previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
MIDWEEK COLUMN WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH 2025
M6 11-13 Youth Theatre group of Ravers.
Preview by Steve Cooke
M6 Youth Theatre presents Ravers, by Rikki Beadle-Blair
A rag tag group of self-described ‘neeks’ (nerds and geeks) gather at midnight in a local park, to hold a ‘dry rave’. (no intoxicants). Will they succeed in redefining ‘cool’? Or will the powers that be succeed in shutting down the neek revolution?
Tickets: Pay What You Feel
The group will be performing twice at M6 Studio before taking part in the National Theatre Connections Festival at HOME on Friday 25 April.
The performances at M6 Studio will take place on:
Monday 24 March & Tuesday 25 March at 7:30pm.
M6 Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Hamer CP School, Albert Royds Street, Rochdale OL16 2SU
Phone: 01706 355898
Visit: www.m6theatre.co.uk
Of Mice and Men
Preview by Steve Cooke
Octagon Theatre Bolton presents Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck’s gripping tale of hope and friendship, Directed by Sarah Brigham.
Lennie and George are unlikely best friends, two drifters bound together by a shared faith and the ambition to live the great American dream. Landing a job on a Californian ranch during the Great Depression, their hopes of earning money to eventually buy a place of their own are raised, but will they be fulfilled?
Of Mice and Men remains as powerful and relevant today as it did when originally written in 1937. Based on Steinbeck’s classic novella, and with themes of friendship, migration and prejudice, this play continues to move and resonate with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Don’t miss out on this must-see new production of this compelling and evocative story!
From £15
School tickets: £15 plus 1 free teacher per 10 pupils
13+
2 hours 25 mins
Wed 26 Mar – Sat 12 April
Octagon Theatre Howell Croft South, Bolton BL1 1SB
Phone: 01204 520661
Manchester Folk Festival
Preview by Steve Cooke
Set to take over some of the city’s most beloved venues, Manchester Folk Festival returns! Moving from its regular October slot, the event will run from Thursday 20th to Sat 22nd March, bringing with it some of the most renowned and exciting names from across the folk spectrum. Festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to take part in a wonderfully unique programme including sessions, Swedish Mouth Singing, Morris dancing and spoon carving.
From sixteen-piece ensemble One World Orchestra to sea shanty sensations The Longest Johns, from indie folk icons Stornoway to outstanding emerging artists, the programme boasts three days of the finest contemporary and traditional folk, roots and acoustic music that England has to offer.
Further acts joining the line-up, include Grace Smith, Greater Manchester Youth Folk Ensemble, St Catherine's Child, Filkin’s Drift, Ed Blunt, Anna McLuckie, Lucy Grubb and even more artists performing as part of The Copper Bar’s free programme.
This year’s iconic host venues for Manchester Folk Festival are Band on the Wall, Hallé St Peters, Night & Day, The Castle, Hallé at St Michael’s, The Stoller Hall, New Century Hall, The Smithfield Market Tavern, Manchester Craft & Design Centre and Social Refuge.
Alongside headline performances from Cara Dillon, Bernard Butler, Katherine Priddy, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, The Deep Blue, Nick Cope and more, the festival is also proud to offer free traditional singarounds and sessions - where musicians gather to play traditional tunes for themselves and their listeners - as well as a spectacular Morris dancing programme.
The sessions, feature the University of Manchester Folk & Ceilidh Society, Queer As Folk, Gaslamp Sunday Singaround and Scribbling Town, here, and the Morris dancing displays, featuring Blackstone Edge Rapper, Saddleworth Morris Men, Wharfedale Wayzgoose Border Morris and Roots Morris.
On Saturday 22nd March, the festival will also host its ever-popular workshops, offering attendees the chance to learn the basics of spoon carving or the fascinating age-old jewellery technique of cuttlefish casting at Manchester Craft & Design Centre.
Additionally, participants can join a stimulating folk singing and sharing event with the North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC), where they can explore Swedish mouth music with the acclaimed vocal group Kongero and Scottish Gaelic song with Brian Ó hEadhra.
Festivalgoers can also experience One World Orchestra (OWO), an electrifying sixteen-piece ensemble with one bold musical vision. Featuring musicians with lived experience of displacement, who share heritage with countries currently in conflict and are now based in the UK, OWO brings together languages, traditions and sublime sounds in a mesmerising, multi-layered performance.
