Red Ladder's Sanctuary at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield

 Coming up from The Red Ladder company:

Written by Chumbawumba star Boff Whalley and acclaimed playwright Sarah Woods |      Hi    We're getting in touch to let you know that the Yorkshire-based, radical theatre company Red Ladder are returning to Huddersfield on Wed 23 - Thu 24 October with their powerful and moving new musical, Sanctuary.   We are proud to welcome Sanctuary to our main stage as we celebrate our new status as an official Theatre of Sanctuary, a recognition of our dedication to creating a welcoming and safe environment for refugees and asylum seekers.   A vital story of one man’s hopes for help and support in a time when not all strangers are welcomed, Sanctuary mixes hard-hitting ideas with memorable melodic tunes and harmonies.     When Alland, a young Iranian man, begs to be given sanctuary at St Mary’s church in a northern town, it sparks a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right. Molly, a young worker there, joins forces with vicar Fiona to resist both the angry vigilantes and the hard-hearted authorities beyond the church walls to try to protect Alland.     Holding a special community service where voices on all sides sing their songs of redemption and condemnation, Fiona asks the question to everyone present:  “Do we give Alland over to the State or live up to our well-versed ideals of compassion?”   Written by Boff Whalley (We’re Not Going Back) and award-winning playwright Sarah Woods’, Sanctuary also features a chorus drawn from students at Wakefield’s CAPA College.     Take a look behind-the-scenes   Dive into the rehearsal room and hear from Red Ladder's Artistic Director, Cheryl Martin, as she explains more about what you can expect from the show.     Sanctuary Wed 23 - Thu 24 October at 7:30pm (1pm Thu matinee) All performances are captioned   Lawrence Batley Theatre   Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen's Square, Queen Street, HD1 2SP Box Office: 01484 430528         Company No. 01504033 | Charity No. 510693 | Kirklees Theatre Trust is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee

Cleckheaton Writers Group minutes, meeting 16 September 2024

Cleckheaton Writers Group (CWG) met on Monday 16 September at Cleckheaton Library with Karen, Kathy and Reuben in attendance, David and Molly having passed on their apologies.

The minutes were passed from the previous meeting.

WIP updates: Karen undertook a Cornerstones webinar, has registered her book for PLR, been applying for jobs, started a series of TEAMS webinars to start her own creative services business, deactivated her NaNoWriMo account due to the two controversies and sent a DCMA email to a publishing company illegally giving her MS away for free (and informed her American publisher). Reuben has sent his MS to a friend in Aberdeen for feedback, sorted out his Kindle and updated his script on there, attended a conference which went well and he found people on the LinkedIn App for a research job at Cambridge, has written an Astrid chapter, and signed up to the Anna Chilvers Write as you mean to go on course. Kathy has been editing her Tobias MS and asked for advice and thoughts regarding the ordinary world POV chapters which led to an interesting and helpful discussion about POVs, synopsis writing and more.

CW comps/workshops/events: Magma Poetry Pamphlet competition Magma open poetry pamphlet competition 2024 - Magma Poetry and holistic writing class for women* https://nadiacolburn.com/free-holistic-writing-class/   National Poetry Competition that Michelle mentioned.  Submission deadline is 31 October 2024.  1^st prize is £5,000, first entry costs £8, subsequent entries are £5.  Any theme. Anna Chilvers writing courses (see pages 3-5) Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival 18-22 September: https://budlitfest.org.uk/, Birmingham Literature Festival 28 September - 19 October https://www.birminghamliteraturefestival.org/, Beth Kempton Summer Light (self paced) information on FB or Insta, 10 week creative writing course Bradford Libraries September 2024, Write Your Novel Course 6 weeks Shipley Library 19 September and Bradford Open Mic 4 September (see Karen's blog post on 19 August for full details) An opportunity to take part in poetry reading and discussion: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/deiUQPr6USUPbXrI?ref=Link&loc=play An opportunity to take part in poetry reading and discussion for the British Academy and Lederhulme Trust research project reading and writing the pandemic, four one hour online discussion sessions on poetry on covid to earn up to a £70 Amazon voucher.

 https://sway.cloud.microsoft/deiUQPr6USUPbXrI?ref=Link&loc=play

Writing plans: Karen will be carrying on with her TEAMS webinars, applying for more jobs and editing. Kathy will be going on a work trip but if she gets chance, will try the synopsis exercise using chapter headings and check the plot of her MS is moving forward. Reuben hopes the Ann Chilvers writing course (every Tuesday) will help with his novel, he'll work on an Astrid chapter and perhaps write something for the September theme. He is also considering removing a third of his characters entirely and planning to sign up for the British Academy and Lederhulme Trust research project reading and writing the pandemic.

