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NEWPBEAT ......NEWPBEAT .....NEWPBEAT
RIVERFRONT OPEN WEEKEND Jul 8 - The Riverfront is gearing up for the annual Open Weekend on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 July between 11am and 4pm, and can promise loads of activities, arts and performance of all kind throughout the weekend. Visitors will get the chance to get backstage, listen to live music, try out various exciting arts and crafts and watch local talents perform.
Jun 23 - Legendary
film director Ken Russell will be leaving his handprints and autograph
in concrete on the riverside site of the new City Centre Campus of the
University of Wales, Newport to mark the start of the construction
phase of the £35m project.
The acclaimed director of films such
as ‘Women in Love’ and ‘Tommy’ will be immortalised in concrete similar
to the famous Hollywood Forecourt of the Stars at Mann’s Chinese
Theatre during the ceremony which takes place on the banks of the River
Usk on Monday 30th June. The new campus will be home to two academic Schools with
international reputations - Newport Business School and the digital
media, film and design elements of Newport School of Art, Media and
Design. “I think the City Centre Campus is a brilliant idea
– and the sooner it’s completed and producing tomorrow’s film-makers,
artists and entrepreneurs the better!” said Ken, a Visiting Professor
at the University’s International Film School Wales (IFSW), when he
presented the award for the best film made by students on the Film and
Video degree course last week. “I’m looking forward to the
ceremony and leaving my handprints in the cement. I built my own house
so I know all about working with cement,” he added. CRAFT FOLK FESTIVAL COMING TO CITY CENTRE Commercial Street, Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 June, 10am to 5.30pm With up to 30 stalls hosting genuine artists and crafters selling
their own work, interspersed with a selection of seasonal food and
wines, the Craft Folk festival is the perfect place to pick up a
present – or even a treat for yourself.Passers-by will be tempted by pewter work, heritage images of Wales,
metalwork, photography, silver and precious stone jewellery. There will
be traditional wooden items and toys, art works and cards for all
occasions, plus glasswork and needlework together with many original
decorative items for the house and garden.Commission personalise gifts or taste the seasonal food and drink on
offer. Choose from a selection of home made Welsh fudge, wines, fruit
and cream liqueurs, fresh hot pancakes, honey roasted nuts and a
traditional hog roast. PIGEON DETECTIVES TO PLAY CITY June 2 - Rising stars the Pigeon Detectives are to play Newport Centre on Thursday - ticket prices £13.50 performing songs from their hit debut album "Wait For Me". TOP ANIMATION STUDENTS SET UP STUDIO IN CITY May 6 - Two
talented film-makers who recently added the British Animation Award to
their ever-growing collection of trophies – bringing their total number
of awards to a staggering 28 – have set up their own studio in Newport. Tom Brown and Dan Gray scooped the awards for their film ‘t.o.m.’ which they made as their
graduation film while studying at the University of Wales, Newport. Having established their own animation film company, Holbrook’s
Films, they are now busy working on animated station identities for
Fuse TV, an American music TV station to fund their next animation film. “This
and other work will help us to raise the capital to make our follow-up
to ‘t.o.m.,” said 30-year-old Dan who comes from Caerleon. “We could
have moved to London but decided to stay in Newport as we wanted to
work for ourselves, and the regeneration taking place here is
transforming the city into an exciting place for creative talent.” SHOCK TACTICS AT THE RIVERFRONT Apr 11 - Legendary
film director Ken Russell will be among a team of experts examining the
way art can challenge boundaries by using shock tactics, at an event
organised by the University of Wales, Newport at the Riverfront Theatre
on Wednesday 16th April.The event,
entitled ‘Transgressions’, will look at film, performance and
photography that uses strategies such as shock, chaos, disorder and
disruption to make points about resistance and subversion in the face
of a global society where culture is becoming increasingly standardised. Ken Russell who has been Visiting Professor at the
International Film School Wales (IFSW) since 2004, will be talking
about how he has used shock tactics in his work and then screening two
of his short films. The celebrated and controversial British film
director is well known for producing cult classics such as the
award-winning 'Women in Love, ‘The Devils’ and the Who’s rock opera
‘Tommy’, and was recently included in the Daily Telegraph’s Top 100
Living Geniuses list. CUTTING EDGE CIRCUS COMES TO CITY Mar 28 - The Riverfront will present NoFit State Circus with tabú standing on
the edge of the wilderness at Tredegar Park in April 2008! The award
winning, critically acclaimed NoFit State Circus preview their new show
tabú in Newport as part of The Riverfront summer season. NEW RESTAURANT AT CELTIC MANOR Mar 26 - The Celtic Manor Resort will open a new restaurant, the Crown at Celtic Manor, on 29th March. Set within the site’s 330-room hotel, the new venue will be run by Michelin star chef, James Sommerin from the Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouth. UNSEEN BRITAIN Mar 26 - As part of the Sony Alpha Unseen Britain campaign, renowned climber and photographer Mike Robertson has toured the country scaling new heights and legendary landmarks to create unique images. In conjunction with Enjoy England, Visit Scotland and Visit Wales, six
structures across Britain were selected by Mike, based on the challenge
of the climb, the geographical location, the visual impact of their
surroundings and the opportunity to capture a never seen before image.
