WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 2026
- STEVE COOKE AATA
- 3 minutes ago
- 8 min read
previews, articles, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 8 AUIGUST 2026
Previews: Broadfield Park Slopes: Play in Nature, New contractor appointed as Touchstones transformation moves up, Shakespeare's Macbeth reimagined inside an iconic nightclub plus If you’re missing out on Edinburgh Fringe…
Review: ROCH TALES at the Ukranian Club
ROCH TALES at the Ukranian Club
Review by Sue Smith [Riverside Writer and Art Co-ordinator at Syke Community Base]
The evening kicked off with story readings from 6 highly regarded local, published short story writers/authors who took us on a nostalgic and thought-provoking tour of Rochdale. Highlighting such icons as the seven sisters, the Gracie Fields statue and the Co-operative Movement catapulted into the realms of fantasy and fiction.
Of highlight for us was Reshma Ruia’s Rochdale Love Story where a modern-day librarian becomes intimately involved with Charles Howarth, a pioneer of the Co-Operative Movement in the 1840s, through her love of the unfolding story of the Movement. She finds modern men, particularly her husband, lacking in the deep thinking and pioneering aspect of Charles’ personality. Finally, and unexpectedly she disappears into the story through the portal of the book whilst reading near the Rochdale Canal. If only … …
The highlight for many of us female listeners was the epic ‘This is How I Fight’ told by Rosie Garland where she encapsulates the feelings of disempowerment felt by untold females in the modern day classroom, frustrated by their lack of choice and opportunity from the perception of their reality. This disempowerment does, however, have a triumphant conclusion whereby the character in the story likens the endless waiting to the shifting of the tectonic plates which she is learning about. This powerful, analogy touched a raw nerve in many of our stories, whereby something inside us knew that the shift would come, that we would not remain in this endless state of apathy and inaction.
In the break we were able to appreciate the ethereal sound installation of Ebor’s Maryanne Royle, portraying yet another fascinating aspect to Rochdale’s history.
Finally, many of us from Riverside Writers performed during the open mic session and we were treated to a diverse range of poetry with a Rochdale twist including Seamus Kelly’s ‘Welcome to Rochdale’.
We left feeling a great sense of pride both in being resident Rochdalians, and writers of all persuasions. Many of us bore purchased books from the writers we aspired to be like, duly autographed for us.
A real celebration of the vibrant writing scene in Rochdale.
Broadfield Park Slopes: Play in Nature
Preview by Steve Cooke
At the Broadfield Park Slopes: Play in Nature fantastic dens will be built with families as a space to play and learn about local wildlife. These skills will then be put to good use on a fascinating nature walk.
The activities will be led by Russ Hedley from Nature Talks and Walks, who deliver wildlife experiences, environmental education and nature connection activities and Mitch Robinson, a visual artist and arts facilitator specialising in print, den building, creative workshops and storytelling.
This event is a part of the Broadfield Park Slopes restoration Project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Don’t forget to explore more of Rochdale’s creativity at this year’s Side-by-Side Festival under the theme ‘It belongs to you’. It is taking place on Thursday 13th–15th August on Rochdale Town Hall Square.
Free, drop-in workshop 11am-3pm on Wednesday 12 August at Broadfield Park Slopes Rochdale Town Hall The Esplanade, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, OL16 1AZ
New contractor appointed as Touchstones transformation moves up!
By Steve Cooke
The greatly anticipated redevelopment of Touchstones Rochdale, the borough’s major arts and heritage venue I am pleased to say is progressing with the appointment of construction company Schofield and Sons, who are working on first-floor galleries and carrying out further roof repairs.
The Greater Manchester based firm moved on site this July and will be improving first-floor gallery spaces to provide better conditions for artwork and a much lighter, brighter experience for visitors.
The ground floor, basement and some roof work has already been completed by H.H. Smith and Sons Ltd, with new flexible performance spaces including a 130-seat studio, meeting rooms, education facilities, reception, dining and collections space, kitchen and artwork storage area as the project moves into its next phase.
Due to be completed in summer 2027, the project is funded by the Cultural Development Fund (a DCMS fund administered by Arts Council England) and Rochdale Borough Council, as part of major investment into arts and culture across the borough. Touchstones became one of Arts Council England’s ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ for the first time in 2023. Improvements to these first-floor galleries are being made with funding from The Wolfson Foundation, whilst The Dining Room, a combined museum, dining and events space was made possible by a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, thanks to National Lottery players.
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Appointing Schofield and Sons is another milestone as this amazing project moves into its final year and I am excited to see the improvements to the gallery spaces over the coming months. These galleries will house major exhibitions and significant collections, and they are often what residents remember so well when reflecting on their memories of this building. I cannot wait to see the transformation continue over the coming months, turning the building into something truly wonderful and fit for the 21st century, creating more opportunities for everyone to enjoy culture and the history of our borough in a more modern public space.”
The Touchs
tones project forms a key part of the establishment of a creative district in Rochdale town centre, which included the refurbishment of Rochdale Town Hall, the new town hall square, the Fire Up digital and creative co-working space, new artist workspaces on Richard Street as well as new public art, signage and marketing.
