive flamenco worldwide.

The Human League
 Friday 13 July 
Electro-pioneers and influential ground-breakers, The Human League are so credible it's incredible. In fact, they're probably more highly regarded now than they were in 1981 when they released their landmark album Dare. With four Top 10 albums and eight Top 10 singles in the UK as well as two US Number 1 singles and over 30 million records sold worldwide; they are a sublimely peculiar and heady cocktail of pop, dance, glamour and electronics.

Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
 Sunday 15 July
 Jools Holland, whose musical credits are both countless and stellar, returns to Kew the Music with another crowd-pleasing show. A musical leviathan, Jools has been touring with his veritable musical army, the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring Gilson Lavis for more than 20 years and, once again, he will be joined by regular guest vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Beth Rowley.

Oxjam Music Festival announced a series of exclusive events with some of the biggest names in music today, featuring the likes of Four Tet, Everything Everything, Metronomy and Annie Mac.

The Natural Theatre Company will bring a very different experience to the caves of Cheddar this October half term - a Halloween Spooktacular, during which visitors will meet some of the characters who first discover the mysterious and magical corridors in the depths of the Mendip Hills.

The creepy, cheeky characters from the cave's fascinating history will be coming out to play between October 21 and 29 thanks to the world famous Natural Theatre Company who will be bringing a gaggle of ghouls to gossip amongst the shadows.

They might make you jump; they'll definitely make you giggle; and they will be appearing from 11am to 3pm each day to give Halloween explorers the opportunity to piece together the stories of the characters and decipher what is fact, what is fiction…and what is just plain nonsense!

Taking the whole experience to yet another level, The Natural Theatre Company is also staging very special “Fright Nights” - aimed at anyone looking for a more gruesome experience this Halloween.

This chilling journey through Gough's Cave is not for the faint-hearted, and under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Completely separate to a regular visit to Cheddar Gorge & Caves, the Fright Nights are available for Saturday October 28 and Tuesday October 31.

Willing souls will receive some tasty treats before being led into the caves by members of The Natural Theatre Company cast, where the stories will have a greater level of intensity, as a dark tale of rivalry and deceit (and perhaps even some madness) is revealed.

The evening will give guests to the cave a chance to interact with the performers and to see this incredible landmark brought to life in a unique and immersive way.

Following the success of its inaugural event in September 2016, Waitrose announces its second Drinks Festival, which will take place from the 17th - 19th November 2017.

Held at County Hall, London, the festival will see up to 4,000 customers sampling the best wines, beers, spirits and speciality food the supermarket has to offer. Over 200 Waitrose producers will be taking part in the festival, which will be split into four sessions over the weekend.

With themed rooms dedicated to each main category, the venue will be taken over by all manner of drink and food experts, showcasing their products. The wine room will house hundreds of different wines, spanning the breadth of the supermarket's range, from well known brands to lesser known winemakers.  There will also be rooms dedicated to cider, beer, dark spirits and light spirits.

The festival will include various masterclasses, workshops and Waitrose Cookery School demonstrations. Back by popular demand is the 'Make Your Own Gin' workshop with distillers Audemus, where customers can make their own gin to be judged by an expert panel. The winning gin from last year's masterclass is now available online at Waitrose Cellar. There will also be a 'blend your own whisky' class with Glenfiddich.

New for 2017 is an exclusive lounge, with drinks personalities making appearances and giving talks throughout the weekend. Lounge customers will also be able to go on personalised wine walks with the Waitrose wine buying team.

Masterclasses will include: Guigal, Chateau Musar, Masi, Graham's Port, Catena Malbec, The Chocolate Block, Asian Whiskies, Sipsmith, Hayman's Gin, Wines of Rioja, Altos Las Hormigas, There's a Beer For That, Yealands and Brooklyn Lager. Confirmed suppliers with stands at the show include Pedrino, Sipsmith, Peroni, Les Dauphins, Masi, Catena and many more.

Every child in every school has one Christmas wish, to star in a Nativity. Now, that wish has come true for 27 local children who have been chosen to ‘Sparkle and Shine’ in Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s forthcoming world premiere production of Debbie Isitt’s NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL.