These were Spinnaker Tower (Portsmouth), Blackpool Tower, Newport
Transporter Bridge, Snowhill Plaza (Birmingham), Glasgow Tower
(Glasgow) and the Park Plaza (Leeds). See the images on our bridge here -> TOP COMEDY AT THE RIVERFRONT Mar 21 - The Riverfront's reputation for top comedy is continuing to build. Star comedian Rob Brydon takes his all-Wales tour to the Riverfront on November 25. Tickets are selling fast and are priced at £17.50. Brendan Burns will be at the Riverfront on April 11 with tickets priced £10. He is fresh from his triumphant run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last
summer where he was awarded comedy's highest accolade, The If.comedy
award (formerly the Perrier Award). The laconic Jo Brand will be in town on April 25, tickets are £15. In addition, the Riverfront boasts the Comedy Shed on the last Friday of every month - next up March 28 - where you can sit in a cabaret style atmosphere and enjoy performances from established comedians.
This month features Wayne Deakin, with a "likeable laconic style"
that's guaranteed to get you laughing and thinking, Jo Enright, who
over the years has developed a brand of humour described as "fresh, honest and thumpingly funny" and Andy Askins, who's "expertly crafted routine" is littered with an eclectic mix of offbeat comic songs and parodies. Tickets £10. All tickets can be booked at the theatre or by calling Newport 657757. THE DOLMAN THIS SPRING 22-26 April- Newport Operatic Society presents Thoroughly Modern
Millie. A chance to see this much loved musical. Tickets: 01633 440707
or 891363. NEW SCULPTURE UNVEILED Mar 2 - The seasons have been set in stone in Newport, following the unveiling of a new sculpture in Belle Vue Park. Revealing the seasons as seen through the eyes of a gardener, the
sculpture compliments the sweeping walks and ornamental trees that make
up the 26 acres of the park. Carved in sandstone, the artwork depicts a central sun surrounded by
twelve relief carvings. Each carving illustrates a natural event or
animal associated with a certain month of the year. Having been crowned Wales’ undisputed floral champion for the ninth
time last year, the “Gardener’s Calendar” has been developed in support
of the city’s Newport in Bloom campaign. Artist Sebastian Brooke, who designed and carved the sculpture, was
joined by local school children to explain the sources of inspiration
for his artwork, as well as the process of creating the piece.The unveiling of the artwork follows many years of improvement work
within the park. Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the
council has restored the parks rich architectural history, while
updating it for the 21st century visitor. ST. DAVID'S DAY SHOWCASE FOR CITY ART SCENE Feb 22 - Newpart's 6th Creative Showcase event at TJ's Clarence Place Saturday 1st March - brings you a diverse selection of live & local talent in a creative, friendly environment. Includes Team Brick, Fallen Painting, Big Mack, Jonathon Baines. Compere is Jools Constant. Entry £4 (£3 concessions). The promo states "All welcome, so come along and see what the Newport arts scene has to offer. " FILM SCHOOL STUDENTS SWEEP AWARDS Feb 18 - Young film makers from the University of Wales, Newport have won six of the nine category awards at Ffresh 2008, the student moving image festival of Wales.The coveted Audience Award at the two-day festival in Aberystwyth was also presented to a student from the University's International Film School Wales. Tara Cody's factual film, Skin Deep, is about showing the ageing process in reverse. At the awards ceremony at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, the Best of Festival award was also given to one of the six category award winners from Newport, Yiorgos Moustakis, for his fiction film, Mari.Newport also won two awards from RTS Wales, which were announced at Ffresh, for Best Animation and Best Documentary. Festival chair Maggie Russell said, "Some incredible talent has emerged this year and I am really excited to see how projects and ideas we have seen at Ffresh develop in the coming months and years. We were also able to report back on what award winners from previous festivals are now up to which I know was inspirational for the students who made this year's event such a great success. It also demonstrates that the educational establishments across Wales can both work closely with the media industry and also act as trail blazers in giving traditional media a glimpse of the future."Humphry Trevelyan, Head of the International Film School Wales said that he was delighted, but not too surprised by the results. "I am supremely confident in the talent and ability of our students here at Newport and, once again, the results of the Ffresh Awards shows this to be justified. Newport has a long and proud tradition of film-making and it is also great to see that we are being recognised in new fields for us such as creative sound and music." The International Film School Wales is a lead partner of the Skillset Screen Academy Wales and has been approved by the UK film industry as a centre of excellence for film education and training. Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the audiovisual industries, has awarded Screen Academy status to only six HE/FE consortia across the UK. This provides funding for masterclasses, mentors, bursaries, industry placements, production costs, festival attendance and advanced equipment. LARFALOT - NEWPORT'S ONLY FRINGE COMEDY NIGHT Feb 4 - February 7 venue Le Pub - Newport's only Fringe comedy night, according to newpart.co.uk. It is run as a not-for-profit event run to give new comics a place to perform in Newport.It runs on the first Thursday of every month.Each month usually sees a top name from the comedy circuit headlining the gig supported by new comics developing their set.. and established comics trying new material.All are welcome to come and have a go. So far 14 people have jumped onto the comedy stage for the very first thanks to Larfalot.Great atmosphere, reasonably priced beer, great rock style venue. Resident MC Jools