WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2026
previews, articles, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2026
Article: Todmorden Hippodrome Theatre
Previews: Common Frequency from Factory International, Exhibition Launch - Pioneering Voices Collections reimagined, Mythic Reinvention at the Royal Exchange Theatre plus Celebrity organist Adam Wilson
Common Frequency from Factory International
Preview by Steve Cooke
Factory International has announced Common Frequency, a new exhibition on the transformative power of music, curated by the 2026 adidas Originals Creator Network North cohort.
Taking place 3 – 6 October in the vast North Warehouse of Manchester’s Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, Common Frequency, is a free exhibition and event series created by the adidas Originals Creator Network North - a group of 20 young creatives from across the North West.
The exhibition traces the influential presence of music in our lives. Over six months, the emerging creatives in the Originals Creator Network North cohort have come together with the support of Factory International and adidas Originals to interrogate the relationship between music, community and identity.
Common Frequency is the outcome – bringing together moving image, visual installation, a zine, and two films, which explore experiences of release and resilience through music. These elements are held within an immersive soundscape carrying words and memories recorded by the cohort.
On select days, the exhibition transforms into an event space kicking off with an evening of live music and poetry, featuring musicians from Manchester Camerata (3 October) - the UK’s most relentlessly pioneering orchestra, known for constantly innovating and redefining what an orchestra can be.
Audiences can also join a hands-on creative workshop (4 October) in the space, exploring music, identity and transformation, and can meet the adidas OCN North cohort (6 October) to hear about their experiences of curating Common Frequency, with a contribution from DJ and Broadcaster Mary Anne Hobbs, and a relaxed networking session.
Pelumi Fatayo, adidas Originals Creator Network North, said: “Being part of OCN North has allowed me to develop creatively. Being in the cohort of 20 talented multifaceted creatives, I have learnt so much from all of them. Through the six months, we’ve grown as individuals and as a collective. Being able to collaborate and cultivate this exhibition, from ideation to release, has been an immersive experience and I’m forever grateful for the creative community that we’ve built.”
Phoebe Bonser, adidas Originals Creator Network North, said: “Working on Common Frequency as part of a group of 20 emerging creatives has been an incredibly exciting experience. What makes this exhibition so special is not just the number of artists involved, but the genuinely collaborative nature of the work. Rather than presenting a collection of individual pieces, we have created something together, shaped by shared ideas, conversations, and creative processes.
“Throughout the exhibition, we invite visitors to engage with ideas of music, transformation, identity, community, resilience, release, and memory. If you're looking for an exhibition that encourages reflection, participation, and a sense of shared experience, I believe Common Frequency is one not to be missed.”
Established in 2024 by adidas Originals and Factory International, Originals Creator Network North builds on the success of OCN South, which was founded in London in 2022 to provide opportunities to underrepresented talent in the UK’s creative scene.
Based at Aviva Studios, this second edition of OCN North has brought together 20 emerging creatives from across Manchester and the North over the past six-months. The programme offers a career-defining opportunity for emerging talent to develop their skills, build networks and explore new opportunities in the creative industries through masterclasses, hands-on experience and mentorship from adidas Originals and Factory International.
Scott McVittie - Executive Commercial Director, Factory International said: “The best way to support emerging creatives is to trust them with something real. Through our partnership, Factory International and adidas Originals have brought together their expertise, networks and resources to give 20 young creatives the chance to respond to a live brief and produce an ambitious exhibition for the North Warehouse. Common Frequency is an impressive achievement, but the impact goes beyond the exhibition. The cohort leaves with practical experience, greater confidence and industry relationships that will directly strengthen their future employment prospects.”
The Originals Creator Network North programme champions diverse voices, reflecting Factory International and adidas Original’s shared ambition to cultivate an inclusive creative industry and to offer development opportunities for emerging talent in the region.
Find out more about the creatives selected for the 2026 cohort of Originals Creator Network North on the Factory International website here https://factoryinternational.org/get-involved/adidas-originals-creator-network-north/2026-cohort/
Now, responding to a brief from adidas Originals inspired by the transformative power of music, Common Frequency (3 – 6 October) is the culmination of the cohort’s work - an exhibition and event series inviting visitors to experience music as a vessel for human connection, through which stories are shared, truths are celebrated and identities are found.
