Lorraine Worsley-CarterLast year I was invited to attend an open day of a stately home in Middleton, Greater Manchester. I was delighted to be invited as my husband, Bob, and I had viewed the hall from afar when we spied it on one of our many walks exploring various...
Carmel ThomasonTwo of Us, the title taken from the opening song on The Beatles’ final album, looks at the friendship behind what is still probably the greatest song writing partnership of all time – John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The story has been adapted for...
Pianist, composer and technologist Zubin Kanga is performing the world première of Laurence Osborn’s Schillers Piano with Manchester Collective in Fever Dreams at the Royal Northern College of Music as part of his groundbreaking project Cyborg...
Diane ParkesNigerian dancer and choreographer Qudus Onikeku tells Diane Parkes how his new show Re:INCARNATION brings the vibe of his home city of Lagos to Salford The Nigerian megalopolis of Lagos is massive, youthful and exciting. Due to become the world’s...
Le Navet Bete describe themselves as idiots and clowns. But just like the multilayered foolery of a court jester, there is a quick-witted intelligence to their silliness giving them broad appeal. This time they’ve turned their attention to the...
In the programme notes, Michael Morpurgo admits he was sceptical when first approached about staging his 25-year-old book, War Horse using puppets. The National Theatre was keen to find a vehicle to work with South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company...
Ian FiveanklesThis autumn sees the first live outing for cult heroes The Exploding Heads: angry-about-everything Colin from Portsmouth and former-professional-footballer-turned-current-pundit Ian Fiveankles from comedy podcast Sports Horn. Ahead of their Lowry...
Dave PorterFancy seeing a production of Romeo and Juliet that’s not three hours long, which casts a vibrant new light on Shakespeare’s tale of tragic love, and one that’s blessed with moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity? Then head to Shakespeare North’s latest...
Rupert Hill, who shot to fame in 2004 as Coronation Street’s Jamie Baldwin, makes his play-writing debut this month at Hope Mill Theatre with Husk, billed as a dark twisting tale of violence, love, addiction and revenge delivered with a dose...
Liz RatcliffeThatcher’s fabulous fantasy return to Soho sees the Iron Lady get a disco makeover. Sound bizarre? Well, it’s even more of a spectacle than you might imagine. This cabaret-style extravaganza, brought to life by the formidable duo of Jon...