Front Row Folgen

From next Monday theatres in England will legally be allowed to reopen with social distancing and strict capacity restrictions. We find out what it will be like for audiences and staff as they return to venues. We also hear from one theatre director in Scotland who's not reopening and ask why. The Cultural Recovery Fund has provided a lifeline for some arts organisations who would have gone under as well as some individuals but how are the millions of pounds of public money being spent? We speak to Louise Chantal CEO and Director of the Oxford Playhouse, and Nica Burns, CEO of Nimax Theatres which operates several commercial theatres in London. And we talk to Amanda Parker, Founder and Director of Inc Arts about those who didn't get any money from the Culture Recovery Fund.Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will be the first play to reopen in the London's West End, with its first performance on Monday night. What else can we look forward to in the coming months, and how will the theatrical experience change? Theatre critic Sarah Crompton tells us what to expect. A brothel in Pompeii is at the centre of Elodie Harper’s new novel, The Wolf Den. She talks to Kirsty about telling a story of women’s lives in the Roman Empire, and how she wanted to show that there was more to everyday life for ancient people than togas and baths.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Julian May

It was after the death of George Floyd that television writer and producer Travon Free, and filmmaker Martin Desmond Roe came together to create a response to this traumatic event. The result was Two Distant Strangers which won Best Live Action Short Film at this year’s Oscars. Travon and Martin join Elle to talk about making art out of tragedy. NBC has dropped the 2022 Golden Globes Award ceremony and Tom Cruise has returned his three Golden Globes in protest at the lack of diversity at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The Oscars were more diverse this year, but the televised award ceremony had its lowest ever audience. Rhianna Dhillon talks about what is happening with awards.Resident Evil Village is the eighth instalment from the hugely popular horror game franchise. Games journalist Louise Blain reviews and discusses the appeal of the genre as a whole. Are you missing the joy of musicals? The BBC World Service has create a brand new one, U.Me: The Musical, entirely under lockdown, lavishly arranged for a 40-piece orchestra. In 53 minutes it tells the story of two people falling in love over the internet during lockdown. Professor Millie Taylor reviews.Producer: Timothy Prosser Presenter: Elle Osili-Wood

David Hockney has captured the unfolding of Spring during the pandemic, creating 116 new works on his ipad which have been blown up for a new exhibition at London’s Royal Academy. Art critic Ben Luke reviews the prolific 83 year old’s new work. He also discusses the shortlist for this year’s Turner Prize; for the first time, no one on the list is an individual artist: they are all artist collectives. A new BBC TV drama, Three Families, is set in Northern Ireland looks at the controversial and divisive subject of abortion. Northern Ireland was exempted from the UK’s 1967 Abortion Act and had some of the most restrictive policies in Europe. 2 years ago when the Stormont Assembly was dissolved and decision-making powers transferred to Westminster, MPs in London voted overwhelmingly to change the law and ease access to abortion. This series fictionalises the stories of three women and their personal involvement in the campaign to liberalise the law. We speak with the writer of the 2 part series, Gwyneth Hughes.Irish writer Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul, discusses his second novel, Panenka, about 50-year-old former footballer who has spent 25 years unable to escape from one critical and very public error which made him an exile in his home town. Main image: David HockneyPresenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Oliver Jones