Following on from a June weekend at Derby’s Déda and Baby Studios, The Lyric Lounge will be spreading the word in Leicester from 30 July -1 August, at New Walk Museum.  A mighty menu of activities will run all the way from 10am ‘til 10pm so there’s no excuse for not stopping by, In the day, chill out with coffee, books and films, sign up for poetry workshops, chat to The Book Doctor, or take to the mic yourself. In the evening, catch everything from WORD! with Mark Gwynne Jones and his band Psychicbread, to John Hegley’s brand new show ‘The Adventures of Monsieur Robinet’.

With a line up that includes performances from patron Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, music and lyrics from the likes of Kenny Wilson and urban poetry from ILUVLYRICS, Lyric Lounge Leicester is all round family fun. The Lyric Lounge will also be visiting Nottingham and Loughborough this Autumn. All this follows the massive success of last year’s Leicester festival, which saw hundreds of people gather at The Y, as part of the cultural programme for the Special Olympics.

Visit www.lyriclounge.co.uk or www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk/lyric_lounge for more information and details of partners and funders, or join us on Facebook.

Leicester workshops, screenings, Book Doctor Surgeries and Lyrical Lunchtimes are FREE, but tickets for evening shows are available from The New Walk Museum Box Office: 0116 225 4900.

Tickets for John Hegley – £10/£5 (suitable for ages 7 plus with guidance), ILUVLYRICS – £5/£3 (suitable for ages 13 plus)
and WORD! -£4/£3 (suitable for ages 13 plus)

Birmingham Rep, Leon Burke aka LCB, The Decypher Collective

1. When you think of Latitude what 5 words spring to mind?

Firstly I would say Distance, Location, GPS, Travel and map – if it was in terms of the word-But as a festival I would say, Music, Camping, Theatre, Food and Networking.

2. If you could only see one performance at this year’s festival what would it be? (For a list of performers and stages check out the Latitude website)

The act which I am looking forward to seeing is, Florence and the Machine. But also a lot of other artists.

3. What 5 items will you be bringing to Latitude?

My phone, chewing gum, pen, baby wipes (lol) and business cards.

4. Do you have anything special planned for your performance at Latitude?

Although our performance is an amazing piece of Grime theatre, we will then showcase a few of our individual pieces, being rap, poetry or spoken word.

5. Latitude is 5 years old, how did you celebrate your fifth birthday?

It may not have been my 5th birthday but it must have been around those years. I think it was Weston-super-Mare with my family, I remember being upstairs at the back of an open top bus next to the sea side touring Weston, then had a picnic on the beach and went crazy on the pier with my older brother.

6. How does it feel to represent the Midlands at Latitude?

I’m very glad we are there representing and I know a lot of people are coming down to support us. We have worked hard over the years as a collective and feel it is time for us to take festivals by storm  :)

The Decypher Collective play the Theatre Arena at Latitude Festival- July 15-18.

Gold ticket winners will be treated as VIP guests and receive a pair of top price tickets to the opening night of three of Curve’s home-produced shows:

VERTICAL ROAD, a World Premiere by acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan

THE KING AND I, the lavish Christmas musical, directed by Paul Kerryson

TRANSLATIONS or MOLLY SWEENEY during the FESTIVAL OF FRIEL, which will celebrate the work of great contemporary playwright, Brian Friel.

As well as this, winners will also be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre, interval drinks with the press and VIP guests and a free programme.

Platinum ticket winners will be treated like royalty, and receive ten complimentary top-price tickets for the opening night of THE KING AND I. In addition to this, winners will also be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre, interval drinks with the press and special guests, the opportunity to meet the cast and a free goodie bag. Wowsers!

Keep your eyes peeled folks!

As most of you will know (followers of fashion and celebs as you are), today is Ladies Day at Ascot. Let the millenary madness begin! Now normally, most of the hats on display will be daring feathery displays a la GaGa or something a bit more mother-of-the-bride, but this is something entirely different.

