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13 May 2016

Battersea Arts Centre and Arts Council England's Performance Live is calling for ideas for a new strand of live performance for the BBC; this year's Artists' International Development Fund is now open for applications from England-based artists in the early stages of their careers (deadline 15 June); actor Helen Mirren talks women's roles in Shakspeare at the New York Public Library; and the Tate have announced their shortlist for the Turner Prize 2016.

 
 

Shakespeare Lives

Our year-long celebration of Shakespeare's work continues, with events and projects happening around the world. The latest in our series of short films using Shakespeare's works as inspiration has just been released. Based on a scene from Macbeth, the film features British actor Vicky McClure.

> Watch the film

In Bangladesh, UK theatre company Graeae and Dhaka Theatre's training programme for young adults with disabilities resulted in a performance of A Different Romeo & Juliet at the end of March. A documentary about the project will be shown at the Southbank Centre's Alchemy Festival from 18 – 30 May.

> Read an interview Graeae's director Jenny Sealey
> Watch the trailer for A Different Romeo & Juliet

And some of the panel discussions from last month's Shakespeare Lives Film Season at Cardiff's Chapter Arts Centre are now available to watch online.

> Visit the website | #shakespearelives

 

 

Venice 2017: Phyllida Barlow

Recently selected to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale 2017, Phyllida Barlow is best known for her colossal sculptural projects. Until 10 years ago, she was not represented by a commercial gallery and it was not unusual for her to just leave a sculpture in the street and see what happened. The Guardian's Arts correspondent Mark Brown speaks with Barlow about her work, her former pupils Rachel Whiteread, Tacita Dean, Martin Creed and Douglas Gordon, and her Venice nomination.

Read the article
 

The Great Escape goes international

The Great Escape kicks off the UK music festival season next week, showcasing the best new music from across the UK and around the globe. Don't miss The Great Escape Convention, the UK’s premiere music business conference, where our Music team will be discussing the results of our new research into overseas opportunities for musicians and music businesses at a panel discussion with some of the international music scene's key players.

Listen to our Great Escape 2016 playlist
 

Home Economics at Venice 2016

Home Economics is this year’s exhibition at the British Pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale. Before it opens to the public on 28 May, we've been talking to the curators about the ideas and concepts behind the exhibition. Finn Williams talks about the title and theme, and how it fits into the broader context of architecture and urban planning; and Shumi Bose tells us about the collaborative nature of the curatorial approach. Plus, find out more about the programme of talks and events taking place in Venice this year.

Find out more
 
 
 

 

Arts podcast - Musicians in Residence: China

British artists Kerry Andrew, Mira Calix and Bella Hardy took part in the 2015 Musicians in Residence programme in China, in partnership with the PRS for Music Foundation. Following their residencies, they joined Georgina Godwin for the first in our new series of Arts podcasts to reflect on their experiences in China, talk about the music they made and the local artists they collaborated with.

Listen to the podcast
 

The British Council at Alchemy Festival

Join us at the Southbank Centre's Alchemy Festival from next Friday 20 May for a celebration of the rich cultural relationship between the UK and the Indian subcontinent. The British Council has partnered with the Southbank Centre to curate a diverse and exciting programme of film screenings, performances, poetry, and digital labs. 

Explore the programme
 

Creating value around women artists

New research by the Freelands Foundation and The Art Newspaper reveals that female artists in the US and UK receive fewer than 30% of all major museum solo shows. Julia Halperin speaks with Helen Molesworth, chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, as part of The Art Newspaper's series examining new initiatives that aim to promote female artists.

Read the article
 
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