Women artists are responding to the Coronavirus lockdown in an online project coordinated as part of Liverpool’s RISE programme. A dozen micro-commissions are being brought together under the RISE banner, which aims to celebrate the talents of extraordinary women. They include Liverpool’s Karen Gallagher, former chief of MDI and who has now launched Karen Gallagher Associates, who uses dance to lighten the mood and has created a whole diary – And This is What Am Doing! - usin

Wirral Food, Drink & Music Festival has been postponed until next September. But the good news is that the event will retain the same musical line-up – headed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – when it takes place. The festival was due to be held from September 4-6 this year and was expected to attract around 40,000 to the daytime food and drink event and three open air evening concerts. It will now be staged from September 3-5, 2021, with OMD joined on the bill by fellow

West End smash hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has moved its Liverpool Empire dates to the autumn. The award-winning show was due to make its first visit to the city next month. But with ongoing uncertainty over when theatres might be able to reopen because of the coronavirus pandemic, the show is now currently scheduled to run from October 27-31. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie tells the story of 16-year-old Jamie New who lives on a council estate but doesn’t qui

FACT has awarded £15,000 of funding to 10 artists and groups as part of its FACT Together programme to support creatives during the Coronavirus pandemic. Each artist, based in the North of England, will receive £1,500 to create new work in response to the Wood Street venue’s The Living Planet programme. FACT Together was open to early-career practitioners across the North and was inundated with applications. The successful artists are: Day Mattar (Liverpool); Elle Bulger (Sal

Liverpool Royal Court has announced an update on its next two shows – with one postponed and the second run cancelled. Audience favourite, disco musical Mam! I’m ‘Ere, was due to return to the Roe Street stage this summer. But now it is being scheduled for 12 months’ time, running from June 25 to July 24 2021 instead. Sadly however, there is no room in the 2021 schedules for Girls Don’t Play Guitars. It means playwright Ian Salmon’s show, which was a smash hit when it was pre

Liverpool’s annual may have been postponed because of the pandemic but LCR Pride Foundation has now brought together a series of online events to keep the region’s LGBT_ community connected. The organisation has revealed its theme for 2020/21 is Young at Heart and aims to highlight the benefits of keeping active and doing things you love on physical and mental wellbeing, along with work taking place in the region. Online events will include virtual interviews with LGBT+ champ

Liverpool’s Unity Theatre has launched an Artist Emergency Response Programme to help creatives affected by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Building A Future was designed after consultation with 30 artists and performers about what would help them at the current point in time and in the futire. It aims to fashion a supportive future helping artists develop and share their career skills, networks and knowledge. A statement on the Unity’s website explains: “Talent Development

The live stage musical version of Baz Luhrmann’s hit film Strictly Ballroom has announced new tour dates – including its Liverpool run. The show, directed by Craig Revel Horwood and starring Strictly professional Kevin Clifton, WAS due to run at the Empire from April 26 to May 1 2021. But now producers have postponed the entire 35-venue tour, which is rescheduled to start in autumn next year instead. The new Liverpool dates are May 16-21 2022. Anyone who has already bought ti

The Book of Mormon has become the latest show to reschedule its dates at the Liverpool Empire because of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. The smash hit musical was due to visit Lime Street this summer until the pandemic struck. Now it has moved its residency at the Empire to form part of its 2021 tour dates. The show will run for three-and-a-half weeks from June 29 to July 24 next year. People who had already booked tickets will be contacted by the theatre to move their bookin

International Beatleweek has become the latest casualty of the Coronavirus pandemic. The annual celebration of all things Fab Four was due to take place from August 26 to September 1 at various venues across Liverpool. But organisers the Cavern Club have now officially called off the massive Bannk Holiday event which attracts Beatle bands and fans from across the globe. Cavern Club director Jon Keats confirmed today: "It’s with huge sadness that we announce that International