{"id":14400,"date":"2023-04-24T07:41:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T06:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=14400"},"modified":"2023-04-24T07:41:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T06:41:04","slug":"all-across-the-arts-to-new-horizons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2023\/04\/24\/all-across-the-arts-to-new-horizons\/","title":{"rendered":"all across the arts TO NEW HORIZONS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By Norman Warwick<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14401\" width=\"305\" height=\"408\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost twenty years ago poet and writer Robin Parker <strong><em>(right)<\/em><\/strong> and I decided we would like to voluntarily deliver a free all across the arts page for The Rochdale Observer. We made the initial approach to the editor, Gerry Salmon, and had a meeting with this man who has gone on to become an author of adventure novels. Gerry detailed the appropriate word counts, deadlines and formats and we proposed the name of all across the arts. We felt this was a cover-all title for a creative writing course Robin and I were running with Falinge Park High School students. Over the course of thirteen weeks eight students worked with Robin and I to create news, interviews, previews and reviews of cinema, theatre, computer games and live concerts etc.. These students also learned how to manage a working calendar, deliver copy on time and to the precise length required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were a great team of teenagers and it was amazing to see their confidence grow so much that they were very soon arranging their own strap lines and taking great pride in positively representing their local area, not only in the print media but even on community radio as well as BBC Radio Manchester,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The end of the course coincided with them moving into higher education and Robin and I were effectively left with no outlet for our own stories, However The Rochdale Observer was part of The Manchester Evening News Media Group, that included twenty or so other local papers from Greater Manchester. These included The Heywood Advertiser and The Middleton Guardian, both of which are part of the Rochdale MBC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suddenly, we had four pages a week to produce for free, With The Rochdale Observer being published every Tuesday and Friday and of course being Rochdale centric, it required two pages. With Robin living right in the town centre of Rochdale, and being a former Mayor of the town with lots of contacts, and a man who loved arts in different genres and in a different way to how I loved the arts, it made sense for Robin to deliver the Observer pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I lived in Heywood which bordered Middleton and I had done a lot of work in those towns as a peripatetic community artist and facilitator so I took on the role of our pages for the Advertiser and for the Guardian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We were also able to expand our contact list and were also able to place our stories or announce our news in journals like The Bury Times, The Oldham Chronicle and sometimes even The Manchester Evening News when appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We were story-led and we were both very proud of the pages we were producing for nothing. They were positive reflections of the arts scene in our area (s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14412\" width=\"437\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3.jpg 225w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/3-3-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, Robin and I worked for a common purpose but in different ways and I am ashamed to say that although we were very much equal partners in terms of commitment and abilities I often over-acted as a senior partner and Robin finally left our working relationship in \u00b4high dudgeon\u00b4 as Stanley Holloway might have stated it..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Over the next ten years I\u00b4d like to think Robin re-built the bridges he had burned and I tore down the statue-to-self I had sculpted in my mind and we eventually partnered up again in a number of initiatives like the regular poetry nights we called Those Bard From The Baum. Robin is now a busy and highly effective member of Langley Writers and enjoyed great success with his book The Edenfield Scrolls <em>(left)<\/em>, a collection of humorously re-told bible stories that were then read as a cd appendage by dialect poet Sid Calderbank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14402\" width=\"189\" height=\"262\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I was fortunate that Steve Cooke <strong><em>(right)<\/em><\/strong> came to sit behind the suddenly vacated all across the arts\u00b4 reporter\u00b4s desk. He and I had worked together in the past and I had always admired his commitment to the cause. We worked alongside each other at aata for several years before I left to retire here and launch Sidetracks And Detours as a blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sad reality, though, is that things change. All of us who have worked in that region on the arts scene since the turn of the century have witnessed all sorts of changes. Readership of regional newspapers fell because of competition from web sites, blogs and television\u00b4s 24 hour rolling news services. As readerships dwindled it became increasingly difficult to attract advertisers and so revenue fell as costs rose. One of the few options publications could undertake to survive was to cut the number of pages published in their editions, as this obviously reduced production costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst Steve Cooke and I were still working together as all across the arts we lost first the Middleton Guardian page and then The Heywood Advertiser page. This felt particularly pernicious to me as we knew our pages were appreciated by a wide circle of artists and arts lovers and I felt we could have attracted wider readership of all across the arts with less restrictive word counts, but of course the newspapers were still focussed on attracting as much advertising and7or varied copy on to any one as possible..