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Theaters of London Open again to Live Audiences

By Sarah Mills
Actress Barbara Drennan, who lines up outside London's St Martin Theater, eagerly awaits to attend one of the first shows in the West End as England eaes COVID restrictions.
It's been more than a year since Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" welcomed the audience.
“I just think there’s a richness that it brings to people’s lives that as much as box sets and Netflix have looked after us, there’s nothing like this ... and getting caught in some escapism,” she said.
“And I think after the year that we’ve had, we all desperately need to get back to that.”
After being empty for months, indoor entertainment venues in England can now once again receive audiences live, albeit with a capacity of 50% to allow social distancing and with security measures.
The murder mystery thriller "The Mousetrap", which calls itself as the "oldest play in the world", is in its 69th year and shows its 28,200th performance on Monday.
“I’ve always thought that it was really important symbolically that ‘The Mousetrap’ re-open the West End,” producer Adam Spiegel told Reuters.
“So although financially this is unsustainable for a long period of time, I made the decision that I thought it was worth doing first of all to get everyone back to work and secondly to say right the West End is open for business again.”
In March 2020, the lockdown forced theaters to close the curtains. Some opened again briefly during a temporary easing of lockdowns in late 2020.
About a third of London's theatres will open again this week, namely smaller productions at lower costs. Major musicals, which cannot accomdate to run at 50% capacity, are waiting for the final phase of PM Johnson's roadmap of the lockdown, planned for June 21 to open again from the summer.
In New York, the Broadway shows will return from mid-September.
In order to adapt to the new situation, "The Mousetrap" has two actors, "Marple" and "Poirot", called after the Christie's famous characters- in case an actor should falls ill with COVID.
“The excitement is there,” actor Derek Griffiths said ahead of Monday’s opening. “The anxiousness is there and the hope that everything will go well.”
Source: Reuters
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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