Studio 54 glamour meets contemporary Blackpool in LIV, a new immersive nightlife experience from Midnight Cabaret Club. Ahead of opening night last Saturday, co-artistic directors Aysh and Sam De Belle and Mykey Young sat down with Blackpool Social Club to talk about building a queer-led production, why audiences want more than a night out, and how seed funding from Creative Blackpool’s support helped bring the show to life. Interview: Amber Archer. Photos: Martin Farrington.
Blackpool has never been short of nightlife. But while the town has built its reputation on clubs, cabaret and late-night entertainment, a new generation of creatives is asking what a night out can look like now.
LIV, the latest production from Midnight Cabaret Club, transforms The Avenue on Talbot Road into an immersive world inspired by the excess, freedom and glamour of Studio 54, while taking its cues from Blackpool’s own rich nightlife history. Audiences don’t simply watch the show – they become part of it.
Created by Aysh and Sam De Belle and Mykey Young, LIV builds on the team’s previous immersive production, Shhhhh, while expanding their ambition with a larger cast of local performers. The production is also one of the first projects to receive Creative Blackpool seed funding, with support helping the team develop the show through rehearsals.
Ahead of opening night, we sat down with the trio to talk about creating immersive theatre, championing Blackpool’s independent venues and why they believe experiences like LIV could help shape a new future for the tow nightlife.
How did you come together for this project?
Aysh: We’ve been working together for a couple of years now as the Midnight Cabaret Club. We did a previous show called Shhhhh a couple of years ago, and this is our second project called LIV. It’s very exciting.
We came together because we wanted to make some immersive theatre in Blackpool, and we wanted to make it part of the nighttime offer – a night that we would collectively go and enjoy.
Mykey: There was nothing that we fancied going to in town. We were starting to run short on options in terms of events, without having to go out of town to look for this sort of thing.
What has the process been to make LIV?
Aysh: It’s been really, really exciting and really fun. It’s been a little bit different from last time because we’ve known what to expect – we had a blueprint. When we were making Shhhhh the first time around, we didn’t really know how the audience was going to respond to it, so there was a little bit more nervousness around it.
This time, we know it works, so we’ve just been really excited to make something brand new. It’s been so fun to make something fresh for us as artists and creatives – being really confident that the audience are going to enjoy it.
Sam: It’s been really nice as well to work with more creatives from Blackpool too. Whether they be dancers, DJs, singers… We’ve made a little queer production team family.
Mykey: What we were really lucky with was that the first show was successful straight off the bat. So, we’ve been able to quietly, with some confidence, build this show with a lot of learning from the last one. We’re really excited to get this one off the ground now.
You’ve been inspired by Studio 54 – have you got any other influences for the show?
Aysh: Absolutely. As individuals, we have given all of the performers who are in the show their own creative freedom to make their own character and base that on whatever and whoever they choose. We’ve all done a little bio for each character, and there’s such a variety within that.
Studio 54 is the world that we’re inspired by, and that’s because of the music that was born out of that era. So, it will definitely have a distinctly disco feel, but we’re trying to create something fresh from within that. We don’t want to just define it by giving it that Studio 54 tag, and that’s where LIV came from really.
Sam: We’ve also had lots of chats with locals from Blackpool about what was happening here when Studio 54 was popping off. They’ve mentioned nightclubs like Man Fridays and the Adam and Eve, and they’re saying it was absolutely popping just the same here. It’s been really cool to speak to people, get their stories, and incorporate those ideas into the show creatively as well.
Mykey: Studio 54 was inspired by that era – that was a moment in time. So, we’re interested in asking: what’s the moment in time now? In Blackpool, on The Avenue, that’s what we’re interested in. We like to go into new spaces and make experiences for that space and for the people. This is as much for the locals and our community as it is for anybody who’s going to come in from out of town.
Do you feel LIV could be part of a new era for Blackpool’s nightlife and entertainment?
Mykey: 100%. Blackpool’s going through ‘a moment’ at the minute with its cultural strategy and Creative Blackpool being here. The town is looking towards bidding for City of Culture, so nightlife will be a huge factor in all of that. We know that people are looking for more now than just a night out. They want added value, they want the experience, they want the things that you can’t get anywhere else. And this is just the beginning in this venue.
Aysh: I think LIV leans into not only immersive nightlife, so that people can feel that they’re a part of the experience rather than just watching and witnessing, but also about people feeling seen and feeling valued – not only as locals and community members, but also as tourists. We are famous for stag and hens, but that doesn’t mean we can’t also have a quality offer that stag and hens can come to as well. That stereotype that people think of when they think of stag and hens – that’s not always what people are looking for when they come to Blackpool. So, I think we can really change the script.
Sam: And a safe place – a safe, fun place – is really, really important.
What role do you think independent venues play in shaping the town’s future?
Aysh: I think they play a key role. It’s very difficult for them to navigate at the moment because things are shifting so much, and it’s very hard for small businesses to sustain themselves. But the beauty of independent venues is that they bring something that feels unique, fresh, exciting and fun.
This show, for example, is free entry. There are no barriers to coming in and enjoying it. But people will have to spend behind the bar for the bar to be able to sustain it as a business plan. So, that extra support from things like City of Culture will be really vital for small venues.
Mykey: We’ve been really thankful to Creative Blackpool, who awarded us seed funding. That’s actually paid for our rehearsal process and without that we wouldn’t have got this off the ground. The culture of a place is about the individuals that create the culture. It’s born out of individuality, it’s born out of artists, and it’s born out of independent venues. The town’s identity is more than just the main headlines. It’s everything else that makes this place work, and the people who are here taking it away and making it happen.
Aysh: The concept of Midnight Cabaret Club is that the show happens after the shows. So, when the big shows are finished and people are spilling out, looking for something extra to do, they can then find that here. We start at 10pm, but the doors open at 9pm – you’ve got to get a good seat!
What does an immersive experience mean to you? How will guests become part of it rather than just watching it?
Mykey: We don’t want to give too much away, but for me, an immersive experience means going into a world that I can get lost in. It’s escapism, but it’s something that we’re hoping resonates beyond just the surface level of what you’re experiencing on the night. It’s very much about bringing you in and captivating you, but hitting you in the feels, so that you really are feeling like you’re part of it.
Aysh: I think it’s asking something of the audience, so that they’re not just passive. So much of this show is immersive that we’ve got question marks over how it’s going to go, even though we’ve done stuff like this before. The audience are just as responsible for the night as we are. We do it together.
Sam: I think I just really like the human connection – being up close. When members of the public come in, I speak to them in character. You never know what’s going to come out of me, to be honest, but it’s all pretty off the cuff. For so long, I’ve always liked being on stage or being watched, but I kind of really like being involved and having that improvisation.
How do you want people to feel at the end of the night?
Aysh: We want them to feel like they’ve LIVed. That feeling of freedom, expression, connection, love and excitement.
Mykey: I want people to have come and had such a good time that it’s all they want to talk about. ‘We didn’t expect to see that in Blackpool. We didn’t expect to see that in that space underground.’ That’s what we want – for it to be something they’re proud and excited to talk about, tell their friends about, and bring their friends to.
Aysh: But also, the beautiful thing about this kind of work is that it’s never the same any week. When audience members come back again and again, they’re going to get something different each time. We want it to be people’s local – somewhere they can come to and just know they’re going to have a good night.
LIV takes over The Avenue, Blackpool, every Saturday night throughout the summer. Doors open at 9pm, with the immersive experience beginning at 10pm. Entry is free, but you must be on the guest list. WhatsApp 07935 223828