Constant (The only comic in the village!) Entry - £4 (£3 concessions). CHANDLERY AND WATERLOO TO GO FOR SUNDAY LUNCHES Jan 28 (updated) - Newport's only Bib Gourmand restaurant the Chandlery is set to announce that it will be serving Sunday lunches in response to customer demand. The new service is expected to start in late February/March. According to their website it appears the service will start on Mothering Sunday with a £19.95 set menu. Details here Metro Newspaper 2007 Restaurant of the Year, the Waterloo Hotel, will start out on a Sunday from this weekend - February 3 offering three courses at £17.95, two courses at £14.95. See here. RIVERFRONT SPRING SEASON Jan 8 - Why not blow away any festive cobwebs with one or more of the enlivening performances The Riverfront has to offer this spring. There’s theatre a-plenty this season, starting with some local talent when UWN’s Vista Theatre present a gut-wrenching version of Café Grand Guignol and followed by a Welsh language panto for schools with Macsen by Cwmni Mega. Sole Abode by Madrugada fuses text, physical performance and striking set – and a man who decides to live in a fridge! Funeral Games will be presented by Unpacked who tell darkly comedic stories, using high-octane physicality, new writing and a distinctive puppetry aesthetic, so for you risk-takers out there, try something new and come along to either of these pieces of striking new theatre. CHRISTMAS AT TREDEGAR HOUSE The Morgan family held their festive celebrations at Tredegar House for over 500 years. Now you can step back in time and experience the very special atmosphere of Tredegar House at Christmas. Plans are well in advance for this year’s activities including a small Christmas market place created in the Lesser barn selling traditional punches, fruits and spices. Visitors will arrive at the Victorian entrance to the house, where they will be greeted by staff in period costume. The House will be decked out with traditional decorations of holly, ivy, mistletoe and seasonal fruits and spices. The traditional theme will be complimented by real Christmas trees each one lavishly decorated. In the Great Kitchen there will be a chance to stir the Christmas cake, as the cook prepares for the festive season. Mulled wine and mince pies are served in the Medieval Hall, seasonal music and merriment all add to the festive spirit. The stables will be magically transformed into Santa’s grotto where he has a gift for every child. That is unless Scrooge, who is in his bedchamber, has cancelled Christmas – a threat he makes every year! Christmas at Tredegar House will be held on the following dates: Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th December, 2pm – 5.30pm Thursday 13th and Friday 14th December, 6.30pm – 8pm Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th December, 2pm – 5.30pm Tickets are £9 for adults and £3.50 for children. Tickets are now on sale and booking in advance is strongly advised to avoid disappointment. To book call 01633 656757. POLISH AND EAST EUROPEAN MARKET Nov 16 - Running this Friday through to the Switch-on of the Christmas lights on Sunday, this is a first for Newport! This small market is new to the UK this Autumn and is selling a range of crafted goods including Russian Dolls, clocks, and traditional Christmas decorations and candles as well as foods such as dried sausages, sweets, breads, pancakes, soups and of course dumplings! It’s a perfect winter market from an area of Europe that creates Christmas Markets really well. Wesołych Świąt! (That's Merry Christmas in Polish by the way!) NEWPART SHOWCASE Nov 16 - Newpart, the Newport arts forum, is putting on its next showcase on December 8th at Langton's Cafe Bar on Charles Street. The line up for the event includes some of the best local musical talent, from Ballbag Express, Bubbalicious, Lt Meat, Bosch, The Hallams, and (for one night only) the king of rock'n'roll - Elvis. There's also poetry from James Sadler of New State Radio , an installation from Starling Vendetta, backdrops from Ariel (Bosch), live painting and video art. Tickets are £4 on the door (£3 NUS). For Newpart's other good works see here. PUCCINI IN THE PORT The ever marvellous Mid Wales Opera will be returning to The Riverfront after their sell-out Carmen in 2005, with Puccini’s La Boheme on Thursday 15 November at 7.30pm. There are still some tickets available, but act now, they are selling fast! In Puccini’s most popular opera, his ravishingly beautiful score and celebrated arias brilliantly portray the passions, laughter and tragedies of the young bohemians. Few other operas succeed in engaging the audience’s emotions so powerfully, as the action flows swiftly from boisterous gaiety to heart-rending tragedy. Once again award-winning Mid Wales Opera has assembled a cast of lively young singers from the National Opera Companies for another of their original and heart-warming productions. Mid Wales Opera will be accompanied by Mid Wales Opera Chamber Orchestra and the Conductor will be Keith Darlington. La Boheme is directed by Director Martin Lloyd-Evans and designed by Bridget Kimak. Mid Wales Opera is now firmly established as one of the foremost British touring opera companies. Tickets are priced £12.50, £17.50 and £19.50. To book, please contact Box Office on 01633 656675 or visit www.newport.gov.uk/riverfront JOE STRUMMER MONTH AT RIVERFRONT Joe Strummer Month Diary Thursday 1 November Opening of Josh Cheuse’s Joe Strummer photographic exhibition in the gallery (this exhibition will be on for the whole of November) 7pm – 7.45pm Local band A470 will play their own tunes in the Art Gallery, as well as a Clash cover. 8pm Meeting Joe Strummer in the studio theatre After-party in TJ’s (free entry with your Meeting Joe Strummer ticket) Friday 2 November 7pm – 7.45pm Local band The Hyde will play their own tunes in the Art Gallery, as well as a Clash cover. 8pm Meeting Joe Strummer in the studio theatre Saturday 3 November 7pm – 7.45pm Local band The Clay will play their own tunes in the Art Gallery, as well as a Clash cover. 