Carmel ThomasonPride in Trafford is five and fabulous, commissioning brand new work for the 4-day festival, with more than half of the events free to either attend or participate in. Carmel Thomason caught up with Waterside Arts Centre Manager, Darren Adams to...
Manchester Guitar Festival returns to the Stoller Hall for a second year with headline performances from Eric Bibb, Miguel PĂ©rez and Aquarelle Guitar Quartet. And this year there are lots of opportunities for everyone to get involved. Carmel...
World-class, specialist dance school the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) at The Lowry, is recruiting young dancers for its Autumn intake. Carmel Thomason talked to CAT Manager, Sally Wyatt to find out more: Sally Wyatt Centre for Advanced...
Sir Ian McKellen may or may not be a real wizard, but he is certainly a knight in shining armour for theatre. I’ve seen many a Christmas pantomime, more recently Easter pantomimes, but never before a pantomime that spanned both seasons, with no gap...
Martin ThomassonQuestions concerning who should be permitted to write about certain topics and, more pointedly, which actors should be allowed to play certain roles have become increasingly vexed in recent times. I don’t wish to poke my finger into wounds that are...
Dave PorterStructurally, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has more than its fair share of problems. As Gore Vidal perceptively noted, the first act should not work: it is long and drawn out and relies heavily on exposition. And at more than three hours long, the play...
Georgina WellsMove over Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and the rest of Henry’s wives – there’s a new queen in town. Cake: the Marie Antoinette Playlist gives the notorious French queen the Six treatment in this gig musical that fuses pop, rap, contemporary ballet...
Steve TimmsWho killed Oldham Coliseum? That’s the question many are asking as this historic local theatre closes after over 100 years of business. A theatre which has survived two world wars, a global pandemic, and which helped launch the careers of Stan...
War in Europe, the far right in the streets with their dog whistles, and a sharp rise in anti-Semitism: it’s not hard to see parallels between the inter-war period and today’s political landscape, where Putin invades a neighbouring country on the...
Leos Janacek’s three-act opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, is a peculiar beast – part children’s folk tale, part tragedy, part modestly profound meditation on the cycle of life. It’s a difficult piece to mount successfully, but Opera North’s...