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I remember thinking how odd it was that a newspaper should ask two unpaid, volunteer workers to include listings sections on our story-led pages. Collating a weekly section of listings for town\u00b4s or Rochdale\u00b4s magnitude was enormously time consuming and labour extensive. We already had news to write-up, books to preview, artists to interview artists to interviews and plays to review!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steve Cooke has done a superb job of maintaining the all across the arts page. Over the last seven years he has surrounded himself with, and has enjoyed the support of, the great and the good of the Rochdale arts scene, with its revenue funded arts organisations, independent artists, theatres, galleries and pub venues. Poets Seamus Kelly and Eileen Earnshaw were regular contributors to his pages and he carried news from local groups like Touchstones cwg, Weaving Words,&nbsp; Langley Writers and followed the nomadic wanderings of Those Bard From The Baum to the Flying Horse and beyond, and Mr. Cooke maintained a synergy with Steve Bewick jazz radio presenter of Hot Biscuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All that diligence and hard work and connectivity, though, couldn\u00b4t prevent the inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Steve Cooke this week sent out a communication saying,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The AATA Column is going online-only other than the Rochdale-specific column in Rochdale Style Magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it seems as though the declining circulation and number of pages in The Rochdale Observer continue in decline and that staffing structures are being revised yet again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There seems to no longer be a Rochdale Observer dedicated team within the Manchester Evening News Media Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steve\u00b4s column appeared for the final time in the Rochdale Observer on Wednesday 5th April 2023. However, Steve\u00b4s shout-out remained positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In addition to our ever expanding global, online presence through our website and social media platforms the column now appears twice weekly on Reach\u2019s InYourArea.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The new column will be expanded from the restrictions of 400 + 200 words &amp; 1 image to \u2018between 500 and 1000 words, with up to 4 photos, it should allow you some flexibility.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I shall share links to each column with you and encourage you to share them with your interested contacts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He admitted, of course, that the decision had a downside effect his column would lose those readers who still &nbsp;access their news etc. through local print outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The notice from The Rochdale Observers sought to put the demise in a positive light by saying<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;\u2018Many thanks for your valuable contribution to InYourArea and the Rochdale Observer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2018Due to changes in workflow, the team will now only be responsible for publishing on InYourArea.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We will continue to make it available for print teams to use, should they be able to, however print teams have informed us that it may no longer appear in their titles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We will continue to send you the online links to your published columns.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Apologies for any inconvenience and we look forward to receiving your next column (for our on-line outlet).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an example of the excellent work Steve Cooke has delivered over the years through a wide range of outlets, Sidetracks And Detours are proud to illustrate how well Steve regularly drew stories from his What\u00b4s On listings, as he did in that final print column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WHAT&#8217;S ON: John Grant and Richard Hawley are set to appear at the Bolton Octagon (Image: Dan Sullivan)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>JOHN GRANT sings the songs of Patsy Cline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>with RICHARD HAWLEY &nbsp;and band<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By Steve Cooke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the many events I am looking forward to at Manchester International Festival (MIF) 23 is John Grant Sings the Songs of Patsy Cline with Richard Hawley and his Band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two of the best&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/live-music\/\"><strong>live artists<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;around will come together in celebration of a legendary country music star. Singer Patsy Cline paved the way for a thousand imitations &#8211; bridging pop and country with her unforgettable voice and star quality before her life was tragically cut short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14403\" width=\"254\" height=\"333\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>At the 2023 Manchester International Festival, &nbsp; a pair of modern-day icons, John Grant and Richard Hawley are taking on Patsy\u00b4s repertoire for the very first time: Known for his searing wit, tenderness and commanding stage presence, singer-songwriter <strong>John