The Week in Light & Sound
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Winning two categories, Sheffield Theatres was presented with the regional theatre of the year award and the first ever achievement in technical theatre award for its production of Life of Pi.
ATG Productions won producer of the year, praised for its Pinter at the Pinter season and the Ian McKellen On Stage tour, while the innovation award went to Artistic Directors of the Future for its campaign to diversify the theatre industry’s boardrooms.
London theatre of the year was awarded to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, which underwent a £1m refurbishment to make the venue more accessible while producing 14 shows across 2019, and London’s Bunker Theatre won fringe theatre of the year in recognition of its support for artists from under-represented backgrounds.
Other winners included Leeds Playhouse in the theatre building of the year category, following the venue’s £15.8m redevelopment, and producer Selladoor Worldwide for the international award in recognition of the company’s global expansion.
Madame X Back in Business - Madonna has resumed her Madame X tour in London after cancelling dates in the capital and Portugal due to injury. The 61-year-old pop superstar returned to the stage at the London Palladium wearing knee supports during the two-and-a-half hour gig and told fans "happy to have made it".
The show included throwbacks to Vogue, Like A Prayer and La Isla Bonita, as well as more recent hits including Medellin and Batuka - and her fashion evolution continued with several costume changes.
The audience was banned from using their mobile phones and smart watches during the gig; the devices were sealed in pouches. While some fans complained of the "stress" of the ban, many said that without the distraction of a sea of glowing screens from the crowd, it made for a "good concert experience".
Farewell - Andy Gill, the founding member and guitarist of British post-punk band Gang Of Four, has died aged 64. The musician's scratchy, staccato riffs provided the band with their signature sound, and influenced the likes of Nirvana, Fugazi and Franz Ferdinand. His bandmates announced his death in a statement, saying: "Our great friend and supreme leader has died today". Gill had developed a "respiratory illness," after finishing an Asian tour with Gang Of Four last year, they said. RIP.
(Jim Evans)
4 February 2020
