Dear Players and Friends, In less than two weeks the curtains will open on Jessica Swale’s bawdy romp of a play, Nell Gwynn, which will be a feast for the eyes and ears as we travel back in time to the court of King Charles II and to the rough and ready world of the newly opened theatres. It’s a huge undertaking, a massive, talented cast and crew with music and singing alongside the drama. […]
Dear Members, So —we have a sold out show on our hands! Once Upon A Time in Wigan by Mick Martin will be playing to a packed house from the 7th to 14th February. It’s a gritty tale told by a committed team with an amazing soundtrack. It has energy and heart and feels like a very fresh look back into the roots of the Northern Soul culture. Reflective of the time and absolutely in […]
Nell Gwynn was an extraordinary woman. Born in the slums of London’s Cheapside after the Civil War, in the England of Oliver Cromwell, she was the illiterate daughter of a brothel keeper. Yet Nell Gwynn, although she only lived to 37, became one of the first and foremost English actresses as well as the favourite mistress of the restored King Charles II. I have really enjoyed directing Jessica Swale’s play. She manages to give us […]
Plays set in homes for the elderly have become almost a sub-genre of their own, and “Waiting for God” challenges the typical portrayals of old age. Diana Trent, played with bracing cynicism by Gill Barham, refuses to be a mere caricature of a dear old lady. Her sharp wit and dark humor shine through as she navigates life at the Bayview Retirement Home, alongside the larger-than-life Tom Ballard. With energetic direction by Verity Mann, this production promises an evening filled with laughter, emotional depth, and a refreshing take on aging. Don’t miss this captivating performance!
a poetic tribute to Saddleworth Players by Robert Knotts (With thanks to Trevor Baxter for his article, which inspired the writing and illustration of this poem.) (illustrations created using Loveart AI) In Delph, they gathered, the ladies so bright, At St Thomas’s Church on a frosty night. They sought more joy than hymns and tea, A stage! A script! Some artistry! The Girls’ Friendly Society took its chance, Exchanged their sewing for song and dance. […]
Waiting for God is a very funny comedy which highlights the art of growing old disgracefully. In it, Diana Trent, who is quite a rascible lady living out her retirement days in the Bay View retirement home and actually at war constantly with a conniving manager meets a new resident, Tom Ballard, who is he’s eccentric, he’s funny and very warm hearted. And there it is, a friendship that turns to romance. It’s a very […]
“A joyfully anarchic journey through Dickensian London and beyond.” When a stage play has evolved from a radio play, my experience is that they just work. Maybe it’s the approach to devising them and the characters. Maybe it’s the quality of the writers and the development process they go through. Whatever it is, they simply have a greater sense of theatre about them and invariably, it’s a winning formula.The pedigree for Bleak Expectations easily places it […]
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 […]