Competitions

Get on the guest list for the Lucy Siegle talk at the Whitworth

As part of our February Boutique Weekender, we are offering three readers the chance to win a pair of tickets each to a talk by Lucy Siegle at the Whitworth Art Gallery on Friday 24 February at 6.30pm.

The Whitworth’s latest exhibition, COTTON: Global Threads takes a look at how we produce and consume that most ubiquitous of fabrics, taking in everything from contemporary art to cotton’s seamier side. And it is just this dark side of cotton that Observer columnist and One Show presenter Lucy Siegle wants to talk to you about. Lucy has written a book on ‘fast fashion’ and in her talk at the Whitworth provides that rarest of opportunities: the chance to find out how you can dress ethically without swathing yourself head-to-foot in hemp.

For your chance to win, simply answer the following question: Which gallery will Lucy give her talk at?

The competition closes at 9am, Monday 13 February.

Terms and conditions: The winner will be the first correct entry selected at random from all correct entries received. No purchase necessary. No cash alternative given. Employees of Creative Tourist and the Whitworth Art Gallery, and associated companies, are not eligible to enter. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners will be notified as soon as possible after the closing date. Only one entry per person. Entrants will automatically be added to the Creative Tourist mailing list. Closing Date: 9am, Monday 13 February.

Win tickets to see Wonderful Town at The Lowry

Win tickets to see the brand new production of Wonderful Town at The Lowry this spring and we’ll throw in a few drinks to boot

Wonderful Town is one of those gently amusing musicals that harks back to a more innocent age, one where two sisters pitch up in New York to make their fortune and manage to find romance along the way. Originally premiering in New York in 1953, the Leonard Bernstein musical has won more than its fair share of awards, and yet it hasn’t been performed in the UK since 1986.

All that is about to change, as the Royal Exchange, the Hallé Orchestra (headed up by the near-legendary Sir Mark Elder) and The Lowry work together for the first time to bring Wonderful Town to the Salford stage. The show stars Connie Fisher (star of the Sound of Music), who is backed by a cast of all-round greats.

But getting the play from Broadway to Manchester wasn’t all plain sailing. It has been five years in the planning and not everyone thought it was a feat that could be pulled off.

“When we finally said we’d do it, my heart actually sank,” says Braham Murray, Joint Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange. “I hadn’t done a musical for twenty years and … getting people good enough to act, dance and sing – twenty years ago you just couldn’t find those people.”

Luckily for Murray, times have changed. He auditioned 400 dancers over a gruelling three days and “they could act and they could sing and I found I had the most fantastic ensemble,” he says. “Every single principal in the show, all twelve of them, were my first choices, and now I can’t wait. This is my 71^st production for the Royal Exchange and it is one of the most exciting I will ever face.”

To celebrate this first ever partnering-up of the three artistic organisations, Creative Tourist and The Lowry are offering a pair of tickets to the press preview of the show on Wednesday 4 April (7.30pm), along with a £30 voucher to spend on food and drinks at The Lowry for one lucky winner. To enter, all you have to do is answer the question below, agree to join the Creative Tourist mailing list (we don’t share data and we don’t bombard you with rubbish) and cross your fingers. The winner will be picked at random on Monday 26 March.

Along with The Lowry and the Royal Exchange, which orchestra is involved with this production of Wonderful Town?

Closing date: 9am, Monday 26 March 2012. Wonderful Town runs 31 March-14 April 2012 at The Lowry (£26.50-£42.50) before touring across the UK.

Terms and conditions: The winner will be the first correct entry selected at random from all correct entries received. No purchase necessary. No cash alternative given. Employees of Creative Tourist and The Lowry, Royal Exchange Theatre and Halle Orchestra, and associated companies, are not eligible to enter. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners will be notified as soon as possible after the closing date. Only one entry per person. Entrants will automatically be added to the Creative Tourist mailing list. Closing Date: 9am, Monday 26 March.