Arts Diary: Will Marriott

Arch seducers were getting thin on the ground at Northern Ballet six years ago when artistic director David Nixon was rehearsing Dangerous Liaisons. Injury had struck two of the leading male dancers and from four Vicomte de Valmonts he was down to two.

On Tuesday, it was dj vu when this time the women dancers were stricken and Nixon lost two Marquises before the launch of the company's autumn tour at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.

The charismatic Victoria Sibson, who was all set to play libidinous, amoral manipulator Marquise de Merteuil, injured her foot in rehearsal. Then Hannah Bateman was about to step into her pointe shoes when a gastric bug hit her before curtain up. So Georgina May was brought in, third time lucky, excelling in the tale of sexual power and deadly deceit.

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May remained unscathed but her young lover, Chevalier Danceny, also fell prey to the jinx when dashing Giuliano Contadini injured himself in one of his dazzling leaps and had to be replaced in act two by Yoshihisa Arai. Dangerous? You bet.

Dean Andrews faced more than his fair share of hairy moments playing Ray in Life on Mars, but nothing could have prepared him for his latest role. Andrews, from Rotherham, is currently appearing in Kandahar Break, a thriller set in Taliban controlled Afghanistan.

It was shot on location in Pakistan and filming, we hear, was fraught with difficulties. The crew had to be evacuated when they were attacked by gunmen and they had to decamp to Tunisia to finish the shoot. Thankfully, all got back safely and Kandahar Break has just won the award for Best Film at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.

There's no escaping it. The 1980s are back in fashion. After the return of leggings and the new Channel Four drama This is England 86, Heaven 17 are also on the brink of a revival. The Sheffield band's classic 1982 single Let Me Go has been given a makeover by German electro outfit NUDE. "Our take on Let Me Go is a lot more aggressive and upbeat," says NUDE member Marc Werner. "It will be interesting to see how Heaven 17 fans respond to our version. I hope that we have not lost any of the poignancy and melodrama that made the original recording special the first time around." With the publicity for the single featuring a man dressed in a gorilla costume, wearing a balaclava, holding a telephone, we suspect some maturing Heaven 17 fans will not be listening in.

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Most films take years to complete. In Bradford, it takes two days. First-time filmmakers from across the county are being invited to take part in The 48 Hour Film Challenge. The project, which starts on Oct 30, is being run by the Bradford City of Film and will provide those taking part with basic equipment, a title for their film and access to actors and locations. At the end of the two days they will then have a chance to watch it on the big screen at the National Media Museum. Those interested are invited to take part in one of a series of workshops, which will take place at the Octagon in Hull on Sep 23, the National Media Museum in Bradford on Sep 30 and Sheffield's Showroom Cinema on Oct 1. People wishing to sign up for these workshops should visit: www.bradfordcityoffilm.com/filmchallenge for an application form.