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Opening Night

02/09/2017

Duration: 30 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for over a year

Geeta Pendse reports from the city of Joe Orton, Sue Townsend, Richard III ...and of course the Foxes football team... to discover what's new in theatre there. And what the richly multicultural city is doing to reflect its diversity on stage.

Geeta sneaks a peek at rehearsals for the new spectacular production by Leicester Curve theatre of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's hit musical, Sunset Boulevard, starring Ria Jones as Norma Desmond - before it takes off for a national tour.

Also, from the city's Attenborough Arts Centre, newly endowed with a huge grant from the Arts Council for performing arts, Director Michaela Butter talks about the joys (and challenges) of creating new work and breaking fresh ground -while putting the essential 'bums on seats'.

New playwright Hannah Torrance is on hand too, as is Asian theatre powerhouse Samir Bhamra from Phizzical Productions, and Suba Das, from Curve.

Producer: Simon Elmes. Show less

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