Digest: Peter Hall heckles, Alan Moore sings & the Taylor Wessing Prize...

Member of insular religious community subject of prize-winning photograph

Margarita Teichroeb from the series Menonos, by Jordi Ruiz Cirera © Jordi Ruiz Cirera

A 28-year-old Londoner Jordi Ruiz was awarded the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize last night, for his image of a Bolivian woman from the Mennonite community - a religious sect originating in 16th-century Germany. The Mennonites are characterised partly by their prohibition of images, thus the reluctant countenance of Magarita Teichroeb, pictured at her Mother's house by Ruiz. His winning picture beat 5,340 works by 2,352 applicants for the first prize.  See the image and the runners-up at the  Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 exhibition from 8 November to 17 February 2013 at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Sir Peter Hall heckles West End Checkhov

Sir Peter Hall has issued an apology to Downton Abbey actress Laura Carmichael for ‘heckling' her climactic speech in Uncle Vanya at the Vaudeville Theatre London at its opening night last Friday. He allegedly made derogatory comments, which he has since attributed to confusion after he had fallen asleep (they sound pretty lucid to us). Neither scenario is a particular commendation for the production, which also stars Anna Friel, Ken Stott and Sam West. WhatsOnStage.com's Michael Coveney even welcomed the injection of a bit of life into proceedings: it ‘reminded us that this was live theatre after all'. We beg to differ, after enjoying it immensely last week, particularly the quietly painful ending which Carmichael (making her West End debut) does credit to.

Alan Moore sings for Occupy

Occupy might have been forced to, well, unoccupy St Paul's and Finsbury Square, but one high-profile backer and creator of their V for Vendetta-style masks, Alan Moore has recorded a song in support. Titled ‘The Decline of English Murder', it's probably fair to say it's more about meaning than musicianship, and that meaning is not exactly buried in obscure metaphors or double entendre, e.g.: ‘The houses in which they've invested their city bonuses / Have increased the property prices and therefore the homelessness'. Magic. Listen above.