Cast from across Birmingham and the West Midlands as the children of St Bernadette’s School are:  Harry Martin, (age 9, from Tamworth), Fintan McGrory, (age 8, from Warwickshire) and Moosa Mostafa, (age 9, from Leamington Spa) who will alternate in the role of ‘Cute Joseph’.

Jasmine McKenna, (age 9, from Coventry), Layla Grace Quaid, (age 11, from Worcestershire) and Beatrice Schofield, (age 10, from Birmingham) who will alternate the role of ‘Cute Mary’.

Evie Bennell-Low, (age 9, from Coventry), Katelyn-Janet Rollason, (age 9, from Kidderminster) and Chantelle Jane Tonolete, (age 9, from Birmingham) who will alternate the role of ‘The Star’.

Gerald Ngwenya, (age 11, from Wolverhampton), Kheiri Isaac-Osmani, (age 11, from Birmingham) and William Redican, (age 10, from Birmingham) who will alternate the role of ‘Angel Gabriel’.

Oratile Chele, (age 9, from Birmingham), Chaelissa Gray, (age 9, from Birmingham) and Angelina Martin, (age 9, from Worcester) who will alternate the role of the ‘Shepherd’.

Layla Grace Gavin, (age 8, from Coventry), Betsy Jiggins, (age 9, from Solihull) and Lyla Peters, (age 10, from Coventry) who will alternate the role of ‘Child Jennifer’.

Alexander Hogg, (age 11, from Walsall), Joshua Millard-Lloyd, (age 9, from Sandwell) and Archie Turner, (age 10, from Sandwell) who will alternate the role of ‘Child Gordon’.

Jamie Bates, (age 10, from Leicestershire), Zak Lackenby, (age 10, from Dudley) and Nicholas Vakis, (age 10, from Burton on Trent) who will alternate the role of ‘Child Paul’.

They will be joined by Grace Green, (age 10, from Castle Bromwich), Amy Mulhall, (age 9, from Worcestershire) and Celie Newman, (age 9, from Coventry) who will alternate the role of ‘Feel Sick Girl’.

Debbie Isitt, Creator and Director of Nativity! said: “Birmingham and the West Midlands has so many talented children and I loved meeting all of them at our auditions. I’m absolutely delighted to be working with our sweet and funny young cast and the incredibly talented and hilariously funny musical theatre cast who are going to be brilliant. NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL is so full of joy and we’re looking forward to cracking on with rehearsals to create an unforgettable stage show.”

The full adult cast for NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL is: Simon Lipkin who will play ‘Mr Poppy’, Sarah Earnshaw as ‘Jennifer Lore’, Andy Brady as ‘Mr Shakespeare’, Jemma Churchill as ‘Mrs Bevan’, Jamie Chapman as ‘Patrick Burns’, and Daniel Boys who will play ‘Paul Maddens’. They are joined by Derek Aidoo, Jalisa Andrews, Andy Barke, Gary Davis, Jennifer Louise Jones and Katia Sartini.

Every child in every school has one Christmas wish, to star in a Nativity, and at St Bernadette’s School they’ve decided to mount a musical version! Join teacher Mr Maddens and his crazy assistant Mr Poppy as they struggle with hilarious children, unruly animals and a whole lot of sparkle and shine to make everyone’s Christmas wish come true. Featuring all of your favourite sing-a-long songs from the smash-hit films including Sparkle and Shine, Nazareth and One Night One Moment. NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL promises to be the perfect feel-good comedy for all the family.

Written and Directed by Debbie Isitt with music and lyrics by Nicky Ager and Debbie Isitt, NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL is choreographed by Andrew Wright, designed by David Woodhead, with lighting design by Tim Mitchell, sound design by Tom Marshall and musical supervision and orchestrations by George Dyer.

NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL opens at Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Friday 20 October until Saturday 12 November.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is throwing open its doors for the spring 2018 season at Birmingham Hippodrome, with performances of The Sleeping Beauty accompanied by the return of innovative large-scale performance project Sleeping Beauty Dreams and the announcement of its first ever relaxed performance.

The Sleeping Beauty also represents the first time Birmingham Royal Ballet and Birmingham Hippodrome have presented a relaxed ballet performance. This exciting new initiative for both venues is open to everyone, but intended to cater for anyone who may find going to the theatre challenging. In particular, BRB’s relaxed performance is designed for people with an Autistic Spectrum condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder.