Thanks to a partnership between Akacia Productions and English Folk Expo to enhance cross-cultural exchange between the UK and Tunisia, Tunisian-Dutch band BROUA will support OWO, showcasing truly unique compositions that fuse traditional Arab music with Mediterranean and contemporary influences.
Flying the flag for their home city, South Manchester’s eleven-piece outfit Brown Wimpenny will weave traditional music from the British Isles and beyond into a vibrant web of jigs, reels, drones and choral harmonies. Meanwhile, the rapidly rising artist Caoilfhionn Rose will conjure immersive soundscapes, beautifully blending together piano, synths, saxophone, a live rhythm section and otherworldly ambient samples.
A collaboration between 'Manchester's finest son,' Robbie Cavanagh and Canadian alt-country artist Lawrence Maxwell is also a very special pan-Atlantic project worth looking out for on Saturday 22nd March. This unique partnership arose through a collaboration between Manchester Folk Festival and Music PEI (Canada).
Manchester Folk Festival acts as the host for English Folk Expo, an international music industry showcase for the most exciting artists from or based in England. Running parallel to the festival, it welcomes 200 delegates from across the world and allows attendees access to networking opportunities, a trade fair and exclusive private performances. There is still time for artists and industry representatives to register as delegates here.
Individual tickets for all performances are available, alongside festival wristbands which grant holders access to all performances, allowing them to tailor their experience to their tastes and switch effortlessly between intimate spaces and main stages. Wristband perks for 2025 also include access to exclusive concerts, an opening reception and a singing workshop with Jon Boden (T&Cs apply).
Visit: https://manchesterfolk.com/
RECOMMENDED
Rochdale Photographic Society
Wednesday 19 March 2025
Tonight's session - Development evening.
We meet every Wednesday at Rochdale Unitarian Church, starting at 7.30pm prompt (doors open from 7.15pm). The door is kept locked so please ring the bell on arrival.
If you would like to see the club for yourself and meet our members, you are welcome to attend as our guest for up to 3 weeks before committing to membership. Annual subscription is £36 for single or £46 for joint membership.
A weekly room fee of £2.50 is also payable on arrival at the meeting. Refreshments are 50p.
Visit the link below for a full 2024 syllabus.
£2.50 for room fee
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm start
Rochdale Unitarian Church, Clover Street, Rochdale OL12 6TP
Wednesday 19 March 2025
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Rachel Stonham violin and Hanna Csermely piano (both RNCM).
The concert series has been held at St Mary’s since 2001 and was granted the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020.
Running every Wednesday, Music at Lunchtime is a weekly live classical music concert series that has been going since the 1960s. The sessions were initially run at the old Rochdale Art Gallery by the local authority, but since May 2001 have been run by volunteer-enthusiasts and artistic director, Dr Joe Dawson.
£6
Phone: Dr Joe Dawson 01706 648872
Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm
St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ
Thursday 20 March 2025
Heywood Library Friendship Group
Are you new to Heywood and Rochdale? Aged 18+ and want to make new friends or learn new skills? Then come join us for a fun gathering Heywood Library every Thursday 1.30pm to 3.30pm, starting 6 March 2025 where you can meet new friends and connect with other people from the local community.
This group is all about building strong bonds and creating lasting memories. You can also become a member of the library and join in all of the activities on offer throughout the year.
Free
Phone: Tracey Tomlinson 07356 182030
1.30pm to 3.30pm
Heywood Library, Lance Cpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood OL10 1LL
Thursday 20 March 2025 - Saturday 22 March 2025
Visit Fireground Museum
Join us at Fireground this week to discover Greater Manchester's firefighting story.
Fire museum attractions are on show inside the museum including our collection of historic firefighting artefacts from the 18th century to present day, plus home-made refreshments in the new Fireground Café, and souvenirs from our fantastic new gift shop! We have a wide choice ranging from toddler to collector.
Under 4s are free, Children (aged 4-15) and Concessions £5, Adults £7 and Family (4 people) £20.
Phone: Fireground 01706 341219
Open Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 10am - 4pm
Fireground, Maclure Road, Rochdale OL11 1DN
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