Northern Broadcasts – Details, episodes & analysis

City Winter is a gentle reminder of the relationships we can lose with each other, and with nature. It’s a prompt to treasure every small moment, every falling snowflake.

This piece is the winner of Northern Broadsides and Arvon’s short story competition, and is read by Neil Grainger.

City Winter by Ellen McKeag

Ellen McKeag is a creative writing student at Leeds Art University. She hails from North Yorkshire, where her love for reading and writing was influenced by the countryside she grew up in. Before pursuing her degree, Ellen worked as a falconer, an experience that has influenced her creative work.

About Neil Grainger

Born and bred in Middlesbrough, Neil began his acting career in ITV daytime soap Crossroads and was nominated for Best Actor at the 2002 Soap Awards. In Theatre, Neil worked extensively at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough under Sir Alan Ayckbourn, appearing in Time and Time Again, The Champion of Paribanou and My Sister Sadie. He also appeared in the Edinburgh Fringe First award winning show Crush in which he was also nominated for Best Actor at the Stage Acting Excellence Awards. Neil went on to star in 2 series of the BBC2 sitcom Hebburn, and most appeared in ITV dramas The Hunt for Raoul Moat and A Spy Among Friends, FX drama Say Nothing, BBC’s The Capture and can be currently seen as a series regular in the BBC sitcom Smoggie Queens, set in his native Boro and available now on BBC iPlayer.

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How does it feel to carry your culture across the globe?

Arsalan and Gul speak about their experiences moving to Halifax and making sense of Northern life. As well as sharing the languages and celebrations of their home countries, they discuss the Yorkshire weather, the differences between art and culture, and whether it's cheating to learn traditional recipes from YouTube.

Ibrahim Bangura from Rapar Drama, speaks about creating work with and by asylum seekers and the unique challenges that come from getting emerging creatives from across the world into one room.

A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It should be possible to be an actor and nothing else.

Why is that rarely achievable? 

Actor and Arts Campaigner Leo Wan talks about surviving a pandemic as an artist and asks what REALLY motivated theatres to release Black Lives Matter statements. Director Alan Lyddiard speaks passionately about the disappearing voices of older people and about the community-professional binary in theatre. Poet Shirley May tells us about learning from empowered young people through the lens of bone-crunching dance routines! Actor, director, singer and choreographer Mina Anwar talks about creating work in cities labelled Northern Powerhouses.

A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

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Guest biographies 

Leo Wan

Actor and Arts Campaigner

Leo is an actor and arts campaigner. As an actor, he has worked with the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe and New Earth Theatre. He works with a number of campaigns to ensure the performing arts is diverse, equitable and accessible. He is passionate about theatre’s power to effect social change.

Shirley May

Poet and Director of Young Identity.

Shirley May is a poet from the Speakeasy Collective in Manchester, which she co-managed for five years. She is also director of 'Young Identity' - a writing charity, They works with 13–25s in the Manchester area. Her own work has been published in several anthologies 

Alan Lyddiard

Theatre and Film Director, Producer and Writer

Alan is best known as an advocate of the community arts movement, international collaborations and ensemble theatre practice. He was Artistic Director of The Northern Stage Ensemble (1992-2005), Artistic Director of TAG Theatre Company (1988-1992) and Associate Director at Dundee Rep (1984-1988). Alan is currently Artistic Director of The Performance Ensemble, a company of performers aged 60 and over. The ensemble starts its work from within a community setting and develops productions over a year long process. 

Mina Anwar

Actor, Director, Singer and Choreographer 

Mina trained for 3 years at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in Acting and Musical Theatre. Mina is also well known as an actor and musical theatre performer in theatre, radio, television and film with work spanning 30 years. TV credits include: Doctor Who, The A Word, Happy Valley. Theatre includes: Life of Pi (Sheffield Crucible and West End), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lawrence Batley and The Dukes). 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you make a fart accessible?

This week, we speak to Live Theatre’s Senior Creative Associate, Paul James, on being diagnosed with a disability later in life and trying to hide it. Artistic Director & CEO for DaDaFest, Nickie Wildin speaks about being ‘awww’d’ at and feeling pressure to be the ‘disabled spokesperson’. Performance artist gobscure tells us about ‘blowing up the system’ and how society disables us. And Paul Wilshaw, Assistant Producer from Mind The Gap, speaks about smashing the barriers built by the theatre industry. 

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A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

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Guest Biographies

gobscure

Performance Artist

gobscure are Artistic Associates with Museum of Homelessness and Disability Arts Online. Their last play joey was a testing ground commission (New Wolsey Theatre) in association with Greyscale, published by Aurora Metro, named ‘experiment of the year’, British Theatre Guide. gobscure previously worked with Northern Broadsides on Digital Squad and now sits on the Art Squad. 

