Cross artform

Three historic railway arches in Manchester are to be transformed into new training and rehearshal spaces for artists.

The £3.7m project is being funded with £2.3m from the government's Levelling Up fund, £900,000 from Manchester City Council and £500,000 from nearby arts venue HOME, which will operate the spaces when they open in May next year.

HOME director Dave Moutrey said the arches "will allow us to grow the work that we do with artists in the North West, across theatre, film, visual art and digital works".

The scheme is part of the council's Culture In The City project, which it secured nearly £20m of Levelling Up funding for.

Council leader Bev Craig said: "These arches are part of our heritage which have sat unloved and underused for many years. 

"This scheme is bringing them back to life with a very modern purpose – complementing the thriving cultural economy in our city."

The world’s first degree in Intimacy Practice will launch in September.

Intimacy on Set and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts have partnered with the University of East Anglia to offer the two-year course, led by intimacy practitioner Ita O’Brien.

The degree will prepare students to enter the industry as intimacy coordinators for film and visual media, including theatre and live performance.

O’Brien pioneered the role of intimacy practitioner and has worked with production companies and organisations including the BBC, Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, Channel 4, HBO, Sky, ITV, the National Theatre and The Royal Opera House.

Her company, Intimacy on Set, is launching the new course in response to the growing industry demand for intimacy practitioners.

“I am delighted that we are today launching the world’s first training in Intimacy Practice at MFA level, and specifically with Mountview where I taught movement some years ago,” O’Brien said.

“Intimacy Practice is a young profession, and whilst awareness of its existence has grown considerably in the last few years, deep understanding of good practice is missing.”

To further develop the profession, “we need to be able to train talented individuals who can navigate the both physical and emotional journey that each actor will go on, and can responsibly and safely deliver the intimate content as envisioned by the director, the storytelling and each character,” she said.

She added that the goal of Intimacy on Set is to eventually ensure that bespoke guidelines are adopted by the industry worldwide.

“Our course will grow an expert network of practitioners, ensuring the provision of safe rehearsal and performance practices and encouraging further research in this area,” said Sally Ann Gritton, Principal of Mountview.

Croydon has shared its programme of arts and cultural events for its stint as London Borough of Culture.

The timetable will run from April through to March next year, featuring street festivals, dance, music and theatre productions.

It commences on 1 April with Oratorio of Hope at Fairfield Halls, an orchestral commission led by London Mozart Players involving more than 250 of the borough’s young singers and instrumentalists.

The programme has been arranged by This is Croydon, a partnership between residents, cultural groups and the council.

The group says events will focus on grassroots talent, unsung cultural heroes, young people and disability-led productions.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan commented: “Croydon has a rich history of creativity, diversity and talent, and I’m delighted that this will be reflected through a huge range of inspiring art and performances in their year-long programme.” 

“It will be a fantastic example of how culture can inspire and unleash the potential of the next generation as we build a better London for everyone.” 

Croydon’s year of events marks the fourth iteration of the Borough of Culture project. Croydon is taking the torch from Lewisham, which hosted the 2022 edition, following on from Waltham Forest in 2019 and Brent in 2020.