We moved to Saddleworth from the midlands just over three years ago and after finding our feet . . . we found the Millgate Theatre! At that first visit I realised that I had sung on that very stage with my bluegrass band probably 10 or more years previously. So, it’s been a while! I loved the first play we saw and was fortunate to bump into the leading lady a few days later who […]
I’m excited to be making my directorial debut at the Millgate Arts Centre with the production of Murder, Margaret and Me by Philip Meeks. In the early 1960s, two national treasures, Agatha Christie (played by Gill Barham) and Margaret Rutherford (played by Lisa Kay), were the creative force behind one of British cinema’s most successful franchises. But the Miss Marple films were almost never made. Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie didn’t want the world renowned […]
Review of opening night by Gemma Carter at Saddleworth Independent . original post link SADDLEWORTH theatregoers are being transported across the Atlantic and back in time in the most Glorious way. For Saddleworth Players’ latest production is an undoubted hit. Glorious tells the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, an enthusiastic soprano whose pitch was far from perfect, becoming known as ‘the first lady of the sliding scale.’ Transforming the theatre at Millgate Arts Centre sounds […]
sign up for training session as stage manager with Saddleworth Players
I am super delighted to be directing Glorious! by Peter Quilter, which is the next play to be performed by Saddleworth Players at the Millgate Arts Centre. Set in 1944, this delightful comedy tells just part of the story (the funniest part) of the extremely eccentric socialite, Florence Foster Jenkins (Sue Radcliffe) , probably one of the world’s worst singers, who never hit a right note, despite her stoic belief in her vocal excellence. Outrageously, […]
Audition Notice Lizzy, Darcy and Jane by Joanna Norland 10th January 2024. 7.30pm in the Bar lounge Pride and Prejudice meets Bridgerton in this modern imagining of a world where Jane Austen creates one of her best loved novels from the people and situations that surround her. Expect simple staging sumptuous costumes and sparkling dialogue in this witty ensemble piece with interactions between factual and fictional characters. We are looking for a happy band of […]
by Verity Mann My last count for costumes was 72 which makes it, possibly, our most ambitious project to date and Singers, not Sinners, by Livi Michael and Carol Davies, a walk in the historic park! I could well be wrong on the count though, as once I got above 60 I gave into a little mild, incredulous panic! When you consider that each costume has multiple elements from hats and goggles to socks and shoe […]
NO-ONE can deny Carol Davies’ commitment to making sure a 50th anniversary is marked in the right way – a day-and-a-half making lobster costumes exemplified that.
Throw in controlling 23 cast members, to the point of putting fingers on lips to make sure they stay quiet – with the older ones needing telling most.
That is just a glimpse of what is going into Alice at the theatre at Delph’s Millgate Arts Centre.
It’s 50 years since the Saddleworth Players moved into Millgate Arts Centre, and to mark the occasion director Carol Davies has assembled a cast of 23. Some are veterans of the very first productions at Millgate, and others are drawn from the SPY group of young actors. All of them act their socks off in this production of Alice, by Laura Wade. This is not Alice in Wonderland as you may remember it from childhood. […]
What an interesting play for Saddleworth Players to choose to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their moving into Millgate Arts Centre. With a big cast of 23, it is an opportunity to use their range of actors from Seasoned Seniors (who had been in the first plays at Millgate) to Aspiring Apprentices and those in between. Equally it is an opportunity for the crew- set, costume, props, lighting, visuals and sound- to show their creativity. […]