William Grant<\/strong>&nbsp;(born July 25, 1968) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter who holds both American and Icelandic citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He first became known as the co-founder, lead singer, pianist, and primary songwriter for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alternative_rock\">alternative rock<\/a>&nbsp;band&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Czars\">the Czars<\/a>. After releasing six albums from 1994 to 2006, the band split up and Grant retired for four years before starting a solo career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grant&#8217;s debut solo album&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Queen_of_Denmark_(album)\"><em>Queen of Denmark<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;(2010) was named the best album of the year by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mojo_(magazine)\"><em>Mojo<\/em><\/a>, and his second album&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pale_Green_Ghosts\"><em>Pale Green Ghosts<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;(2013) was named the best album of the year by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rough_Trade_(shops)\">Rough Trade<\/a>. His third album&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Grey_Tickles,_Black_Pressure\"><em>Grey Tickles, Black Pressure<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;(2015) received widespread critical acclaim and peaked at No. 5 on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/UK_albums_chart\">UK albums chart<\/a>, while his fourth album&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Love_Is_Magic\"><em>Love Is Magic<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;(2018) entered the top 20 in the UK. His fifth album&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Boy_From_Michigan\"><em>Boy From Michigan<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;(2021) also received acclaim. He also released the live album&nbsp;<em>John Grant and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Live in Concert<\/em>&nbsp;(2014), in which he performed songs from his first two albums while accompanied by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BBC_Philharmonic_Orchestra\">BBC Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grant is also known for his collaborations with varied musicians like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hercules_and_Love_Affair\"> Love <\/a>&nbsp;Affair,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Budgie_(musician)\">Budgie<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elbow_(band)\">Elbow<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Goldfrapp\">Goldfrapp<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/GusGus\">GusGus<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elton_John\">Elton John<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Midlake\">Midlake<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kylie_Minogue\">Kylie Minogue<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sin%C3%A9ad_O%27Connor\">Sin\u00e9ad O&#8217;Connor<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tracey_Thorn\">Tracey Thorn<\/a>, Hercules and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robbie_Williams\">Robbie Williams<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14404\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5.jpg 225w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>At MIF 2023 he lend his commanding vocals to proceedings, with Richard Hawley and his band &#8211; often considered one of the best live acts in the UK \u2013 delivering their their sumptuous live sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Grant said: \u201cVery excited to be singing the songs of Patsy Cline whose music and voice I\u2019ve been a big fan of since the mid-80s when the movie Sweet Dreams came out. I\u2019ve been singing those songs ever since and now I get to do that with one of my favourite singers and musicians, the incredible Richard Hawley, and his spectacular band. And I get to do all this in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/areas-we-cover\/England\/Greater%20Manchester\/Manchester\"><strong>Manchester<\/strong><\/a>, one of the all-time great homes of music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, To celebrate the anniversary of Shakespeare\u2019s First Folio, a brand-new production of Lauren Gunderson\u2019s award-winning&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/comedy\">comedy<\/a>, The Book of Will, is coming to the Bolton Octagon in its European premiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With an award-winning cast and creative team this hilarious love letter to theatre is a co-production from Octagon&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/theatre\/\">Theatre<\/a>&nbsp;Bolton, Queen\u2019s Theatre Hornchurch, and Shakespeare North Playhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Featuring a stellar company of 10 actors, including: Hollyoaks stars Jessica Ellis and Helen Pearson alongside Zach Lee (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/tv\/\"><strong>ITV\u2019s<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;Coronation Street, Emmerdale plus Bouncers, John Godber Company, A Christmas Carol, Hull Truck ); Tomi Ogbaro (Seagulls, Octagon Theatre Bolton, The Wonderful World of Dissocia, Theatre Royal Stratford, Jayne Eyre, Stephen Joseph Theatre and New Vic). They will be joined by Radio 4 favourite Carrie Quinlan (BBC Radio 4\u2019s John Finnemore\u2019s Souvenir Programme, Orpheus Descending, Theatre Clwyd\/Menier Chocolate Factory); Russell Richardson (ITV\u2019s Coronation Street, Last Tango in Halifax plus A View From The Bridge, Hindle Wakes \u2013 Octagon Theatre Bolton); Callum Sim (ITV\u2019s Emmerdale and &nbsp;Coronation Street) and Tarek Slater (The Jungle Book, Oldham Coliseum, Beauty and the Beast, the Dukes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14408\" width=\"434\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1.png 700w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-80x80.png 80w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-36x36.png 36w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-180x180.png 180w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-450x450.png 450w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/profile-round-1-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 434px) 100vw, 434px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Completing the cast is star of stage and screen Bill Ward ((<strong>left<\/strong>, ITV\u2019s Coronation Street, Emmerdale and BBC\u2019s Eastenders plus UK tour of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, UK tour of Bath Theatre Royal\u2019s Shakespeare in Love); and Andrew Whitehead (The Book Thief, Octagon Theatre Bolton, A Christmas Carol, Hull Truck).