8pm Meeting Joe Strummer in the studio theatre Monday 12 November 7.45pm Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten in the cinema Tuesday 13 November 7.45pm Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten in the cinema Don't miss Joe Strummer Month November 07! GLC DUO TO DJ FOR XFM GCap Media's new Xfm station in south Wales will feature local DJs including Goldie Lookin Chain's Rhys and Eggsy and ex-Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable when it launches on November 29. Rhys and Eggsy - part of the Newport collective behind songs such as Guns Don't Kill People Rappers Do and Your Mother's Got a Penis - will take on the drivetime show between 4pm and 7pm. FIRST FILMS AWARD EVENING AT THE RIVERFRONT Oct 22 - For the past eight months, groups of young people from all over Newport have been experiencing film-making first-hand by producing and crafting their own films with fantastic results! In order to celebrate the achievements of these young people The Riverfront are hosting an "Oscars" ceremony, called the First Films Award Evening. This will take place in the 493 seat theatre of The Riverfront on Wednesday 24 October 2007 at 7.30pm. It will be a red carpet event, at which the films will be premiered and awards presented for various categories of film-making including best Documentary and best Director. There will also be live music and performances by Holly Holyoake (Newport’s very own Kathryn Jenkins), A470 Battle of the Band Winners and Pentalk (in John Peel’s favourite top 50 band list). CHRISTMAS MARKET DATES ANNOUNCED Oct 2 - The Newport City Centre team has announced the dates of festive markets in the run up to Christmas. They are as follows: CHRISTMAS ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIRS, Upper Gallery, Newport Indoor Market - DEC 1 & DEC 8 FARMERS MARKETS, Westgate Square, Commercial Street NOV 9,23, DEC 14 and 20 FRENCH MARKET, Commercial Street NOV 16-18. EDITORS THIS THURSDAY NEWPORT CENTRE Birmingham's finest The Editors are at Newport Centre, Newport (Thursday October 4): Support from Denmark’s critically-acclaimed The Kissaway Trail. Box Office: 01633 662666 ULTIMATE GIRLS NIGHT OUT The Riverfront will host an extra performance of The Vagina Monologues in October because the first show has almost sold out! Following a sell-out performance last autumn, The Vagina Monologues smash-hit tour is returning with a different cast to the Riverfront on Tuesday 2 October and Wednesday 3 October at 7.30pm. The Vagina Monologues is an incredible collection of hilariously witty and moving stories, which guarantees to induce laughter and tears, touching women of all ages across the globe. Bring your mum, your best friend, your sister or even your granny – this is the ultimate girls’ night out…Since its first tour, The Vagina Monologues has been to more than 400 different theatres in the UK alone and continues to wow audiences throughout Britain.Tickets for The Vagina Monologues range from £12.50 to £16.50 and are available from the Box Office on 01633 656757 or by visiting www.newport.gov.uk/riverfront A STUNNING, PLAYFUL AND DEVILISHLY SAUCY DRAMA… The award-winning Kaos Theatre will make a return visit to The Riverfront with a brand new production based on Shakespeare’s classic text, A Midsummer Night’s Dream when it arrives on stage from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 October at 7.30pm. Raunchy, physically fuelled and musical, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a sexy Shakespearean spectacle set to dazzle and amaze. Adapted and Directed by Xavier Leret, the production is set to star Matt Fraser as Puck, well known for appearing in Thalidomide The Musical. As one of the UK’s most exciting band of theatre visionaries, Kaos continues to build on the success of Moll Flanders in 2005; this internationally acclaimed ensemble is destined for repeat success with this breath-taking and highly original performance. Don’t be an ass and miss out! Tickets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream range from £7.50 to £12 and are available from the Box Office on 01633 656757 or by visiting: www.newport.gov.uk/riverfront. This show contains some nudity and is recommended for ages 15+ BANDS IN THE PARK LINE UP ANNOUNCED
RIVERFRONT ANNOUNCE AUTUMN SEASON Jul 8 - A wonderfully diverse autumn season at The Riverfront has just been announced. For theatre fans there’s another performance of The Vagina Monologues with a different cast, The Seagull by UWN, Picasso and Me by Mike Maran and as part of the Shakespeare season, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Kaos Theatre, Henry V for youngsters and The Shakespeare Revue. Circus of Horrors will return with yet another new and gruesome show and for music buffs there’s something extra special with a season focusing on one-time Newport resident Joe Strummer. This season features screenings of Julien Temple’s film Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, the award-winning play Meeting Joe Strummer and there will also be a Joe Strummer exhibition in the Art Gallery. Think Floyd, The Searchers, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Ralph Mctell, Bev Bevan’s Move, The Blues Band and a family carol concert also join the programme. For classical music lovers The Riverfront will host another Celebrity Classical Concert Series and Sinfonia Cymru will pay a return visit. Mid Wales Opera return after a sell-out Carmen with La Boheme and there will be more opera with The Parson’s Pirate and Lights, Camera, Action which features opera favourites from the movies . For lovers of dance there will be another return visit by Diversions, the Darkin Ensemble will present Augustine and Independent Ballet Wales will perform The Bride of Flowers. There’s comedy with Marcus Brigstocke, Rhod Gilbert, Mark Steel and the Comedy Shed on the last weekend of every month and the infamous Welsh drug smuggler Howard Marks will be here with his new show Senor Nice. Finally, for children there’s Mischief and Monster Hits and of course this year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk! Last year’s