Join Oldham Coliseum to experience Barbara, an evening of crumpets, candlelight and crooning inspired by a real person's experience of dementia.

Preview by Steve Cooke

As part of their spring programme Oldham Coliseum are presenting Barbara a unique, cosy, funny and uplifting cabaret style show.

Dementia affects 982,00 people in the uk, yet open conversations about it remain rare, this show aims to change that .      

Manchester based writer, performer and theatre maker, Mark Croasdale’s brings Barbara to Oldham as part of a tour of their unique, cabaret show, inspired by their grandma’s experience of dementia.

After his grandma, Barbara, was diagnosed with dementia, Mark Croasdale decided to encourage more discussion around dementia, creating a cabaret-style show that brings his grandmother's life and experience of dementia to the stage in a caring and compassionate way.

The hour-long performance combines well-known songs rewritten with playful lyrics, chances for audience conversation and a free crumpet for every attendee.

As part of their work, the creative team and staff from Oldham Coliseum Theatre spent time at Oldham Library meeting residents.

Barbara – Thursday 27 March, 7.30pm, Billingtons

Tickets - £9 - £18

Book online at coliseum.org.uk

Mark Croasdale is an interdisciplinary artist and theatre maker inciting gentle, radical change through cosy, quality encounters. Their work spans performance, installation, public happenings, and participatory experiences.

Mark curates experiences that embrace vulnerability and nurture connection by finding joy in the unexpected and often neglected conversations. Through storytelling, world building and wellbeing practices Mark works to create sheltered environments that reframe the ‘normal’ world around us to uncover complexity and wonder in the mundane.

Mark’s work is fluid, transformative, with a sense of magic to it, always embracing the humour in being human. It’s work that gives people permission to be challenged and to speak. It’s comfortable confrontation.  

Mark graduated Manchester Metropolitan University in 2007 with a degree in Creative Writing and Drama