WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2026
previews, articles, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2026
Previews: Ahmed Masoud’s Application 39, RMBC/ORTOA present Celebrity Recitals at the magnificent Rochdale Town Hall Organ with Soloist Adam Wilson, Rehearsals underway for Lear at the Exchange, TWAWSI - The World As We See It plus Sisters in Stich
Ahmed Masoud’s Application 39
Preview by Steve Cooke
ETT (English Touring Theatre), Matthew Schmolle Productions, and Stratford East present Application 39, by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud. The production tours to Factory International’s Aviva Studios in Manchester (9 - 10 October).
Ahmed Masoud imagines Gaza hosting the 2048 Summer Olympics
A sharply satirical, future‑facing drama, Application 39 imagines a Gaza risen from ruin, unexpectedly awarded the right to host the 2048 Olympic Games, exactly 100 years after the Nakba.
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n Application 39, two young IT workers in the municipality of Gaza hack the bid process for the 2048 Olympics as a prank – and win. Their “victory” becomes a surreal yet pressing journey through occupation, bureaucracy, absurdity and reconstruction.
Application 39 draws on real‑life testimonies, including from Gaza itself, to pose a radical question: what if Gaza were no longer rubble and siege – but a site of global gathering, resistance and renewal?
Written by Palestinian theatre maker and writer Ahmed Masoud, Application 39 is bold, irreverent and rooted in lived testimony as well as hope.
Ahmed Masoud, commented:
“My play is going on tour in the UK in September. If I closed my eyes and imagined young me growing up in Jabalia Camp, North of Gaza, saying the above sentence, I am sure people around me would just burst in laughter. How could I even imagine the possibility of my play touring from one place to the other when I, my family and people couldn’t.
But this is the power of theatre and stories, it connects all on a small stage. It builds worlds for all of us where you can imagine possibility. Now I can say my play has already been to the future and heading on UK tour.
I am pleased to see Application 39 going on a journey across multiple venues. I am humbled that so many of you will embark on a journey into the future to see what Gaza might look like and what possibilities we have ahead of us.
I am grateful for your presence, the producers, the creative team and everyone who has made this possible.”
Lisa Spirling, Artistic Director of Stratford East added: “We're delighted to be co-producing Application 39 with ETT and Matthew Schmolle Productions and to welcome this bold play by Ahmed Masoud to Stratford East. Supporting ambitious new writing and bringing vital contemporary stories to our audiences is central to our programme, and we're excited to share Application 39 with our communities as part of our season.”
Richard Twyman, Artistic Director and Sophie Scull Executive Director of English Touring Theatre commented: “Application 39 is exactly the kind of work we should be taking across the country: imaginative, funny and urgent, with the power to make us look at the present differently by imagining what might be possible in the future. Ahmed has written a remarkable play that brings together humour, humanity and a fierce sense of possibility, while never losing sight of the realities from which it emerges. We’re delighted to be working with Ahmed, Cressida and our co-producers Stratford East and Matthew Schmolle, and to be taking the production to Bristol Old Vic, Northern Stage, New Wolsey and Factory International.”
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Producer Matthew Schmolle added: Following 2025’s ‘Cutting The Tightrope’ at the Arcola and Edinburgh International Festival, I’m unbelievably excited to work with Cressida and Ahmed again on Application 39, a piece of work for our national stages that could not be more urgent or timely. Enormous thanks to TRSE, ETT, Arts Council England and our touring venues for being brave and making this possible.”
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Tickets
Standard: £25
Concessions available including Aviva £10 Tickets
A booking fee of £1.50 applies to all tickets.
9 - 10 October in The Hall, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
RMBC/ORTOA present Celebrity Recitals at the magnificent Rochdale Town Hall Organ with Soloist Adam Wilson
Preview by Dr Joe Dawson
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The JJ Binns instrument in the Great Hall is regarded as one of the finest civic pipe organs in the UK and beyond.
A worthy addition to the impressive ORTOA celebrity organist list is Adam Wilson, Assistant Organist of York Minster and an Associate of the Royal College of Organists, having graduated from the University of Glasgow with First Class Honours (BMus).
Adam plays the organ for services and concerts, and accompanies the choir, as well as sharing in the administrative responsibilities of the department. He is particularly responsible for the Minster’s organ outreach, aimed at cultivating interest within the city, particularly for children and young adults, in the Minster’s newly restored organ.
Prior to moving to York in September 2023, Adam was Acting Assistant Director of Music at Wells Cathedral from January 2023, having been Assistant Organist from September 2021. In this role, he was the principal Organist to the internationally acclaimed Choirs of Wells Cathedral. In addition to accompanying the full calendar of choral and civic services in the Cathedral, Adam accompanied several concerts including Duruflé's Requiem with the Cathedral Choir, Fauré's Requiem and Rutter's Magnificat with the Oratorio Society, as well as various programmes in which he played continuo. Adam was also organist for the premieres of two major new works which were commissioned by the Cathedral.
Before Wells, Adam spent two years as Acting Assistant Master of the Music at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh (which included three months acting as Master of the Music covering a sabbatical). He has also held organ scholarships at Peterborough Cathedral, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, and Dunblane Cathedral.
