Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the Staff/Student Newsletter for Performance!
As this is the first issue of the new academic year, we would also like to offer a HUGE WELCOME to our new Level 4 students! We hope you’re settling in well and taking advantage of all the academic, cultural, and social opportunities that Salford has to offer. The Staff/Student Newsletter is where we showcase the amazing things that are happening in our Performance community. So, please let us know about any projects you’re working on, shows you’re taking part in, or content you’re producing. We’d love to feature it!
In this edition of the newsletter, we’ve got details of Novah Wright’s (TaPP L6) involvement in a live performance of Wright & Grainger’s Selene at the Lowry Theatre, an interview with Jess Roberts, Alyssa Sharples and Adam Owers (TaPP L6) about the show they performed as part of the Emergency Live Art Festival, information on the free Stage Combat course, plus details of cosplay workshops to get your teeth into! If that wasn’t enough, we also bring news of Tim Skelly’s incredible light installation in collaboration with Opera North, Ali Matthews’ recent experiences of touring Europe in Marina Abramović’s Balkan Erotic Epic, Georgiana Ghetiu’s festival success with her documentary Acting Up! 40 Years of Activism, and much, much more.
There’s also a round-up of what’s on at the New Adelphi Theatre so you can be sure not to miss any of the incredible work currently being showcased. Don’t forget to check out our Guess the Technician feature, either – can you guess who it is?
This edition is also the first to feature content from our new Student Editor, Erika Vasylets (TaPP L5). Erika has brought some fantastic content to this bumper edition of the newsletter and has proved herself to be a valuable addition to the team. Let her know if you have something to contribute to the next edition!
Take care,
Abby, Bron, Erika and Hannah😊
Abby Bentham: A.A.Bentham@salford.ac.uk
Brainne Edge: B.Edge@salford.ac.uk
Erika Vasylets: E.Vasylets@edu.salford.ac.uk
Hannah Briggs: h.c.briggs@salford.ac.uk
SELENE: A POWERFUL STORY OF IDENTITY, FREEDOM AND SELF-DISCOVERY
By Novah Evans
The theatre company Wright and Grainger are a truly wonderful crew, taking the beautiful myths of Greek legend and reimagining them for the twenty-first century. I had previously written about their postmodern performance Helios for a theatre-making presentation in my second year, and watched their production of Orpheus in Eccles. So, when I learned that Helios‘ sister show, Selene, was coming to The Lowry in September, I was determined to see it for myself. Given my familiarity with Helios, I was fascinated to discover how its themes and theatrical mechanics would be expanded, echoed, or subverted in Selene.
At the first glance, Helios and Selene share similar themes and devices. Both centre on the children of their mythological namesakes, Phaeton and Pandea, who grow up alongside a rival within a close-knit friendship group while struggling to define their place in the world. Both pieces explore the difficulties of finding freedom and escaping a suffocating town, whilst trying to find the purpose of your life and what defines you as a person. Both also involve getting audience members to deliver the lines of important characters, so that duologues can happen in a single-actor play.
I was lucky enough to be given the role of Benzo in Selene, and it completely changed how I engaged with the piece and allowed me to experience first-hand the many ways in which it made itself distinct. It was a gripping experience, and one that I won’t forget in a hurry.
The show began with us all giving out our names and their meaning, and this was spun into the meaning of Pandea’s name. Having to play Benzo’s lines throughout pulled me directly into the play’s world and story. And its eventual revelation at the climax, seeing Pandea make choices and come to conclusions that I myself have made – as a trans woman who’s given herself her name – had me utterly speechless (or as much as I could be, having been brought on stage for that scene!).
The show clung onto my mind for the following weeks. We need more trans stories being told, especially following controversial legal and policy developments that have intensified debate around the rights and recognition of trans people in the UK.
I cannot thank Wright and Grainger enough for making Selene possible and I urge everyone to watch their performances!
SHOW ME THE FUNNY!
I got fired from the Calendar Factory! All I did was take a day off!
– submitted by George Halsey, L6 Media and Performance
AROUND THE WORLD WITH BALKAN EROTIC EPIC!
by Brainne Edge
Dr Ali Matthews joins us to discuss her newest project, the Balkan Erotic Epic, created and directed by Marina Abramovic at Factory International (and beyond).
You can listen to the episode here!