favourites Brian Hibbard and Lee Mengo, who played the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella will be returning, joining Ieuan Edwards from Pobl Y Cym and for those of you who remember Rainbow, Jane Tucker of ‘Rod, Jane and Freddy’ fame will also be joining the cast! Add to this, stacks of regular workshops, four exhibitions in the Art Gallery and some spectacular cinema screenings and it all adds up to a choc-full autumn season. For more information please call The Riverfront Box Office on 01633 656757 or visit www.newport.gov.uk/riverfront EDITORS TO PLAY CENTRE Jul 8 - Editors have announced their UK tour and will play a date at Newport Centre on Thursday, October 4. They are currently at number one in the album chart with their second long player An End Has A Start while the record’s lead single, Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors, landed at number seven. The Birmingham four-piece also played on The Other Stage at Glastonbury. NEWPORT HAS GOT TALENT Jul 3 - Red Dragon and Newport City Council are holding auditions for ‘Wales Has Got Talent’, an X-factor styled competition for children aged 8 – 16yrs old on Saturday 7th July between 12 – 2pm at the Newport Centre. Five talented children from the auditions judged by Red Dragons very own presenters will go through to the final at the Jumpin in July festival on Saturday 21st July, where they will perform live on the High Street Stage. One child will then go through to be crowned the winner of ‘Wales Has Got Talent’. BLACK GOLD ON FILM
Fairtrade campaign organisers have arranged for hard hitting film ''Black Gold'' to be shown in Newport this summer. Campaigners are anticipating the promotion of Fairtrade coffee on the day as well as inviting a key speaker to the event. The film also had the following awards Official selection 2006 Sundance Film Festival! - Official selection Rome film fest 2006! - Official Selection London Film Festival! Official Selection Rio De Janeiro International Film Festival! Showing on 19th July The Studio @ The Riverfront NEWPORT The Riverfront Box Office, Bristol Packet Wharf, Newport, NP20 1 HG BOX OFFICE - (01633) 656757 The Pete and Dud show scheduled for June 11 to 13 at the Riverfront has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. YIPPEE!!!! CITY TAKES PART IN DANCE FESTIVAL May 20 - The Riverfront is looking forward to welcoming back The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs on Tuesday May 22 at 7.30pm for a return visit and an all new show "YIPPEEE!!!" This performance will also mark the Launch of Horizons, South Wales Dance Festival. Take your seats and hold on tight as choreographer Lea Anderson presents her much acclaimed all-female Cholmondeleys and all-male Featherstonehaughs in "Yippeee!!!" There will be live music by Yum Yum Band and it is a show that is not for the faint hearted! A Kaleidoscopic chorus line-graph of complex geometric production numbers and an elaborate Busby Berkeley-esque numbers, makes this one piece of physical theatre not to be missed. Glance sheepishly at your neighbours as the infectious Electro-squeak groove of Composer Steve Blakes new Yum Yum Band induces an involuntary yet fervent cry of "Yippeee!!!". South Wales is host to another superb programme of collective dance across five of its key venues this May and June, as Horizons Dance Festival presents an exhilarating range of international dance in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. FOLK FESTIVAL Newport will become the focus of UK folk culture this weekend when the city hosts one of the biggest music and dance festivals in the country. ARTHUR MILLER CLASSIC AT THE RIVERFRONT The Compass Theatre Company will perform The Price by Arthur Miller at the Riverfront on Tuesday 8 May and Wednesday 9 May at 7.30pm. From Arthur Miller, one of the world’s greatest playwrights and the writer of Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View from a Bridge and All My Sons, comes a compelling and deeply-moving drama. The Price is set in the attic of a Manhattan brownstone in 1968. Solomon, a 90-year-old antiques dealer, finds himself in the middle of an uneasy reunion between two long-estranged brothers. The adult lives of these brothers have taken very different turns and rumbling away are the echoes of a long-gone disaster – the Wall Street crash. For artistic director Neil Sissons, The Price is his 58th show for Compass and follows Hard Times, Moby Dick, The Seagull, The Rivals, The Winter’s Tale and Death Of A Salesman. KASABIAN TO PLAY THE PORT Kasabian have announced a one-off gig in Newport. The mighty Leicester outfit will take to the stage at the Newport Centre in South Wales on June 21, in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. The gig is the day this year’s Glastonbury, for which Kasabian are one of the headliners, so the Newport date will be a nice warm up for them. All proceeds from the gig will go towards Teenage Cancer Trust building the first Welsh unit at the University Hospital of Wales. "It's great we can support Teenage Cancer Trust and help them make a difference," said singer Tom Meighan. "After meeting some of the teenagers with cancer at the Albert Hall gig, it really made us want to do more and this show will help the cause, we hope to do more with TCT in the future." KASABIAN - according to NME.com "Taking their name from Linda Kasabian, Charles Manson's getaway driver for his brutal 1969 murders, Leicester based Kasabian fuse every influential period in British rock music from the last two decades. They took off after 2004's festival season, and their debut album charted at number four - leading to a support slot on Oasis' 'Don't Believe the Truth' tour." SUMMER AT THE RIVERFRONT! Apr 5 - April begins with a sell-out Mike Doyle show followed by magical Chamber Ensemble Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields. Welsh comedian Chris Corcoran arrives with some top notch stand-up and The Comedy Shed welcomes Richard Morton, Ninia Benjamin (3 non blondes) and Dave Fulton. If you like a bit of 60’s music then Reelinandarockin is the