Have you ever fancied belting out a show tune or song from a movie? Well now’s your chance!
Brighton Bear Weekend (BBW) present Showtune Bear-a-oke upstairs at Bar Broadway on Steine Street, from 5 – 8 pm on Sunday, April 2.
With the help of two talented karaoke hosts – Chris Hibbert and Jon Bee – you’ll be able to sing your favourite show tunes and impress your friends.
Jon Bee
Chris and Jon will help with your selections, so if you need a Maria for your Tony, a Seymour for your Audrey or even a Roxie for your Velma, then they are your men!
Admission in FREE but voluntary donations to sing (or not!) to the Rainbow Fund will be gratefully accepted by the Brighton Bear team of volunteers who will be selling wristbands for the BBW from June 15-18. BBW T-shirts (£12) and BBW polo shirts (£15) will be on sale also.
Once Showtune Bear-a-oke is finished upstairs in The Broadway Lounge its downstairs for the Fireplace Session with Wain Douglas that starts at 8.30pm.
Chris Hibbert
Chris Hibbert says:“My passion for singing comes from the love of musicals, songs that leave your heart aching and eyes crying. I do like to sing faster songs also so uplifting is good too. My favourite musical is kinky boots and love the song, not my Father’s son, but I also love to give audiences songs they may never have heard of from obscure musicals.”
Event:Showtune Bear-a-oke with Brighton Bear Weekend
Where: Bar Broadway, 10 Steine St, Brighton BN2 1TY
Ray Cooney’s 1990 comedy is standard issue farce: it’s basically ladies in negligees being shoved into cupboards. Not that there’s anything intrinsically wrong with this, it’s just that Out of Order doesn’t have the charm of a Boeing Boeing, the wit of a Relatively Speaking or the genius plotting of a Noises Off. If anything its roll call of awful double entendres (‘I’ve had such a bang!’, ‘Something’s just popped up! etc) recalls one of the later Carry Ons. Instead of being a finely constructed Swiss watch of complications and misunderstandings, it takes more of a scattergun approach so that by the end I wasn’t sure exactly why someone was being lied to, or why the next woman was being ushered into the bedroom, adjoining suite or hotel balcony.
The basic set-up: Tory Minister Richard Willey (yes, smut fans, he’s Dick Willey!) is in a London hotel intent on consummating an affair with Labour party secretary Jane Worthington (Susie Amy). The initial complication is that there’s a corpse in the room. Alerting the police could lead to scandal so the body has to be disposed of. Willey calls on one of his underlings George Pigden (Shaun Williamson) to help him clear up the mess. The ensuing shenanigans include the secretary’s husband, Pigden’s mother’s nurse, the hotel manager and a venal waiter.
I think it’s fair to say that all the problems are down to the script rather than the acting. Andrew Hall brings the requisite amount of frenzied energy to the part of the conniving minister. Williamson is rather good as the functionary who finds himself becoming increasingly resigned to his bosses harebrained schemes. The most successfully realised character is that of the waiter (James Holmes), who wanders through the proceedings with an air of slightly detached campery.
The tannoy announcement before curtain-up forbidding the use of mobile phones did, however, give us permission to ‘laugh until you cry’. It was a very kind offer, but one I wasn’t able to take up. However, if you find it credible that a man would confess marital problems to a complete stranger by kneeling down in front of him and grabbing him round the waist – and furthermore if you find it funny that a third person coming into the room might think he was stumbling upon an act of fellatio – you should probably take a handkerchief.
Continues at the Theatre Royal, Brighton until Saturday, March 25.
The University of Surrey’s home town of Guildford voted leading university town for LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans) friendliness, according to new study.
The research, carried out by the Alternative UK University City League, is based on information from LGBT charity Stonewall and created by Citybase Apartments.
The table used information from different organisations including Stonewall, whose most recent data (for 2015) is based on a ten-point checklist. These factors include whether the universities have an LGBT+ society and other types of available support and resources.
Often traditional league tables concentrate on academic performance, but this survey looked at aspects of student life which are important to millennials, which also included crime rates, average graduate salary, sustainability, and the “price of a pint”.
Alex Mackenzie Smith
President of the Students’ Union, Alex Mackenzie Smith, said:“It’s vital that every single Surrey student is treated equally at our university. The Students’ Union promotes inclusivity in everything we do, from joining a sports team, society or taking part in an event – it is really important everyone feels a part of the Surrey community.
Everyone should feel at home where they choose to study, so this vote shows that everyone at our university knows they are a valued member of our community.”
Prof Jane Powell
Professor Jane Powell, Vice-Provost Education and Students, added:“This reflects the positive feedback we have from our students about their experience of their time here, not just in their studies but also in relation to broader quality of life issues, including social facilities, support systems and a welcoming community.
