What do the circus and US politics have in common? Ask these Black and brown circus artists

International Black Indigenous Circus Week in Philadelphia brings together artists specializing in aerial, juggling clowning and more for various panels and showsIn an industrial building in north Philadelphia, teal and red fabric used for aerial tricks dangled from the high ceiling. Alyssa Bigbee, the co-founder of the Philadelphia-based International Black Indigenous Circus Week, called on five performers to circle around for the first rehearsal of their circus show titled The Rebellion: Anarchy. “Remember to breathe. Remember to pace yourself,” Bigbee told the group of mostly Black and brown artists. “Lean on each other and feed off of each other in terms of energy

‘We were being watched by the KGB’: how Scorpions made Wind of Change

‘A guy from our record company told me to take out the whistling. I said no way. When the song went through the roof, he came to me, bent over and said, “Kick my ass!”’Being a West German band made playing the Soviet Union in the late 1980s particularly special. We’d grown up in a divided country and had tried many times to play in East Germany, but they would never let us in. When we did our first gig in what was then Leningrad, the atmosphere was a bit grey, not very colourful or rock’n’roll – but hearts started opening up over the course of the 10 gigs we did in the city

Josh Pyke: ‘I turned around and throat-punched the guy – and the whole gig stopped’

Your EP Feeding the Wolves turns 20 this year. Have you ever fed a wolf?I’ve never fed a wolf. But I have fed a fox once. When I used to tour the UK, I’d always try and go for runs to stay fit on the road. We’d usually end up staying in these industrial areas just outside of town

My cultural awakening: a Bastille show helped me get over my crippling Covid-era anxiety

I was afraid to be near people for two-and-a-half years, but then I got a chance to meet the band I loved – and the experience changed everythingI have always had a degree of health anxiety, but when Covid hit, it really spiked. At home with the family, I made sure we washed all our food and even then I didn’t feel safe eating it. I would bring in the post and then be worried about touching the front door. I’d shower for ages, trying to wash the virus away.I’m a journalist, so before the anxiety set in I was a pretty outgoing and adaptable person

The Guide #208: How theatre is holding its own in the age of artificial intelligence

Last year, more than 37 million people settled their behinds into the red-velvet upholstery, plastic chairs or wooden “I’ll only tolerate this because it’s the Globe” benches of a theatre. West End attendance has reportedly grown by 11% and regional audiences have increased by 4% since 2019 – pretty impressive amid a cost of living crisis and after a pandemic that had us all locked in our houses.The increase in attendance can be chalked up to all sorts of reasons: the post-Covid return of tourists to the UK, schemes offering more reasonably priced tickets, and big films such as Wicked leaving people wondering what that Defying Gravity note sounds like live. But I’d throw another contender into the mix: the rise of AI.For some, AI’s arrival has been exciting or, at the very least, handy – who doesn’t want to outsource life’s grunt work, or get an expert photo editor/nutritionist/therapist for nothing? For others, it feels bleak and bewildering

From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

Spinal Tap II: The End ContinuesOut nowFollowing up one of the greatest comedies ever made is a tough act, but here come Rob Reiner et al to have a bash at rekindling the magic. Luckily the subject matter of an ageing band still determined to take it to 11 has plenty of real-world touchstones to keep this particular parody relevant.From Ground Zero: Stories from GazaOut nowTwenty-two directors come together via producer Rashid Masharawi and exec producer Michael Moore to create this documentary about Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, which – as reported by a UN special committee, Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières – has created the largest group of child amputees per capita in history and created a deliberate man-made famine, among other violations of international law.The Long WalkOut nowIn a version of the United States ruled by a fascist regime, a group of young men take part in a contest where they must always walk a speed of at least three miles per hour or be shot by their military chaperones. So it’s got a Squid Game meets Hunger Games vibe, based on the 1979 novel by Stephen King