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Researchers at Coventry University will work with a theatre company on a project aiming to make immersive arts experiences more accessible to people with learning disabilities.

The Inclusive Immersive scheme will use new technologies to develop installations and performances, which will be shown in venues across Coventry in spring 2025.

The university will partner with Coventry-based company Open Theatre, which works extensively with people with learning disabilities. It is also hoped the project will lead to new guidance for cultural organisations on immersive arts.

The scheme has received almost £50,000 from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants. 

Rachel Farrer, Associate Director of cultural and community engagement at Coventry University, said the initiative will involve “a consortium of leading organisations spanning arts, technology and research".

One organisation supporting the project is immersive media firm Hollywood Gaming, which will host sessions in its studio, as well as providing training and support to artists.

Theatre professionals have reacted with disbelief after music technology company MakeMusic revealed plans to withdraw its popular music notation software program Finale after over three decades.

Musicians in the US, where the programme is widely used, have criticised the move, which has sparked widespread concern among composers, copyists, archivists and publishing companies that rely on the software and will now have to invest in time-consuming conversion of their content libraries, as Finale files do not export in their entirety.

Finale President Greg Dell'Era said: "Finale is no longer the future of the notation industry - a reality after 35 years, and I want to be candid about this. Instead of releasing new versions of Finale that would offer only marginal value to our users, we’ve made the decision to end its development." 

Users can no longer buy or update Finale and its related products, including PrintMusic and Notepad, but they will continue to work on devices where they are already installed. From August next year, it will not be possible to authorise or re-authorise onto new devices.

One of a handful of notation products on the market, Finale’s main competitors include Sibelius, made by Avid and prevalent in the UK, and relative newcomer Dorico, which MakeMusic has recommended to its users.

Matt Smith from London Music Preparation Ltd said that although the closure's impact would be “devastating” for the US and Broadway, he anticipated the direct impact to the UK to be “minimal” as "the vast majority" of UK organisations and individuals use Sibelius.

However, with Finale’s endorsement of Dorico, he warned that a mass sector shift could see users of other platforms face a simillar fate further down the line. 

Writing on Instagram, film, TV and musical theatre composer Marc Shaiman said: "To all my compatriots freaking out about today’s announcement, um, it was right there in the name all along. FINALE! As Maya Angelou said, 'When someone tells you who they are, believe them!'"

Spending time in a museum or art gallery can help people feel more relaxed, according to a Japanese study.

In June, researchers led by Izumi Ogata, a professor at Kyushu Sangyo University, measured the blood pressure, pulse rate, mood and psychological state of 41 people as they visited the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo.

Participants viewed the exhibit in silence for 20 minutes, followed by 20 minutes conversing with others, with measurements taken at three stages.

The study found all the people showed lower levels of anger, fatigue, tension, confusion and depression after silently visiting the exhibition. Indicators of being in a more positive emotional state rose after the second viewing.

The experiment was the latest in an investigation that began in 2020, with more than 1,000 people and 75 museums taking part so far.

“Museum bathing has an effect on the function of activating human homeostasis,” said Ogata. “If it can be proven that even a 10- or 20-minute visit to a museum can relieve stress, it may draw in new visitors.”

More than half of UK school librarians have been asked to remove certain books from circulation, a new survey suggests - with the majority of those requests coming from parents.

The Index on Censorship asked 53 librarians about their experiences of books being challenged. Twenty-eight (53%) said they had been asked to remove books and, of these, 56% said they had acted on the request.

According to the campaign organisation, many books called into question had LGBTQ+ themes, including This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love and the alphabet book ABC Pride by Louie Stowell.

Index on Censorship said other books, including Manga comic books, were removed because of the perceived sexualisation of characters and explicit or violent content.

Books were also challenged over the use of homophobic language, swearing and self-harm discussions.

The organisation notes that in the US, where book censorship is a subject of frequent debate, the American Library Association records requests for bans of specific titles. Equivalent data is not collected in the UK. 

Alison Tarrant, Chief Executive of the UK School Library Association, said: “I doubt this is a new phenomenon. And it’s probably been going on for as long as school libraries have existed. 

“I wonder whether it’s a symptom of the more polarised society that we’re living in now, and that’s why things have got stronger.”

Concern over censorship of LGBTQ+ books for young people was brought to the fore last year after it emerged that the V&A Director Tristram Hunt decided to remove two illustrated books on queer identities, and a trans rights poster, from the Young V&A. The move prompted a backlash from the museum's union members, as well as artists and members of the public.

West Northamptonshire Council has awarded £45k to 15 voluntary and community sector organisations in the region.

The council said the funding will "expand and enhance the arts and culture offering in West Northants".