The full podcast series can be found here. Check it out to listen to various staff, students and alumni discuss their experiences in the industry.
THE POWER OF THE MOB!
By Erika Vasylets
Emergency is a theatre festival that runs annually at Contact Theatre in Manchester. An open-call event where new live works are presented throughout the day from noon to 10 pm. This year, the festival took place on Saturday 26 September. Third-year students on the Theatre and Performance Practice course presented their second-year final performance. Luckily for me, I got to see the premiere of this incredible show created by Mole Wetherell, Teresa Brayshaw, and Hannah Butterfield. The performance, MOB, explored how ordinary actions can take on new meaning when viewed through the lens of art. I enjoyed every minute of the performance, and it left a lasting impression on me. However, it is perhaps more interesting to hear from those who created and performed in it. I spoke with Jess Roberts, Alyssa Sharples and Adam Owers, third-year Theatre and Performance Practice students who performed in the production.
Since MOB is a modern performance where every audience member reads performance differently. I’m curious to know what MOB is for you?
JESS: I feel there’s many ways to interpret MOB based on your own experiences and understanding. From my perspective it’s always been about the people and the interactions with people, be it on stage or with the audience it’s not a solo but a shared experience. I think MOB can be viewed as many things as possible and with every performance new way to see it arise and evolve.
ALYSSA: For me, MOB is about paranoia and fear. Lots of the moments in the piece are quite isolated and each person is in their own space and world. The moments where people interact feel like you can’t trust them and must escape as quickly as possible. Everyone feels as though they must conform, and if they don’t there will be consequences.
ADAM: As a performer, the MOB experience is very different to how the audience experiences the show, we couldn’t ‘read’ the performance but approach the quality of movement and consider viewpoints in the space, exploring the relationships at play within large groups of people.
How did you and your teachers come up with the idea of MOB? How was the rehearsal process?
ADAM: The group being tasked to learn moments and shapes from Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller to better understand the more European form of dance theatre. We connected to the body shape of having your arms straight and palms forward, and the connection of a hug. One activity transitioned to the next, leading us down a river of ideas involving sequences of behavioural gestures as well as being physically remarkably close in an almost hug before running away screaming. By building a bank of moments that were full of life and energy, or were incredibly gripping to watch, we formed a collective movement language, giving us an understanding of how performing together felt. We allowed old ideas to fall away from us as more captivating ones fell into place. As a result of this process, we had helped each other grow as an ensemble past an uncomfortable moment of entering a new world of performance techniques and skills and became confident in proposing and developing ideas.
What difficulties you faced while creating a performance?
JESS: Working with a large group of people while devising is an incredibly challenging task to undertake! But the directors’ vision, patience and trust in the MOB really allowed us to overcome this.
ADAM: Understanding that we don’t know what we’re making while in the rehearsal space is something you have to adapt to, it’s a different way of working. Organising 40 people is also a challenge because there’s a constant business and fullness to the group that has to be shaped and controlled into cohesive visual design.
This form of performance, is it a wish to try something new or you, as an artist, feel yourself comfortable because it suits your world-view, feelings?
JESS: MOB has strangely become a comfort in the uncomfortable. It’s not something I ever thought I would do or get the opportunity to do; and I am beyond grateful to have had the chance to even be a part of it!
ALYSSA: I really liked this form of performance as it was very inspired by theatre from around Europe and allowed me to learn a lot about theatre in different countries. I loved the different interpretations the audience had and how lots of them included things I had never considered. It has expanded my range and possibilities as a performer.
I saw the performance last year, what’s the difference between last year performance and this year?
JESS: The MOB originally consisted of 40 members which was then reduced to 17 members for the Contact stage. In doing so the duration of the original 50-minute performance was reduced to 20-25 minutes and then refined. The MOB now includes more concentrated sections and allows time for experimentation with trying to make each performance fresh and new; different and more evolved.
ADAM: This year the runtime of the show has been cut down, keeping the most essential parts of the performance. With less performers on stage, we were no longer hidden as part of a large group or pack and eyes were always on us.
Tell me about your experience on Emergency theatre festival. Was it the first time you were on the theatre festival?
ALYSSA: This was the first time I had performed at the festival. It was unique experience and I saw some work that I never knew was possible and hadn’t seen anything remotely like before. Some of it was very shocking and eye opening.