“It is testament to the warmth and friendliness of our community that those who come to study here have such a positive experience in many aspects of their lives.”
Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) will hold a workshop for older people about Housing in Later Life at their central Brighton Office in Ship Street.
Peter Huntbach from Brighton & Hove Council’s Seniors Scheme will be in attendance to talk about council-provided housing options in the city, and also Tina Wathern from Stonewall LGBT+ Housing who will be talking more generally about older people’s housing options.
If you have questions or concerns about housing and care in later life, then this will be a good chance to come and find out more. Tea and biscuits will be provided.
University of Southampton researcher looks at the impact of cuts to housing benefit in the private rental sector on LGBT+ people.
Dr Iliana Ortega-Alcázar, Research Fellow in Geography and Environment at the University of Southampton is focussing on the Shared Accommodation Rate, a policy that affects single people between 18 to 35.
Since 2012 single people under 35 can only claim housing benefit at the rate of a room in a shared house as opposed to the rate of a self-contained property.
The project is seeking to understand the effects this policy change has had on ‘protected groups’ as defined under the 2010 Equalities Act (women, ethnic minorities, LGBT+ people, and people with disabilities).
The researchers are presently conducting in-depth interviews to assess the impact this policy has had on their daily lives and their ability to access safe and secure accommodation.
For further information about the research, click here:
A multi-award winning, West End superstar was spotted on Brighton Beach and in Pavilion Gardens this week as Joey, the life-sized, equine puppet and star of War Horse came to town to promote the arrival of the acclaimed National Theatre production, which premiers at the Brighton Centre from January 25 – February 10, 2018.
Joey visits Royal Pavilion in Brighton ahead of his UK tour
The play has been seen by over seven million people worldwide, and completed a record-breaking eight year London run at the New London Theatre on March 12 2016.
It has won 25 awards, including a Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway, and has been seen in 97 cities and 10 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto, Berlin, the Netherlands, Belgium and China.
Although War Horse has toured in the UK and Ireland before, this will be its first appearance in Brighton and as such it represents a major coup for the city and for the Brighton Centre.
War horse is a deeply moving story of a boy and his horse – a remarkable tale of loyalty, friendship and supreme courage set against the backdrop and horrors of the First World War. Its ground-breaking puppetry work and innovative, multimedia staging has thrilled audiences around the world, and the play has become the most successful production in the National Theatre’s history.
During the run The Brighton Centre is promising to introduce special “atmospheric changes” to the venue which will help bring the passion and emotion of the production to life in the auditorium.
Homegrown Buckle Collective hits Hove Grown festival with an experimental and playful new drama.
At times moving, at times hilarious:At the Junction Cafe is a battle of the generations that explores relationships, memory and human communication in a highly innovative way.
Two people meet in a cafe. Who are they? Are they connected? Will a struggle of wills ensue?
This group of local professional artists (led by Charmaine K Parkin, including Nathalie Codsi and Jack Klaff), got together in November 2016. This, their first production, is a new play written by Tim Coakley.
Charmaine Parkin
Director, Charmaine K Parkin, said:“The team and I are really excited about the themes and theatricality that can be brought out in this piece. It breaks normal theatre conventions, which is at times quite scary. The contrast between this and the heartfelt subject matter is fascinating to watch.”
For more information about the production, click here:
Event: Buckle Collective presents At the Junction Cafe
The fifth annual March of the Mermaids takes place on Saturday, July 15, 2017.
March of the Mermaids is not just for mermaids! Mermen, sea mammals, crustaceans, pirates, sailors and all forms of sea life are invited to take part – It’s a day out for all the family.
Meet on Hove Lawns (closest to the Peace Statue) from 2.30pm then at 3pm parade along Brighton seafront to celebrate our seas, sea life and raise awareness of marine conservation.
The parade will end at 4pm at the joint after-party venues, the Fortune of War and The Tempest Inn on Brighton Beach for music and entertainment until the wee hours!
This year there are no charges to take part in the parade or entry to the after-parties but a donation of £3 would be appreciated by the organisers.
All profit raised will be donated to Surfers Against Sewage.
Event:March of the Mermaids
Where: Peace Statue on border of Brighton and Hove
Seventeen police officers to be questioned as Stephen Port investigation moves into interview phase.
Stephen Port convicted of murdering four gay men
The Independent Police Complaints Commission’s (IPCC) independent investigation is progressing into the response of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor, who were murdered following blunders in the early part of their investigations by officers who failed to link the deaths together.
Stephen Port was convicted of four counts of murder plus a number of other offences in November 2016, and was sentenced to life in prison. He had administered fatal doses of the date rape drug GBH to his victims who he met on gay dating websites and then dumped their bodies very close to his home in East London.