show for you. In May, Hijinx Theatre are back with Ruling the Roost. This will be a new play for people with learning disabilities and community audiences alike. Their production Seize the Day received glowing reviews all round. Local funny lad Steve Williams will return to his native Newport for a homecoming gig which will make you giggle with pride. Compass Theatre pay Newport folk another visit with The Price by all time great Playwright Arthur Miller. Joe Brown also makes a return visit with his wide array of musical genres to tempt many tastes and Roy Harper will be welcomed at The Riverfront for the first time. Leading authority obn the Holy Grail, Professor Roland Rotheram brings his lecture The Da Vinci Code: Righteous or Rubbish. If Dance and Physical Theatre is your thing, or even if you’ve never been and you fancy trying something new, there are three spectacular companies for you to come along to...there’s Yippeee!!! by the all-female Cholmondeleys and the all-male Featherstonehaughs, Justitia by magnificent choreographer Jasmin Vardimon and in June there’s EDge, performed by the artists of tomorrow. As for the rest of June, John Shuttleworth plans on cooking up a comedic feast on stage and Pete and Dud will be here; this is the first tour of the West End comedy celebrating one of the greatest British comedy partnerships of all time between Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The people’s poet Pam Ayres returns to The Riverfront again with her new show In her Own Words which includes work from her recently published book. Waste in Space is a hilarious new one man show and for those disco divas out there...prepare for some Abba loving with Supertroupers. The award winning local treasures, Independent Ballet Wales return with Coppelia in June and Perspectives in August. For schools there’s a return from the fantastic Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch with The Impossible Parents Go Green in both Welsh and English. Lower Machen Festival present Only Men Aloud who inject some new blood into the Welsh Male Voice Choir Tradition and then June is wrapped up with The Riverfront’s first annual Summer Open Weekend on Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July. This is a free, two day event and there will be something to appeal to everyone with hands-on activities, performances from local talent and backstage tours. Add this to the many workshops, great free exhibitions in the gallery, cinema screenings, regular monthly performances of First Wednesday Lunchtime Recitals, Second Wednesday Lectures and The Comedy Shed and there’s many reasons to come along to The Riverfront this sizzling summer season. And of course, you could always just come and bask in the sunshine on our café-bar terrace and watch the world go by... TICKETS : 01633 656757 JUMPIN' IN JULY SET TO RETURN The Jumpin’ in July programme of free Summer events in the city centre is taking shape with organisers committed this year to on street entertainment every weekend in July. Including in the line up is a Vintage Military Day with traditional entertainment and displays on High Street and Griffin Street, a children’s street theatre festival and urban youth day. The Urban Youth Day is the brainchild of Newport’s online radio station Manger, Dennis who is working on providing opportunities for youngsters to have a go at DJing, MCing, Radio and broadcasting in various locations along Commercial Street and High Street. They’ll also be making use of a large stage for entertaining the crowds with hip hop and other youth music. The highlight of the month is the free music weekend towards the end July. In partnership with Red Dragon Radio, a roadshow and mad cap games are planned with both nights rounded off with fireworks. Cover band The Beached Boys went down well last year and a line up appealing to both families and early-night revellers is planned. Mike Hogan, organiser of the community circus skills activity, commented: “It’s great to be part of the free Jumpin’ in July entertainment this year. We had great success last summer in getting members of the public involved in plate spinning and juggling and will be out on the streets of Newport again.” GREAT EXPECTATIONS AT THE RIVERFRONT! Using only Charles Dickens' extraordinary words and a chameleon ensemble of eight actors, Neil Bartlett's powerful stage version of this much-loved story brings its settings and characters to thrilling theatrical life. From its opening image of little Pip, alone on the windswept marshes, to the haunted darkness of mad Miss Haversham's cobweb-strewn lair, this brand-new adaptation especially commissioned by Aberystwyth Arts Centre takes its audience on a journey right to the heart of Dickens' great exploration of childhood terrors and hopes - and of adult dreams and regrets. Neil Bartlett is one of the country's leading theatre-makers; his previous adaptations have been staged by the RSC and the National as well as regional theatres across Britain and America. Award winning director Alan Lyddiard was until last year Artistic Director of Northern Stage Ensemble, his recent productions touring to Wales have included Animal Farm and George Orwell's 1984. Alan started a two-year bursary, awarded by Arts Council England, in January of this year. The bursary allows Alan to work on a range of international arts projects as well as exploring new ways of working as a creative artist. Dates: Friday 30 & Saturday 31 March at 7.30pm. TICKETS: £7.50 - £14.50 AND ARE AVAILABLE BY CALLING THE BOX oFFICE ON 01633 656757. HALL TO PLAY RIVERFRONT NEXT WEEK Fringe favourite and Perrier Award winner, Rich Hall is going on tour around the UK with the one-man-and-a-mike show he first showcased at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival and he will making a return visit to The Riverfront on Tuesday 20 February at 8pm. The man behind the redneck, jailbird character Otis Lee Crenshaw has made numerous live and television appearances to great acclaim in the UK and around the world and will be supported by Craig Campbell who has played The Riverfront’s