Johnny Weir, US Figure Skater has confirmed that he has split from his Husband.
Day: 20 March 2014
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Fred Phelps, founder of Anti-Gay Westboro Baptist Church dies
The founder of Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is dead according to reports.
According to reports Fred Phelps, 84, who co-founded the WBC has died. According to a spokesperson for the church, he died on Wednesday night just before Midnight.
He lived in Kansas.
At the beginning of the week, his son Nate Phelps wrote on Facebook:
‘I’m not sure how I feel about this,
‘Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.
‘I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved.
‘And I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members… from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.’
The group, which has been banned from entering the UK, are known for their outrageous claims and their website: godhatesfags.com. The group have devoted their time to over 52,000 pickets in over 900 cities.
DISGRACED AWARD WINNING LAWYER
Phelps was an award-winning civil rights lawyer before co-founding WBC in 1955. He was disbarred from the Kansas Supreme Court in 1979 and lost his license in 1989.Last year WBC blamed sex-same marriage for the murder of soldier Lee Rigby.
MATTHEW SHEPARD
One of the most notorious pickets for WBC was for Matthew Shepard’s funeral. Matthew Shepard was killed in an attack in Wyoming in 1998. Matthew’s death spurred the making of the award-winning film The Laramie Project. -
Birmingham Drama School ‘Comes Out’ To Challenge Homophobia
Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), part of Birmingham City University, is addressing gay preconceptions in a new theatre production where characters are scrutinised for being ‘straight’, in a society where everyone else is gay.
Devised and performed by Outspoken, a company of graduates and students from BSA’s Applied Performance course, ‘Heterophobia’ tells the story of Ryan, a 15 year-old heterosexual male who is trying to ‘come out’.
Tom Craig, who plays the role of Ryan and graduated from BSA in 2013, said “’Heterophobia’ is a really powerful piece as it makes you realise just how unfair sexuality prejudices are and the troubles that young people can feel are placed on them when expressing their sexuality.”
The theatrical performance, developed in collaboration with Birmingham Hippodrome, sees Ryan develop feelings for classmate Alice and is later exposed to cyber bullying when peers learn that Ryan is heterosexual and attracted to someone of the opposite sex.
The production follows on from the recent outrage and anti-gay climate at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and a report released earlier this year by Youth Chances warning that a generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face a mental health crisis, with the neglect of LGBT issues by schools contributing to an environment of hostility of fear.
Hannah Phillips, Course Director of Applied Performance at BSA and Director of ‘Heterophobia’, said: ‘The findings from the Youth Chances survey were very concerning, revealing that more than half of young gay people have suffered mental health issues and 40% have considered suicide. The School Report by the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall, revealed that homophobic bullying is still widespread in schools, with three in five young people who experience homophobic bullying saying that teachers who witness the bullying never intervene. The development of social media means that this bullying then continues online out of school hours.
‘’Heterophobia’ is an urban musical which has been made to engage young people with these complex and sensitive issues and challenge normative stereotypes through spoken word, MC, dance and live video projection. ‘Heterophobia’ explores the ‘coming out’ of a heterosexual young male in a gay world, switching the roles of the oppressed and the oppressor!
‘Getting audience members to view this situation from another angle may help them to understand the impact that this type of bullying can have on young people.’
‘Heterophobia’ incorporates interactive digital technology and a fusion of art forms – dance, drama, original songs, film and animation, performance poetry and spoken word, as well as providing a new model of audience participation by welcoming spectators to explore and engage with the stage and set before each performance begins.
Also featuring in ‘Heterophobia’ are two members of Antics Dance Crew, who appeared in Sky 1’s ‘Got to Dance’ and radio and television presenter Joanne Malin, who has recorded a mock news broadcast to be included in the production.
Performances take place at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April, with tickets priced at £5. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Approx. running 70 minutes running time.
Schools performances (aimed at Key Stages 3, 4 & 5): Thursday 3 April at 1.30pm and Friday 4 April at 10.30am.
Public performances: Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April at 7.15pm
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THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, UK Tour
★★★★★ | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, UK Tour
Matthew Bourne’s critically acclaimed production of Swan Lake is welcomed back to the stage on this national tour. Based on the traditional ballet, Bourne provides an updated and contemporary vision of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. The piece follows a young prince who is bored with his life of public duties and frustrated by his mother’s inability to truly show any affection towards him. His life escalates to the point where he contemplates suicide, but changes his mind when he appreciates the beauty and magnificence of the swans on the lake. But his saviours may also be his downfall as matters culminate in confrontation and rejection at the Grand Ball.
Bourne’s signature contemporary twist on the classic ballet is simply outstanding and leads to a beautiful, moving and breath-taking pieces of theatre. This version is perhaps best known for using an all-male ensemble for the bevy of swans, but whilst there is no denying the dramatic impact that places on the piece, there are so many other elements which elevate this piece of dance to the dizzying heights it reaches.
Starting with the music, the show preserves Tchaikovsky’s score and plays it beautifully, with the sound being crisp, crystal clear and loud enough to be the perfect balance of being dramatic but never intrusive. The costumes were lavish, even down to the finest details. The set was sturdily constructed and looked amazing. The use of lighting created an individual atmosphere in every single scene and an incredible use of shadows during one particular scene created a chilling environment. In essence, the whole production was of the highest quality and absolutely oozed an abundance of class and sophistication.
From the almost monochrome opening scenes in the palatial bedchamber to the vibrant explosion of colour in the Swank Bar, the modern twists provided by Bourne provided for a fresh and vivacious production which constantly surprised and delighted in equal measures. A combination of clever nods to the source material added to the joy, for example, Bourne boldly stages a ballet within a ballet, poking some tongue in cheek fun at the romantic ballets themselves, of which Swan Lake is a prime example.
The grace, elegance and sheer talent of the entire cast was undeniable and simply could not be faulted in any way. The infusion of different style of dance, from ballet to jazz and beyond was seamless and fitted the traditional score perfectly whilst the narrative aspect of the production was easy to follow and conveyed the story well.
By replacing the female swans with a male ensemble, the show has been interpreted as being very homo-erotic, not least because of the relationship between the Prince and the Male Swan but the attractive cast quite rightly underplay the point, keeping the show more on the right side of sensuality as opposed to eroticism.
From the opening scenes to the terrifying and tearful finale, this show has everything to recommend it including humour, style, spectacle, originality and genuine emotion. As a piece of theatre, it cannot be recommended highly enough.