Latest news with #AlhambraTheatre
Business Journals
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Podcast: Craig Smith talks Alhambra Theatre revival, business acquisitions
In the latest episode of Florida Business Minds, Jacksonville entrepreneur Craig Smith joins JBJ Editor in Chief James Cannon to share how he's turned passion projects into cornerstones of the local business community — including breathing new life into the historic Alhambra Theatre and acquiring St. Johns Food Service. Smith, who got his start selling beepers and troubleshooting failing franchises before he was old enough to drink, opens up about buying legacy businesses with little prior experience in their industries. From saving the Alhambra from closure in 2009 to transforming a 70-year-old food distribution company into a strategic asset, Smith reflects on lessons in leadership, reinvestment, and what it means to build a business with purpose. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events He discusses the challenges of competing with national brands, the emotional weight of running a theater that's created lifelong memories for generations of families, and his plans for the newly acquired Dick's Wings and the St. Augustine "Big Red Bus." 'My leadership style is simple,' Smith says. 'I think about every one of the 150 people who work with me when I make a decision.' Sponsored by TECO Peoples Gas, the Florida Business Minds audio series features candid conversations with business leaders from the Orlando, South Florida, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville regions. Find more Florida Business Minds podcasts here. Sign up here for the Business Journal's free morning and afternoon daily newsletters to receive the latest business news impacting the First Coast, and download our free app to get breaking news alerts on your phone.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cinderella revealed as this year's CBeebies panto, set to be recorded in Bradford as part of 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations
CBeebies reveals this year's panto as Cinderella to be recorded in Bradford as it celebrates its year as 2025 UK City of Culture. Families in Bradford will have the chance to see their favourite CBeebies stars on stage in a brand-new musical version of the much-loved tale at the Alhambra Theatre in October. Tickets go on sale at 10am today (Friday 2 May) via the Alhambra Theatre website. The performances in October will be filmed and the resulting programme will be broadcast as the centrepiece of this year's CBeebies Christmas schedule. Full of catchy songs, dancing and pantomime fun for all the family, this unique adaptation of the traditional story will feature original songs and music. More details on the recording, including cast, will be released in the summer. Kate Morton, CBeebies Senior Head of Commissioning for BBC Children's and Education says: 'The CBeebies panto has become a must-see event for many families since it started in 2009 and in that time, CBeebies' cast of much-loved personalities have played to packed houses all across the UK. Bradford will be the perfect setting for this beautifully staged show and we can't wait to bring Cinderella to life in a way that only CBeebies can do.' CBeebies Presents: Cinderella is a BBC Studios Kids & Family production. CBeebies incredible stage shows from previous years are available to watch on BBC iPlayer. HH
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC-inspired Race Across West Yorkshire event raises £40,000
Teams from across Yorkshire have raised more than £40,000 for Forget Me Not children's hospice through a racing challenge. The Race Across West Yorkshire event, on Friday, March 21, was inspired by the BBC show Race Across the World and saw 20 teams of two from local businesses race around seven secret checkpoints, including Bradford's Alhambra Theatre and the Salt Brewery in Saltaire. The teams were handed a set of maps, a travel card, snacks, and drinks, as well as a small amount of money to buy food, at 7am - and told they had 12 hours to get around all seven checkpoints, which would be revealed throughout the day. Among the competing teams was 'Simple Tim,' representing Joda Freight, and featuring Tim Smart (left) and Shaun Metcalfe (Image: Supplied) They tried to find their way around without their phones or wallets. Beginning their quest at Arthur's Café in Mirfield, the teams then had to visit Forget Me Not's charity shop on Trinity Walk in Wakefield, Junction 32 Retail Park in Castleford, Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds, the Salt Brewery in Saltaire, the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, Halifax Piece Hall, and finally Russell House, Forget Me Not's children's hospice in Huddersfield. Also competing were the Bradford Bulls team consisting of Rebecca Ball-Knight (left) and Natalie Moorhouse (Image: Supplied) The teams all carried a mascot throughout the day, purchased at the Forget Me Not shop in Wakefield. The fastest team to get around all seven checkpoints was the 'Baby Reindeers' team, representing vehicle incident management company FMG. After the race, at the John Smith Stadium in Huddersfield, team members and supporters from Bradford Bulls women's rugby team, Keighley-based haulage firm Joda Freight, Anchor Hanover Group (regional office in Bradford), FMG, The RRG Group, First Bus North and West Yorkshire, AFP Digital, CDUK, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Fullers Foods International, Froneri, HSBC, Cerberus Group, Ossett Brewery, Colourcube Automotive Accident Repair Centre, and Muslin Hall Garage gathered to hear the winners and share their stories. One of the checkpoints was the Salt Brewery in Saltaire (Image: Supplied) They also heard from Hollie Shaw, 21, one of the first young people to stay at the children's hospice, and her mother, Leah Fairbank, about how much they have enjoyed and benefited from the support of Forget Me Not. Last year, the charity supported 264 children, mums, dads, siblings, and grandparents from Bradford, either at Russell House in Huddersfield or in families' own homes. The winners were announced after the event at the John Smith Stadium in Huddersfield (Image: Mark Flynn Photography) Gareth Pierce, Forget Me Not chief executive, said: "It's been so heartening to hear about the wonderful reception all the contestants got as they travelled round West Yorkshire in their Forget Me Not hoodies." The combined fundraising total from all 20 teams is currently more than £40,000.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I want to prove to everyone that my disability doesn't define me'
A FILMMAKER with links to Bradford is raising funds for a new production - and wants to prove to everyone that his disability does not define him. Sam Judd is creating My Friend Orson Welles, a short film which promises a realistic look at how someone with a physical disability and mental health issues embraces love and romance. It will focus on John, an aspiring young screenwriter living in Leeds who battles with social anxieties surrounding his disability. At the same time, John discovers his true feelings for a childhood friend, Becky, all under the sardonic tutelage of an imaginary Orson Welles. Sam graduated from the Northern Film School in Leeds in 2019. When he was four-years-old, he had a brain stem stroke, meaning he is a full-time wheelchair user and speaks with the assistance of an electronic communication device. He said: "Getting this film made will prove to everyone - including myself - that my disability doesn't define me. "Proving people wrong is what I do best." Sam said he was "ecstatic" at the thought of making the film. "The last few weeks have had this sense of anticipation - anticipation which will hopefully climax in me winning an Oscar," he added. "One can hope anyway." Sam, of Leeds, spoke highly of Bradford. "My comedy night, You Can Laugh You Know, started at the Rockwell Community Centre in Bradford and I have fond memories of going to the Alhambra Theatre when I was younger," he said. "Pockets of culture and creativity are rife in West Yorkshire - but I find this true particularly in Leeds and Bradford." Judd is raising money for My Friend Orson Welles by crowdfunding at He hopes to raise £15,000 and shoot it over two weekends this spring. Sam said on the crowdfunding page: "My Friend Orson Welles is a love letter to cinema, the romantic comedy genre, and a potential game-changer in terms of representation of disability both in front of and behind the camera. "We intend to build a team made up of at least 50 per cent disabled cast and crew." He added: "John's feelings for Becky inhabit a world where his disability is quite rightly, an afterthought. "It does not define him. "We want the film to showcase disabled people living their ordinary lives, but with extraordinary fun, joy and playfulness, something we don't see enough of on film."
