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Stephen Dunstan

166 Posts
Fabulous Forties at Blackpool Winter Gardens
16 Dec

Fabulous Forties at Blackpool Winter Gardens

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsHeritage
It was a night of contrasts at the Winter Gardens last Friday. The Chemical Brothers were the headline act in the Empress Ballroom. For those after something completely different Aunty Social were showing the 1943 film classic Stormy Weather. As one of those who opted for cinematic treats over block rockin' beats I had a great evening out. The Winter Gardens is a very versatile venue, and the event was held in the Grand Foyer (aka ‘The Grand Foyer Club’ for the evening). It really was a superb choice for a period piece, and the cabaret style seating allowed for…
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Missing This Would Be Madness
06 Dec

Missing This Would Be Madness

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance
Who had hits in the 1980s with songs about dysfunctional relationships, troubled schooldays, heart attacks, letting your family down and the traumas of family planning? I could understand if you plumped for Joy Division or The Smiths, but it was in fact the ‘Nutty Boys’ themselves, everyone’s second favourite group Madness. And it’s their ability to produce catchy, even jaunty songs about life’s everyday travails that makes them a good source for a pop based musical. Blackpool gets to see the result in October next year when ‘Our House’ meets the Opera House. On the night of his 16th birthday,…
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Grundy Throws Open The Doors For Blackpool Fayre
06 Dec

Grundy Throws Open The Doors For Blackpool Fayre

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions
Here at altBlackpool we know the local art and creative output we cover inspires you to take part in the rich and varied activities going on across the Fylde. Many of you may be pure consumers, but doubtless some of you produce artwork of some form for your own fulfilment. The Grundy are giving you a chance to exhibit hitherto unpublished works as part of the Blackpool Art Fayre in early 2017. Alongside the open exhibition of Fylde residents’ work the gallery will be spotlighting two Blackpool-based arts organisations: the Blackpool Art Society and the recently formed Abingdon Studios. In…
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Gold, Frankincense and Mirth at The Grand
06 Dec

Gold, Frankincense and Mirth at The Grand

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance
It is widely considered that 2016 has been a bit of a misery inducing year, with the departures of many entertainment greats for a start. And it’s now the middle of winter, so it’s cold and dark and depressing anyway. What better for a bit of a lift in the run-up to Christmas than some fresh stand-up comedy, and where better than the delightful Grand Theatre which hosts the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club this Friday. Topping the bill is Jamie Sutherland, rather boldly trailed as ‘John Bishop but with more jokes’. You might therefore deduce he is a Scouser,…
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Blackpool A Heritage Hotspot
24 Nov

Blackpool A Heritage Hotspot

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsHeritage, Local News
Having deprivation and other social issues doesn’t stop an area from being a major player in heritage terms.  That’s the conclusion of a new report from the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts*).  And proving this Blackpool is among the big hitters in the north west, and in the top quartile nationally, on figures they have published today in the 2016 Heritage Index. The report includes overall rankings, based on sub-rankings on heritage assets and heritage activities.  Blackpool features in the overall top 10, and is sixth highest in the north west for the heritage activities available. …
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Christmas Goes With A Bang At Blackpool Sixth
23 Nov

Christmas Goes With A Bang At Blackpool Sixth

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLocal News
Christmas is a time for giving and receiving gifts and all that, and there are lots of articles in the pipeline on here pointing you at a suitably arty Christmas. But what about something that’s educational and free with a bit of explosive excitement to boot?  A tall order, but one that the Christmas lecture at Blackpool Sixth Form on 13 December will deliver on. ‘Flash Bang Christmas’ is a lecture open to the public covering states of matter that exist, and how a change in physical states can result in exciting physical and chemical phenomena. It is delivered by…
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Review: Steve Blackshall
17 Nov

Review: Steve Blackshall

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance
Natural history celebrities don’t come to Blackpool at all frequently.  They are more likely to appear at Martin Mere, which is the other side of the Ribble near Southport, than they are at Marton Mere (which is in Marton…).  But Steve Backshall is a bit different, with a crossover star quality and a fanatical following among children as a result of his hit show Deadly 60.  He had already graced the Tower Ballroom as a Strictly contestant in 2014, and this Sunday he brought his national lecture tour to a virtual sellout at The Grand. Taking my seat in the…
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Love Theatre Day Discounts At The Grand
15 Nov

Love Theatre Day Discounts At The Grand

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance
With Halloween and Bonfire Night behind us the next major focus for many is, increasingly these days, Black Friday. But what if you don’t want to get in a rugby scrum for a plasma television, or buy lots of consumer goods that neither you nor your nearest and dearest really need? If you are thinking that an artistic pre-Christmas sale is more your thing then tomorrow’s Grand Theatre tie in with Love Theatre Day is for you. On 16 November theatres across the UK are celebrating the aforementioned Love Theatre Day, an online celebration of British, European and global theatre.…
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Real Deal At The Tower
07 Nov

Real Deal At The Tower

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLocal News
Deal Or No Deal is very much in the ‘marmite’ mould, you either love it or hate it and there were predictably mixed reactions when it was announced the current series is to be the last on Channel 4. TV programmes can of course make a comeback, often many years later as the sixteen-year sojourn of Doctor Who showed. But for now DOND is bowing out with a series of shows in iconic venues, and today one of those is being filmed in Blackpool’s very own Tower Ballroom. For those unfamiliar with it DOND is a game show format imported…
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Memories Of Mereside In New Exhibition
28 Oct

Memories Of Mereside In New Exhibition

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions
Recent local arts activities have included several strands related to live on housing estates.  UNIT showed Andrea Luke Zimmerman’s 2015 film “Estate – A Reverie’, about life on the Haggerston Estate in Hackney. The Grundy aired Duncan Campbell’s film ‘Falls Burns Malone Fiddles’ using images from the Belfast Community Photographic Archive. And this weekend there is a chance to see a more local perspective with an exhibition at Little Marton Windmill about Blackpool’s very own Mereside estate. Over the last eight months artist Lisa Wigham has been working with the communities of Mereside as part of the ‘Mereside at Play’…
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Secret Link