Grants of up to £5,000 have been awarded to a range of projects which the council believes address "an identified local need" while also supporting, enabling or facilitating "the achievement of one or more of the council's strategic aims, objectives or priorities".

The funded projects include Rockin' Roadrunner, a free annual community-based festival for people with disabilities, and Performing Room, a community arts development programme designed to help people express themselves through music and the creative arts.

Also funded is Accent Percussion, a community percussion group using drumming workshops to improve physical and mental health. 

Councillor Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure, said the funded projects "are not only enriching our cultural landscape but are also making a real difference in people's lives, particularly among our most vulnerable residents".

He added: "By promoting inclusivity, creativity, and wellbeing, these initiatives are helping to strengthen our communities and attract more people to experience the unique culture our area has to offer."

A new £15m centre dedicated to the late comedian Sir Ken Dodd is planned for his home city, Liverpool.

The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre will be home to Dodd's joke books, tickling sticks and other artefacts.

Plans for the four-storey centre, which will be attached to the city's Royal Court theatre, were approved last week by the city council.

Dodd regularly performed at the Royal Court during his career, and in the late 1970s helped save it from closure.

His widow Lady Dodd told BBC News he would be "honoured", "amazed" and "thrilled to bits" by the news.

The centre will be built on the site of the theatre's current Courtyard Bar. It is hoped it will open in time for the 100th anniversary of the comedian's birth in 2027.

Royal Court Chief Executive Gillian Miller said: "There is no better city than Liverpool to create a centre for happiness and wellbeing in, and we are looking forward to delivering a unique building for the city that epitomises happiness."

Funding for the building, which will also celebrate other comedians, will come from the Sir Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation and The Comedy Trust.

Derby Museums is teaming up with CAMRA to put on a beer festival in the city.

The Derby CAMRA Heritage Beer Festival will take place at the Museum of Making from 13-16 November and celebrate the city’s brewing heritage.

It is hoped it will become an annual event, marking the return of a beer festival to the city after a four-year gap.

Dr Alex Rock, director of commercial and operations at Derby Museums, said: “The Museum of Making celebrates the making heritage of Derby and Derbyshire, and key to this heritage is beer.

“On Museum Square, outside Derby Museum and Art Gallery, is a statue to Michael Thomas Bass, the brewing magnate who financed the build of the Museum and Art Gallery.

“Beer flows through the DNA of the city – Derby is the best city in England to drink real ale, and we’re proud to be working in partnership with CAMRA to celebrate the heritage of beer and brewing and the great culture of beer our city offers today.”

Tickets for the festival will go on sale in September.

This year's Labour Party conference in Liverpool will play host to a range of discussions and debates in a specially created Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion.

The pavilion, which has been coordinated by Creative UK, will be located inside the 'secure zone' during the 22-24 September conference, with events being run by more than 40 partners across the arts and culture sector.

The aim, say its organisers, is to highlight to politicians and policymakers "the solutions the cultural and creative industries have for the socio-economic challenges we face".

The programme will focus on issues such as soft power and Britain’s role in the world, rethinking funding and finance models, the impact of AI, and regional investment and devolution.

Among the creative organisations participating are Art Fund, Crafts Council, Channel 4, Design Council, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the Independent Society of Musicians and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Well-known names to be involved include Steve McQueen, Vicky McClure, Andy Serkis, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and David Morrissey.

Creative UK Chief Executive Caroline Norbury said: "The Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion has been programmed by 40 leading creative organisations from across the sector, spanning screens, stages, galleries, museums, studios, classrooms and more.

"It is an extraordinary opportunity for our sector to speak with one voice on the issues which matter, and for our perspective to be heard by leaders from across the Labour Party, including those at the very highest levels of UK government." 

She added: "Since winning the UK General Election, the Labour Party has made clear their commitment to creativity. Now is the time for pledges to become practice, and this conference is our opportunity to ensure a roadmap for our sector is firmly in place."

The full pavilion programme can be found at conference.wearecreative.uk

The British Museum has received a significant donation of artefacts valued at £103.3m, thanks to a bequest from Sir Joseph Hotung, a Hong Kong businessman, collector and philanthropist.

The legacy was first announced in 2022, shortly after Hotung died in December 2021.

The collection has been donated in partnership with the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art and includes a large collection of Chinese jades, blue-and-white porcelains, and other rare artefacts.

Hotung was a trustee of the British Museum from 1994 to 2004 and had made many previous donations to the museum.

The Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia at the museum was opened in 1992 by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

British Museum Chair George Osborne said: "This is one of the most generous gifts we’ve ever received, and it means future generations will be able to enjoy these beautiful objects and learn more about the extraordinary history of China."

Hotung’s family said in a statement: "We are pleased that our father’s collections will now be viewed by the millions of visitors who pass through the museum every year."