Latest news with #GodsofSalford
Gulf Today
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
How working-class Manchester kids became theatre troupe
Maira Butt, The Independent In the grey skies above the city of Salford, Zeus, Hera and Hermes recline, playing with the fates of the mortals living below. Powerless to their might, a band of Olympians defy their commands, wrestling to regain control of their freedom and their lives. The message of Gods of Salford — an original play that's just been staged in Manchester — is blunt. It's meant to be. This was a production that didn't at all shy away from its working-class origins. It was also the product of 25 young, first-time actors from working-class backgrounds, who were tasked with reimagining tales from Greek mythology as raucous testaments to class-driven defiance. The play came about between Manchester's Lowry Theatre, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the not-for-profit Not Too Tame, which has long incorporated working-class people and culture into the fabric of its being. 'It shows people what Salford's made of and to remember us,' the play's director Jimmy Fairhurst tells me. 'We're not something small. We're here, we're big, we're bold, we're northern, and that's what the show's all about.' The approach feels timely, too, in the wake of the Netflix sensation Adolescence, which followed a 13-year-old boy accused of murder. Actor Stephen Graham, who also co-created the series, discovered its young star, Owen Cooper, through an intentional auditioning process that targeted working-class communities in the north. Cooper, who lived on a Warrington council estate at the time of his audition, is soon set to star in Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Graham calls the young actor's success the show's 'greatest achievement'. Cooper's rise to fame is unusual, though, with the current landscape in British acting relatively bleak when it comes to working-class talent. A study last year found that working-class representation in the TV and film industry has plummeted to its lowest level in a decade, with only 8 per cent self-identifying as from that background. Fairhurst, who also plays Zeus in the production, is only too aware of that fact. Describing himself as a modern-day Billy Elliot, Fairhurst says it took years for him to overcome doubts about his ability — or his right — to pursue a career in TV and theatre. 'It was a big hurdle to overcome,' he says. 'If you're from a certain background and your parents aren't headmistresses or prime ministers, you're told 'Don't make a fuss'.' It was something felt in each of the young people cast in the show as well, adds Jenny Riding, director of learning and engagement at the Lowry. 'Giving themselves permission has been a massive challenge for the actors,' she says, adding that the young stars have often struggled with feelings of 'self-sabotage'. As a response, Riding, Fairhurst, and their team have developed a person-centred approach that puts the needs of young performers at the forefront. Each part of the process takes into account their sensitivities, with several individuals overcoming complex life circumstances such as mental health, homelessness and foster care, to make it to the stage. Support that is offered includes things as simple as the use of fidget spinners in rehearsals — which have helped performers with conditions including anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — to transport help for those unable to afford it. More often than not, though, what is most provided is a sense of hope. 'Sometimes, because they don't feel that they're worth it, it can feel easier to quit and leave than it is to be told that you've failed again,' Fairhurst says. 'This is where the pastoral care side of it comes in. In a professional setting they might have lost their chance, but we reconnect with them and give them some support and encouragement and help get them back in the room.' He continues: 'There is an untapped scene on the coalface of culture, and that is because working-class people don't consider themselves or don't believe that they are artists,' says Fairhurst. 'There's a bloke down the road from me who passed away and there were boxes of poetry under his bed. No one knew. And all these people go, 'Oh that's not for me, or the likes of me', and I think there's something (important) about us going, 'no it is'. If you don't hear your voices or see your stories, how do you know that you're relevant? How do you know you've got a voice?' He's seen the promise of this first-hand. A 55-year-old friend of his, a joiner by trade, found his first job in the media via a set-building company that provides props for TV and film. It's proof, Fairhurst adds, that it's never too late to change your life. For 19-year-old Callum, who lives in supported accommodation, the change has been immediate. He first came across the Lowry through a scheme that provided those at risk of homelessness with free theatre tickets (in addition to other support). 'I came to a show called My Beautiful Laundrette and I met Jenny for the first time at the doors,' he says.
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
L. S. Lowry: Chance to walk inside celebrated 'Going to the Match' work
People will have the chance to step inside L. S. Lowry's iconic Going to the Match painting as part of a new immersive exhibition.A 360-degree display of the celebrated 1953 artwork, which depicts fans arriving at a football ground, has been commissioned as part of the 25th anniversary of Salford arts venue the £106m waterfront theatre and gallery first opened in 2000 and has become one of the most visited attractions in Manchester, said Lowry chief executive Julia Fawcett. It was also the "cultural heart of one of Europe's most successful regeneration projects", she said. Part of the venue has been transformed by creative studio Layers of Reality to surround gallery goers with "the sights and sounds of Going to the Match", a Lowry spokesperson said. The oil canvas painting of spectators heading to watch Bolton Wanderers at the team's then-home ground Burnden Park was bought by the gallery for £7.8m in 2022. Ms Fawcett said the purchase was aimed at keeping the work on public view and free to access. "Now, through this immersive experience, we can share this remarkable and iconic painting with even more people," she said. The free exhibition will open on 3 May, and is one among many events planned to celebrate the Lowry's 25th anniversary. Among the others is a show by Not Too Tame Theatre titled Gods of Salford, a production "reimagining Greek myths through the lens of Salford's working-class spirit", a venue spokesperson programme also features a free exhibition of Quentin Blake's illustrations, including famous creations including the BFG and Matilda, as well as a portrait of L.S. Lowry drawn by Blake. A new production of the play Dear England, a mural, lectures series, and other events have also been planned. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
