Events and actions taking place this month in Greater Manchester.
From Mariupol to Manchester: How arts and culture are helping Ukrainians to heal
The war in Ukraine has destroyed cultural venues, but artists are using their talents to keep Ukraine’s stories alive and assist the war effort.
Rochdale’s Breaking Barriers production company is raising the bar with new project ‘Elevation’
Blackstone Edge is the setting for an immersive experience that adds new meaning to this iconic landscape.
Book Review: The Rentier City by Isaac Rose
The Rentier City takes a geographical approach to arguing against the latest form of neoliberal conquest sweeping Manchester. Hinged on the concept of rentierism, something which writer Isaac Rose argues has been an undercurrent in the shaping of the city we see today, the book makes a wider warning about cities in the UK at large. Published by Repeater Books, the book makes its case by charting the Manchester story from the end of industrialisation to the present day, via historical examples of resistance, class struggle, racial equality, politically managed decline and Manchester’s obsession with memorialising certain aspects of its history.
Rochdale Festival of Ideas
In March, Rochdale hosted its first ‘Festival of Ideas’. Coinciding with the reopening of the renovated Rochdale Town Hall, it brought together artists, musicians, community groups, and schools to explore the power of creativity in bringing together everyone across Rochdale’s diverse community.
The Fête of Britain in Manchester’s hands
“Cancel your sodding Netflix account and start doing things together”, says Brian Eno
Interview with Stephen Wilkinson, founder of Sober Gay Socials
Dry January has ended, temperance is no longer topical. However, taking a break from booze or stopping altogether is something which is increasingly talked about, with one third of under 25s choosing not to drink at all, it seems abstinence is here to stay for some.
Panto flash mob gather to save Oldham Coliseum building
The Oldham Coliseum closed its doors for the final time on 31 March this year with their emotional farewell performance, ‘Encore’. Last weekend, on what would have been the opening performance of the theatre’s renowned pantomime, members of the Save Oldham Coliseum Campaign Group formed a flash mob through the town in a bid to reopen the Fairbottom Street building.
Why my biography of folk producer Bill Leader is really a social history of the Twentieth Century
When music critic Mike Butler discovered a folk legend in Manchester’s midst it was the beginning of much more than an adventure in sound.
Interview with Kevin Leach, technical manager at Oldham Coliseum
Kevin Leach worked at Oldham Coliseum since June 2006. For about 14 years he was a stage technician before becoming technical manager just before the pandemic. Though having to deal with redundancy himself, he campaigned to save the theatre too, and has posed questions to Oldham Council in his fight for answers and assurances for his colleagues.