Blackpool Archives - Blackpool Social Club

12 Aug

Seaside Shuffle: local writers pen Blackpool anthology

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Wordauthors, Blackpool, blackpool art scene, books, community, heritage, literature, memoir, Place, poetry, publication, Stories, tea amantes, writers

Local author Linda Hampton (Sailing To The Moon), hosted the launch of a unique collection of writings last week – Seaside Shuffle. As a contributing writer to the collection, she tells Blackpool Social Club readers how work from local writers manifested into a new publication It was a packed house at Tea Amantes Community Arts on Albert Road in Blackpool, as many of the 37 Blackpool-based-or-connected writers, and friends, piled into to celebrate the culmination of nearly a year’s work, the publication of the anthology Seaside Shuffle - an eclectic mix of writing styles, and points of view all summoning…

06 Jun

Theatre Preview: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & Performanceballet, Blackpool, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, LGBT, The Grand Theatre

Legendary all-male ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo arrive in Blackpool this June, bringing camp theatricality, classical brilliance and joyful queer subversion to the Grand Theatre stage. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the famous all-male comedy ballet company, affectionately known as the Trocks, will make their Blackpool debut at The Grand Theatre on Friday 12 June. The company is known for their sassy classical ballet spoofs, with flawless technique and comic timing. The Trocks’ unique blend of satire, subversion and slapstick is rooted in their love for, and deep knowledge of, Classical and Romantic ballet on which…

29 Jan

Theatre Review: Murder at Midnight

Blackpool Social Club1 CommentTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, play, The Grand Theatre

It’s New Year's Eve, and the tarot cards have foretold a clearing out of old energies, a breakup of relationships and secrets coming out of hiding before the clock strikes twelve, but who will survive the Murder at Midnight? Through a cocktail of murder, mystery, comedy, and farce, the audience is taken on a spiral of emotional twists and turns, thought-provoking in parts, funny in others. The Grand Theatre stage lies open before us. The layers of a luxury Kent mansion give the audience an unusual perspective on the characters' lives. Three beautifully designed rooms allow conversations to run simultaneously…

26 Jan

The Old Electric showcase Blackpool’s emerging scriptwriting talent

Linda Hampton0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, Blackpool and the Fylde College, blackpool arts scene, performance, the old electric, Theatre, workshops

Local actor and writer Linda Hampton was invited to take part as a reader for this live event hosted by The Old Electric, on a cold January night. Each year at the culmination of the annual scriptwriting course offered by The Old Electric performing arts organisation in Blackpool, participating writers are invited to show their work-in-progress to a live audience. Six Blackpool-based writers – George Bamber, Angela Murphy, Amanda Webster, Joshua Shaw, Lyndsey Barlow and Lydia Warrilow - have been developing their stories under the guidance of Melanie Whitehead, Artistic Director of The Old Electric. She has been helping the…

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.…

05 Jan

Props Workshop Participant’s Blog – The Old Electric

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, Props Workshop, the old electric, Theatre

Helen Gore recently attended the Props and Parades sessions arranged by The Old Electric and wrote this blog about her experiences, which she has shared with us. Influenced by some of my favourite TV and stage shows, I have always had an interest in how the props were made in order to bring these real objects or extraordinary creatures to life. It’s in these moments of watching a rat puppet teach history or a malevolent ghost dismantle a living room on stage that inspire me to have a go at making these things myself. This interest led me to the…

03 Jan

We’re Still Here! Bigger, bolder and back for 2026

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsHeritage, Local NewsBlackpool, lgbt culture, LGBTQIA

LGBTQIA+ heritage project We’re Still Here! has been awarded £235k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting series of public exhibitions in Blackpool in 2027. Abingdon Studios commissioned project We’re Still Here! is delighted to announce it has secured major funding for the continuation of a pioneering LGBTQIA+ heritage project, producing two new major exhibitions at the Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown. We’re Still Here! was founded in 2021 by Garth Gratrix and Harry Clayton-Wright - two internationally acclaimed artists from Blackpool with deep roots in the local cultural landscape - with the aim to create the first…

02 Jan

Performing Poetry Workshop Participant’s Blog – The Old Electric

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken WordBlackpool, poetry, the old electric, workshop

Margaret Benson recently attended the Performing Poetry Skills sessions arranged by The Old Electric and wrote this blog about her experiences, which she has entitled, I found a leaflet and changed my life .... All my life I’ve been writing, poems, short stories, plays and even thirty thousand words of a novel and cruelly abandoned the main protagonist going round and round a roundabout trying to decide which way to go. She’s still there, just as almost everything I’ve ever written is stuffed in a drawer, or stored on a memory stick; there are even a couple of floppy discs…

09 Dec

Art Exhibition at Aunty Social- Introducing Keith Downey

Joe Booth0 CommentsVisual Arts & ExhibitionsArt, Aunty Social, Blackpool, Exhibition, painting

This week, Aunty Social is proud to introduce the work of local artist, Keith Downey by hosting an exhibition at their Topping Street venue from Thursday 11 to Friday 12 December. Now living in Blackpool, but born in Romney Marsh in Kent, Keith works in the style of the Dutch Masters, using oil paint on canvas. From childhood, Keith was clear he was only ever going to paint still-life or work with animals. Painting won, and he studied Illustration at Medway College of Design in the late 1970s. "From before I can remember, I absolutely loved that style of art…

02 Dec

Gig Review: Ash at Bootleg Social

Louise Ashcroft0 CommentsMusic & GigsAsh, Blackpool, bootleg social, gig, indie rock, review

There were a couple of big sell out events in town on Saturday 22nd November. Strictly waltzed into Tower Ballroom, meanwhile another full house were at Bootleg Social for the visit of Northern Irish rock veterans Ash. I arrived with support act Coach Party already in full swing and the venue already busy. Some attendees were clearly familiar with Coach Party as they sang along, those who weren’t were treated to a great set. Coach Party are supporting Ash on all their current tour engagements, and the Isle of Wight fourpiece are a fitting warm-up for the main act with…