Feedback sessions: Reuben shared a chapter from his MS, chapter 8 into a new character Vanessa and the group loved the sarcasm and thought it worked really well to set the scene. It was evocative and descriptive of the place, you were there, and one member could see David Tennant in the role of the character. There were two jaw drops, so this will need to be edited but it raises interesting questions for the reader such as why/what she is doing there and whether there is something specific she is looking for.

This led to a discussion about Creative Genius, Wonder Innovators and Enablers and the Office US false fire alarm episode.

Writing challenge: SEPTEMBER King or Earth, Wind and Fire 

Next meeting: Monday 14 October 2024

More things to do in London this week

 With thanks to Country and Townhouse:

September 29, 2024   |

Dear Reader, Any luck getting Coldplay tickets? No? Me neither. Despite setting alarms and doing everything right I didn’t get a look in. The queue froze, as seemingly Ticketmaster offloaded most of them to resale sites, where prices inflate exponentially. It’s a shame because I love Coldplay – and can boast the claim to fame of being at university with Chris Martin; he studied Ancient History, I studied Classics. He had massive froufrou hair and was a silly, lovely, goofy geek – albeit a supremely talented one. Coldplay’s longevity is seriously impressive – and just as impressive is the fact that this tour will be the world’s first stadium show to be powered by 100 percent solar, wind and kinetic energy. So kudos to you, Chris, even if I can’t see you in person, I’ll be screaming from the sidelines. WHAT’S EXCITING ME THIS WEEK Master the Martini Alice Lascelles knows her drinks, so if I can’t get to Duke’s (for one of the best Martinis in the world), I’ll happily follow Alice’s tips, which start with freezing a glass and end with considering your garnish.  What To Do In a Crisis Last week I gave a shout-out to the ex-editor of News of the World/ former inmate of Belmarsh prison, Andy Coulson. Here, in full, is his rather extraordinary interview. What is the Unexpected Blue Theory? Good question. Well, it’s bringing blue into unexpected areas of your wardrobe – cue, bags, tights, shoes and hats… Perfect if you want to steer clear of the traditional autumn palette. Find out more here. FIVE THINGS NOT TO MISS Gird your loins: a Devil Wears Prada-inspired afternoon tea is coming to London, launching at The Coral Room to tie in with the debut of the new musical. From 30 September Sally Rooney fans, Intermezzo is finally out, the Irish author’s first novel to centre on brothers. Here’s what to expect. London Cocktail Week returns this October, complete with a programme of pop-ups, masterclasses and dinners – these are some of the highlights. 3 – 13 October Bring some autumnal joy into your home by making a seasonal wreath for your front door using our handy guide. Henley Literary Festival is in full swing this week, with this year’s line-up including Michael Palin, David Nicholls, Elif Shafak and Pam Ayres. Join today and enjoy digital editions of all our publications (worth £39), exclusive discounts and offers from our advertising partners, plus... Automatic entry into all of our competitions for an entire year. £2.50 per month (billed annually) DISCOVER MORE WHAT'S TRENDING ON C&TH Smart saving tips to make your money go further, in partnership with Raisin UK The mushroom coffee trend, explained What does your star sign say about your sleep routine? Wuthering Heights film: plot, cast and release date COMPETITION OF THE WEEK Win A Week-Long Stay At Koto At The Point, Cornwall Good news: we’ve partnered with The Point Holidays to offer you the chance to win a holiday in one of the incredible Koto cabins at The Point (sleeping six) – not to mention seven delicious ready meals for two, a round of golf for two, and an hour on the padel and tennis courts, plus two health club passes, dinner for two, and a surf lesson. ENTER HERE SUBSCRIPTION OFFER Sign up for 12 print issues and instant access to every digital edition for only £39

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