Designed by Leicester College fashion student, Charlotte Samuel, and built by certified professional LEGO builder and member of the Brickish Association, Duncan Titmarsh, the hats are made solely from LEGO bricks, with the female design based upon the LEGO motto – ‘inspiring and developing the builders of tomorrow.’

Made from approximately 1,400 bricks the ladies’ hat took 14 hours to build whilst the top hat is made from 1,000 bricks and was produced in eight hours. Blimey!

Have a closer look at this magically mental creation:

Showcasing artistic talent from across the city, ROAD WORKS will see five on-street car-parking bays converted into cultural spaces, for one day only.

The ROAD WORKS project on Monday June 14, which comes just 48 hours before Birmingham’s final pitch to be the UK’s first ever City of Culture, is the city’s contribution to worldwide art project International  PARK(ing) Day.

Each of the spaces will have a different theme  and organisers believe the project will showcase Birmingham’s wealth of artistic and creative talent.

Chairman of the Birmingham Cultural Partnership Cllr Martin Mullaney said: “Throughout the UK City of Culture bidding process I’ve been struck by the extraordinary levels of creativity across the city.

“Birmingham is a great place to live and work for artists and the grassroots talent out there is phenomenal.

“International PARK(ing) Day is an exciting worldwide initiative and the ROAD WORKS project will not only allow us to showcase our creative community, it will put a smile on people’s faces by offering an unexpected cultural experience.”

Launched in 2005, International PARK(ing) Day is now a global event where citizens and artists successfully collaborate to transform parking spaces into temporary ‘public cultural spaces’.

It now involves 140 cities, such as Brisbane, Vancouver, Rome, Krakow, Barcelona, Brighton, Rio de Janeiro, Austin Texas.

Located in close proximity to Victoria Square, St Phillips Cathedral (Colmore Row) and Waterloo Street the ROADWORKS will feature:

• ‘Not My Type’ by Fluid Design and collective illustrators
  Three easels will be set up and some of Birmingham’s best graphic designers will be demonstrating their skills, illustrating letters forms and numbers, as the public look on.
• ‘Camera Obscura ‘ by Arlene Burnett
  This will be a ‘walk in camera’ in a light proof garden shed, projecting an image of some of Birmingham’s impressive civic buildings onto its inside surfaces.
• ‘The Incidental Estate’ by Trevor Pitt
  A domestic, suburban garden transplanted into the city centre. A space to sit in, enjoy the flowers and consider the sense of freedom it can give you.
• Human, All too Human’ by Nat Pitt
  This is a bird spotters hide, fitted with periscopes for members of the public to view animal characters who will be appearing nearby, you may spot an owl with a pushchair, a cat traffic warden or a badger with a briefcase.
• ‘Digger’s Revival’ by Uddin and Elsey
  This artist’s duo will create a growing environment, inspired by Van Gogh’s painting of the ‘Potato Planters’, with wooden pallets, grow bags and plants. They will invite the public to take away seeds and encourage them to grow their own vegetables.

This tour is what that’s all about. No C list celebs tripping over their own feet, no judges jeering or Brucie braying, no. Just dancing. Really slick dancing.

I was interested to see how they’d do it at De Montfort Hall but that stage is deceptively big.  Set up a little like the tellybox with two sets of stairs, there was a large screen in the middle too.  After a brief video intro from (notably?) just the three male judges the show began with a huge fanfare from the excellent live band.

If you’ve ever wanted to see the dancers up close and whinge when the camera pans off their feet, this is the show for you.

A mix of individual performances, melodies and montages it was pretty much non stop dancing for an hour and a half. They are some fit (in every which way of the word) bods.

The show was stronger  (if not a little cheesy at times) for its entertainment element, with the judges on the screen introducing sections and all the dancers playing MC at least once- Ian and Matthew’s double act was my favourite. They played it very camp and tongue in cheek with lots of gossip- of course we’re gonna love that at 69!

