Communities Live!

Sheffield Live! Community Business Weekend Open Day

Sheffield Live! is holding an Open Day event, 12-5pm, Friday 6th October to celebrate Community Business Weekend.

The second annual Community Business Weekend organised by Power to Change will be taking place from 5th-8th October 2017. The event celebrates the 7000 community businesses across England in local hands. Sheffield Live! is proud to be a local community business and to join the celebrations we will be opening our doors to invite local people to come and see what we do and how.

Invite your family, colleagues, friends and neighbours via the Sheffield Live! Facebook events page.

Drop in anytime between midday and 5pm at 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX. We’ll give you a tour of the Sheffield Live! TV and radio studio. There will be a chance see our ‘green screen’ multi-camera TV studio in action, meet the Sheffield Live! team and find out more about what we have going on here at Sheffield Live! HQ and how you can get involved.

For more info email nicole@sheffieldlive.org

From New York to Nether Edge: Avenue Q

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The Avenue Q cast with Sheffield Live presenter Vicky Oag

The Avenue Q cast with Sheffield Live presenter Vicky Oag

What do you get when you cross a meaning of life story, with sesame street, the muppet show and some distinctly adult humour? No, its not the start of a really bad joke but it does sum up the plot line of musical comedy Avenue Q about to hit the stage of The Lantern Theatre in Sheffield by new amateur theatre company, Cutting Edge.

And Sheffield Live 93.2FM has an interview with the cast – on today’s Communities Live show at noon.

Set on a Avenue Q in New York’s southernmost neighbourhood, the show follows new graduate, Princeton as he works out exactly what is his purpose in life.  Supported by a small cast of humans, monsters and puppets, Princeton and his new neighbours take a comedic journey through “the real issues in modern life – employment, love, politics and exactly why the internet was invented.”

Avenue Q is the first performance project of Sal Foster-Major and Gavin Usher, the people behind Cutting Edge.

Director of the show Sal says: “We set up Cutting Edge to focus on new, innovative and unusual dramatic and musical theatre productions.  Often, amateur musical performers miss out on shows that only require a small cast and we wanted to create somewhere they would give them the opportunity to perform some of the smaller but just as interesting and exciting shows.”

Musical Director Gavin adds: “We wanted to make an impact with our first show so we chose Avenue Q for the visual spectacle of the puppets, the great music and the sheer comedy of the script.  Although it is most definitely aimed at adults, it is a real feel good show with a modern twist.  Whether you love or hate musicals, you cant help but enjoy this show.”

Cast member and puppeteer Chris Hanlon is in charge of one of the colourful cast of puppets that makes this particular show so unique. “There are only 11 of us in the cast and none of us have ever done anything like this before.  Singing, dancing, acting and operating a ‘muppet’ puppet has been quite a challenge but as a cast we have laughed all though the rehearsals, the show is just so funny! We cant wait to get on stage and share it with an audience.”

As well as being the first show produced by the team at Cutting Edge, the small cast also have the kudos of claiming to be the first full scale musical  to be staged at the 84 seater Lantern Theatre.  The 120 year old venue located in Nether Edge has been home to a wide variety of performances including Tony and Olivier award nominated acts but has yet to host anything like this singing and dancing line up of 2 humans, 6 puppets, 2 monsters and 2 very cute but slightly misguided teddy bears.

What next?

  • Avenue Q, presented by Cutting Edge Theatre Company is on at The Lantern Theatre in Sheffield from the Monday 16th June to Saturday 21st June.  Tickets are available from www.lanterntheatre.org.uk or on 07788 594 133.
  • Listen to an interview with the cast  on today’s Communities Live programme, on Sheffield Live from noon-1pm (or download the podcast afterwards)

Doc/Fest: preview and interviews

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DocFest4One of the world’s largest documentary festivals returns to Sheffield this week.

With a programme jam-packed full of variety and a live event line-up littered with exclusives and hidden gems, Sheffield Doc/Fest is set to provide a diverse feast for all, once more.

We’ve previewed the festival on Sheffield Live! with great insights from the organisers, in a number of interviews:

  • Chris Arnold stepped in to chat with Heather Croall (festival director) and Hussain Currimbhoy (festival programmer) in a Doc/Fest preview special – podcast here;
  • Hussain Currimbhoy discussed this year’s festival programme – and the Devil’s Arse (a cave in Castleton, which provides a great location for screenings of Happiness, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and Visitors) – with Van Connor on Saturday 31st May’s Slam Dunk Cinema – podcast here (31st May show);
  • And Hussain joined Dale Le Fevre on yesterday’s Communities Live show – podcast here (3 June show).

Some of the documentaries discussed in the interviews include Nowhere Is Home, Happiness, Beyond Clueless, Adam Buxton’s David Bowie BUG special, Finding Fela, All Is Mayhem, Still The Enemy Within, Love Is All (screening at Chatsworth), Miners Shot Down, A Beautiful Noise and Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets. Interviews also covered the extraordinary diversity and variety of this year’s film festival and conference programme; the Doc/Fest app; and the special Interactive at Doc/Fest pass

Now in its 21st Year, Sheffield Doc/Fest is one of the top three documentary festivals and markets in the world.

The interviews also provide a fascinating insight into the massive planning that goes into a festival of this stature.