The Sleeping Beauty will be adapted especially for this relaxed performance (which takes place on Tuesday 20 February 2018), including a shorter running time, changes to lighting and sound levels to avoid sensory overload, and a flexible seating plan with plenty of room to move around during the performance.

Director David Bintley commented: “We want everyone to feel welcome at the ballet, which is why we’re so excited about our relaxed performance of The Sleeping Beauty. It’s a chance for family and friends to experience the magic of live performance together in an adapted environment where formal theatre rules don’t apply. We are proud to be working alongside our partners at Birmingham Hippodrome on this exciting venture, and can’t wait to welcome a brand new audience to Birmingham Royal Ballet performances”.

A second exciting initiative is Sleeping Beauty Dreams; a performance project for dance students of all ages which offers the rare opportunity to perform a full length ballet on the Birmingham Hippodrome stage alongside some of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s world-class dancers. This will be the second year of the inspiring project, which in 2016 saw 65 dancers from across the Midlands, with ages ranging from 8 to 76, perform alongside Birmingham Royal Ballet First Artists Karla Doorbar and Lachlan Monaghan in Cinderella Dreams.

Pamela Hawkins, who shared the role of Cinderella with BRB’s Karla Doorbar, commented at the time: “I would tell all young budding ballerinas to audition and take part in performances such as Cinderella Dreams. You meet and make so many new friends who also love ballet and it's just such a wonderful experience to share together. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever been part of.”

Sleeping Beauty Dreams will be a four-month quest to inspire and develop dance talent across the region, bringing big ballet aspirations to life and culminating in a performance at Birmingham Hippodrome on Monday 19 February 2018.

Both Birmingham Royal Ballet’s relaxed performance and Sleeping Beauty Dreams are presented as part of The Sleeping Beauty season at Birmingham Hippodrome. This classic fairy tale is transformed into of the grandest ballets ever created, with a classical score by Tchaikovsky and original choreography by Marius Petipa. With a marvellous mixture of virtuoso dance, dazzling spectacle and live music from the acclaimed Royal Ballet Sinfonia, The Sleeping Beauty is an enchanting experience for all the family.

Three University of Wolverhampton lecturers have booked their place in musical theatre history by contributing their expertise in a collection that has recently been published.

Sarah Whitfield, Sarah Browne and Demetris Zavros from the School of Performing Arts at the University’s Walsall Campus have contributed chapters to ‘Twenty-First Century Musicals’ – a book edited by George Rodosthenous, Associate Professor in Theatre Directing at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds.

The book explores the role of the musical in today’s cinematic landscape, looking at leading contemporary shows from stage origins to their big-screen adaptations. Each chapter offers a new perspective on a single musical, challenging populist narratives and exploring underlying narratives and sub-texts in depth.

Dr Sarah Whitfield, Senior Lecturer in Musical Theatre at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This exciting project is just part of the wider research we are doing around musical theatre on stage and screen, and it demonstrates we are at the forefront of musical theatre research in the UK.

“The book is a must-read for any student or scholar keen to broaden their understanding of musical adaptations, and explores how the viewing experience changes from stage to screen. Research taking place at the University of Wolverhampton is part of a global conversation about the musical.” Sarah Whitfield has written Chapter 10 - ‘You wanna hear the real story? (Mis)remembering masculinity in Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of Jersey Boys (2014).

Sarah Browne, Head of Music and Musical Theatre has written Chapter 12 – The Last Five Years (2014): Medium, Mode and the Making of Cathy.

Dr Demetris Zavros, Lecturer in Drama, has written Chapter 14 – London Road: the ‘irruption of the real’ and haunting utopias in the verbatim musical.

'The Sheldrick Trust – 40 Years On' is a poignant short film charting forty years of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The Trust, which was set up by Dame Daphne Sheldrick, DBE in memory of her late husband David in 1977, works at field level in Kenya for the protection and conservation of wildlife and wild habitats. The DSWT has pioneered hand-raising orphaned baby elephants with the Orphans' project receiving world-wide acclaim.

The UK public premiere of this special and very moving anniversary film, featuring Dame Daphne and footage from the archives, will be at the Royal Geographical Society on Thursday 12 October during the Explorers against Extinction event organised by the Real Africa Trust.

