The REP becomes the first theatre in the UK to partner with Open Kitchens -  providing 9,000 meals for children in poverty in Birmingham 

Birmingham Repertory Theatre has become the first theatre in the UK to partner with national food solution organisation, Open Kitchens, providing 1,500 nutritional meals per week for children in poverty across the city over an initial 6 week period, totalling over 9,000 freshly prepared meals.  

The REP, and its popular restaurant Marmalade, remain temporarily closed due to the ongoing restrictions as a result of COVID-19. However, recent Government advice that allows theatres to open their doors on the condition of no live performances has enabled the venue to gain access to its kitchens once again.  

The theatre will receive 1 tonne of surplus food each week from across the food industry including supermarkets, manufacturers and the hospitality sector. Meals will be prepared in The REP’s kitchens by volunteers from the theatre’s bar and restaurant team lead by Head Chef Dario Pinho, Sous Chef Marc Scott-Smith and Chef de Partie Matt Smith, working 3 days per week over an initial 6-week period. Meals will then be distributed free of charge by Open Kitchens partner organisation Fareshare, the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors. The food will be chilled for transportation and, once delivered, can be heated up easily in a microwave or oven. 

Adam Roberts, Founder and CEO of Open Kitchens commented; “We are delighted that The REP is the first theatre in the UK to join Open Kitchens at a time when, according to End Child Poverty (2019), Birmingham has one of the highest percentages of children in the Midlands living in poverty after housing costs, amounting to over 130,000 vulnerable children.” 

Jules Raikes, Catering Director at The REP added; “It’s fantastic to be able to open up our kitchens for such a worthy cause during a time when a lot of families will be struggling financially. Thousands of children in the city have been schooled at home during the pandemic, which also means for some that they have been missing out on vital access to free school dinners. Thanks to our partnership with Open Kitchens and our incredible team of REP volunteers, we are now preparing meals from food that would otherwise go to waste, providing vulnerable children with a regular free nutritional meal during these unprecedented times.” 

It is estimated that 8.4 million people in the UK, or the equivalent to the entire population of London, are currently struggling to afford to eat. 2 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry in the UK annually with 250,000 tonnes of the food that goes to waste each year still being edible, totalling a potential 650 million meals. 

Open Kitchens brings together organisations who volunteer to work for free to cook meals for those in need in their community. Funded by community donations, pledging restaurants work to a budget of £1.85 per meal to cover costs with Open Kitchens contributing to energy usage. The project has been made possible thanks to generous donations direct to Open Kitchens. 

The REP’s team of volunteers will be working to strict government guidelines. PPE will be issued, and strict social distancing will be in place. Temperature checks and steam cleaning will be carried out on a regular basis and staff will be working in bubbles to ensure safety and to allow work to continue should someone become ill. 

For further information about Open Kitchens go to: openkitchens.co.uk. 

Theatre officials will stop using the term BAME (Black, Asian and Multy Ethnic), saying it is outdated.

Coventry's Belgrade Theatre said it made the decision after listening to local Black artists who want to see the term eradicated across the industry.

Echoing the reasons set out by Black Creative Network, the theatre said its use "reinforces the assumption of white British as the 'norm' or default". The move was "only the first step on a long journey", it added.

Recently, UK students and artists explained why they felt the term - which originated in the '60s and '70s - was no longer relevant to them.

Corey Campbell, co-artistic director at the theatre, said the decision had already attracted criticism but he stood by it.

Setting out its "statement of intent", the theatre said the group of West Midlands-based artists identified several problems with the term and similar acronyms.

It said: "Although originally intended to refer to groups of people as a means of measuring diversity across organisations... it stripped away people's individual identities and encourages us to see those who are not white British as a single, homogeneous group."

To assign a "single, collective identity to the vast range of racial, cultural and ethnic groups currently living in the UK, it assumed that all of these groups share broadly similar
experiences as well as reinforcing the assumption of white British as the "norm" or default".

The term also "conflated physical characteristics with geographic identity... Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic are not equivalent terms".

The theatre added: "It has always been important to us to provide a space where all of the people who make up our city feel seen and supported, and now more than ever, we want to listen to and act upon the requests of those who currently do not,".

BAME will no longer be used in its public and internal communications, but theatre officials said they accepted the acronym may still appear in some official documents they would be required to use.

Fleetwood Mac co-founder and influential blues rock guitarist Peter Green has died.

Green, from London, formed the band with drummer Mick Fleetwood, in 1967, after Green's stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where he filled in for Eric Clapton.

Green and Fleetwood convinced John McVie to join the band as bass guitarist, in part by naming the band Fleetwood Mac an under Green's direction, they produced three albums and a series of well-loved tracks including Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well.

Green left the band in 1970, as he struggled with his mental health. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in hospital in the mid-70s.

Singer-songwriter Green was among the eight members of the band - along with Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer - who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

The news comes days after Fleetwood Mac announced they will release a retrospective boxset, documenting the band's early years between 1969 and 1974.

Paying tribute, Whitesnake's David Coverdale said Green was an artist he "truly loved and admired". In a tweet, he said: "I supported the original Fleetwood Mac at Redcar Jazz Club when I was in a local band... he was a breathtaking singer, guitarist and composer. I know who I will be listening to today. RIP"

In February this year, artists including Fleetwood, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and guitarists Jonny Lang and Andy Fairweather Low performed at the London Palladium in a gig celebrating the early years of Fleetwood Mac and its founder, Green.

He was 73.

Due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, and the extended closure of both concert halls, Town Hall Symphony Hall have entered a period of redundancy consultation, with half of their staff at risk of redundancy.

The future of these two iconic concert halls, and the music charity responsible for them, looks very different from the plans they began the year with.

