It’s time to play! Carousel and Home nightclub announce opening date, with bookings now open!

A recently announced city centre attraction set to add a new dynamic to the Leeds scene has revealed it will make its debut in April. Competitive socialising venue Carousel will reside on the ground floor in the venue once occupied by Tiger Tiger and promises revelers a unique entertainment experience unmatched in the city, with quality food and drink, a variety of gaming options as well as live music and DJs. Additionally, Home Nightclub can be found downstairs for those looking to dance late into the night. 

The ambitious £2.25m project has seen the venue undergo a remarkable transformation with a complete redevelopment of the space. Founded by John O’Donoghue, both venues are firmly established in Lincoln, with Home first opening its doors in 2011 and Carousel in 2021. The opening of the new sites in Leeds are part of the group’s extensive expansion plans across the UK. 

Carousel will feature private karaoke rooms, shuffleboard tables, interactive darts lanes, beer pong and a range of arcade games. Bookings are now being taken via the website, with spots available from 12pm on April 5th.

Interactive Darts offers up a modern spin on the pub classic, using real darts & a dartboard with a virtual twist incorporating elements of iconic games such as Battleships. Carousel will also boast Bank Shot Shuffleboard, a game which has taken the UK by storm over the past few years. 

Beer Pong will also be available, as well as Prosecco and Hooch versions of the hilariously fun party game. Two private karaoke booths featuring state-of-the-art equipment will give guests the chance to show off their vocal prowess, and a games arcade complete with classic machines such as Air Hockey, Basketball Hoops, Daytona Racing, Whack a Clown and more will give gaming fans a dose of nostalgia. Prices depend on the activity you choose, with Interactive Darts & Shuffleboard costing £15 per hour (off peak) for up to 6 people. 

Carousel will be serving up a tempting range of food and drink menus. Highlights from their street food-inspired menu include Asian-inspired Bao Buns, a show-stopping Big Top burger, Loaded Fries and even a mean Sunday Roast served in a Giant Yorkshire Pudding. 

Carousel’s expert mixologists have been busy crafting an innovative and quirky cocktail menu that takes its inspiration from the world of fun fairs. Signature tipples include the gin-led Tropic Like It’s Hot, the indulgently creamy Kinder Surprise and the rum-centric Down the Clown. 2-4-1 cocktails will be up for grabs from Sunday through to Friday, and a bottomless offer runs throughout the week. 

For those who want to keep the party going into the early hours, Home Nightclub will open below Carousel with two distinctly styled club rooms, aiming to deliver something new to the city’s club scene, hosting headline DJ’s playing the best of commercial, Dance & RnB.

Set to open it’s doors 4 nights a week, the multi-room nightclub boasts full scale production and multiple VIP areas. Tickets are available now for the club’s opening weekend on Friday 5th April & Saturday 6th April. 

Speaking ahead of the launch, Managing Director John O'Donoghue said:

‘’We’re thrilled to be opening our newest ventures in Leeds, it’s a great city and was my home for many years. The Light is such an iconic building and the perfect location for the combination of offers we are creating there.

This will be the first time in over 20 years something completely new and original has been brought to this great space in The Light and we are looking forward to feedback from both former and new customers.

Leeds is vibrant, independent and already has some outstanding leisure and hospitality businesses in the city centre, giving both locals and visitors a warm welcome and a great experience.

We are excited to have the opportunity to complement all that hard work and quality with our own brand of fun and entertainment in such a flagship development. We can’t wait to get the doors open and invite guests in.’’

Carousel and Home opens on Friday 5th April, with bookings available now from carousel-bars.co.uk 

To keep up to date with all the latest updates, please follow @carouselleeds 

Thackray Museum unveils groundbreaking exhibition: Fragile Microbiomes

Thackray Museum of Medicine is thrilled to announce the launch of its newest and most innovative exhibition, "Fragile Microbiomes," featuring the captivating works of internationally renowned artist Anna Dumitriu. This groundbreaking temporary exhibition is set to open its doors to the public on February 10th, 2024, offering a unique exploration of modern and contemporary art that delves into the intricacies of the microbial world. The exhibition includes sculptures and installations made using bacteria, DNA, altered vintage objects, 3D printing, textiles, video and digital technologies and will take place until 23rd June 2024. 

Fragile Microbiomes is a bold and thought-provoking showcase that transcends the boundaries of traditional art by seamlessly blending it with science. The exhibition is a testament to the transformative power of BioArt, an emerging art movement incorporating living media, such as bacteria, DNA and synthetic biology.

A highlight of the exhibition is Anna Dumitriu's masterpiece, the "Plague Dress." This stunning piece ingeniously weaves textiles, technology, and microbiology together, offering viewers a visceral experience that transcends the boundaries between art and science. Dumitriu's work contemplates the delicate balance between human health and the microscopic ecosystems that shape our world. The dress is stuffed and surrounded by lavender, which people carried during the Great Plague of London to cover the stench of infection. The silk of the dress references the Silk Road, a key vector for the spread of plague and appliquéd with 17th-Century embroideries, saturated with the DNA of Yersinia pestis bacteria (plague). 

Other incredible items being shown include Microbe Mouth (a necklace with handmade porcelain teeth coated with glazes made from oral bacteria and with a tooth actually grown from a bacterium that produces tooth enamel), Zenexton (a 3D printed amulet that contains a newly developed vaccine against the plague), Disembodied Dysbiosis (a bubbling sculpture based on a living microbial ecosystem that scientists use to learn about the gut microbiome), Make Do and Mend (an altered antique wartime women’s suit. The holes and stains in the suit have been patched with silk and linen lace patterned with pink colonies of E. coli bacteria that have been genetically modified using a technique called CRISPR) and Bacterial Baptism (a vintage christening gown that tells the story of research into how the microbiomes of babies develop, with a focus on the bacterium Clostridioides difficile).

