WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 28 MARCH 2026
- STEVE COOKE AATA
- 2 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
Weekend Column Saturday 28 March 2026
Poetry Spotlight: Amy Stansfield
Previews: The Corinthians: We Were The Champions (PG), An Audience with Mick Miller plus Return to the Forest.
Review: Creativity is a right, not a privilege.
Poetry Spotlight: Amy Stansfield
Amy is currently in Canada but from Rochdale and is at University in Edinburgh “as a 21-year-old trying to make time to write”.
She writes everything from journalistic articles to short stories and poems and is currently planning her first novel.
They stole my accent from me!
A horrible thing has happened
I made friends at university
And they weren't what I knew
They had these strange ways of speaking, and I did not speak their language.
I tried to talk to them, and nothing would come out how it used to.
After a year around these strange dwellers, I started to sound like them. I didn’t know what I was saying and when I looked in the mirror, I had started to look like them too.
I used to say tea and now I say dinner.
“It is very on the nose. It is about going to Edinburgh University where most people are southern and posh ( ironically, I wish I came back with a Scottish accent) and loosing elements of my northern accent.”
The Corinthians: We Were The Champions (PG)
Preview by Steve Cooke
Women’s football is now a worldwide top level sport with millions of viewers and a rapidly increasing number of players from grass roots to highly paid superstars.
The first recorded women’s football match was on 7 May 1881. During WW1 the women’s game grew in popularity and by 1921 there were about 150 women’s football clubs . Matches were very popular with spectators with some drawing up to 45,000 fans.
Then on 5 December 1921 the FA announced a ban on the women’s game being played at grounds of clubs affiliated to the FA, stating “the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged”.
The ban meant that the women’s game was sidelined to be played in public parks for nearly 50 years.
The Corinthians: We Were The Champions is the incredible real-life story of the original rebel girls of football – The Corinthians Ladies FC from Manchester – who defied The FA’s 50-year ban on women playing to become global champions.
Told exclusively by 10 surviving players, this is the first feature-length documentary to reveal the incredible tale of how a gang of working-class girls from Manchester took on the all-male establishment and won.
At a time when women were banned from playing on any official football pitches in England, the Corinthians found fame in top stadiums around the world. Beating Germany to a European Cup in 1957, and winning an unofficial World Cup in 1960, they were one of the most successful women’s teams the UK ever had. Yet, for decades, their world-beating triumphs were forgotten.
Now, The Corinthians: We Were The Champions reveals the full, raucous, rebellious story, from the women who were there.
Packed with unseen archive, forgotten footage of the team in action, comic style animations and a punk girl soundtrack, it’s a rollercoaster ride to a nail-biting final that I can highly recommend to all whether interested in football or not.
\
Box Office 0161 200 1500
Until Tuesday 28 April at HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place Manchester M15 4FN.
Creativity is a right, not a privilege.
Review by Matthew Haigh
Creativity is a right, not a privilege is a statement proudly proclaimed by Tracing Steps, a dance studio in Rochdale, championing the underrepresented. From young people to the elderly, this dance studio ensures that everyone feels safe, supported, and empowered.
This statement of unconditional empowerment also lends itself to the neurodivergent. By challenging the stereotypes targeted at such groups, Tracing Steps is dedicated to revealing that neurodivergence and disabilities do not impact one’s ability to partake in the arts. Dedicated to shining a light on those who otherwise may go overlooked.
Martina Coggins, the owner of Tracing Steps, stated that ‘we are more than just a dance school, we are a community’. From this, it is clear that this is more than lessons in the performative arts; this is community building, trust building, confidence building. After attending a session, this was abundantly clear.
Individualism unmasked. Everyone in attendance was given a chance to shine, irrespective of their background. Everyone was seen, everyone was heard, and everyone was respected. Whilst there were many examples, one that comes to mind is the actions that were taken to support Katie Haigh, an attendee with a physical disability. When dancing, Katie was accompanied by an on-site walker. From there, the results were balletic in their brilliance.
In an interview, she has this to say about her experience during her time at Tracing Steps. “I've always wanted to do acting and dancing and things, but obviously, because of my mobility difficulties, I couldn't just go anywhere and do it because I wouldn't be included. But here they make sure everything's adapted. There are people in the group like Ellie who can do splits. Obviously, I can't do that, but Martina adapts it and makes sure it's suitable for all of us, and we all get to shine in different ways”. A great account, but one that is also grounded in great importance. We should all ensure to carry the beliefs of Tracing Steps, to ensure that no one's background should impact their ability to partake in the arts.
An Audience with Mick Miller
Preview by Steve Cooke
Mick Miller is a comedy legend who has been at the top of his game for over 40 years. His workload is as busy now as it has ever been, he never stops!
His deadpan delivery and his unique hairstyle are what people remember, but he constantly works on his act and is for ever adding new gags and stories to keep it fresh. He can’t leave a venue without performing his set piece, Noddy routine. The audience just wouldn’t let him!
In this show, Mick performs a full comedy set in the 1st half and is interviewed by comedian and close friend, Ryan Gleeson. The interview is very funny and informative, and it’s never the same twice. Ryan is always trying to find out new things and Mick keeps trying to make Ryan laugh.
This show at the Middleton Arena is a must for all comedy fans.
