We are delighted to have be awarded a grant from Theatres Trust which enabled us to purchase new LED Lighting to improve the quality of shows and attract more external shows. The new lighting will be first used in Bleak Expectations in May. Our lighting rig, a stock of 60+ conventional fixtures and 4 LED RGB pars, plus a 48 way dimmer bank, needed modernising for Saddleworth Players shows , concerts and visiting play groups […]
Opening Night Review by Peter Fitton “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” seems to be Farnworth-writer Jim Cartwright’s tribute to Shelagh Delaney’s “A Taste Of Honey”. Blowsy, mutton-dressed-as-lamb mother, Mari, despairs of her misfit daughter, LV, whilst trying to hang on to her fancy man, Ray Say. Wayward parenting certainly looms large and both plays walk a tightrope between the mother’s brash, slatternly lifestyle and the daughter’s desperate need to escape loneliness and neglect. […]
two shows in rehearsal The building repair work planned from the 26th May means we have a very truncated season with Bleak Expectations coming hotly on the heels of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. We would usually have a comfortable 7 weeks rehearsal period on stage but we’ll have just under 4 which includes Easter and bank holidays! Nothing daunted, our fabulous cast have set up camp in my living room and we’re […]
The Rise & Fall of Little Voice is my first involvement in a production with Saddleworth Players, as I have mainly been directing/acting at The Lyceum/Curtain Theatres with shows such as Calendar Girls, Dads Army, Heroes and Death of a Salesman. That’s been the case for the last 30 plus years. So I am old but in good working second hand order. Little Voice has been described as a grim northern fairy tale but its […]
Read the opening night review of The Children in the Saddleworth Independent (reproduced below with permission). SADDLEWORTH Players have once again showcased their talent with an excellent production of The Children at Millgate Arts Centre in Delph. Written by Lucy Kirkwood, the play first premiered at The Royal Court in London, earning great critical acclaim, including the 2018 Writer’s Guild Award for Best Play and a Tony Award nomination. Recognised by The Guardian as one of the top three […]
Saddleworth Players have chosen a difficult, challenging play for their latest production. Haunting Julia, written in 1994, was a departure from Alan Ayckbourn’s usual repertoire of comedies involving dysfunctional families trying to get one over each other, or the neighbours. There are not many laughs in Haunting Julia, just the occasional barb of black humour which draws rather uneasy laughter from the audience. “The production team at the Millgate always produce good sets, and this […]
As the clocks turned back and the moors darkened, November welcomed the inaugural ‘Words Among the Heather’, a new poetry, spoken word and storytelling night at Millgate Arts Centre, in Delph. The evening was a great success, with a wide range of local poets, artists and raconteurs sharing their rousing writing. There was sincerity, tenderness, humour and, above all, bon homie, as a warm, welcoming crowd was entertained by the wonderful writers of Saddleworth, Oldham […]
Hello! I am delighted to be directing Haunting Julia, a spine-tingling ghost story to warm us on a chilly November evening. I now have the excitement of transforming my ideas for the production into reality! Aren’t I lucky? The cast is in place, rehearsals have begun, and we are enjoying teasing out the qualities and motives of the three very different men involved in the action. All three need answers to the untimely death, 12 […]
IT DOES not take a super sleuth to detect the quality in Clue. The Saddleworth Players’ production of Clue at the Millgate Arts Centre is nothing short of spectacular! Based on the 1985 cult-classic film and the beloved Cluedo board game, this show is a blend of side-splitting comedy and thrilling murder mystery. The moment you walk in, you can see the effort that has been put in as soon as you take your seat. The stage […]
Opening Night review of Clue by James Schofield