Across the rest of the museum, expect to find: Model (a video installation in collaboration with a digital artist Alex May that shows a gut model) in the Disease Detectives gallery; Hypersymbiotics™: Post Pandemic Edition (a strange apothecary box which draws together many of the artist’s past works) in the Apothecary; Syphilis Dress (a dress with embroideries impregnated with the sterilised DNA of the Nichols strain of the bacterium – Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum) outside the STI clinic; Ex Voto, 2016 onwards (‘votive offerings’ that are hung on ribbons, stained, or dyed with sterilised bacteria, including various species of antibiotics) in the Apothecary.

Director of Collections and Programmes, Jamie Taylor, comments: “We are very excited to host an exhibition from an artist as bold and innovative as Anna Dumitriu. Her work speaks to the past, present and future of medicine and microbiology - and the mix of traditional techniques and cutting-edge science is a great fit for Thackray’s outlook. She invites us to see medical objects, including the ones in our own displays and collections, in new and transformative ways.”

Anna Dumitriu comments on the exhibition: “I am very honoured to hold this new exhibition in the wonderful location of the Thackray Museum of Medicine. I have been collaborating with Dr Jane Freeman in Leeds for over ten years, and the resulting artworks have been shown worldwide, but this is the first time they have been exhibited together in Leeds. The exhibition also includes projects with other collaborators worldwide, focusing on the microbiome, our fragile microbial ecosystem and the work here aims to explore and engage audiences in this invisible realm."

Exhibition Details:

10 Feb to 23 June

141 Beckett Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS9 7LN 

Four Leeds school students have been cast in a major re-staging of Macbeth alongside Hamilton and Bridgerton star Ash Hunter at Leeds Playhouse.

All four are members of the Playhouse’s Youth Theatre and auditioned for the roles in front of Deputy Artistic Director Amy Leach, who’s directing the production, which proved a hit in 2022 and is now returning to the Quarry theatre from 5-23 March.

Millie Soni, 12, a pupil at Allerton High School, and Kara Francis, 12, from Carr Manor Community School, have been cast as the child of Lord and Lady Macduff. Jayden Jhermaine Candala Seidi Dias, 13, from Cockburn School, and Josh Ndlovu, 14, from Trinity Academy, have been cast as Fleance, son of Banquo.   

Director Amy Leach said: “I’m so excited to be working with these four young actors – I feel so lucky to have a front row seat as they develop their skills and bring a whole new energy to the rehearsal room. I’m particularly thrilled that they’re all part of our Youth Theatre, where we give young people the time, space and resources to explore performance, to have fun – and to audition for incredible productions like Macbeth.” 

Millie said: "I’m delighted to be in the Young Company for such a famous play. As an avid reader, including many of Shakespeare’s exquisite tales, I never imagined myself getting a role in one! It feels unreal. I'm looking forward to slipping into the costume and being consumed by my character. Going from being an ordinary girl to suddenly being transported to the 11th century is going to be magical.” 

Josh said: “I’m so excited to work with amazing people off and on stage in Macbeth. What an experience – just wait for the final result!” 

Kara said: "It's like a dream come true that I am part of this experience, getting to work with such friendly and amazing people. I am so excited to start this journey with the other cast members." 

Jayden said: “I’m very excited to be a part of the play. I’ve been with the Youth Theatre for six months and am so happy to now get to play a part in Macbeth. I’m really looking forward to the rehearsals and to see how it all unfolds.”  

The Playhouse runs weekly drama sessions for 8–21 year-olds, led by outstanding professional artists and support workers. Find out more about its Youth Theatre programme.

Eleanor Manners, Leeds Playhouse Youth Theatre Director, said: “I’m super excited for the Youth Theatre members to be part of Macbeth. It’s such a brilliant opportunity for them to experience the intensive rehearsal process and develop in terms of performance, skills and confidence. It’s one of the many wonderful things about being part of Youth Theatre at the Playhouse that members get to take part in closed auditions for our productions. Not only can they reap the benefits of our facilities, access to shows and sessions working with talented artists, but they also might end up in a major show on our main stage.” 

When it first staged Macbeth in 2022, the Playhouse welcomed 69 school groups from across Yorkshire, introducing more than 5,000 students to the excitement and lasting resonance of the play – and giving some of them their first electrifying experience of live theatre.  

The Playhouse has added even more school-friendly matinee performances this time around and is offering schools an exciting programme of resources and activities connected with the production to bring additional depth and breadth to students’ appreciation of this incredible play. 

The young quartet will act alongside Ash Hunter, who played Alexander Hamilton in the hit West End musical in 2018/19 and starred as Heathcliff in Emma Rice’s acclaimed production of Wuthering Heights at the National Theatre. His TV credits include Netflix mega hit Bridgerton, Alma’s Not Normal (BBC Two), Grace (ITV), The Trial of Christine Keeler (BBC One) and Death in Paradise (BBC One). 

They will also work with Jessica Baglow as Lady Macbeth, who achieved widespread acclaim in the role when the production was first staged at the Playhouse in 2022. Jessica has worked extensively in theatre, film and TV since childhood, appearing as a series regular in both ITV’s Where The Heart Is and the BBC’s Waterloo Road. Her extensive theatre credits include Pericles at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, for which she received an Ian Charleson Award Commendation.