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I remember when Steve Cooke and I worked withBill to promote an exhibition of his excellent photography of landscapes, all solepsistic but all carrying the tension and drama of those solitary moments where nothing and everything happens as one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Directed by the Octagon\u2019s Artistic Director, Lotte Wakeham, The Book of Will tells the hilarious and moving story of the breath-taking race against time to gather all of Shakespeare\u2019s works and save them for the ages. This wonderfully witty, funny, and fast-paced play tells the story of The King\u2019s Men as they band together for a near-impossible plan &#8211; to collect all of Shakespeare\u2019s plays and compile the First Folio. No easy feat, and what follows is a bonkers race against time through 1620s London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The creative team includes Carla Goodman (designer); Simeon Miller (lighting designer); Andy Graham (sound designer); Jonnie Riordan (movement director); Olivia Barr (casting director); Natalie Grady (accent coach); Ryan McVeigh (assistant director); and Ngozi Ugochukwu (observer director). The Book of Will director Lotte Wakeham said: \u201cI am thrilled to announce this incredibly talented cast of actors and fantastic creative team for our highly anticipated co-production of The Book of Will..\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wednesday, May &nbsp;17 \u2013 Saturday, June 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tickets start from \u00a315 and are on-sale now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit Octagon Theatre website&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/octagonbolton.co.uk\/\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phone: 01204 520661<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Octagon Theatre, Howell Croft South,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/areas-we-cover\/England\/Greater%20Manchester\/Bolton\"><strong>Bolton<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;BL1 1SB<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-1030x640.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14409\" width=\"436\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-1030x640.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-768x477.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-1536x954.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-2048x1272.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-1500x932.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-705x438.jpg 705w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-450x279.jpg 450w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6-600x373.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Steve Cooke has more recently enlisted the perceptive skills of the aforementioned poet Seamus Kelly, (<strong><em>shown right<\/em><\/strong> in conversation with me  at Crescent Community Radio on the all across the arts show i used to co-host with  jazz master Steve Bewick). Seamus who is one of Rochdale\u00b4s finest poets and creative writing facilitators  became one of the regular contributors to Mr, Cooke\u00b4s column   and penned the following review for one of the final editions of all across the arts in The Rochdale Observer, and often posts similar work on his own blog at One Poet\u00b4s Vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out our article on Seamus called Dictionary Definition Of A Poet, published on xxx and now available in our easy to negotiate archives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rory.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14410\" width=\"188\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rory.jpg 167w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rory-166x300.jpg 166w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>THIS TOWN, (left) by Rory Aaron<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong> Review by Seamus Kelly<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This Town, by Rory Aaron <strong>(left)<\/strong> at the Contact Theatre, Performed by Rory Aaron, and Kate Ireland<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billed as a modern-day epic narrative poem this production might to be undersold &#8211; it is so much more with its superb dramatic performances, including dance, physicality and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/poetry\/\"><strong>poet<\/strong><\/a>, Rory Aaron, and actor, Kate Ireland, each taking on roles of narrator and various characters in the piece. The poetry itself never gets bogged down in restrictive patterns and rhythms but adapts and changes throughout the performance adding power and depth to the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stage set, a simple platform on casters with two wooden walls and a doorway, was a deceptively simple yet clever set which enhanced the performance. The actors simply rotated the platform between the interior of the local pub or other locations, as necessary. A mixture of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/music\/\"><strong>music<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;composed