Pete Hartley: sometime dramaturg, perennial scribbler
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
This is the work of a reluctant blogger. Self-promotion does not sit easily on these shoulders. In previous decades the blatant hawking of one’s own work was seen as distasteful, but modern marketing and the growth of online communication has altered that perspective. There is a propensity today to promote the artist rather than the … Continue reading Manifesto
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