ADAM: We had no idea we were headlining the festival! I’ve not been to emergency before, and it was an incredible mix of contemporary work. What stood out to me were the performances that didn’t need a stage to work, or ones that benefited from being in the atrium or in a bathroom etc.
How performing in New Adelphi is different from performing in the theatre festival?
JESS: The New Adelphi is just an incredible theatre and space that we at Salford University are privileged to be able to use! It is a comfort and joyous experience to be able to perform in the space your piece was made. You are surrounded by an incredible team of familiar faces; the tech team, ushers, backstage, front of house and the entire New Adelphi team are truly fantastic! But I also think it’s incredible how MOB can be moved into a new space like contact and moulded wherever it is taken. MOB is then introduced to new teams of people who have worked endlessly hard to support our piece!
How is it when mostly unfamiliar people are looking on your performance? Because at New Adelphi, you usually know the audience: other students, alumni, lecturers, parents and your friends. Have you noticed the difference?
JESS: Having a fresh and new audience is quite an exciting prospect and at Contact there were many faces who we didn’t recognise. Which made it interesting, as you wonder how everyone’s perspective may have informed what they take away from MOB and how they may interpret it. But it was also lovely to not just see newer faces but audience members who have seen MOB before who were back again whether they were friends, family, lecturers or theatre watchers it was an inviting audience who gave us their full attention! Most interesting was to hear and see the reactions of original members of the MOB who had come to watch it having them see it and go into it with expectations of knowing what will happen then it not made the responses so intriguing and enjoyable.
ALYSSA: I think I felt more vulnerable with unfamiliar people watching it as there isn’t as much of a chance of hearing what they thought afterwards, or being able to discuss it with them, so we may never know what they truly thought of it. At the New Adelphi you can speak to everyone and hear their reactions as you know most of the audience.
ADAM: Knowing that the work was reaching a new audience that weren’t familiar with us was exciting for sure, but apart from that we had a shared focus on our performances and the difference to me is small. Although being very familiar with the space was extremely helpful in the New Adelphi theatre when we had a larger MOB.
Did you managed to see other performers? If yes, then who and what this performance(s) about?
JESS: One performance we saw at Contact festival that stood out was done by artist Lowri Evans who delivered an incredible piece of heartfelt story, durational ambiguity and deep meaning rooted in rich imagery and symbolism.
ALYSSA: Yes, we saw a lot of different performances that tackled very different themes from sexuality to child loss to social media, there was a wide range of performances that were all vastly different to each other and anything I’ve seen before.
ADAM: I’ll talk about one performer, Lowri. There was a live feed of her walking through the streets of Manchester holding a block of ice. We sat watching, waiting for her to reach the theatre. When the feed cut, there was a cold light and icy drips ringing out. The piece was about letting go of the frozen embryo and was deeply touching and raw. Certainly, beautiful and could not be replicated in the same way ever again.
Adam, Jess and Alyssa will perform on Debut festival on 9th and 10th of December in New Adelphi. Follow the University of Salford Performance Instagram (@uos_performance) to discover more and support inspiring actors. I had a great pleasure introducing you to our talented third years.
FUN AT THE FRINGE WITH THE TOTALLY IMPROVISED COMPANY!
by Rebecca Allott
This year, I had the absolute honour of joining the Totally Improvised Company for part of their run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was a whirlwind experience for me, my first time in Edinburgh, never mind just the Fringe. Seeing all the streets packed with people all heading to the Fringe was a sight to behold and one which I will never forget.
Performing with ComedySportz was an amazing experience in and of itself. The nerves that I felt before stepping onto that stage were some that I have never experienced before, but the pure support that you feel with the players brings you right back down to earth and helps to ground you (well as grounded as you can be when it comes to performing improvised comedy!). The thrill that I had coming off that stage was almost impossible to put into words. I felt so fulfilled and most of all proud of myself for such an achievement. Since performing at The Fringe, I have gone on to join The Totally Improvised Company as a full-time member all thanks to this experience, so I stand by the fact that the Fringe can lead you on to many great opportunities.
