Arts Diary: Will Marriott

The theatre announced this week that it will be taking in the tour of the musical Chicago – in February. The theatre is expecting big things as it opens booking for the show on Monday. In fact, tickets go on sale at 9am on Monday, August 8 – but only if you’re a member of the Bradford Theatres Friends Members – normal folk will have to wait until Monday August 15. To be fair, it is a spectacular show and we’re delighted to hear it’s coming to our neck of the woods.

With a little under a year to go to the Olympics, Yorkshire’s hopefuls are training hard and the efforts of the Brownlee brothers have been captured for a new photographic exhibition. Triathletes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee were captured with their coach Malcolm Brown training on the moors and the portrait has now been hung alongside those of triple jumper Phillips Idowu, Paralympian Anna Sharkey and the Games’ mastermind Seb Coe at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the BT Road to 2012: Changing Pace project. The exhibition runs until September 25, so if you happen to be in London over the summer it’s worth a visit.

A LECTURER at Sheffield Hallam University is in with a chance of winning the Man Booker Prize for Fiction with a book that was almost never published.

Jane Rogers, professor of writing on the university’s renowned MA in Creative Writing, has been included on the prize’s longlist of 13 for her novel The Testament of Jessie Lamb.

DELIGHTED to hear friend to the Arts Diary Ben Tagoe has landed a coveted spot on the BBC writer training scheme Writers Academy. Ben’s a top bloke, who thoroughly deserves his place, and is one we’ve had our eye on for a while. Audiences can see his work with Red Ladder Theatre soon.

Yorkshire films continue to ride high, claiming places at the world’s leading festivals. Director Andrea Arnold’s new take on Wuthering Heights has been selected for competition in the 68th Venice Film Festival. Sheffield-based Warp X has two films at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival, Kill List and Paddy Considine’s directorial debut Tyrannosaur. Screen Yorkshire invested in all three productions.

Hugo Heppell, head of production at Screen Yorkshire, said: “It’s going to be a magnificent autumn for film productions from Yorkshire as Venice and Toronto are two of the major festivals on the world circuit. Having films in these festivals from such major talent as Andrea Arnold and Paddy Considine shows that Yorkshire continues to produce world-class movies.”

A THEATRE seat for £250? Times are hard, but that’s ridiculous. That was our first thought when we heard from the Bradford Alhambra this week – turns out it’s a seat sponsorship scheme that’s been launched. Commendable. Info on 01274 432375.

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