Library plans discussed in Sheffield Live interviews

Now that the Council have announced their proposed changes to Sheffield’s Libraries, the Cabinet Member responsible, Councillor Mazher Iqbal, came into Sheffield Live! to the discuss the plans.

In a two-part interview with Sheffield Live’s Laurence Peacock, Councillor Iqbal discussed the the financial background of the proposed changes and the question of sustaining independent libraries.

In part two, we focused on the details of the volunteer groups who have so far come forward to take over some city libraries and the feasibility of their doing so.

You can read the council report here, including all the proposals, and from the same link you can also contribute to the consultation.

The interviews were first broadcast on Communities Live on 2/10/13.

In the interests of full disclosure, we would like to state that Sheffield Live’s volunteer presenter, who conducted the interview (Laurence Peacock) is employed by Sheffield library service.

Interview with alien life Professor, Milton Wainwright

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Professor Milton Wainwright works at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Last week he attracted national and international media attention after writing in the Journal of Cosmology that he has recovered biological entities from between 22 and 27 kilometres above the earth that – he concludes – may originate from space.

And this week Professor Wainwright spoke with Sheffield Live’s Andy Cooper about his conclusions.

You can listen to Andy’s 49 minute interview with Professor Wainwright here:

Or you can listen to an abridged 11 minute version of the interview within the Communities Live programme from 26/09/2013, here.

Wainwright claims that it would be impossible for particles of the size he has recovered to ascend from Earth to this distance above the earth without an event such as a violent volcanic eruption, and that nothing like this occurred within three years of the sampling (done via a special balloon). He’s also emphatic that no cross-contamination occurred.

“Potentially a history making story,” says Andy. Listen to the complete interview, above.

Light Night – today, 4pm to 9.30pm

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“Imagine entering buildings and spaces you didn’t know existed, finding performers, art installations and activities around every corner and experiencing Sheffield in a completely different way.

“The city centre will be animated, lit up and celebrated through our city’s artists and performers for one night only to invite you to see Sheffield in a different light.”

As part of Summer Saturdays Art in the Park are running Light Night on Saturday 7th September 2013 in Sheffield City centre from 4pm- 9.30pm.

Light Night will be a city wide takeover opening up spaces, inviting professional and emerging artists to showcase the spaces through various artforms; an open programme of activities, showcases, workshops, exhibitions and performances for people to explore the city in a way they haven’t before.

“We want to unlock the doors of spaces we don’t ordinarily get to see, animate places in a completely new way and celebrate what Sheffield has to offer for all ages. Maybe it’s a film screening in a high street chain, a comedy sketch in the market, dancing in a hotel lobby….we want to challenge our perceptions and engage with new people in new spaces providing an alternative way to spend your Saturday Night!”

What next?

Girlfriends’ Sarah joins Communities Live team

Sarah Taylor [photo: Jamie Veitch]

Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor, star of ITV2’s Girlfriends, joined Communities Live presenter Andy Cooper today to guest present a special edition of our flagship magazine programme.

Sheffield lass Sarah was in the hit TV series last year in which three single ladies met 100 eligible bachelors, then whittled down their potential suitors to try to find Mr. Right.

Sarah and co-presenter Andy Cooper discussed fashion and dating; and Sarah gave Andy some behind-the-scenes gossip from the TV series.

Today’s Communities Live programme also featured an interview with Dave Douglas, MD of new climbing wall Awesome Walls which is opening this autumn in Sheffield.

And Grand Designs’ Naomi Cleaver was interviewed on the show, offering her tips for how to make the most of the space in our homes.

Sarah will be back to co-present Communities Live again soon.

What next?

Girlfri3nds
Girlfri3nds

Scribble and Zero Budget Film Festival on Communities Live

Today’s Communities Live show – broadcasting live from noon until 1pm – has a great lineup of guests.

Presenters Laurence Peacock and Andy Cooper will be joined by:

Sheffield Writer (@SheffieldWrite on twitter), AKA Chris, who runs the Scribble open mic nights, showcasing Sheffield writers, poets, and singer / songwriters; and is organising the Sheffield Short Story competition.

Martin Currie from The Zero Budget Film festival, taking place in Burngreave on 14th September, will also join us.

What next?

A trail of musical moments – throughout city shops!

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More live music treats in store for Sheffield!

This Saturday, 10 August, a host of amazing home-grown talent and high-profile bands will be scattered around Sheffield’s city centre playing acoustic sets in unusual, pop-up buskers’ spots.

The free “City Centre Sessions” event starts at noon at Devonshire Street Market and takes place around a circuit of city centre shops, with bands appearing in sequence around the circuit, finishing back at Devonshire Market’s outdoor stage five hours later.

It features The Crookes, Nat Johnson, Laurel Canyons (Monkey Swallows The Universe), Stuart Faulkner (Pink Grease, The Barnacles) and the BeVox flash mob choir – with more bands coming on board too.

Venture into town and be surprised and amazed at what and who is lurking around each clothes rail and shoe rack. Stop off to browse and indulge yourself in many of the city’s best independent food makers and artisan retailers too.

City Centre Sessions is part of Sheffield’s Summer Saturday’s Programme.

Confirmed locations for City Centre Sessions this Saturday include Devonshire Markets’ outdoor stage on Devonshire Green, Orchard Square, John Lewis, Birds Yard, A New Shop and Costa.

What next?