for the piece by Blythe Pepino and classics from the 90s complemented the writing and added atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>photo 7 This Town, running for an hour, tells the story through the eyes and words of a young man called Dean, his family and those he associates with, as he returns to his small hometown. The town is Derby, the poet\u2019s home town but could be anywhere, especially in the North of England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean has trouble at school and skips it when he can and hangs around the local gym run by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/boxing\/\"><strong>boxing<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;coach Vlad. He is close to Joe, a young boxer with lots of aggression and anger issues who is heading towards his first fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dean\u2019s brother, Liam, has come home from his most recent spell as a soldier in Basra but can\u2019t bring himself to tell anyone that he won\u2019t be going back because of PTSD. The portrayal of the young man struggling to breath with his seizures, and panic as PTSD kicks in is both stunning and shocking, a superb piece of acting and direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah has been Dean\u2019s friend since childhood and is uncomfortable and Dean\u2019s feelings change and he \u201cjust wants to own me, just like all the others\u201d, but is unable to bring herself to tell friends or family that she is gay. With the local&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inyourarea.co.uk\/news\/tag\/pubs\/\"><strong>pub<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;landlady, Clara, from Belfast having supported her husband through early onset Alzheimer\u2019s, the story, just like life in many small towns, can feel very bleak, but the characters, the strength of the performances, the empathy in the writing and a few moments of hope result in an excellent show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite this plethora of positive from his borough and its hinterland the decline in the circumstances of the local print newspaper industry has now seen Steve&nbsp; Cooke now circulating the following news<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>All Across The Arts Column CURRENT SITUATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Since my recent email about the future of our AATA Column I have had a discussion with Gareth Tidman, Editor of REACH local print editions including Rochdale Observer and Heywood &amp; Middleton Advertiser.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>He explained that parent company, REACH has announced redundancies that have a significant impact on our local print and online editions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Previously the online team were sub-editing our columns and submitting them for print. They are no longer going to be able to do this but shall continue to publish AATA Column twice per week with midweek and weekend editions online at InYourArea. The print team does not have the capacity to take over sub-editing and setting the page.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I informed Gareth that an elemental function of our Column is to promote individual and community well-being through engagement with the creative arts and that many readers of print editions do not access their news\/information\/reading for pleasure online. Gareth agreed to personally take responsibility to &nbsp;publish selected articles from our columns in the print editions when they are Rochdale-specific and there is space.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>BACKGROUND<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>REACH is to cut 200 roles in a \u00a330m cost-cutting drive, after advertisers failed to spend heavily through the World Cup, Black Friday and Christmas season. reporting a slump of 20.2% in print advertising and 5.9% in digital ads in the traditionally strong fourth quarter.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>REACH is the UK\u2019s and Ireland\u2019s largest commercial news publisher. Home to more than 130 &nbsp;brands, from national titles like the Mirror, Express, Daily Record and Daily Star, to local brands like MyLondon, BelfastLive and the Manchester Evening News. Every month, 48 million people access, via print and online, for news, entertainment and sport, reaching 76% of the UK\u2019s online population, with what\u2019s going on in their area and throughout the world<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steve Cooke is a well-respected figure in Rochdale in the education sector and the arts sector and is a much liked figure on the local community arts scene. When we worked together for so many years he taught me how to recognise new opportunities, and though he might not have realised it, inspired me to set up Sidetracks and Detours<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steve, who is now a massive influence on the Good Vibe In Rochdale about which we published a post of that title on 11th April 2023 that now remains easily accessible in our easy to negotiate archives of around 1,000 articles filed in our Sidetracks And Detours  archives. Steve treads his stepping stones lightly and as everything else is drowning around him I\u00b4m confident he will simply nip back to dry land and keep on trekking all across the arts in a different direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch this space, and that space and the other space over there because <strong><em>wherever<\/em><\/strong> there is space to promote the arts he loves, Steve Cooke will fill it. !