Louise Ashcroft, Author at Blackpool Social Club

26 Oct

Preview: Blackpool Film Festival – Scarred for Life

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsFilm, Theatre, Dance & PerformanceBacklot, Blackpool, Film, film festival, filmmaking

An evening that celebrates the terrifying popular culture of the 1970s and 1980s comes to Blackpool Film Festival at The Backlot Cinema on Sunday 3rd November at 7pm. Scarred For Life sees writers Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence taking to the stage to discuss the TV, films, music, comics, books, adverts – and even sweets – that blighted their childhoods. So be prepared for a no-holds-barred examination of Worzel Gummidge, Doctor Who, Noseybonk, the Usborne Book of Ghosts, Horror Top Trumps, and the bovver boy skinheads from the 1980s Weetabix adverts! It's an evening inspired by their three hit books.…

21 Oct

Preview: Blackpool Film Festival

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsFilm, GuideBacklot, Blackpool, festival, Film, film festival, filmmaking

Capturing young and local talent, premiering leading ladies, and showcasing Blackpool’s heritage, art and queer culture, Blackpool Film Festival announces its full programme for 2024. Leading ladies are called to the front this autumn with a series of femme-focussed films, events and workshops as a major strand of Blackpool Film Festival's 2024 programme. Warming up to the main weekend of events, the festival kicks off quite literally at 2.30pm at Blackpool Sixth Form College on Thursday 24th October. Sugar, Spice and Getting in Fights is a stunt workshop for women and non binary people. Led by an experienced stunt performer,…

11 Oct

Theatre Review: Wonder Boy

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, grand theatre, review, Theatre

The award-winning Bristol Old Vic production of Wonder Boy started its UK tour in Blackpool this week at The Grand Theatre. A truly inclusive performance, it tells the story of a young boy attempting to overcome a stammer. At the start of Wonder Boy the audience is introduced to 12-year-old Sonny and his comic book hero companion, Captain Chatter. They communicate using BSL and expressive gestures, including some very wiggly eyebrows! We then see Sonny arrive at school and discover that he struggles to communicate with peers in real life, due to his stammer. The show is enhanced by the…

03 Oct

Book Review: Delusions of a Decade in Drag by Titty Kaka

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word

Titty Kaka’s Double Ds are built right into the title of her new book, Delusions of a Decade in Drag. In fact... that's Triple D’s. We’re already seeing how extra she is, and that’s before Kelly Robinson even mentions the front cover, where Titty serves double-page-spread glamour in her pink panther bodysuit encrusted with over 100,000 rhinestones. Commissioned as part of multi-artform festival Queer Amusements, which has brought together events, workshops, performances and more, all showcasing and celebrating queer culture in Blackpool and beyond, Delusions of a Decade in Drag sees Oliver Gregory (Titty) share details of his private life,…

19 Sep

Aunty makes Small Biz 100

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsLocal NewsAunty Social, community, Local business, local news, shopping

Blackpool arts organisation Aunty Social has been named as one of the nation’s 100 most impressive small firms by the Small Business Saturday UK campaign, as it kicks off a wider call to encourage public support for small businesses. Aunty Social CIC is a community arts organisation that gives people opportunities to develop their creativity, learn new skills and connect with others through positive arty activities. It was founded by a group of friends looking for fun, social and affordable creative events to attend in their hometown in 2011. In 2022, they opened their town centre premises on Topping Street,…

25 Jul

Theatre Review: & Juliet

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, Opera House, review, Theatre

Shakespeare gets a feminist makeover in this retelling of the classic tragedy turned comedy. Audiences in Blackpool this week explore what would have happened if Juliet hadn’t killed herself upon discovering the dead Romeo. It turns out she could live without him! On the back of West End and Broadway success, & Juliet continues its UK tour at Blackpool Opera House this week. The show opens with a jukebox on stage, clearly owning its identity as a jukebox musical, with a score made from '90s and '00s anthems from icons such as Britney Spears, the Back Street Boys, Pink and…

23 May

Theatre Review: Unfortunate – The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, grand theatre, review, Theatre

Have you ever wondered why Disney villains were so bad and what made them that way? Unfortunate lets us explore the origin story of the biggest baddy from Under the Sea. Unfortunate - The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch stars Shawna Hamic (Orange is the New Black, 1776 on Broadway) as ‘Ursula’ and River Medway (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) as ‘Ariel’. The production is running until Saturday 25 May at Blackpool Grand Theatre. Are you someone who grew up with Disney princesses? Do you secretly still love singing along to 'Part of this World' but think you've maybe…

24 Nov

Theatre Review: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

So why is everybody talking about Jamie? Blackpool Social Club headed to the Blackpool Winter Gardens, to find out more about the musical retelling of the real life story of Jamie, drag queen at 16. The Sheffield Theatres Production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie arrived in Blackpool as part of its UK tour, with performances from Tuesday to Saturday this week. From the pantomime dame to Dame Edna Everage, Danny La Rue, Lily Savage and Ru Paul, our culture is no stranger to the art of drag. Are we surprised that this is something that a young person may want…

29 Sep

Behind the Scenes with BFLOC: Little Shop of Horrors. Part 2: Look Out!

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

After the high of opening night, Blackpool Social Club caught up with Nikita Coulon (pictured centre) who plays Crystal. She is one of the three girls that narrates the story of Little Shop of Horrors with stunning three-part harmonies. Nikita has been a part of Blackpool and Fylde Operatics for many years, so I was keen to hear about her experiences. Main photo: Hannah Ayres How long have you been with BFLOC? If this is your first production and what drew you to the company? I have been with BFLOC 18 years now, my first production was Anything Goes in…

02 Sep

Behind the Scenes with BFLOC – Little Shop of Horrors. Part 1: Down on Skid Row

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceAmateur Dramatics, BFLOC, entertainment, Lowther Pavilion, musical, performance, st annes, Theatre, what's on

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] It’s not long since the curtain came down on the latest show from Blackpool and Fylde Light Opera Company at The Grand Theatre. Their production of Boogie Nights finished at the end of May and the rehearsals for Little Shop of Horrors started almost immediately. There’s no rest for the wicked and with the tight turnaround to the next opening night, every rehearsal counts. In the lead up to the show, we will be bringing you a series of behind-the-scenes articles, so you can learn more about the cast and crew and the legacy of this well-established local amateur…