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Carrying the flame American writer Ray Bradbury’s classic tale Fahrenheit 451 depicts a society where reading is outlawed and books are burned. The dystopian novel was first published in 1953. see below A look back The Anne Frank and You exhibition is open seven days a week www.ideastore.co.uk Out & About News in brief Open-air theatre A NEW open-air performance space is being built at Canary Wharf. The amphitheatre, created by St Paul’s Arts Trust, will be located in the gardens above Crossrail Place. On May 16 and 17, the charity – behind The Space arts centre on Westferry Road – hosts the first in a series of community arts festivals. Further meets are in the pipeline and a theatre company will take up a residency at the E14 venue. Director of The Space Adam Hemming said: “By scheduling a range of free events with a broad appeal, we hope as many people as possible will visit Crossrail Place and its park.” St Paul’s Arts Trust is seeking applications from local groups and individuals who would like to feature in the festivals, which will include a mixture of music, dance, theatre, poetry performance and comedy. To find out more, call 7515 7799. A festival debut AN international outdoor arts festival has announced highlights of its opening weekend. The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival 2015, which runs from June 26 until July 5, opens in Tower Hamlets with a show titled 451. Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, the flamefilled performance takes place in Bethnal Green Gardens on the night of Saturday, June 27. Storytelling and special effects are planned for the production, which makes its London debut at the festival. For updates about the crossborough gathering, visit www. festival.org Harry Hill on stage FUNNYMAN Harry Hill is being interviewed in Bethnal Green next month. Hill will take part in a Q&A session during the evening, hosted by Joel Sanders at the Backyard Comedy Club. The show takes place on May 13 at 8pm. Tickets are £12. To buy, see angryboater.com Emotive exhibition set to bring history to life BY JAMES MARTIN A LIFE-SIZED replica of Anne Frank’s bedroom forms the centrepiece of an emotive exhibition about to open its doors in Whitechapel. Anne Frank and You, which starts at Idea Store Whitechapel on Saturday, April 25, tells the remarkable story of the young girl’s life and her world-famous diary. In the summer of 1942, Anne Frank (pictured below right) started to document her daily reflections in The Diary of A Young Girl while hiding with her family from the Nazis in Amsterdam. Anne was captured two years later and died from starvation and disease at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, at the age of 15. Since it was first published in 1947, her diary has sold over 30 million copies and been translated into 67 languages. The mixed media show arrives in the borough shortly after the 70th anniversary of her death on April 14. The Anne Frank Trust UK’s flagship collection – which has toured the country – seeks to present lessons of Frank’s story for the 21st century, The Anne Frank and You interactive exhibition aims to explore the impact of racism today encouraging visitors to challenge ideas of prejudice and hatred. The display includes interactive panels that explore the impact of racism today, with contemporary reflections including the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the topic of racism in football. Its Whitechapel launch follows a programme of activities in local secondary schools, which since last October has seen students trained as ‘Anne Frank Ambassadors’. The ambassadors will guide visitors from schools around the exhibition. Rugina Mukid, gallery curator of Idea Store Whitechapel, told East End Life she was expecting 1,300 students to visit during May. Anne Frank and You runs until May 31 at the Idea Store Whitechapel, 321 Whitechapel Road, E1. Visit www. annefrank.org.uk Book launch features music and comedy A BOOK offering a glimpse of some of London’s many communities is being launched during an evening of live music and comedy at Rich Mix. Knowing One Another is being launched on Monday, April 20 at the arts venue in Bethnal Green Road. The free event includes music from the London Uyghur Ensemble, featuring traditional Chinese sounds; ACD Arts, who perform east African music; and a South Asian dance show from Asa Willoughby. Energetic Irish- Iranian comedian Patrick Monahan (pictured) is on hand to provide laughs during the evening. Vegetarian food will be served while free copies of Knowing One Another will be available for visitors. The new publication being launched, a compilation of diverse voices of London, is the result of a volunteer-led research project by the Brick Lane Circle. Included in the book are Bengali, Eritrean and East End Jewish communities along with many others. Advance booking is essential for the launch at Rich Mix, which starts at 6.30pm. To secure your place, email faridha@bricklancecircle.org On Saturday, April 25, Brick Lane Circle is hosting its annual conference at the Brady Arts Centre, 192-196 Hanbury St, E1. The Bangladeshis in Britain Conference 2015 – featuring discussions and a film based around the story of Bangladesh both at home and abroad – runs from 11am to 6pm. For details call 07914 119282 or visit www.bricklanecircle.org Grease is the word for 70s inspired party A VINTAGE musical film of the 70s is the inspiration for a themed party being held by the Bubble Club at the Backyard Bar & Kitchen in Bethnal Green this week. Grease is Now Our Word, a night based on the high school romance story Grease, takes place on Wednesday, April 22 from 7pm. In the US, the 1978 movie remains the highest-grossing musical to date. This east London adaptation features dance performances from DNK The Company and the Backyard Bar’s Step East dance group, who make their debut performance. Factory DJs also play a set during the evening – no doubt with a few Grease classics lined up for modern day John Travoltas and Olivia Newton-Johns. The Backyard Bar is at 231 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green. Tickets, which can be bought on the door, cost £5. For more details visit back yardbar.co.uk Keeping her grounded GRAMMY award-winning singer Foxes has revealed how she keeps her feet on the ground – by tending her mum’s vintage stall in Brick Lane at weekends. The 25-year-old said she mixed working shifts with writing her second album. “My mum’s got a vintage stall on Brick Lane. It’s brilliant,” said Foxes. “Occasionally it gets a bit weird when people come in and see me; they are a bit shocked. But it’s fun and nice to do,” she added. 20 – 26 APRIL 2015 N E W S F R O M TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 21


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To see the actual publication please follow the link above