Comedy Shed. BOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR COMES TO NEWPORT Jan 25 - A Bollywood filmmaker is searching for a Welsh actress to star in a movie to be filmed on location in Wales. Sandeep Marwah revealed his plans on a location viewing trip at the invite of the Welsh Assembly Government. "I am looking for a girl from Wales to be the opposite of [act with] Sanjay Kapoor in a Bollywood film," he said. During his trip, he was shown sites like Tredegar House in Newport, Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan and the Blorenge landscape in Torfaen. "I've been shown some fantastic locations and I would love to shoot in Wales," he said. CHANDLERY RETAINS TOP HONOUR Jan 25 - The Chandlery Restaurant has been awarded a Bib Gourmand in the latest Michelin Guide to restaurants in the UK and Ireland. Two restaurants in Wales receive Michelin stars (one in Powys, one in Monmouthshire). The Bib Gourmand is awarded to restaurants that provide good food at moderate prices. It has also added The Hardwick, Abergavenny to this section. The guide's restaurant ratings are probably the most recognised and influential gastronomic gradings in Europe. No restaurant in Cardiff currently features in the guide. RIVERFRONT ANNOUNCE SPRING PROGRAMME
Jan 10 - A spectacular assortment of creative goodies are on offer at the Riverfront this spring. Theatre offerings for this season begin when Pilot, who previously brought East is East to the Riverfront, will present Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads. This is a hard-hitting drama based in a pub during the last game at Wembley. As the game is played on the big screen, a racial divide is exposed and other rivalries come to the fore. Next there’s Snow White and Rumble in the Jungle, which is a drama starring performers with learning disabilities. Black Atlas follows, telling the tale of two slaves in parallel and coincides with the bicentenary of the Parliamentary Bill passed to abolish the slave trade in the former British Empire. Rounding off drama for spring is Aberystwyth Arts Centre Productions who bring to life Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. For families, Sixth Sense return after Toad’s Great Western Railway Adventure with Jabberwocky, a fun and creative production for youngsters aged seven and over. A notorious, female pirate is next to arrive with The Last Pirate, full of sword fights, battles and sea and treasure to be found. The third piece of family fun will be Tattercoats about a girl who lives in a castle surrounded by the sea and what happens when she sets off to find out what lies beyond. For the music lovers there is a celebration of the best of Broadway and the West End with Masters of the Musical and Gerry (of Gerry and the Pacemakers fame) arrives with Gerry Cross The Mersey. The Samba Story Tour 2007 toe-taps into the Riverfront with Os Sambistas and a celebration of Brazilian Music. Absolute Swing makes a return visit celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin and, for opera fans, Swansea City Opera will perform The Daughter of the Regiment. There is also an awesome Gruff Rhys gig planned for February. The main songwriter for Wales’ most experimental band, Super Fury Animals, will be performing his new acoustic guitar and vocal album, Candylion. Comedy fans have plenty to tickle their fancy with a return visit from master of absurdist irony Rich Hall, Welsh comic wonder Rhod Gilbert and hotly-tipped as the funniest woman in the world, Sarah Kendall. For those of you who are students, there is a special comedy 3 for 2 offer on these three shows. Pick up The Riverfront brochure for more details. Comedy Shed continues on the last Friday and Saturday of the month offering you a relaxed comedy club set up and this season welcomes Dave Fulton, Craig Campbell, Andy Askins and Richard Morton to name a few. There’s dance aplenty with Newport-based Madhvi with Stretch, who performed at the Riverfront last year, and Protein Dance perform Big Sale - a fantastically fast-moving news show which is a satire on celebrity and consumer culture. For film buffs, cinema brings you everything from Casino Royale to Hollywoodland and Borat to Sixty Six. MCFLY NAME DATE FOR NEWPORT GIG Dec 7 - Chart-toppers McFly are set to play Newport Centre as part of their upcoming UK tour. The date has been confrmed as Friday March 30th. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday December 9th at 11am. McFly have had one No. 1 hit and three others in the top 5 since coming to prominence in 2004 following their performance as support act on tour for Busted. Jack Frost & Friends Festive Parade Saturday, 2nd December, Commercial Street & High Street Midday onwards Following the successful City Xmas light switch on attended by 6,000 the City has another family event planned.Co-ordinated by Malarky Arts and supported by Hasbro in the Community and Ezeeeplay, everyone is invited to come along and either take part or watch the parade as it makes it way through the city centre! Kids can dress up as ice imps, sprites or Santa’s helpers and take part in a enchanting afternoon of activity. A festive Punch & Judy and street entertainers will be amusing the kids from midday onwards. The parade starts in John Frost Square at 4pm and moves through Commercial Street, finishing at the Welcome Stage on High Street where music is provided by Urban Circle and Newport Community Gospel Choir until 6pm. