The Gothic drama and anguish of Dickens' Great Expectations was delivered powerfully in Jo Stafford's well judged adaptation at Brighton's Theatre Royal last night.

It was an eerie night's entertainment that left you with more questions than answers, as Dickens' grotesque characters wrestled their way through a period piece that challenged, chilled and chastened in equal measure.

Quirky singer-songwriter Jenny Lockyer tops the bill at the next Matt's Comedy Club open mic night on 27 September (8pm), along with a stack of local acts old and new in support.

"It's a great chance to spot a star in the making," says Russ Bravo, MC at the family-friendly club, "and we still have a limited number of spots available."

 

Back in 2003, the idea of a website where people could have their own profile page, write their own content and leave comments on what they read was something special. That shows how far we’ve come in under ten years; that’s the everyday stuff that we’re all familiar with now.

But when James Fryer from BabyLamb suggested it to Revolutionary Arts in 2003, we knew it could be something that caught on. A sign-in for users, their own profile page, a content management system that made it easy to become a citizen journalist and the chance to upload images too all made the site a success.

Over 1500 users have since contributed nearly 3000 events, reviews and articles to the site. Initially focused on Worthing, the site soon spread across Sussex and the South Coast, and as Revolutionary Arts worked further afield the site followed.

Matt's Comedy Club Worthing returns with another night packed with family-friendly mirth on 26 July when top writer and performer Paul Kerensa is the headliner.

Paul (below, right) has been gigging steadily around the UK and Europe for at least the last 10 years, picking up a number of awards with his genial mix of gags, clever observation and themed shows at the Edinburgh Festival.
 

Paul Rodgers – Chichester The Venue
31/5/12

View: front, left of stage. Ears: ringing

It's an old truism that blues rockers get better with age, and a packed out crowd in West Sussex were given ample evidence as ex-Free and Bad Company front man Paul Rodgers delivered a vintage show in his only UK appearance this year.

Theatre Absolute are premiering a new work by award-winning writer Chris O�Connell in a former empty shop.

ARCADE is a short play and will be performed at the UK�s only professional Shop Front Theatre in City Arcade, in the heart of Coventry City centre.

Performed by Midlands actors Katy Stephens and John Flitcroft, ARCADE is a mixture of guilt, memory and desire - a passion play for two characters.

Hunt and Gather are inviting submissions for a makers market for Orpington High Street on Saturday the 7th of July.

Orpington is part of Greater London and its high street can see up to 30,000 shoppers on a Saturday.

Local readers and writers are invited to join in a celebration of the written and spoken word centred on the Lime Cafe at St. Paul's, Worthing.

Trace will explore the boundaries between art and craft, creating an environment where each are the same and each deal with the idea of a Trace.

Curators are looking for makers, visual artists, film makers, performance artists, sound artists and text artists that create work with an idea that there is a Trace � a Trace of something that once belonged, a Trace of something that once happened, a Trace of a suggestion. The title can be taken literally or ambiguously.

A beautiful light self contained studio is available in Trafalgar Studios, Portslade.