Adam started out his musical career as a chorister at Dunblane Cathedral before reading for a degree in Music at the University of Glasgow, where he studied with Kevin Bowyer; as the University’s Lanfine Organ Scholar, he worked with Glasgow University Chapel Choir under such conductors as John Butt OBE and James Grossmith.
His programme promises great music both ancient and modern ideally suited to our JJ Binns: Handel, Kenneth Leighton, JS Bach, Buxtehude, Rheinberger, Litaize, Whitlock and Guilamant.
Admission £10 (concessions £8) concerts last one hour. Card or cash at the door or visit www.rochdaletownhall.co.uk/events or iao.org.uk/ortoa.
RMBC/ORTOA (Oldham, Rochdale & Tameside Organists’ Association est.1908) present Celebrity Recitals at the magnificent Rochdale Town Hall Organ with Soloist Adam Wilson Tuesday 15 September 2026 at 1 pm
Rehearsals underway for Lear at the Exchange.
Preview by Steve Cooke
The doors to the KING LEAR rehearsal room have opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Led by David Threlfall in the title role, RET’s extraordinary company came together to begin bringing Matthew Dunster’s powerful new reimagining of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy to life.
Shakespeare’s most elemental tragedy charts a kingdom where power corrupts, families become enemies and prosperity devolves into war. At its centre is the mind of a man who can no longer understand what it means to be human.
Lear is a searing portrait of a king unable to distinguish truth from lies. As the storm rises and night falls, language, identity and meaning break down completely.
This reimagining of Shakespeare’s masterwork is adapted and directed by Matthew Dunster, who returns for his sixth engagement at the Royal Exchange, in a unique and emotionally charged take on one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.
A major theatrical homecoming, and one of the most anticipated events of their 50th anniversary year, KING LEAR brings two of the Royal Exchange’s most distinctive artists back to the theatre.
This much anticipated production opens on Friday 2 October and runs until Sunday 15 November.
Tickets are selling quickly.
Standard tickets from £12
TWAWSI - The World As We See It
Preview by Steve Cooke
Redefining dance of the African diaspora with a contemporary outlook, ACE Dance and Music’s bold new double bill presents two powerful, contrasting visions of our world today, told through exhilarating and emotive, breathtaking physicality.
Rooted in the realities faced by millions across the globe, Serge Aimé Coulibaly captures the chaos of conflict. Driven by a fierce soundscape and fusion of African and contemporary dance, shattered worlds surge with athleticism and endurance – a testimony to human resilience and courage.
In stark contrast, Vincent Mantsoe’s work takes you to a distant place; travelling to far flung corners of the earth, where spirituality and harmony shape everyday life.
Two choreographers with extraordinary heritage and seven diverse dancers re-write the rules and embody a state of unity and deep connectedness rarely seen in our divided world.
Watch trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzPtw1x8PPs
For this show at Heywood Civic, they have three prices to choose from for the same seat:
£15.75: A standard price – fair pricing for the show you’re going to see
£13.65: A slightly lower price – for people who need it
£17.85: A slightly higher price – for those who want to help support our programme
You can select the right price for you at checkout: https://heywoodcivic.co.uk/event/the-world-as-we-see-it/
19:30 on Friday, 16 October at Heywood Civic, LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood, OL10 1LW
Sisters in Stich
Preview by Steve Cooke
Sisters in Stitch a textile group who meet at Hare Hill House in Hare Hill Park Littleborough.
They have an exhibition of their work at Littleborough Coach House in October.
Work will feature traditional and contemporary embroidery, patchwork, gel printing on textiles and dyeing fabric including ice dyeing .
Items on show will include quilts, cushion pictures, cards, covered books.
“We invite people to come along and be inspired by the wide range of work on show. The event is Free.”
Tha Art of Stitch Preview, 1-3pm on Saturday 3 October at Littleborough Coach House, Lodge Street, Littleborough OL15 9AE
The exhibition continues until 30 October 11-3pm.
Also in the Coach House, Words and Stiches, an afternoon of poetry with Seamus Kelly and Becky May 2-3.30pm on Saturday 10 October.
RECOMMENDED
Saturday, 12 September 2026
Reading Group - Littleborough Library
Our group meets once a month on the second Saturday to discuss various authors, genres and themes. If you want to join us, there is no need to book, just turn up.
Free
No need to book, you can just come along.
10.30am - 11.30am
Littleborough Library, Hare Hill Park, Littleborough OL15 9HE
Saturday, 12 September 2026
A Heritage Photo walk, with Ellie Waters
The heritage photo walk will explore Rochdale's town centres including much loved landmarks such as Rochdale Town Hall. Through photography you will be invited to connect with the past through capturing images of the present and sharing stories together during the walk.
Ellie Waters is a documentary photographer from Rochdale, with a passion for visual storytelling. This event is part of the Broadfield Park Slopes Project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Free / Pay What You Want
11am-1pm
Rochdale Town Hall
Monday, 14 September 2026
Book Club - Junction Library
2nd Monday of every month. Come and join us at Junction Library for a brew and a cosy chat about the books you've read. We can’t wait to meet you.
Free
For adults.
No need to book, you can just come along.
Contact: library.service@rochdale.gov.uk
2pm - 3pm
Junction Library, Grimshaw Lane, Middleton M24 2BW
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Jonathan Ellis piano (Manchester University & RNCM)
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
St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ
Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm
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