... Honest recognition in the New Year CANADIAN entrepeneur Hon est Ed Mirvish's earnest efforts to make a go of London's Old Vic theatre have won him recognition in the New Year Honours list. Mirvish who bought, refurbished and re-opend the historic Waterloo venue five years ago, has been awarded a CBE for his services to theatre in this country in the overseas section of the honours list. His ...

... EastEnders star shocked by public AIDS hostility Brogan to stage star-studded charity show after frightening reaction on the streets AN ACTOR was so horrified by the experience of playing the pan of a man suspected of carrying AIDS and learning at first hand what it means to be labelled a sufferer that he is now holding a star studded benefit show in the hope of raising thousands of pounds for ...

... Max dates FOLLOWING his pantomime season at the New, Cardiff, Max Boyce goes straight into a tour opening at the Willows, Salford on February 8. Subse quent dates are at Hull, Hatfield, Milton Keynes (Stantonbury Leisure Centre), Corby, Buxton, Preston, Wol- verhampton, Kenil worth (Chesford Grange), Newcastle, Gallashiels, York, Chatham, Fareham, Crawley, Nor wich, Gorseinon, Usk (Sawas), ...

... Laughter Pils BRITAIN'S FIRST international comedy festival will be launched in February, with the aim of discover ing new British and international comic talent. Sponsored by Holsten Pils, the Holsten Funny Business Festival will open in London on February 24 and is being hailled as London's answer to Montreal's Just for Laughs festival. Running until March 1 1 the festival will be held in ...

... Over to Mum's place HUNSTANTON'S Princess Theatre, the first theatre in the country to be named especially in honour of the Princess of Wales, received a visit from Princess Diana herself, with Prince William and Prince Harry, and the Princess Royal and her two children, when a party of 14 motored over from Sandringham to see a matinee performance of the pantomime Cinderella. It was a private ...

... New beginnings JANE HARRISON, the 25-year- old soprano who was the winner of last year's Bob Says Opportunity Knocks, has signed a worldwide recording contract with Stylus Music, who released her first album, New Day, on December 12. Since her win the Royal North ern College of Music graduate has been busy with solo recitals and has sung at the Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra. ...

... Dancers watch out for third Digital Partners Programme DANCERS across the country are pinning their hopes on the re-emergence, for the third year running, of the Digital Partners in Dance Programme which offers £1.3 million in sponsorship to new talent, the largest UK sponsorship of a single performing art. The Digital Partners in Dance, launched in 1986, has already been awarded the ...

... Buffery sows seeds THE ROYAL Shakespeare Com pany's assistant director in Strat ford, Bill Buffery, is to take over as the new artistic director of the Orchard Theatre from mid January. He will succeed Nigel Bryant, who will leave for a post with the BBC in Birmingham as a radio drama producer after five years in which saw the audience treble. A spokesman for the company said Buffery would ...

... Spring term HUMPHREY LYTTLETON and his Band start off the spring term of concerts at University College School, Hampstcad on January 26. The Top Brass Jazz Orchestra directed by Bob Wheal, with vocal ists Dennis Lotis and Lee Gibson, follow on February 2, Canadian saxophonist Jim Galloway on February 9, Adelaide Hall (Febru ary 23) and the Jean Toussaint Quartet (March 2). ...

... Dench talks JUDI DENCH speaks at the first 1989 meeting of the Gallery First Nighters Club on January 8, to he held at 7. 15 pm at the Club for Acts and Actors, 20 Bedford Street, WC2. ...

... Note of despair THE BOURNEMOUTH Sym phony Orchestra may be forced to quit the town because of the lack of a suitable venue. The BSO, which expects to re ceive more than £100,000 in sub sidies from Bornemouth council this year, is worried over the future of the Winter Gardens. Chief Executive David Richardson siad, The Winter Gardens is the only suitable venue for the BSO. If we cannot play ...

... Dame you couldn't make it BILLY Whittaker, still fondly re garded as one of the great British pantomime dames, was forced to pull out of a Christmas show for only the second time in over 40 years. The Ryde-based comedian and his wife, Mimi Law. travelled to the City Varieties, Leeds, to appear in Jack and the Beanstalk, but he had not recovered sufficiently from his recent slight stroke and ...