Five amazing things to do at The Alex –
which don’t involve theatre!
The New Alexandra Theatre is not just known for its blockbusting shows, although there are plenty of them!
More than ever before the venue is getting involved in a host of community projects, including The Big Sleuth, Birmingham Cocktail Weekend, and hosting in-house entertainment via Birmingham Jazz Festival.
Here’s five fantastic things you can do at The Alex, which don’t involve watching a show…
· I aint’ afraid of no bear! Have you grabbed a selfie with Alexandra yet? The Alex’s very own bear on the Big Sleuth Trail? The beauty, who dons a Ghostbusters outfit takes pride of place at the end of John Bright Street, not far from the theatre.
Alexandra is just one of 100 stunning bear sculptures who are taking over the city as part of The Big Sleuth Trail. Each have been designed by artists and have their own story to tell, and have laid their paw prints all over the city – and beyond – to bring a colourful trail of creativity, imagination and fun
An additional 137 bear cubs have been created by local school children as part of The Big Sleuth Learning Programme. Together they form a fantastic, free public art trail that will lead you to parts of the city and wider region that you may never have visited before.
With Alexandra’s prominent position just outside New Street Station, she could be one of the first bears you visit!
And the added bonus is that once you scan her code on The Big Sleuth app, you can also visit The Alex Box Office and pick up a free goodie bag full of treats!
The Big Sleuth kicked off this week and runs throughout the Summer holidays. More details here http://thebigsleuth.co.uk/
· If you’ve never sampled one of the Alex’s amazing cocktails, then July is certainly the best time! This weekend the venue is proudly taking part in Birmingham Cocktail Weekend once again, which is now bigger and better than ever before.
Running from Fri 14 to Sun 16 July this exciting event is a weekend dedicated to sampling the best of Birmingham’s cocktail scene! And The Alex’s offering is a unique cocktail based on the history of the venue – the Salberg 75!
The Charlie Bates Trio will also be performing in the beautiful Piano Bar throughout the weekend to entertain drinkers.
Even more enticing is the opportunity to take part in another one of the unique Cocktail Masterclasses.
Lasting for one hour and hosted in the luxurious Ambassador Lounge, participants will learn how to make the Salberg 75. Then they can create their very own cocktail themed on a show from the upcoming season.
Places can be booked here:
· Free Jazz in the theatre’s stunning Piano bar you say? Bar open until 11pm? What’s not to like? This month the theatre will take part in the city wide Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell Jazz Festival for the very first time, with renowned band C-Jam set to delight listeners in the Piano bar on Friday 21 July.
C-Jam’s repertoire is large and varied, ranging from cool jazz sounds to stomping blues/R&B and soul favourites. The experienced line-up includes three ex-members of the Steve Gibbons Band, including Brain Badhams (keyboards and vocals), who is currently with Elkie Brooks.
Brian Wilson (lead guitar/vocals) spent many years with the Gibbons Band, touring the USA supporting The Who, and worked with the Ruby Turner Band for a number of years.
Drummer Brendan Day’s 12 years with the Gibbons Band have been followed by work with the Dylan Project and Fairport Convention among many others.
Meanwhile bassist Frank Walker’s colourful music career includes working with Glenn Tipton in the Flying Hat Band and appearing with Alvin Stardust, whilst saxophonist Sam Rogers first came to notice with the Walsall Jazz Orchestra.
C-Jam will perform in the Piano Bar from 8pm, with the bar open from 6.30pm.
The jazz festival runs from July 14 to July 23 and more details are available herehttp://www.birminghamjazzfestival.com/
· Friday afternoons at the Alex have also become a little bit special, with the addition of Coffee, Cake and Cadenzas.
The series of free monthly Chamber Concerts sees students from Birmingham's Conservatoire of Music presenting beautiful programmes at 1pm on the first Friday of every month in the theatre’s Piano Bar.
Coffee, cake and an assortment of other treats are on sale at every single event, which are also available to watch on Facebook Live.
The concerts are a great opportunity for everyone to come along to the theatre and listen to some outstanding live music for free, whilst enjoying a cuppa in the beautiful surroundings of the Piano Bar.
After a spectacular series of concerts, the talented students are taking a well deserved break, but will back to entertain from Friday 3rd November.
· Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the Alex? There are regular backstage theatre tours available which all provide a unique look behind the scenes.
Each tour offers a unique insight into one of the most historic theatres in the West Midlands.
The tours are a chance to see the dressing rooms that have housed the stars, visit the backstage areas that are the workhouse of theatre life and finally step onstage at the Alex and in doing so join with some of the greats of English theatre. After a tour participants can relax with a free hot drink and biscuits in the bar.
More details on the tours are available at www.atgtickets.com
No comments:
Post a Comment