But you want to know about the dancing- well, it was outstanding, some truly great performances. Personal favourites include the domestic life of Ola + James through the medium of Cha Cha Cha, Ian and Natalie’s gorgeous Foxtrot and of course Vincent and Flavia’s Argentine tango. Group wise, the 40′s section which had them all playing roles in a wartime bar, jiving and lindy hopping was great fun, as was the Money themed opener to the second half.

I lost count of how many costume changes there were but the frocks were amazing.  They didn’t all suit the performance though- Ian and Natalie did a beautiful Viennese Waltz that lost it’s impact for me because of her outfit- it was a great dress, don’t get me wrong but not for this dance. Should have been a big princessy number rather than the skimpy shell it was.

If you like the tv show you’ll love this performance, no question.

The show runs until Saturday 29 May at De Montfort Hall and then continues touring.

Salome, step-daughter of King Herod agrees to perform the mysterious dance of the seven veils but demands in return, the head of the King’s most infamous prisoner – the head of John the Baptist.

Salome is an unforgettable theatrical experience, combining ‘exquisite poetry’ and stunning theatrical imagery. You can catch Salome at Curve Leicester from 6-15 May 2010. Check out our gallery of some of the rehearsals, and be sure to catch this unforgettable production.

For more information and tickets visit:

www.curveonline.co.uk/curve.php?view=showinfo.php&showid=92

Please note: Contains some scenes which may offend.

Here’s a little taster of some of the lovely films that MAC will be showing but for LOADS more visual arts and theatre that will be going on during May, visit www.macarts.co.uk

The Ghost (15)

Fri 7 May, Sun 9 May 8.15pm (127 mins)
Sat 8 May, 3pm & 8.15pm
Mon 10 – Tue 11 May, 8.05pm
Wed 12 – Thu 13 May, 8.20pm

An Education (12A)
Mon 10 May, 6pm (99 mins)
Tue 11 May, 3.30pm & 6pm

Four Lions (15A)

Fri 14 – Thu 20 May, 8.15pm (94mins)
Mon 17 May, 8.40pm

The Blind Side (12A)

Sun 23 & Mon 24 May, 6pm (128 mins)
Tue 25 May, 3pm

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (18)

Fri 28 – Sun 30 May, 6pm (152 mins)
Sat 29 May, 3pm

MAC is @ Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH.  Tel 0121 446 3232 macarts.co.uk

Throughout this two-year Higher Education course which is validated by the pretigious De Montfort University the students have undertaken professional and academic training in many areas of still and moving image production and this exhibition is the culmination of three months self-directed study at the end of this course.

This inspirational show is a real opportunity for the students to express their own interests and creativity. It’s a window into their world. On show is thought-provoking work of various styles, techniques & thematic concerns.

The exhibition runs from Monday 17^th May until the Saturday 29^th May 2010 at the Independent Arts Centre, 68-70 Humberstone Gate between the hours of 10.00am until 18.00pm. Check it out! You never know, one of these budding students could be the future of the world of visual arts!

Located right in the heart of Birmingham’s world famous Jewellery Quarter, the museum was named Best Small Attraction in last year’s Heart of England Excellence Awards – a scheme celebrating the best tourist attractions in the region.

Two years ago it was named the third best free tourist attraction in Europe by TripAdvisor, behind the Pantheon in Rome and the National Gallery in London.

Racking up all these awards can only mean this is one for the 69 to visit list! Especially for any of you with a passion for the shiny stuff or an interest in history, we’re thinking its well worth a visit.

Cllr Martin Mullaney, Chair of the Birmingham Cultural Partnership, said: “This is a richly deserved award. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter truly is one of Birmingham’s real gems and deserves this high profile national award.

“Our industrial and cultural heritage will play a key part in our final City of Culture bid and this wonderful museum brilliantly showcases Birmingham’s renowned jewellery and metalworking heritage.”