Paul James

Senior Creative Associate (Children and Young People's Programme) at Live Theatre, Newcastle.

Paul established the multi award winning Education & Participation Department at Live Theatre in 1998 and has directed and produced many productions. Prior to this Paul worked as an actor for a variety of theatre companies including the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, Bristol Old Vic, Talawa and various community theatre companies.

Nickie Miles-Wildin 

Joint Artistic Director & CEO at DaDaFest

Nickie is also Associate Director at Graeae Theatre Company where she is Head of New Writing. Nickie has previously worked at Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester as Young Company Programme Leader and Resident Assistant Director (Regional Theatre Young Director’s Scheme) Nickie’s directing credits include Crips With Chips, Crips Without Constraints and Iron Man (Graeae).

Paul Wilshaw

Agent for Change at Leeds Playhouse and Assistant Producer for Mind the Gap Theatre.

As well as his work with Mind the Gap, Paul has also worked for the Beyond festival in Leeds, which is a festival focused on artists with learning disabilities, as a performer at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, a mentor for the Remix and an Intern Assistant Producer for the Breathe Project.

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From Om Shanti Om to It's Not About The Burqa.

Is the idea of being ‘South Asian’ made up as a response to racism? Are South Asian stories stuck in nostalgia and too rooted in Islamophobia? And why IS car insurance so expensive in Bradford?  

This week, we explore South Asian identity and theatre in the North with Abdul Shayek, Sajidah Shabir, Anjum Malik and Afshan d’Souza-Lodhi.

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A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

 ***

Guest Biographies

Abdul Shayek

Abdul Shayek is Artistic Director & Joint CEO of Tara Theatre.

He was the founding Artistic Director & CEO of Fio theatre company based in Cardiff. Previous to this he was Creative Associate with National Theatre Wales.

He is a member of the British Council’s Arts and Creative Economy Advisory Group, Vice Chair of the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance, as well as a trustee of mid-Wales dance company Impelo and No Fit State Circus.

Sajidah Shabir

Sajidah is currently an Assistant Producer for Common Wealth Theatre. A Bradford born and based Producer, she interested in how to work with communities, specifically South Asian communities to be part of Bradford’s mainstream Arts and Culture. She is an aspiring Theatre Director, captivated by the idea of making the Arts a place where more South Asian youth and people can see a place in for themselves, and use theatre to express themselves and see their stories told. 

Anjum Malik

Anjum Malik is a poet, script writer performer and filmmaker, she is also a senior lecturer in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. She writes drama regularly for BBC, ITV and independent companies. She is also a creative writing tutor for leading literary organisations in UK and overseas. Anjum is inspired by food, real stories for her poetry. She also specialises in working with hard to reach, not normally seen groups and communities. 

afshan d’souza-lodhi 

Afshan was born in Dubai and bred in Manchester. She is a writer of scripts and poetry and was recently commissioned to write and direct a short film for Channel 4 (An Act of Terror) and a radio play for BBC Sounds (Chop Chop). 

afshan is currently a Sky Writes writer-in-residence for Rotherham, a partnership between Sky Studios and New Writing North. She is also currently developing a TV series with Sky Studios. afshan has edited many anthologies and has an essay featured in Picador’s collection by Muslim women called Its Not About The Burqa. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to be a woman in theatre?

Who gets a seat at the table? Whose work do we see on our stages? How does gender shape our world?

Join us as we celebrate the strength and power of women working in the arts with CEO of Mermaids, Susie Green; actor and theatre-maker, Isobel Balchin; and performer and director, Cheryl Martin.

We also hear from Anna Holmes; co-founder of Northern Rascals, about being a woman in dance, learning your self-worth and what it takes to be a freelancer in theatre today.

***

A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

 ***

Guest Biographies

Isobel Balchin

Isobel Balchin is an actor/performer, theatre-maker and facilitator originally from Rossendale, Lancashire and now based in Liverpool. She co-founded Mooncup Theatre in 2017. Movement and gender studies are a key part of her practice, with a keen interest in drag performance. Her artistic goal is to break open and shatter the conventions and structures that exist within theatre, arts and society - to take up space and make theatre an inclusive place of an expression for all.  

 Mooncup Theatre is a women led collective, founded in 2017. They met as independent artists sharing work within Liverpool, fuelled by the political climate following Brexit. They aim to provide a bold, political voice that theatrically engages through comedy, physicality, dance and song to promote open conversations, question world views and promote social change. They hope to encourage interconnectivity and understanding between communities by supporting the web of female identifying and queer artists within Liverpool. 