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SWITCH ON Newport’s Christmas Lights switch on, which takes place on Sunday 19 November has assembled a medley of celebrities including Brian Hibbard, Isla St Clair and the rest of the cast who are performing in the popular Cinderella pantomime at The Riverfront, Red Dragon Radio presenters Tony Wright (MBE) and Matt Lissack to join the Mayor at the switch on stage at High Street. The most recent addition to the dream team has come courtesy of Newport Gwent Dragons who confirmed that Welsh international Ian Gough will also be making an appearance. VISIT NEWPORT'S DUNGEON As part of the Halloween festivities Newportonians are being invited to visit the City's dungeon. The area in the cellar of the Indoor Market was recently used in the filming of Dr. Who. The tour is said to be ideal for little horrors aged between 5-13, grown ups and and parents who dare. It is free. The dungeons were used over a hundred years ago to house prisoners. Contact 01633 265069 for details. ART IN THE PARK Oct 18 - Saturday morning art classes are going to be launched in the newly renovated Belle Vue Park Pavilion.Those taking part will learn how to paint trees and landscape from sketches and photographs in a picturesque setting.Classes will begin on Saturday 11 November, between 10am-12pm. The duration of the course will be six weeks. Fee £21.90 (concessions available).Further information is available from the City Council on 01633 656656. RIVERFRONT TO HOST INTERNATIONAL PIANISTS Oct 10 - Six of the world’s finest young pianists will compete at an international competition at the Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre in Newport on October 11-14. The Newport International Competition for Young Pianists is a triennial event open to pianists under 25 years of age.The first of two semi-finals will be held on Wednesday 11 October and will feature performances by Melissa Gore, Youki Bessho, and Jordi Farran-Lapeña. The following night, Ishay Shaer, Miho Kawashima, and Sarah Hiller will compete for a place in the final, which will be held on Saturday 14 October.During the final, concertos by the three chosen finalists will be performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Jac van Steen. COLIN JONES RETROSPECTIVE AT CITY GALLERY Oct 4 - Described as one of the most promising artists of his generation Colin Herbert Beyne Jones was born in Newport in 1928. He became both an accomplished landscape and portrait painter but found painting commissioned work too restrictive.Many of his paintings feature the Welsh industrial landscape and the valleys of south Wales. Included in his most notable work is Pit Head Funeral, which was painted shortly after the Aberfan Disaster, which had a profound affect on him. CROW POINT FESTIVAL (INCLUDING GLC) ZUTONS TO PLAY NEWPORT CENTRE Aug 22 - Leading indie band the Zutons are to play Newport Centre as part of their UK tour on November 12. The Liverpool outfit enjoyed major chart success with their debut album originally titled "Who killed the Zutons?" ALL STAR CUP LINE-UPS CONFIRMED Aug 22 - Dallas star Patrick Duffy and Hollywood actor William Baldwin are among a host of stars to tee off in Ant and Dec's celebrity golf tournament. They are joining rocker Alice Cooper and The Usual Suspects' Chazz Palminteri on Team USA. The All Star Cup takes place this Bank Holiday weekend at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport. Last year a European team led by Catherine Zeta Jones stormed to victory. The line-up for Team Europe includes Bruce Forsyth, Ronan Keating, James Nesbitt, Bradley Walsh, Ross Kemp and Chris Evans. Ronnie Corbett will provide the commentary. The US side also includes former Olympic athlete Michael Johnson, actors Richard Burgi (Teri Hatcher's ex-husband Karl in Desperate Housewives) and Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler in The West Wing) and Irish screen heart-throb Aidan Quinn. The final three Team USA players, captained by professional golfer Todd Hamilton, will be announced live on Saturday's launch show on ITV1, hosted by Ant and Dec. ROBBIE TO PLAY AT CELTIC MANOR? Aug 7 - Superstar Robbie Williams has booked a week off from his European tour - to play golf at Newport's Celtic Manor Resort. Robbie, 32, has signed up for Ant and Dec's ITV celebrity golf tournament this August for the second year running. Alice Cooper will join the US team for the event starting on August 26. Reigning champions Europe, will be led for the second year by Scot Colin Montgomerie. Ex-Eastenders star Ross Kemp, DJ Chris Evans, model Jodie Kidd, actor James Nesbitt and singer Ronan Keating will also play. NEW NEWPORT TOP 20 LAUNCHED JUL 31 - The Urban Circle Crew, online radio station has contined to provide an innovative internet based alternative to the dross that passes for local radio on the AM/FM dial. The Crew recently performed in John Frost Square at the opening of Refugee Week as part of a multi-national stage showcase featuring art, music and dance. Now the station has announced plans to launch the first ever NEWPORT TOP 20 MUSIC CHART. This it is said will be similiar to the internationally known Billboard Charts, playing all genres and based on a weekly voting system. You can hear the Urban Circle Crew on http://www.urbancircle.co.uk/ Last updated 12.5.06 Hey Newport!!!!!!!!!!! There is a rocking gig in Tredegar House!!!! Tomorrow there is a folk festival in Tredegar House and it is held every year. I learn the guitar and I will be playing . There will be a review on the folk festival on this website so get ready for a rocking review tomorrow! HEY NEWPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This page is the Newport beat! ( not all music!) This time we have written about the BEST stage school in South Wales! Do any of you remember a band called the Darling Buds ??????? Well, the lead singer (Andrea Lewis) and a professional actor (Jamie Jarvis) have opened a stage school called CAST (Children's Academy of Stage Training) in Caerleon Comprehensive school. It is just sooo good and holds lots of brilliant performances. In the Summer there was Bugsy Malone and soon there will be HONK!!! I am really enjoying going to CAST because it is sooo enjoyable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So if you are age 5-15 and are interested go to http://www.thecast.org/ There is also another CAST held in Whitchurch High School in Cardiff.
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SEP 16 - The two day festival of music and entertainment to celebrate the centenary of Newport's Transporter Bridge starts tomorrow. The event is expected to attract 15,000 spectators. For more details refer to the festival website at 
NEWPORT
