Theatre through the eyes of a Manc
Fereshteh Mozaffari is the founder of of Sheba Arts and has lived in two different countries, Iran and the UK. Bring Me the Mountain is her new work in progress, which delves into the devastating impact that being a refugee can have on mental health. Although it firmly states in the programme that this is not... Continue Reading →
Are we alone in the universe? Does extraterrestrial life exist? In Signals, two data analysts search the skies for the answers. Working in a radio telescope and scanning space for signals of alien life may sound exciting, but in reality, you don't even get to look at the night sky. Instead, there are endless nights... Continue Reading →
Immersive theatre appears to be everywhere at the moment. More venues, like London's Bridge Theatre, use thrust stages, with the audience surrounding the action, to provide a 'fully immersive experience'. This is what the Bridge Theatre's website boasts when booking pit tickets. For their recent production of Julius Caesar, the audience became the citizens of... Continue Reading →
In 1947, Harold Pinter formed the Hackney Gang with five childhood friends, including Mick Goldstein and Henry Woolf. The three remained friends for sixty years, and the experiences of the gang were immortalised in literature when Pinter wrote his only novel, The Dwarfs. Harold based the central character, Len, on Mick. Goldstein responded by writing... Continue Reading →
After being turned away from a nightclub for being "too black", four women joined together in a sisterhood of solidarity to tell their stories of the casual racism, oppression, and misogyny that they face every day. A collaboration between Nouveau Riché and Omnibus Theatre, Queens of Sheba brings their experiences to the stage, combining spoken... Continue Reading →
The nights are drawing in and the weather is getting colder. Starbucks are selling pumpkin spiced latte and the local scallies are already setting off fireworks. Autumn is certainly well under way. October is the perfect time of year to watch a play, and there are many excellent shows on offer in Manchester this month.... Continue Reading →
Welcome to The Pub. This is the pub in Valletta, Malta, where Oliver Reed died. There is beer, rum and cheese available, and Simply Red are playing on the jukebox. This is where expats come to drink, and Oliver Reed fans come to pay their respects, or buy a merchandised t-shirt or a mug with... Continue Reading →
The skylines of Manchester and Salford are littered with towering cranes. Skyscrapers are constantly springing up, consisting of luxury apartments and five star hotels. Affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce. Whilst regeneration is seen as signifying a city's prosperity, little thought is given to the properties demolished and the local communities destroyed by it. Residents... Continue Reading →
Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre are no strangers in allowing women to play Shakespeare's most famous characters. In 2014, they received critical acclaim when an androgynous Maxine Peake played Hamlet, although the central character remained male. In the first play of their Autumn/Winter season, the Royal Exchange have fully switched the gender of Macbeth, changing Shakespeare's... Continue Reading →