<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are so many great listing agencies and freelance journalists out there doing a great job of keeping as many outlets as possible infomed of news they can share with the readers and client base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/radio-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14556\" width=\"144\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/radio-2.jpg 509w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/radio-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/radio-2-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 144px) 100vw, 144px\" \/><figcaption>On air sign background<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we can tell uou that our friend and occasional contributor, radio presenter Steve Bewick is  presenting a  new edition of Hot Biscuits jazz from the mix cloud this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The show features a review from Gary Heywood-Everett of a Lancashire based musician and band. Steve Lewis offers an eclectic style of music with the band, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/deepcabaret?__cft__[0]=AZViLTt2RSsK7KRz76upG2E1ymH3PdgKhsA9Hc-cymNkbzL3xfxGJs8fS2mMvlHDLU0uGdgQ_cz4CrK_snDcRPJQeJFn3tFNo44pmKnZCfhJbg6S1h4c3iFEMGvxWvzU6gjyBIdwjUeb8xzVC3UyhxoLs_buEKkUfnI81zt5SehOrQ&amp;__tn__=-]K-R\">Deep Cabaret<\/a>, \u00b4which emerged fully-formed from the intertidal mudflats and cowbelly quicksands of Morecombe\u00b4. Also featured on this week\u00b4s Hot Biscuits will be music from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Stacy-Kent-127713093931799\/?__cft__[0]=AZViLTt2RSsK7KRz76upG2E1ymH3PdgKhsA9Hc-cymNkbzL3xfxGJs8fS2mMvlHDLU0uGdgQ_cz4CrK_snDcRPJQeJFn3tFNo44pmKnZCfhJbg6S1h4c3iFEMGvxWvzU6gjyBIdwjUeb8xzVC3UyhxoLs_buEKkUfnI81zt5SehOrQ&amp;__tn__=kK-R\">Stacy Kent<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/johnmclaughlinofficial?__cft__[0]=AZViLTt2RSsK7KRz76upG2E1ymH3PdgKhsA9Hc-cymNkbzL3xfxGJs8fS2mMvlHDLU0uGdgQ_cz4CrK_snDcRPJQeJFn3tFNo44pmKnZCfhJbg6S1h4c3iFEMGvxWvzU6gjyBIdwjUeb8xzVC3UyhxoLs_buEKkUfnI81zt5SehOrQ&amp;__tn__=-]K-R\">John McLaughlin<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/2364082496\/?__cft__[0]=AZViLTt2RSsK7KRz76upG2E1ymH3PdgKhsA9Hc-cymNkbzL3xfxGJs8fS2mMvlHDLU0uGdgQ_cz4CrK_snDcRPJQeJFn3tFNo44pmKnZCfhJbg6S1h4c3iFEMGvxWvzU6gjyBIdwjUeb8xzVC3UyhxoLs_buEKkUfnI81zt5SehOrQ&amp;__tn__=-UK-R\">Pat Metheny<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/quentin.collins.14?__cft__[0]=AZViLTt2RSsK7KRz76upG2E1ymH3PdgKhsA9Hc-cymNkbzL3xfxGJs8fS2mMvlHDLU0uGdgQ_cz4CrK_snDcRPJQeJFn3tFNo44pmKnZCfhJbg6S1h4c3iFEMGvxWvzU6gjyBIdwjUeb8xzVC3UyhxoLs_buEKkUfnI81zt5SehOrQ&amp;__tn__=-]K-R\">Quentin Collins<\/a>. If this looks interesting share the link below with friends and listen in 24\/07 at MIXCLOUD.COM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"110\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/listings-jir-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/listings-jir-1.jpg 110w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/listings-jir-1-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/listings-jir-1-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/listings-jir-1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 110px) 100vw, 110px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have already heard, too from Jazz In Reading, informing you  that Surrey based jazz vocalist &amp; songwriter Sarah Jane Eveleigh will be appearing <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sarah.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14558\" width=\"258\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sarah.jpg 744w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sarah-269x300.jpg 269w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sarah-633x705.jpg 633w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sarah-450x501.jpg 450w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sarah-600x669.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Pangbourne Working Men\u00b4s Jazz Club<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sunday 7 May | 7:30pm start<br>Only \u00a312.50 entry | Cheap bar | Raffle | Public Car Park<br><em>Pay on the door or book online <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/jazzinreading.us11.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=324b3c94a83772c3d1ad7e031&amp;id=ed029aa0f7&amp;e=0c969f5119\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She was born and raised in Manchester before moving to the south of England to study a diploma in performing arts.<br><br>These days, drawing from a wealth of professional and personal experience, Sarah Jane is a passionate and gifted storyteller.<br><br>Working alongside a host of talented musicians she continues to build a strong reputation as one of the most sought after vocalists on the circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Jazz in Reading are looking forward to welcoming Sarah Jane to Pangbourne and are sure she will become a firm favourite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/aata-1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14413\" width=\"436\" height=\"134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/aata-1.webp 367w, https:\/\/aata.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/aata-1-300x92.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Steve Cooke has done a superb job of maintaining the all across the arts page. Over the last seven years he has surrounded himself with, and has enjoyed the support of, the great and the good of the Rochdale arts scene, with its revenue funded arts organisations, independent artists, theatres, galleries and pub venues. Poets Seamus Kelly and Eileen Earnshaw were regular contributors to his pages and he carried news from local groups like Touchstones cwg, Weaving Words,\u00a0 Langley Writers and followed the nomadic wanderings of Those Bard From The Baum to the Flying Horse and beyond, and Mr. Cooke maintained a synergy with Steve Bewick jazz radio presenter of Hot Biscuits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aata"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14400"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14559,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14400\/revisions\/14559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}