From £27.30
19.30 on Thursday 2 April at Middleton Arena, Lance Corporal Joel Halliwell VC Way, Middleton, Greater Manchester, M24 1AG
Return to the Forest
Preview by Steve Cooke
In a celebration of heritage and our connection to the natural world, Return to the Forest blends dance and puppetry to create an immersive production for families and children aged 8+.
Audiences are invited into a museum where precious objects are kept to be seen but never touched. But as dusk falls, the precious objects stir, seeming to call to the last remaining visitors, yearning to be free.
Return to the Forest explores how heritage is not something to be locked away, but a living, breathing force that requires respect and care. Marking their 30th anniversary, Theatre-Rites reunites with award-winning South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma (The Global Playground, Manchester International Festival 2021) to deliver their signature style of experimental theatre for children.
Return to the Forest promises a high-energy performance that guides audiences in promenade moving them from the museum to an enchanted forest. Through powerful movement and mesmerising puppetry, Return to the Forest follows five performers out of the museum and back into nature, magically transported by precious objects – including an Ishoba, an ancient map and a Gelede mask – which are yearning for their freedom. With a surveillance camera watching at all times, the daring questors stage a heist. But can it really be one when the objects are leading the way? In a tale of curiosity and transformation, this production offers children and families a playful, thought-provoking exploration of what we value, how we protect it and who our heritage belongs to.
Return to the Forest makes its World Premiere at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International who also run the biennial Manchester International Festival, before opening in London at Sadler’s Wells East.
Director of Return to the Forest and Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites Sue Buckmaster said, “I feel honoured to have this opportunity to co-create once more with Gregory and a brilliant collaborating team. It feels very special to be able to make an original performance which is for children and adults to share and experience together. I am super excited to combine some contemporary masquerade and puppet figure concepts with exquisite dancers. I hope the experience will offer the artists involved and the audiences who attend, a precious moment to ponder on and celebrate the importance of the interdependence of nature and human nature.”
Choreographer Gregory Maqoma said, “Return to the Forest with Sue Buckmaster and Theatre-Rites opens a space for audiences to engage not only with culture, but with heritage and the deeper question of what still matters in the world. It is a shared journey into the forest to discover, to renew, and to learn.”
Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International John McGrath said, "We're thrilled to be working once again with Theatre-Rites and world-renowned choreographer Gregory Maqoma - a creative collaboration born of Manchester International Festival in 2021. Five years on, Return to the Forest combines their expertise to create a visually stunning, energetic and thought-provoking arts experience for all ages"
Sue Buckmaster is the Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites, a puppetry expert and the fifth generation of theatre practitioners in her family. She is known for her unique puppet whispering technique and her work is celebrated for its use of Animism. She has directed over 30 theatre and site-specific productions for Theatre-Rites including The Welcoming Party and The Global Playground (MIF 2017/2021) and Mischief (Sadler’s Wells and Dance Touring Consortium). She also works as a mentor, dramaturg and external director and has collaborated with other companies including directing Chotto Desh and Chotto Xenos for the Akram Khan Dance Company.
Gregory Maqoma, is an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer. Born in Soweto, Gregory Maqoma began dancing in the late 1980s to escape political tensions. After training at Moving into Dance from 1990, he became Associate Artistic Director in 2002. He founded Vuyani Dance Theatre in 1999 while studying at PARTS in Belgium. He's collaborated with renowned artists including Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. His accolades include three-time FNB Vita Choreographer of the Year, 2002 Standard Bank Young Artist Award, 2012 Tunkie Award for Leadership in Dance, and France's Chevalier de L'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2017).
Limited Affordable Tickets Available
Visit: factoryinternational.org
Phone: 0333 322 8679
Tuesday 7 – Sunday 10 May at Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester M3 4JQ
RECOMMENDED
Saturday, 28 March 2026
Reading Group - Middleton Library
Last Saturday of every month. Discover new authors and discuss books with other readers in this friendly and relaxed reading group.
No booking required, you can just turn up.
Free
1.30pm - 2.30pm
Middleton Library, Long Street, Middleton M24 6DU
Saturday, 28 March 2026
Lego Club - Langley Library
Last Saturday of every month. A monthly Lego Club with a different theme each session. All creations will be displayed in the library until the following month. There's Duplo for younger children.
For families with children aged 4 and over.
Free
Booking required: Please book by 4pm the day before a session. You can book by:
Emailing langley.library@rochdale.gov.uk
Phoning 0161 654 8911
Calling into the library
10.30am - 12pm
Langley Library, Windermere Road, Middleton M24 4LA
Saturday, 28 March 2026
Kids' Club - Wardle Library
Come along and get creative at our craft table.
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.
Free
10am - 12.30pm
Wardle Library, 448 Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 9LH
Monday, 30 March 2026
Easter craft - Langley Library
Unleash your creativity and join us at Langley Library to make your own eggs-celent Easter wreath.
For families with children aged 4 and over.
Free
Booking required:
Please book your child's place by 5pm, Friday, 27 March 2026 by emailing: langley.library@rochdale.gov.uk
Please include your name, contact details and the number of child places you need.
3.30pm - 4.30pm
Langley Library, Windermere Road, Middleton M24 4LA
Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Heywood Scribblers - Heywood Library
First Wednesday of every month. Free, friendly creative writing sessions. Poetry and story-writing workshops. All abilities welcome, whether you're new to writing or a seasoned writer.
For adults, families and teenagers.
No need to book, you can just drop in.
Free
1.15pm - 3.15pm
Heywood Library, LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood OL10 1LW
Comments