The event seeks to highlight the threat of extinction to many iconic species while also raising vital funds for conservation partners including DSWT.

Africa's wildlife is being pushed to the brink of extinction. Elephants are being killed for their ivory, and at one stage, one elephant was being killed every 15 minutes. Human-wildlife conflict is leaving behind injured and orphaned wild animals who would not survive without intervention and habitat destruction is endangering important biodiversity habitats.

The DSWT adopts a multi-faceted approach to conservation with teams working at a field level to put an end to poaching in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, and to preserve endangered habitats and rescue and care for injured animals so that they can return to the wild. To date over 200 orphaned elephants are living a wild life with 25 known wild-born babies.

Famous explorers including Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE and Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE will be headlining the Explorers against Extinction conservation event described by Travel Africa Magazine as,  'One of the most important conservation events of the year'. Event partners include Stanfords, the world's largest map and travel book store and Sotheby's auction house.

Kesha has announced that she will be returning to the UK this winter for a special intimate show at London’s Electric Brixton on Tuesday 14^th November.

The show has been announced as part of her “Rainbow Tour”, which is set to start making its way across the states later this month. Kesha will perform her catalogue of global hits as well as songs from her highly anticipated new album ‘Rainbow’ for the first time with the London show being the first chance to hear them on our shores.

“My new album ‘Rainbow’ is dedicated to my fans. And I'm so excited to be able to invite you all to come boogie with me on my new ‘Rainbow Tour’,” says Kesha. “I would not have made it to this point without my animals and supporters so now come out and join the celebration with me.”

The Blue Port Hamburg installation designed by the light artist Michael Batz has been attracting international attention since 2008. Blue light once again transforms the Hanseatic city’s night-time port into a magically glowing stage. In 2017 the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and a number of the other buildings in the Northern European City are bathed in mystical blue light until 10 September. The light up of the Blue Port started a spectacular week full of cruise events: “Seatrade Europe” Europe´s biggest cruise industry meeting, and the “Hamburg Cruise Days”, the largest public cruise event in the world, will transform Hamburg into one big stage for the cruise industry. This week highlights again Hamburg’s reputation as the world’s number one in the area of maritime entertainment and cruise events.

It all began for Hamburg in 2006, when the FIFA World Cup took place in Germany. Light artist Michael Batz created “Blue Goals” – goal posts illuminated in blue, which public buildings, companies, and individuals used to decorate their roofs and show off their excitement about having the World Cup in their country. Hamburg then turned blue again in 2008, this time with the Blue Port Hamburg installation. This year, Michael Batz is bathing the port in blue light for the sixth time.

Blue Port: A masterpiece in artistry and logistics

The preparations took an entire year, and the installation spans 8.5 kilometers along both sides of the Elbe. 50 kilometers of cable were laid down, 15,000 cable ties and 900 sockets were used and over 20,000 blue light elements were attached to distinct buildings, industrial plants and ships within the Port of Hamburg. The installation team often had to work at dizzying heights to put this all in place. The highest point is the Elbphilharmonie, the new concert hall and landmark of the city, the 110-metre-height roof of which now glows in new blue light. Also involved in this dynamic, spectacular installation are the Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel districts, which have been awarded world heritage status from UNESCO 2015. The Blue Port Hamburg is a complex ensemble of stable elements (quays, pontoons, terminals, buildings, bridges, towers, cranes, etc.), mobile elements (ships, van carriers, passers-by) and liquid elements (water, reflections).

Light artist Michael Batz has a particular way of describing the fascination that abounds: “The port – a place where everything that appears only has value once it disappears again. Light installations, which in their very nature are temporary, belong to this category. They glow and shine the brightest once the light has gone out. As fugitive reflectors of the world and of life in general, they mirror their darkest melancholy. And their deepest longing.”

Orchestra of the Swan has teamed up with Stratford-on-Avon Music Festival to offer a week of exciting music-making by established musicians and members of BBC Radio 3’s new Generation Artists scheme.

22 years ago, the Stratford on Avon District English Music Festival opened its doors for the first time. In need of a conductor and musicians, David Curtis, viola player with the Coull Quartet, was invited to form an orchestra for the festival and Stratford’s own Orchestra of the Swan was born.

