Millgate Arts Centre – Page 7 – MILLGATE ARTS CENTRE

Ken Deighton- Rock of Saddleworth arts community

Tributes have been paid to a man described as a rock by the Saddleworth arts community. Since Kenneth Arthur Deighton MBE, aged 92, died the community have been mourning his loss. He was a founder committee member and director of the Saddleworth Festival of the Arts from 1957 until the festival finished in 2019. A man who always preferred non-stage roles, Mr Deighton was a former President of Saddleworth Musical Society, former president of Saddleworth Players and later […]

How Saddleworth Players saved Delph village

How Saddleworth Players saved Delph Village as we know it now

Preview – Bette & Joan

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford: two of the deadliest arch-rivals of all time. Born in the same year (though Davis swore ‘Crawford is 5 years older than me if she is a day’, the two fought bitterly throughout their Long and brilliant Hollywood careers. The women worked together only once, in the classic thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? in which their violent hatred of each other as rival sisters was no act. In this […]

Millgate Advent Calendar 2022

Saddleworth Players at Millgate Arts Centre annual advent calendar 2022 we hope you enjoy opening the doors on the advent calendar bringing back memories from past shows Let’s get this party started Saddleworth Players Youth Theatre… put the kettle on for a brew We’re making a list . We’re checking it twice working off the mince pies We three kings of orient are all I want for Christmas is… It’s Christmas jumper day…. Fred and […]

A trip down fading memories lane

by Ian Perks I’ve been asked to write my recollections of theatre life at Saddleworth Players as I am one of vanishingly few members who played at the Mechanics Institute which is now the car park. In 1970 I had been kicking around the local amateur theatre scene for 12 years (I started young). Mostly I played in small societies who staged their productions in church halls. The plays on offer were Lancashire comedies, thrillers […]

Spellbinding cast announced for Aladdin

Your wish is our command – announcing 2022’s spellbinding Aladdin cast! 🧞Sarah Louise-Young as Genie of the Lamp and PC World. 🧞 Will Cousins as Wishee Washee. . 🧞 Tessa Vale as Empress and Sergeant Pepper. 🧞 Dominic McChesney as Widow Twankey. 🧞Sarah Louise-Young as Genie of the Lamp and PC World. Sarah can be seen in her superb one-woman shows ‘Julie Madly Deeply’ and ‘An Evening Without Kate Bush’. She’s been a huge hit […]

The 1980s

An Actor’s Tale: 5 Decades of Saddleworth Players at the Millgate Part 2 : 1980s in a series of memories from John Tanner In the 80s I was involved in 15 plays (a record for me as I usually only do one play a season). If Poppy is reading this she will probably realise this may have coincided with Jennie being born in 1977 and David in 1980! Well it is a self indulgent hobby! […]

Ben Hur Review by Rebecca Wood

A review from the first night audience member: Wow – what an EPIC piece of theatre!!! Just 4 (tremendous) actors, multi-roling, gave a fabulous, enthralling & strory-telling performance. I can only imagine the hard work that went into this from the actors, director & crew…!! Your use of a simple, but effective multi-use set, really helped with the audiences understanding of the ‘scene setting’, from the dark dungeons to the dusty desert, we were treated […]

Ben Hur review by Martin Roche

Many congratulations to all involved in a superb team effort at Saddleworth Players at Millgate Arts Centre for their production of ‘Ben Hur.’ Four excellent performances from Mark Rosenthal, Andy Hoyle, Kate Davies and Jon Comyn-Platt: epic, hectic, chaotic, at times neurotic, consistently eccentric! It wasn’t so much directed, more choreographed by Verity Mann and the entire tech team was a tour de force. And thank you for allowing me the opportunity for audience participation […]

Ben Hur- opening night review by John Rigby

full of humour and energy John Rigby On hearing of the Saddleworth Players’ plan to put on Ben Hur at the Millgate, I must admit that my first reaction was one of bewilderment, especially as it was going to be played as a comedy. What on earth would it be like? Carry On Crashing, perhaps, or a cross between Hollywood epic and Last of the Summer Wine, with chariots lurching out of control down Stoneswood […]