Estelle Rowe, chief executive of Your Trust, the organisation responsible for running the building when it re-opens added: “These new galleries will enable artists to present exceptional artworks, and we have exciting plans for them. The spaces will help us connect past and present art and ideas, engaging residents and visitors and bringing more world class artists to the core of our activities.”
The project has been developed in partnership between Rochdale Borough Council, Your Trust who operate Touchstones as the council’s culture and leisure partner and Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), who deliver regeneration projects on behalf of the council.
Shakespeare's Macbeth reimagined inside an iconic nightclub
Preview by Steve Cooke
This autumn/winter Oldham Coliseum are launching an exciting new programme, and an exciting and very welcome new chapter for the theatre.
Leading the season is Creative Director Nick Bagnall's first production for Oldham Coliseum: a new staging of Shakespeare's Macbeth, reimagined inside one of Oldham's most iconic nightclubs, Liquid & Envy.
Exploring ambition, masculinity, power and identity through a contemporary Oldham lens, the production is designed to speak to everyone, whether you're a lifelong Shakespeare fan or seeing the play for the very first time.
"I want to blow the dust off Shakespeare" says Nick. "We want people who have never set foot in a theatre to walk into Liquid & Envy and feels this story belongs to them. Staging Macbeth inside a working Oldham nightclub creates its own intrigue and makes it feel closer to a night out than a night at the theatre, without losing the force of Shakespeare's language."
Tickets from £15
Macbeth runs from 23 October – 7 November at Liquid & Envy, Oldham, Retiro St, Oldham OL1 1SA
If you’re missing out on Edinburgh Fringe…
Preview by Steve Cooke
Turns out, you don’t need to travel to Edinburgh to experience a Fringe-style night out.
HOME is showcasing plenty of performers who have already won over Fringe audiences, so you can enjoy all the fun of the Fringe in Manchester.
TEAM VIKING
A comic ode of death, friendship, and the absurdity of life, Team Viking tells the remarkable, hilarious and heart-lifting story of how James Rowland managed to give his best mate the send-off he wanted.
“Ten years ago, my best friend Tom was diagnosed with heart cancer and given three months to live. His last wish was to have a full Viking burial. So I gave him one.”
Blending storytelling, music, comedy and even a genuine Viking helmet, it’s a comic ode to death, friendship and the beautiful absurdity of life.
“The show premiered in a tiny meeting room at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe and became a breakthrough hit: critically acclaimed, completely sold out, and the beginning of my career as a contemporary storyteller. Since then, it has toured hundreds of times across the UK and beyond.”
Now, ten years on, you can catch the critically acclaimed hit here at HOME from Thursday 15 October - Saturday 17 October for its special anniversary edition – as funny, raw, and joyous as ever.
In another Fringe hit, catch Louise Orwin’s FAMEHUNGRY.
After a multi-award-winning Edinburgh run, FAMEHUNGRY will be touring internationally, stopping off at HOME on Thursday 19 November and Friday 20 November.
Taking place simultaneously in HOME’s theatre 2 and on TikTok Live, Louise Orwin leverages audience interaction to create a chaotic, unpredictable, and hilarious night out. The show is watched by anywhere between 300 and 5000 unsuspecting strangers on any given night – who may either love her, troll her, fetishise her, or attempt to destroy her.
“Theatre redefined for the brat generation.”
Louise Orwin has read the writing on the wall. Performance art is dead. (Maybe.)
Hoping to revive a generation’s faith in the live arts, Louise Orwin – the multiple award-winning, London-based cult performance artist – brings her smash hit theatrical experience about life, death, the future of art, the attention economy and the online micro-celebrity to HOME.
FAMEHUNGRY is a helter-skelter nosedive into social media, asking what it means to be an artist now. Fusing performance art and very real and very live TikTok experiences, join Louise in a sisyphean mission to make art and find beauty and hope in the relentless, Almighty Algorithm-feeding attention economy. FAMEHUNGRY questions the lengths we go to be seen and what it feels like to be hungry for fame in the face of a world on fire.
To do this, Louise enlists famous Gen Z TikToker Jax Valentine (21yo, 80k followers) to guide her (37yo, 4k followers) through a brave new world of dance trends, 24 hour live-streaming, enforced face filters and endless monetizable content. The aim? To answer a very personal question: how can this performance artist compete in a dizzying digital age? Will Louise make it through the show without catching the attention of TikTok’s hyper-conservative censors? Will she survive her existential crisis? Can she – whisper it – make performance art mainstream? And will you ever feel the same way about social media again?
Anchored in Louise’s obsessive, gonzo-style deep-dive research and using a cutting-edge multimedia set up, FAMEHUNGRY is a wild ride through the TIkTok universe for two simultaneous audiences - one in-the-know theatre audience, and one unsuspecting TikTok Live audience. Loud, fast, unpredictable, funny and occasionally messy, this is theatre redefined for the brat generation (sort of).
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Every other Saturday. Come along and learn how to code at our Code Club.
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Monday, 10 August 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.
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Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - More than Melody Ladies Choir Conductor Jonathan Gibson Piano Brian Mulligan
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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