Stephanie Cottle, Author at Blackpool Social Club

18 Jun

Rendered in Light: Creativity as a tool for survival

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsFilm, Guide

A film screening, creative workshop and conversation at Aunty Social will explore how art, technology and community action can help people navigate displacement, conflict and survival during Refugee Week 2026. Taking place during Refugee Week 2026, Rendered in Light: Screening + Creative Activism Session brings together Fylde Coast Amnesty, CREATIF CIC and Aunty Social for an evening exploring solidarity, resilience and hope in the face of conflict. The evening begins with Fylde Coast Amnesty sharing current casework and campaigns relating to Palestine. On the night they will be offering insight into the experiences behind the ongoing news coverage. This year's…

12 May

Theatre Review: Rocky Horror Show

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & Performance

There’s something oddly comforting about walking into a production of The Rocky Horror Show already knowing exactly what you’re going to get. Fishnets. Corsets. Heckles. Opening night at Blackpool Grand Theatre felt less like attending a musical and more like participating in a ritual kept alive for over fifty years. When Richard O'Brien first created Rocky Horror in the 1970s, it arrived in a world deeply invested in the idea of ‘getting back to normal’. Even after the relative freedom of the '60s America was still clinging tightly to the post-war fantasy of suburban perfection with its neat lawns, heterosexual…

22 Apr

Preview: World Book Night in Blackpool

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsGuide, Literature & Spoken Word

This year, libraries, learning spaces, and community venues across Blackpool are opening their doors for a series of welcoming events that all circle around the same idea: books are better when they’re shared. Whether it’s cross table debates or a relaxed craft and read, you’re doing it right if it involves a brew. We've complied you a list of what's on while members of The Social Lit book club share their recommendations. Palatine Library: Craft, Conversation and Reading Hour Thursday 23 April 6.00 –7.30pm Free – No booking required Palatine Library is marking The Reading Agency’s #ReadingHour with a calm…

19 Jan

Theatre Review: The Constant Wife

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, play, The Grand Theatre

The Constant Wife opened at The Grand Theatre as an elegant reminder of how classic plays can still feel relatable to audiences today. This RSC production of W. Somerset Maugham’s 1920s comedy, newly adapted by Laura Wade, balances sharp dialogue with a strong sense of style and wit. Set in a decade known for shifting social expectations and incredible fashion, this production leans fully into the glamour of the era. The costumes are a real highlight. From clean lines to rich fabrics, they help define each character early doors in the play. Constance and her sister Martha stand out most.…

14 Nov

Gig Review: Gwenno

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsMusic & GigsBlackpool, bootleg social, gigs, Gwenno, Music

Stephanie Cottle arrived at Bootleg Social on the 8th of November expecting something special from a packed-out stage of electronic gear, wires and synthesizers. Having not previously listened to QUINQUIS, the warm-up act for the evening, I had no idea what to expect. If I did have something in mind however, it probably wouldn’t be what was delivered. The producer, who sings primarily in Breton, the Celtic language of her ancestors, provided a set of delicate yet potent electronics. The sounds QUINQUIS created were meditative, almost ritualistic. Her performance was shaped profoundly by place and language, as she explained to…

30 Oct

Theatre Review: Blithe Spirit

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, grand theatre, Noel Coward, play

Stephanie Cottle saw Blithe Spirit summoned onto The Grand Theatre’s stage, where Noel Coward’s mischievous 1941 comedy about life, death and love from beyond the grave charmed its opening night audience. Written in just five days during the Second World War, Blithe Spirit first appeared at a time when the country was in grief. To write a comedy about death during wartime was undeniably bold. Director Anthony Banks acknowledges the play’s origins in his programme note and I agree, it still gives the piece its power. Still, it has to be mentioned some of the gender politics are distinctly pre-war.…

24 Oct

Theatre Review: Shock Horror

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

Stephanie Cottle visits The Grand Theatre for Shock Horror — Ryan Simons chilling love letter to classic horror cinema. There’s a reason The Woman in Black continues to fill seats in its 37th year — it’s one of the only live shows that can offer that particular thrill. The thrill of sitting in a dark theatre, waiting for something, or someone, to leap out at you. Shock Horror: A Ghost Story, which arrived in Blackpool just in time for spooky season, taps into that same pleasure. The production by Thunder Road Theatre was first created in 2022 and embarked on…

14 Oct

Hot Saké Jam Night Returns to Bootleg Social

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsMusic & GigsBlackpool, bootleg social, jam, Music

No Rehearsals. No Setlists. Just Collaboration. There’s something magical happening in Blackpool’s music scene — and it’s not locked behind rehearsal room doors. It’s on the fly and in the moment, with artists stepping up to play together for the first time. It’s called Jam Night, and it’s the most musically collaborative thing to hit the town in donkeys. Set up by homegrown music production duo Hot Saké (Rhy Grooves and Liam Baugh) the mission is simple: shine a light on Blackpool’s local talent, bring people together and have a proper good time doing it. Since April, Hot Sake have…

08 Oct

Theatre Preview: Rachel Fairburn – Showgirl

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

Rachel Fairburn, co-host of the award winning comedy podcast All Killa No Filla, heads to Blackpool on the 19th of October to film her stand up show, Showgirl. Ensuring that video won’t kill this radio star, Fairburn is set to perform her sharp observational comedy in style, adorned in the sequinned costume that inspired the show. Fairburn's outfit is reflective of the stereotypical vision of Blackpool but, much like the town itself, audiences shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this showgirl is to be taken at face value. Fairburn’s work is complex and multi-layered. She is able to discuss far-spanning topics…

19 Jun

Theatre Review: Uncanny – I Know What I Saw

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

In the wake of his hit stage show 2:22 A Ghost Story, playwright Danny Robins brought a live version of his podcast Uncanny to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. Following a huge reception the live podcast show in 2023 Uncanny: I Know What I Saw returned this year for a second tour. The updated show features two haunting new casefiles narrated by Danny Robins and analysed by experts Chris French (Professor in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London) and Evelyn Hollow (paranormal psychologist and double academy award-winning Scottish writer). Scattered between the narrative of supernatural encounters, Robins provided space…