News

  • As mentioned in last week’s blog post, Ghost walks and Stories and pig heads. Oh my Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s massively, hugely, other superlatives-ly acclaimed Ghost Stories comes to The Lowry this Tuesday 18 February and lurks until Saturday 22 February. Details of the show are understandably shrouded in mystery, in order for audiences

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  • It’s something we’ve known for a long time – there’s a lot of talent in our region but it’s not just the household names I’m talking about. Thanks to a project called The Twenty, people who dwell in the city of Salford will be provided with the exciting opportunity to turn their creativity into a

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  • Gourmet pizza restaurant Croma and I have two things in common. The first is that pizza is an incredibly important part of our lives. The second is that this year marks our 20th year living in Manchester! To celebrate, I’ll be justifying ever single trip out and drink drunk with ‘it’s my 20th anniversary’. For

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  • Whilst works, appreciation, opinions and afforded gravitas come in all shapes and sizes, art should be inclusive and HOME is bringing this ethos to life by celebrating the amazing talent of Greater Manchester. In the first region-wide exhibition of its type, HOME welcomed submissions from all across all 10 boroughs, for the inaugural Manchester Open

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  • I’m as guilty as the next person at taking our streets of Manchester and Salford for granted. Focused squarely on not tripping over my own feet (the great tumble of St Annes Square of 2003 – never forget), or striking out straight into the path of a tram, I, alongside many residents, workers and visitors

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  • 2020 heralds 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death-camps. On Monday 27 January, Manchester Jewish Museum will mark Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), with two premieres of musical and theatrical performances, staged at Manchester Central Library. Songs of Arrival During the afternoon, music by acclaimed Israeli composer Na’ama Zisser,the first to introduce cantorial music into

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  • I’m currently trying my hand at screenwriting (under the excellent tutorage of Scriptwriting North), love a regular visit to HOME and dip my toe in the world of film both here and over at What the Projectionist Saw So battling my way through a frankly annoying barrage of emails in my inbox about Black Friday,

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  • The Bee Gees belong to Manchester, well Chorlton to be specific. Yes, ok, they flirted with being born in the Isle of Man,  emigrating to Australia, living in LA, travelling the world, but it was in Chorlton, Manchester,  that the magic first happened. These fellow honorary mancs formed their first band, the skiffle/rock and roll

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  • If like me (I do miss Denis Norden – I interviewed him by fax once…) you are obsessed with all things West Wing (including The West Wing), you’ll be fascinated by the upcoming book by BBC North America Editor, Jon Sopel, A Year at the Circus. Not only that, you’ll be fascinated to get a

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  • Last year I shared my immense joy at what was an evening of entertainment, enlightenment, education and laughter (I couldn’t find a synonym for lolz beginning with ‘e’, ok?): Penguin Pride – less a review, more a tribute Well it’s back and I’ll be there and you should be too. And I’ll tell you for

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  • Those who have already discovered this award-winning arts festival will be thrilled to hear that Refract is back for its third edition in and around Sale, this July. Those who haven’t yet discovered Refract – you’re in for a treat. Running from Thursday 18 July to Saturday 27 July, this unconventional 10 day festival, curated

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  • Manchester theatre company, Dibby Theatre, is raising funds to help take their hit show First Time to Edinburgh Fringe. A funny and frank autobiographical solo-show, First Time is written and performed by theatre-maker and HIV activist, Nathaniel Hall. Diagnosed just two weeks after his 17th birthday and only months after coming out as gay to his

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  • Fringe theatre excites me the most – it has the creative freedom to tackle the nitty, the gritty, and the downright…well, yes, dirty. MAP Productions are bringing The Stretch back to the 53two stage from 6 to 15 March, following rave reviews at the JB Shorts Festival. Written by Joe Ainsworth and directed by Simon

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  • Writer, film-maker and leading thinker, Paul Mason, is coming to Manchester on 30 April 2019, to discuss his latest book, Clear Bright Future: A Radical Defence of the Human Being, with BBC 6 Music’s, Stuart Maconie. On the eve of publication, Penguin Live, will play host, at The Dancehouse, Manchester, to what promises to be a

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  • Scottish writer, poet and patron of HOME Mcr, Jackie Kay, is heading back to Manchester and bringing with her, the gift of theatre! September 2019 will see Red Dust Road, Jackie’s memoir of her life growing up as a mixed race adopted Scot, brought to life on stage at HOME, after its premiere at the

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  • Head HOME for Christmas

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year and so on and so forth. In fact, let us not mess around. Let’s just go straight to Chris Rea. Ish. Because this year, Mancs, Honorary Mancs, Visitors to Manc… I’m going HOME this Christmas… Why, you ask? Well I can’t wait to see those faces. Whose, you

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  • Penguin Pride is winging its way to Manchester next week, with a wonderful line-up of LGBTQ+ writers, poets and performers to celebrate the city’s incredible diversity. Taking place at Z-Arts on Thursday 23 August, poet and playwright Toby Campion hosts this special event which will showcase some of the UK’s most exciting queer talent. Presented in partnership

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  • My late father was a musician and, at 16, the youngest at that time to be accepted into the Royal College of Music in London. We were blessed with many stories and anecdotes from my Dad’s life as a professional musician, over the years, but I remember two life tips he gave me in particular:

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  • I like to think of myself as a touch bohemian. I’ve been to Matt and Phred’s more than 10 times, I’ll have you know. And not only when the free pizza offer is on. To be fair, I’ve also gone international with my fondness for jazz and its clubs, for example paying a visit to New

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  • Walking into HOME theatre on Thursday night, my plus 1 and I discussed the subject matter of the production we were about to see; that of the Falklands War. Both of a similar age (he 15 months older – devil is in the detail), we both agreed that the Falklands was one of the first

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