downsmail.co.uk
Funeral for tragic Titch
THE funeral of popular Francis "Titch" O'Sullivan has taken place in Leeds village. The service, at- tended by hundreds of friends, family and colleagues, was held at St Nicholas Church in Lower Street. Mr O'Sullivan (52) died when he
fell from his buggy during the Sut- ton Valence pram race on New Year's Day. The Langley resident, who often
served behind the bar in the George Inn in Leeds, was riding on a Spit- fire-themed vehicle when it flipped over. He sustained severe injuries and
died later in hospital. The father of three had served in
the army as a tank driver. No decision has been made as to
the future of the charity pram race. Floral tributes have been left at the George Inn since the accident.
Cardiac arrest
THE air ambulance landed at Mote Park in Maidstone after emergency services were alerted. The crew as- sisted a man who had suffered a cardiac incident shortly after noon on Monday, February 6. The man was taken by road to the William Harvey’s specialist coronary unit at Ashford.
News
Hazli to be sounding board for major stars?
THEHazlitt in Maidstone is casting itself in a new
role...as a testing ground before major acts take their shows on tour. The Earl Street venue, which has
just hosted comedian Stephen K Amos, and has newcomer and Fringe frontrunner Rachel Parris lined up for March 17, hopes other rising stars including JamesWilson- Taylor, from Ginger Is The New Black, will appear. The idea is part of a move by the Hazlitt’s newly-appointed general manager and marketing and devel- opment manager, Martin Cleverley and Michelle Woodland – the dou- ble act running the venue for Park- land Theatres, along with the borough council. Michelle became the Hazlitt’snew marketing and development man- ager in November and says the inti- mate 345-seat venue is the perfect testing ground for new talent. Those already tempted to check in
this year include Danny Baker on March 18, as part of his Cradle to Stage tour, Ed Byrne, with his Spoiler Alert, in October and another undisclosed “top name comic” in-
General manager Martin Cleverley, pictured left, and marketing man- ager Michelle Woodland have high hopes for the Hazlitt
terested in testing audiences at the town centre venue. Michelle said: “We are well- known for our pantomimes and probably, quite wrongly, as a venue for tribute bands. Now we are keen to extend our audiences and put the theatre on the map with newcomers looking to try out their talents before embarking on national tours.We are also hoping to add two-day per- formances to our portfolio to attract some of the larger shows.” Martin Cleverley added: “The Ha-
zlitt is often the starting point on the journey for many household names which proves it has been and will continue to be at the forefront for
quality live entertainment. The next few years will see the Hazlitt turn into a venue offering a wide variety of entertainment, which will include some verywell-known acts and pro- ductions, to work alongside its de- sire to unearth new talent.” He says new strategies, new gen-
res of entertainment and more in- house work will all be used to provide audiences with more of what theywant in future. The theatre – which opened in
1955 – benefits from two additional small venues under the same roof, called the FourthWall Studio, with a capacity of 60, and the 140-seat Ex- change Studio.
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www.downsmail.co.uk Maidstone March 2017 27
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