Exhibition Launch - Pioneering Voices Collections reimagined
Preview by Steve Cooke
Rochdale Pioneers Museum are launching launch a brand new display, created by local young people in response to the collection of commemorative plates from co-operative societies spanning over a hundred years.
There will be light nibbles, and the participants will talk about their pieces Entry to the museum to see the display will be free for everyone from 14:00 on Saturday 31st October.
Situated in the centre of town near St Mary in the Baum and the Baum the Rochdale Pioneers Museum is widely regarded as the home of the worldwide Co-operative movement.
It's the perfect place to go and see how your ancestors did their shopping. In Toad Lane on December 21, 1844, the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society opened their first little store selling pure, unadulterated food at fair prices and honest weights and measures.
The Pioneers started a revolution in retailing which has played a significant part in our lives ever since. The ground floor faithfully recreates the original shop together with its rudimentary furniture and scales. Here the basic needs of daily life such as butter, sugar, flour and oatmeal first went on sale over 150 years ago.
This local gem deserves our full support and should be visited by all readers of this column at least once!
Rochdale Pioneers Museum, 31 Toad Lane, Rochdale, OL12 0NU
Mythic Reinvention at the Royal Exchange Theatre
By Hilary Dawes
As the Royal Exchange Theatre turns fifty this year, Mythic Reinvention is a costume exhibition celebrating five decades of world class theatre, where traces of past productions come together in a fascinating world of fabric, character, craft and imagination. Curated by international set and costume designer Leslie Travers, from the extensive costume archive of over 25,000 items, the 62 costumes on display feature pieces from past productions and provide an exclusive insight into the inner workings of the theatre’s costume department from the artists who created some of the Exchange’s most iconic shows. Included in the exhibition are costumes worn by Dame Helen Mirren, Don Warrington, Andrew Garfield, Sir Tom Courtenay, Maxine Peake and Suranne Jones,
Set within the Victorian Great Hall of the Royal Exchange, the exhibition takes us through a breathtaking array of stunning costumes, many bespoke, made for a specific actor and each accompanied by details of the relevant play, the actor, the designer and their vision for the character, along with the materials used and the creative process.
The contrasts between costumes developed for different productions of the same play reflect the incredible talent and versatility of the designers and makers. Viewing these beautiful items at close quarters gives us the opportunity to appreciate the quality and meticulous attention to detail which goes into every garment, with the use of often unusual materials, from rich velvets, lace and fine wool, to leather, metal, even chunky wood and twigs!
The beautifully detailed re-creation of the design workshop offers a glimpse into the world of the designer and maker, where all manner of materials are brought together to be cut, shaped and fitted to the body of the performer. The fabulous dressing room re-creation encapsulates fifty years of storytelling and demonstrates how, at the last stage of its journey, the costume finally comes to life.
With free admission, Mythic Reinvention is a must-see exhibition, running until 15th November at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.
Todmorden Hippodrome Theatre
By Steve Cooke
The Todmorden Hippodrome Theatre is renowned as one of the UK’s largest volunteer owned and run theatres.
The Hippodrome is run by volunteers from Todmorden Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society.
It is great to see a New Chapter opening!
For generations, the Hippodrome has been a popular place to go and watch a show. But now they want it to be so much more than that.
As work on their new extension continues, they’re getting ready to open up more of the building to the community — creating new opportunities to visit, explore, learn and get involved.
From October, the Hippodrome will be open every Wednesday from 10am–4pm.
You’ll be able to pop in for a coffee, have a chat with the volunteers, find out more about what’s happening at the theatre and take a look at some of the spaces that have been years in the making.
And at the heart of these Wednesdays will be the volunteers.
They’ll be welcoming visitors, running their coffee bar and box office, sharing stories about the Hippodrome and helping people discover everything that happens behind the scenes.
“It’s another way for our theatre to become an even bigger part of everyday life in our community.”
