It's a bit of a world first at Matt's Comedy Club, Worthing, on 11 April with an ingenious charity 'pay as you laugh' Open Mic night.

MC and co-founder Russ Bravo explains: "We thought it would be fun to try something different and raise funds for a good local cause at the same time.

Ian Hunter, Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham, West Sussex
View: At the front, stage right.

One of rock's enduring troubadours was on top form in Sussex recently, showcasing material from his new album When I'm President, plus choice gems from both his solo back catalogue and Mott the Hoople's part in rock's legacy.

 

Expect mind-bloggling tricks, witty banter and daft songs aplenty at the final show of 2012 for Worthing's Matt's Comedy Club.

The town's family-friendly comedy club has a high class line-up in store at The Empress Suite on Worthing seafront, on Thursday 1 November.

Headline act is the extraordinary comedy magician John Archer, star of ITV's Fool Penn & Teller last year.

The Gothic drama and anguish of Dickens' Great Expectations was delivered powerfully in Jo Stafford's well judged adaptation at Brighton's Theatre Royal last night.

It was an eerie night's entertainment that left you with more questions than answers, as Dickens' grotesque characters wrestled their way through a period piece that challenged, chilled and chastened in equal measure.

Quirky singer-songwriter Jenny Lockyer tops the bill at the next Matt's Comedy Club open mic night on 27 September (8pm), along with a stack of local acts old and new in support.

"It's a great chance to spot a star in the making," says Russ Bravo, MC at the family-friendly club, "and we still have a limited number of spots available."

 

Back in 2003, the idea of a website where people could have their own profile page, write their own content and leave comments on what they read was something special. That shows how far we’ve come in under ten years; that’s the everyday stuff that we’re all familiar with now.

But when James Fryer from BabyLamb suggested it to Revolutionary Arts in 2003, we knew it could be something that caught on. A sign-in for users, their own profile page, a content management system that made it easy to become a citizen journalist and the chance to upload images too all made the site a success.

Over 1500 users have since contributed nearly 3000 events, reviews and articles to the site. Initially focused on Worthing, the site soon spread across Sussex and the South Coast, and as Revolutionary Arts worked further afield the site followed.

Matt's Comedy Club Worthing returns with another night packed with family-friendly mirth on 26 July when top writer and performer Paul Kerensa is the headliner.

Paul (below, right) has been gigging steadily around the UK and Europe for at least the last 10 years, picking up a number of awards with his genial mix of gags, clever observation and themed shows at the Edinburgh Festival.
 

Paul Rodgers – Chichester The Venue
31/5/12

View: front, left of stage. Ears: ringing

It's an old truism that blues rockers get better with age, and a packed out crowd in West Sussex were given ample evidence as ex-Free and Bad Company front man Paul Rodgers delivered a vintage show in his only UK appearance this year.

Theatre Absolute are premiering a new work by award-winning writer Chris O’Connell in a former empty shop.

ARCADE is a short play and will be performed at the UK’s only professional Shop Front Theatre in City Arcade, in the heart of Coventry City centre.

Performed by Midlands actors Katy Stephens and John Flitcroft, ARCADE is a mixture of guilt, memory and desire - a passion play for two characters.