Mooncup: https://www.mooncuptheatre.org/

Susie Green

Susie first got in touch with Mermaids in 1999, when she needed support for herself and her daughter. She then became a trustee and Chair and has held the position of CEO since January 2016. Over the last 4 years, she has helped the charity to reach out to thousands of children, young people and their families. As someone who has worked in the third sector for twenty years, Susie is committed to ensuring that all children are respected and loved unconditionally.

Mermaids: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

Cheryl Martin

Cheryl started as a performance poet, became a playwright and radio drama writer, then and most fun, a director. She has been performing solo shows since 2015, based on her own experiences as a suicidal depressive with Borderline Personality Disorder. 

More on Cheryl: https://www.cherylmartin.net/

Anna Holmes

Anna is an experienced choreographer, performer and writer who has collaborated with a range of artists and organisations from renowned musicians, Snow Patrol, to organisations such as the English National Opera, Jasmin Vardimon and York Theatre Royal. Alongside Sam Ford, Anna proudly co-directs Northern Rascals: a multi-disciplinary performance company based in Yorkshire. With their unique blend of theatre and contemporary dance, the company crafts the abstract and absurd to lead the audience to narratives rooted in the current socio-political climate.

Northern Rascals: https://www.northernrascals.com/welcome

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does British Theatre reflect who YOU are?

Who does theatre privilege? Who does it exclude? How can we do better?

Join us as we talk to actor and creative Becky Bowe, Artistic Director of the Actors Touring Company; Matthew Xia, and actor and disability activist; Mandy Colleran. We discuss middle-class codes, inclusive drama schools and the representation of working-class disabled artists.

We also hear from John and Martha Godber of the John Godber Foundation about creating accessible, successful work in the North, as well as how they support the young theatre-makers of Hull and East Yorkshire

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A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

 ***

Guest Biographies

Becky Bowe

Becky is an actor and creative born and raised in Stockport, Manchester. She trained at the Manchester School of Theatre and graduated in 2019. The following year she was employed by her drama school as a Graduate Research and Development Officer to help pilot a 'Supported Audition Scheme', an access scheme aimed at helping prospective auditionees from underrepresented groups to get into drama school.

Mandy Colleran

Mandy Colleran has been involved in disability arts since the 1980s. She is a member of the comedy trio No Excuses along with Mandy Redvers-Rowe and Ali Briggs. In 1986 Colleran became Joint Development Officer of Arts Integration Merseyside (AIM) with John McGrath, it later became North West Disability Arts Forum (NWDAF). In 1990 Colleran became a director of NWDAF.

Matthew Xia

Matthew Xia is a self-taught theatre director, DJ, composer, broadcaster and journalist with a focus on using theatre as a platform to promote inclusion, activism and social change.

Matthew’s acclaimed productions include: Frankenstein, Wish List, and Into The Woods (Manchester Royal Exchange). In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Arts London for his efforts to make theatre universally accessible by working to promote minority groups as theatre leaders, makers and consumers. He is the Artistic Director for the Actor’s Touring Company.

John Godber OBE

John was born the son of a miner in Upton, West Yorkshire. He trained as a teacher of drama at Bretton Hall College. John’s plays are performed across the world. He has the distinction of being one of the most performed writers in the English language. He has won numerous awards for his plays, including a Laurence Olivier Award and seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

His plays include: Bouncers, Up ‘n’ Under, April in Paris and Teechers. 

Martha Godber

Martha was born and raised in Hull and graduated from LIPA in 2018. Theatre work includes: Seasons in the Sun (Theatre Royal Wakefield), POP (Oldham Coliseum) and I Want That Hair (East Riding Theatre).

Martha recently formed The Godber Theatre Foundation and is passionate about making a difference to the lives of aspiring dramatists in Hull and East Yorkshire.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tune in to Episode 2 of The Northern Voice podcast to hear how queer theatre is making beautiful waves in the industry. 

With queer artists Felix Mufti-Wright (Transcend Theatre), Meg McGrady (Queerly Productions), Jacqui Bardelang (Sigi Moonlight) and Roma Havers, we ask: are there more opportunities in the South for queer artists? How can theatres better make space for queer people? And – most importantly – should James Corden have been cast in Prom?

***

A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

 ***

Guest Biographies

Jacqui Bardelang

Jacqui Bardelang is a British actor and drag performer currently studying on a one-year postgraduate course at the CDMT + FDS accredited Drama Studio London. Her drag king alter ego Sigi Moonlight has performed on cabaret festival stages all over the country from Glastonbury Music Festival to Shakespeare's Globe. Her one-person shows often explore the dichotomies of Masculine-Feminine and East meets West, and shine a light on important political messages with tones of dark humour. She most recently stars as a reincarnation of the infamous eponymous Asian supervillain in Chinese Arts Now commissioned short film, "Casting Fu Manchu".