“Though we have been awarded emergency relief funding by Arts Council England, it remains the case that all other income generated through the core business of live music and entertainment has stopped,” the statement said.

“This period of closure has already resulted in huge losses and it is still unclear as to when it may be possible to re-open. In order to have a chance of survival we must now take the painful decision to reduce our staff in anticipation of the continuing uncertainty ahead.”

“We have responded to the challenge of declining public subsidy through the unwavering enterprise and spirit of our team. The announcement today is all the more painful because of this. Over the last few years we have evolved into an organisation that earns more than 90% of its turnover from our trading activities and this supports every aspect of what we do, from presenting international superstars on our stages to supporting emerging talent and creating first musical experiences for children in local schools. Our vulnerability to the current closure is a direct consequence of a business model that is less reliant on public subsidy than most.”

“In order to have any chance of survival we desperately need a time-based reopening strategy from the government and the funding to reach that point. Making an Entrance, our £13.2million transformation of Symphony Hall, is approaching completion and poised to reconnect the city through music. The government must now give the cultural sector a proper road map, and allow us to play our part in rebuilding the City’s cultural and community life following this pandemic.”

“This is heart-breaking news to share,” said Nick Reed, Chief Executive for Town Hall Symphony Hall, “We have a superb team of staff who care passionately about what they do and who openly share their love of live music with everyone that we connect with as a music charity.

“The digital activities we have continued to deliver in these desperate times are testament to that, sharing music from our halls, artists homes and venues from across the continent. Music has the power to bring people together and it fills me with great sadness that we remain unable to bring people together in our halls.

“Our thoughts are very much with the employees and their families that will be affected by this decision, as well as the numerous freelance musicians and artists who have been impacted by this global pandemic,” Reed continued.

“Along with the executive team, I continue to demand clearer guidance from the government on the detail of the grants and loans available and clearer guidelines for re-opening our cities cultural institutions,” said Anita Bhalla, Chair of the Board for the music charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall.

“Despite improving the reserves of our music charity in recent years, due to the hard-work of our staff, this unprecedented global pandemic will have long term ramifications for our business. We have seen a vast number of redundancies across the arts and culture sector and it saddens me that we are today joining that long list. This is a difficult and sad time for all.”

“Those affected have been contacted and no final decision for redundancies we will be made until the consultation process has been completed.”

Kim Kardashian West has publicly addressed her husband Kanye's mental health issues following his recent series of erratic statements after writing on Instagram: "As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder.

"Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, know how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand."

She described him as a "brilliant but complicated person whose words sometimes do not align with his intentions."

Noted by many as one of America’s biggest music stars, the rapper is currently attempting to run for US president. But his first campaign rally and a number of recent Twitter messages have sparked confusion and concern.

Married in 2014, Kim and Kanye have four children together and in her message, the Reality TV star and model said she had not previously spoken publicly about how his mental health had affected the family "because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health".

She wrote: ‘But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health. Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behaviour know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor. People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgemental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.’

She went on to say her husband was ‘subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions", but asked for greater empathy and understanding.

‘He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a Black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder’, she added. ‘Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.

‘Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true. We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most.

‘I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this’.

Hollyoaks actress Talia Grant has spoken about how the TV industry, "like life in general", treats Black people as being "disposable".

She told the soap's Don't Filter Your Feelings podcast that the media "can capitalise off of us without actually doing the real work behind the scenes".

Grant, 18, was discussing racism alongside co-stars Trevor A Toussaint and Richard Blackwood. It comes a month after Rachel Adedeji said she witnessed racism on the soap.

Grant, who plays Brooke on the Channel 4 soap, told the podcast: "It's amazing that there is a Black cast, and there's all of us, and there is that diversity.

"But I can't help but feel that sometimes in the industry, and in life in general, they treat Black people like we're disposable." She said she had "dealt with difficult situations and micro aggressions" on the soap. The actress added: "It's great for us to be in a high up position, but we're still going to experience it.

"The revolution will not be changed by diversity training, or racism training. It is changed by people changing their attitude and the way that the structural system works."

Toussaint, who plays Walter, pointed out that there were no senior Black staff on the Liverpool set of the soap, which is made by Lime Pictures.

The actor said: "There's racism in society... TV is no exception to this. There is not one person of colour... who has a position of authority within Lime Pictures. Why is that? I think I've seen two Black directors in all the time I've been there and definitely no Black producers. Why?"

Lime Pictures said Toussaint's comments did not apply to its London operation, but acknowledged it needed to do better.

"Hollyoaks celebrates inclusivity on screen and off," a statement said. "Whilst we believe that is evident on screen, we recognise that we need to do more to increase and support inclusivity behind the camera, especially for Black writers, directors and crew.

"We have significantly increased the number of writers of colour working on Hollyoaks, but we need to do more to support Black writers in particular."

The company said it had various initiatives in place to increase diversity, including a new writing award and internships.

Grant also said she was "extremely grateful" for the way the soap had dealt with her autism. They really made an effort, they all went on training, I felt just accepted and understood. People didn't view me as the problem," she said.

The trio also discussed racism and micro-aggressions beyond the broadcasting industry.

Recounting a recurring experience, Toussaint said: "I'm sitting on the Tube and it's a white person and they look around and there's only one seat left and it's the seat next to me and they will look directly at me and they choose to stand.

"If you say to a white person, 'That is a micro aggression', they will discount it because they haven't lived through that time and time and time again.

"Even at this point in my life, someone will say to me, 'You're really eloquent, aren't you?' And then there's a pause."

Toussaint also said: "I have lost jobs because I've spoken out and I'm not scared of losing my job. I have been vilified because I've spoken out about racism within companies. I've been beaten up because I've spoken out, I've been arrested because I've spoken out."

The podcast was the first in a series of special episodes in which Hollyoaks cast members will discuss racism and their personal experiences in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.