Cindy Butts
IPCC Commissioner Cindy Butts, says:“Over the coming weeks our investigators will be undertaking interviews with the 17 officers who have been served with notices as part of the investigation. These interviews are an important milestone in the investigation as we continue to build the picture of the police response to the deaths. Misconduct notices are not judgemental in any way.
“We are grateful for the information provided to us by the family and friends of Anthony, Daniel, Gabriel, and Jack, as well as members the LGBT community and the wider public, and MPS officers. In an investigation of this magnitude, centred upon the tragic murders of four dearly missed young men, every piece of information counts and we continue to wish to hear from anyone who can assist this important work.
“My thoughts remain with everyone affected by Port’s horrific crimes, and they can be assured that we are committed to providing them with thorough conclusions as soon as we are able.”
As part of the investigation IPCC investigators have so far collected and carefully analysed over 700 individual documents and around 200 statements.
Following the interview process, which will take a number of weeks, investigators will be in a position to complete the analysis of the evidence at hand, and begin preparing the IPCC’s final report.
US Department of State appoints two organisations known to oppose the UN human rights system, LGBT+ rights, and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights to its official delegation to the 61st annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) is labeled a ‘hate group’ by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Heritage Foundation who in the past have called for a cut in funding for programs combatting violence against women and claims that anti-discrimination laws grant LGBT+ people “special privileges.”
Jessica Stern
Jessica Stern, Executive Director of OutRight Action International, the international LGBT+ human rights organisation, commented on the US Delegation to the UN CSW.
She said:“In their Senate confirmation hearings, Secretary of State Tillerson and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley repeatedly pledged to uphold the right to be free from discrimination as an American value.
The appointment of these organisations to the official US delegation undermines their positions. I urge Secretary Tillerson and Ambassador Haley to ensure that the US delegation maintains non-discrimination at the CSW in the face of obvious pressure from these newly appointed members of the delegation.
Fundamentalist notions about how women and girls should behave should never be the basis of advising or negotiating US foreign policy.
It is also a bad sign that two organizations that have tried to delegitimize the United Nations and human rights internationally now sit on the official US delegation. Maybe the violent mentality that got C-FAM labeled a hate group successfully panders to their base, but the US government must ensure protection for the world’s most vulnerable people.”
C-FAM regularly releases homophobic vitriol on its website, has called for the criminalisation of homosexuality and has even espoused violence.
Its president, Austin Ruse, has said, “The penalties for homosexual behaviour should not be jail time, but having some laws on the books, even if unenforced, would help society to teach what is good, and also would prevent such truly harmful practices as homosexual marriage and adoption.”
In defiance of evidence, Ruse has asserted that, “the homosexual lifestyle is harmful to public health and morals.” During an interview in 2014, Ruse commented that he hoped his children would attend private colleges, “to keep them so far away from the hard left, human-hating people that run modern universities, who should all be taken out and shot.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has considered C-FAM a hate group since 2014.
The Heritage Foundation and its sister organisations has at least 11 past employees now working in the Trump Administration and has provided much of the domestic and foreign policy blueprint the Trump Administration used in its first days in office.
In its call to cut funding for programs combatting violence against women, the Heritage Foundation said such programs amount to a, “misuse of federal resources and a distraction from concerns that are truly the province of the federal government.”
The organisation continually purports that anti-discrimination laws inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity are unjustified. It alleges that such laws, “do not protect equality before the law; instead, they grant special privileges.” The organisation steadfastly rallies against the rights of transgender people. It claims that, “[W]e are created male and female and that male and female are created for each other.”
Jessica Stern continued: “Practically speaking, the US should support CSW conclusions that condemn discrimination on any basis, support family diversity, and support the full range of conditions that enable women’s economic empowerment, including comprehensive family planning. While these ideas might seem like a leap of faith after the appointment of these organisations, these positions are the logical application of the principle of non-discrimination. Human rights are based on indivisibility, which also means that the US cannot credibly support non-discrimination for LGBT+ people while opposing family planning. Women’s rights, reproductive choice, LGBT+ rights, climate justice, and the strength of the international human rights system all go hand-in-hand.
Many Americans have recently asked themselves, what does foreign policy matter to human rights at home? Now, we have our answer. The same groups advocating against women’s rights, immigrants, Muslims, the Affordable Care Act, and LGBT+ rights in the US are taking these views to the international stage. What the US says about women from around the world at the CSW will be a sign of things to come for American women, so it is essential that the US uphold American values and prevent all forms of discrimination at the CSW. Domestic and foreign policy are two sides of the same coin.”
Have you ever fancied belting out a show tune or song from a movie? Well now’s your chance!
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