Pete Hartley: sometime dramaturg, perennial scribbler
A ramble through tumbled trees The so-cold ‘Beast from the East’ has left its mark on the woods of Beacon Fell. That bitter airflow, along with recent storms, has toppled a number of trees that crown the much-loved Lancashire landmark. The culling was by airborne natural selection, with the easterly wind finding weaknesses and slicing … Continue reading Beacons Felled
Researching, rehearsing and staging the reconstructing of an icon of evil The most unsettling moment was when Andrew stopped the car. We asked why he had done so. He said it was the place. Which place? The one where Myra Hindley had stopped her car and picked up the first victim of the infamous moors … Continue reading Making Making Myra
Elena Ferrante A review This seems to be a strongly autobiographical novel, which is especially interesting in the context of the author having expressed robust feelings regarding the necessary dichotomy between the writer and the written.[1] All fiction is autobiographical to the extent that the writer only has their own life on which to draw. … Continue reading My Brilliant Friend
Hard Times by Lubaina Himid An appreciation Walking into the Hard Times exhibition brought to mind the ignorant tirade of forty years ago when the tabloid press had a field day over the Tate Gallery’s £2,297 purchase of Equivalent VIII by the American minimalist Carl Andre. Ridiculed as ‘a pile of bricks’ and a waste of … Continue reading To help with a handcart
Say it like it was. These days we are all contemporary historians. Like it or not, most of us leave our virtual marks on the annals of antiquity. We document our days by tapping out our texts, instagramming, whatsapping, chirping twitter, elevating our selfie-status on Facebook, or even blogging! We petrify our monograms in digital … Continue reading Mehistoric Times
An appreciation A few rock aficionados will be familiar with the sixties / seventies / eighties group Renaissance. Fewer still will be au fait with their reclusive, self-effacing, lyricist Betty Thatcher. The band, perhaps best known for their 1977 single Northern Lights, cited folk, classical, and jazz influences, on their musical compositions. For the uninitiated, … Continue reading Betty Thatcher
The opening of Preston’s new market A reflection on the first morning A round of applause is always encouraging, and that, along with a choral cheer that didn’t so much lift the roof as reverberate reverently beneath it, heralded the latest regeneration of Preston’s Tardis of trade when it opened today. Sadly, it’s smaller, rather … Continue reading Take off and stalling
A review St Peter’s Arts Centre, matinee Thursday 8th February 2018 Any naturalistic theatre play that would prove equally effective on the screen need not be on the stage. This is such a play. In fact, it would require almost no adjustment to hit home with identical impact on the radio. That synergy sirens theatrical … Continue reading Racism? Not in my back yard.
The river Ribble flowed at a funereal pace. The tide was low, and the drakes and dams arranged along the water’s edge observed a minute’s silence. And then another. And another. Contemplating ad-infinitum. It was a gloriously clear February morning following an overnight frost. The sun had the first token warmth of the year, and … Continue reading Down; by the Riverside
By Rachel Joyce A review Actor and novelist Rachel Joyce has composed a unique opus with The Music Shop. Set mostly in 1988 it is the story of music shop owner Frank who resists all formats other than vinyl. As well as the discs, Frank also dispenses a subtle kind of counselling and has a … Continue reading The Music Shop
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