This year, after more than two decades, Orchestra of the Swan has formed a close partnership with what is now known as the Stratford-on-Avon Music Festival which takes place from 26th Sept to 3rd October. Newly appointed Festival Artistic Director David Mills is taking this 22-year-old festival back to its classical roots with a fabulous programme centred on Orchestra of the Swan and its principals. It will give some prominence to the wonderful and varied repertoire for wind instruments – the only national music festival to do so – and featuring familiar soloists Roderick Williams, Leon McCawley, Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Julian Bliss, alongside BBC New Generation Artists Pavel Kolesnikov (piano), Annelien Van Wauwe (clarinet), the Van Kuijk String Quartet and the Amatis Piano Trio.

With BBC Radio 3 recording two lunchtime performances and Classic FM recording the final concert with Orchestra of the Swan and Julian Bliss in the ArtsHouse, David Curtis, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Orchestra of the Swan, is thrilled to be launching his 22nd season of leadership of one of the most imaginative and successful chamber orchestras in the UK with an immersive week of music.

Five of the very best new and emerging comedians from the West Midlands region are in the running for the fourth Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award.

The prestigious annual competition aims to recognise and support ‘breaking talent’ from the region, offering the winner a vital step-up on the comedy career ladder.

A collaboration between Birmingham Comedy Festival and The Glee Club, the award officially kicks off the 10-day festival on Friday 6 October 2017.

The nominated acts are Alex Black, Rob Kemp, Gemma Layton, Eric Rushton and Kai Samra.

Having grown up in Huddersfield, Alex Black moved to the Midlands as a student and now resides in Hollywood, south Birmingham. He's been doing stand-up for two years, having been inspired by the likes of The Fast Show, Dylan Moran, Tommy Tiernan, Ross Noble and Bill Bailey. "I’m a musical comedian, telling stories about losing my youth set to the soundtrack of my long-gone teens," he says.

Wednesbury-based examinations officer Rob Kemp started his stand-up journey nearly six years ago. His second one-man show, The Elvis Dead, mashed-up horror flick Evil Dead 2 and the hits of Elvis Presley, to become a runaway cult hit at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. An admirer of Eddie Izzard, the Pythons, Dylan Moran and Daniel Kitson, his comedic style has been described as “quite smart” and “fairly leftfield confused whimsy.”

A former member of sketch group FunBags Comedy, Gemma Layton is a character comedian whose creations include Mercedes Benson. But it's her latest creation, Black Country cabaret singer Beverley Vegas, which has ensured her Breaking Talent Award nomination. Gemma cites The League Of Gentlemen, Victoria Wood, Julia Walters, Julia Davis and Steve Coogan as key inspirations.

Eric Rushton hails from Stone, Staffordshire, and made his stand-up debut with Warwick Comedy Society during his first year at the University Of Warwick. "Terminally unemployed" he reached the finals of the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2016 and So You Think You're Funny? in 2017. "My material is quite self-deprecating and depressing, with a little a bit of silliness to compensate for all the moaning," he says.

Born in Handsworth, Birmingham, Kai Samra grew up in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Though he only started stand-up in 2016, he's already opened for such acts as Paul Chowdhry (in front of 2,000 people). Kai describes himself as "an observational comic who tackles issues such as class, race and modern culture from a fresh perspective."

The five acts were nominated by a panel of comedy professionals based on live performances over the previous year.

A spokesperson for Birmingham Comedy Festival said: "The award features some of the very best talent from across the West Midlands, acts who are either in the early stages of their careers and show real promise, or who've seriously upped their game during the last 12 months.

"With observational, music and character comedy, this is our most varied Breaking Talent line-up, so it’s going to be a really fantastic show. We wish all the acts the very best of luck but, of course, there can only be one winner …"

The Glee Club’s Mark Tughan said: “The calibre of talent coming through in the last few years has been exceptional, and this year looks like another step up, both in quality and diversity of acts. It's become a must-see event for anyone who likes home-grown talent and live comedy.”

Participating acts have been nominated by James Cook (comedian, comedy course tutor), Adam Jaremko (The Glee’s comedy promoter/ booker), Maureen Younger (comedian, MY Comedy), and Josh Pugh (Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2015 winner and English Comedian Of The Year 2016).