Meg McGrady

Meg McGrady (they/them) is an award-winning twenty one year old nonbinary composer and creative. They recently had work selected for BEAM2020 and won the Vision, Voice and Potential Stiles and Drewe Award 2020. Their works include: The Phase, Camp In-Between, and Untitled Rosalind Franklin Musical.

Meg is also one of the founders of Queerly Productions which co-produced MTPRIDE 2020 and Sinqueerly Me, a cabaret night highlighting the talent and stories of queer women and people of marginalised genders. 

More on Meg: https://www.megmcgrady.co.uk/

Felix Mufti

Felix is a British/Maltese actor, singer and writer based in Liverpool. Felix is heavily involved in the Liverpool theatre scene and has performed as part of Homotopia, the city’s annual queer theatre festival.

Recent performance credits include: Cinderella (The Young Vic, R&D); Tin Star (Sky Atlantic); The Uncomfortability of a Made Up Wor-l-d (Unity Theatre)

Roma Havers

Roma Havers is a Manchester-based queer poet and theatre-maker, whose current work explores, failing bodies, outness and how poetry can shorthand memory into something new, she has recently been experimenting with surrealist audio plays (Had Matters - Superbia 2020) and video essays (The Origins of Motion Sickness - 2020) format. While working with Young Identity she has been commissioned by HOME, Manchester Histories and Manchester International Festival. She has also performed for radio, television and festivals including Hay Festival and BBC Contains Strong Language, including producing a Queer Writing Festival for MIF in 2020. Her first solo show ‘Bolted’ about agoraphobia debuted with UKYA in February 2019, and her second solo show ‘LOB’ – a tennis poetry bonanza – has been made into a film for Queer Contact 2021.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether it be boat sheds, castles, towers or cattle markets, Northern Broadsides has always performed in "non-velvet spaces". But why?

With some of the company's original cast and crew, tune in to learn about the company's reputation as "the company that laughs", the fight for Scouse vowels, and playing Iago to Lenny Henry's Othello. As well as this, enjoy an exclusive interview with Laurie Sansom, current Artistic Director, about what Northern Broadsides has in store.

***

A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

 ***

Guest Biographies

Sue Andrews

After training and working as an actor in the early 70’s, Sue joined a newly formed microfilm service company as office manager, using the secretarial skills she'd acquired before drama school. The business developed into one of the most successful of its kind in this new industry and she left the company after the birth of her first child which coincided with a move to the North of England.

Sue first met Barrie Rutter in 1993 when he was with the National Theatre production of Trackers of Oxyrhynchus which toured to Bradford and where the idea of Northern Broadsides was born. The company was initially supported by Bradford Theatres for the first production – a six week tour of Richard III. After the tour, Sue volunteered to assist Barrie in organising the next production and before very long found herself raising funds in order to support a full-time admin post.

She was extremely fortunate in being able to combine her experience and love of theatre with that of growing a small business, and retired as Broadsides’s Executive Director in the summer of 2018.

Ishia Bennison

Ishia has recently finished a play at The Orange Tree, Richmond in their lockdown series Inside.

At the beginning of last year, she was chased by the virus through Japan via the National theatre and Kani, whilst doing a new play with a Japanese cast called Missing People. In 2018/19 she was at the RSC playing the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet which is still available on BBC i player.

Her Broadsides work includes:

Antony and Cleopatra (BAM New York), A Midsummer Night Dream, (Brazil tour) Merry Wives (India tour), Richard III ( Riverside Studios & The Tower of London) Poetry Or Bust , Samson Agonistes, Romeo and Juliet.

Her TV work includes:

Happy Valley; New Tricks; Last Tango in Halifax;True Dare Kiss; At Home With The Braithwaites and Eastenders

Conrad Nelson

Conrad is a critically acclaimed director, actor and composer with a vast body of work in theatre, television, film and radio. As an actor his work has included roles such as Richard III, Henry V, and Iago with Lenny Henry as Othello.

Conrad’s directing work includes productions for Hull Truck Theatre, Three Stones Media, Bolton Octagon, New Vic Theatre. Conrad has recently stepped down as Artistic Director of Northern Broadsides Theatre Company, to concentrate on Claybody and other projects.

Claybody: https://claybodytheatre.com/

Laurie Sansom

Laurie is Artistic Director / CEO of Northern Broadsides. He was previously the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, directing The James Plays trilogy in an unprecedented collaboration with the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain and touring round the world. Previously he was Artistic Director at Royal & Derngate, Northampton, winning the inaugural Stage Regional Theatre of the Year in 2010, TMA Best Director, and producing a trilogy of new adaptations of classic plays as part of London 2012’s Cultural Olympiad.

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