A heartwarming and hilarious comedy delivered with aplomb and professionalism The Saddleworth Constable by Martin Paul Roche Review by Jane Lum It’s always a treat to visit Saddleworth Players at the Millgate Arts Centre. Not only is it a gem of a little theatre in the heart of Delph, but the Players themselves are known to stretch the boundaries with a season that packs a punch with both modern and traditional plays. They also do […]
Become a Board Director at Millgate Arts Centre Millgate Arts Centre is a community theatre in Saddleworth with a clear purpose. We are working to Build the Future and we’re building the board to match with several vacancies available. This is a moment of real change. We have had some exciting developments in the last 5 years and have exciting plans for summer 2027, but this is not just the development of a building, but […]
At it’s core it’s a love story…. When I write, I am constantly referencing how the work would or could be directed and presented. If it’s not achievable in any aspect (casting, staging, cost, selling etc) it’s potentially a lovely idea and story which no one will ever see. I also have an eye on the marketplace because I write stories which I enjoy but hope others will too. I think ‘The Saddleworth Constable’ is […]
By Leslie Kerwin @ Saddleworth Independent (reproduced by permission) “I’VE BEEN involved at the Lyceum and at the Playhouse 2 in Shaw – but this is the place which feels like home.” So says Pauline Walsh, theatre director and long-time member of the Millgate Arts Centre in Delph. Strewn across the stage behind her sits a podium, balcony, and a large banner that reads ‘Degrees for Women’ – the leftovers of the theatre’s latest play, Blue Stockings. But on this one unusual […]
In summer 2026 we will complete some structural repair to the internal wall of the bar to provide damp proofing against the Saddleworth weather and replace the stairs as preparation for exciting work in 2027. We’re delighted to announce that Millgate Arts Centre has been funded by Oldham Council, working with Action Together, who has set up the Community Regeneration Partnership Capital Grants Programme as part of Oldham’s Levelling Up agreement with the government. This […]
Millgate Arts Centre are delighted to announce the next two phases of ‘Building the Future’. We have already completed phase 1 have had some amazing support from generous donors to continue to improve our community theatre. Phase 1: summer 2025 We rebuilt the iconic front of the building that was falling down, we replaced rotten joints and floorboards on the stage and improved the insulation, heating and electrical wiring behind the curtain, and added new […]
Our third Phase of the ‘Building the Future’ appeal at Millgate Arts Centre will land in summer 2027: We are planning to develop the bar to create a flexible space that will act as a bar and studio theatre: Flexible studio theatre space for 60 audience members, new bar, new kitchen, installation of a lift to improve access for audience members and rebuild the front 4 rows of the main auditorium to move entrances to […]
Opening night review of Blue Stocking at the Millgate Arts Centre, Delph.
Dear Members and Friends, There are just three weeks to go before opening night for Jessica Swale’s Blue Stockings; the story of the first female students to attend Girton College Cambridge against a back drop of misogyny and ridicule. (Blood boiling as I think of it!) Of course now is the time when everyone involved is in a flurry of line learning, stage and large props building and painting,, small props collecting etc. etc. For […]
In 1896 Girton College Cambridge was the first college to admit women. If you were a young woman at University in the 1800’s you would face long walks from out of town colleges to attend lecture, mocked by other students and teachers, forced to sit at the back, have your work left unmarked or rejected, denied entry into lectures as tutors would deem you unworthy of their time, humiliated in the street and as universities […]