“The stage might be where the magic happens — but the Hippodrome belongs to all of us. We can’t wait to open the doors.”
To find out more visit https://www.todhip.org/
Hippodrome Theatre, Halifax Road, Todmorden OL14 5BB
Celebrity organist Adam Wilson
Review by Dr Joe Dawson
The JJ Binns instrument in the Great Hall is regarded as one of the UK’s finest civic pipe organs.
A worthy addition to the impressive ORTOA celebrity organist list today was Adam Wilson, Assistant Organist of York Minster. He plays for services and concerts, and accompanies the choirs, as well as sharing administrative responsibilities. 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 York, Adam served at Wells Cathedral and St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. He has also held organ scholarships at Peterborough Cathedral, the University of Glasgow, and Dunblane Cathedral (where he had started out as a chorister). So, he was well-placed to check out and cope with the challenges of a unique instrument with its partly-restored idiosyncracies; his programme of great music from Baroque to modern was well suited to the Rochdale organ.
Firstly, his own skilful arrangements of contrasting movements of Handel’s ‘Water Music’ – (i) briilliant, brassy Overture, (ii) gentle Minuet, (iii) melodious Air, (iv) lively and rhythmic Country Dance, (v) sustained and bold Adagio e staccato, and (vi) jaunty, foot-tapping Hornpipe; making full use of the orchestral combinations available to him.
Kenneth Leighton’s Lumetto: Little Canonic Variations on ‘Jesus bids us Shine’ was more contemporary and also introduced the notion of ‘canon’ (overlapping imitations of phrases or fragments) which featured in the rest of the programme.
JS Bach’s chorale prelude, Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot BWV 678, Luther’s versification of the ten commandments explored dozens of canonic possibilities. This was followed by a refreshingly translucent Canzonetta in E Minor, BuxWV 169, by Buxterhude, the great master who Bach is said to have walked 200 miles to hear.
Rheinberger’s Prelude & Fugue (Sonata No 10 ) with its darker tone and bigger canvas, coming from about the same period sound word as the JJ Binns itself, contrasted with the spiky, abrasive, strident tweniteth century harmony in blind C20 maestro Gaston Litaize’s Épiphanie. In further contrast Percy Whitlock’s Lantana (Plymouth Suite) was a gentle English pastoral stroll; but all styles were embraced within the faculties of the instrument.
To cap it all off Guilmant’s Final (Sonata 1 in D Minor) produced a massive climax with hands and feet turbo-charged, producing torrents of sound at blistering speed. The term ‘Canon’ by this time resounded with its military connotations: ‘Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered’ . A triumphant performance, that amply deserved the sustained applause.
Next RMBC/ORTOA presentation will be the Brereton Memorial (25th Anniversary) Concert featuring Gordon Stewart, Saturday 31st October at 3 pm (note time)
RECOMMENDED
Saturday, 26 September 2026
Lego Club - Littleborough Library
Every other Saturday during term time. Join our free club and get creative with Lego. Suitable for all the family.
For families with children aged 2 years and above. Lego club sessions are aimed at children aged 5–12 and their parents or carers. Duplo is available for younger children.
No need to book, you can just come along.
Free
11am - 12pm
Littleborough Library, Hare Hill Park, Littleborough OL15 9HE
Saturday, 26 September 2026
Reading Group - Middleton Library
Free
Last Saturday of every month. Discover new authors and discuss books with other readers in this friendly and relaxed reading group.
Books are provided and loaned through the library. Refreshments will be provided.
No booking required, you can just turn up.
Contact: middleton.library@rochdale.gov.uk
1.30pm - 2.30pm
Middleton Library, Long Street, Middleton M24 6DU
Saturday, 26 September 2026
Kids' Club - Wardle Library
Last Saturday of every month. These themed Kids' Club activity sessions will include crafts, activities and challenges.
For families with children aged 4 and over.
No need to book, you can just come along.
Contact: wardle.library@rochdale.gov.uk
Free
10am - 12.30pm
Location: Wardle Library, 448 Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 9LH
Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Students from Chetham’s School of Music 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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