The sheer number of shows being performed at the Fringe was incredible. There really is something that appeals to everyone out there with the multitude of different shows. You couldn’t turn around the corner without seeing a street performer or another venue partnered with the Fringe. I saw shows varying from stand-up comedy by the likes of The Great Salford Legend, Donald McGinty, to pub quizzes and hard-hitting pieces of theatre which leave you thinking for hours afterwards. That is the power of the Fringe. You never know what the day is going to bring, as you can plan which shows you want to watch in advance or be flyered on the streets and, out of curiosity, go to see a show that can change your entire Edinburgh experience.
Seeing all these different shows has helped to influence what I create for my Third-Year projects. As a lover of comedy and knowing that I want to pursue it in the future, most of my experience at Edinburgh was with comedy. However, seeing how comedy has been merged with different genres allowed me to have a fresh new taste of how to include it in my own work. Seeing Trainspotting Live and its highly immersive performance is something that I will never forget due to how seamlessly they combined comedy with tragedy in a beautiful 80-minute performance. The Fringe is filled with so many amazing pieces that you do just want to see them all!
Overall, the Fringe was an incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone. Seeing so many people come together to celebrate the creative industries was truly inspiring. It was particularly powerful to witness such enthusiasm and engagement at a time when careers in the arts are often dismissed as unprofitable or unsustainable.
Well, to the people who say that I say: Go to the Fringe, feel the buzz and excitement of everyone on the streets, and witness some of the pieces made by extraordinary minds. There is nothing quite like the experience of Edinburgh Fringe.
GUESS THE STAFF MEMBER!
Can you guess which staff member worked on X Factor at the Lowry? Find out at the end of the newsletter!
COMEDYSPORTZ CELEBRATE THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
by Sean Mason
The Totally Improvised Company celebrates 25 years of fun and laughter this November at Chorley Theatre with their award-winning show ComedySportz. Salford alumni and tutor, Brainne Edge started the company in 2001, right after graduating from Salford. Originally thinking it would just be a one-off show for charity., the group have since taken shows and workshops to festivals and venues across the UK and beyond.
ComedySportz is a family friendly show that sees two teams go for gold with quick-witted gags and games inspired by audience suggestions. The show won Best Alternative Act at The North West Comedy Awards and was nominated Best Kids Show at The Leicester Comedy Festival. The cast also features several Salford Alumni and current third year student Becky Allott.
When the show began as an offshoot of Chorley Theatre’s youth theatre, Brainne had no idea that the show would continue in the ways that it has. As well as regular shows across Greater Manchester, the show has become a mainstay of the Edinburgh Fringe. There the group have performed for royalty when Prince Edward, patron of the festival, brought his family (plus his security entourage and the family priest) along to the show. They’ve performed on every conceivable type of stage but also totally random spaces like the foyer of the National Science and Media Museum, a sports hall, an empty shopping unit, someone’s living room and even a shed. Brainne adds, “We love bringing comedy to audiences of all ages in all manner of strange and unusual places.”
The group also teach regular workshops in improvisation – with the next intake in January – encouraging play, developing performance skills, boosting confidence and building communities. They also take their shows and workshops into schools and businesses and yes, they also do birthdays, bar mitzvahs and weddings. “We’d do a funeral too, but no one has ever asked us… yet” adds Brainne.
As well as ComedySportz, The Totally Improvised Company performs The Totally Improvised Musicals and Pantomimes, which have toured to sell-out audiences and rave reviews. The group also host Salford University’s New Adelphi Comedy Night.
“We’ve always believed in play and creating spaces to nurture new comedy talent to experiment and hone their style,” says Brainne. The group also run the Greater Manchester Improv Festival which returns next July, featuring local and international acts.
“When we started twenty-five years ago, there really wasn’t much improv happening outside of London,” says Brainne. “Now there is a whole improv community of shows and audiences. We are proud to have played such a big part in bringing that to Manchester and beyond.”
You can join in the fun by attending the ComedySportz 25th Birthday show at Chorley Theatre (just a short train ride away if jumping on at Salford Crescent) on Saturday 21st November 2026. The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets are just £8 or £5 concessions. It promises to be the month’s funniest fixture, and the show can’t start without you!
CHARACTERS, COSTUMES, COMMUNITY: THE WORLD OF COSPLAY!
by Hannah Briggs
When you’re blankly painting your face purple at quarter to 6 on a Saturday morning, it’s easy to forget what you’re doing it for.
Many cosplayers have similar feelings when they start getting ready before a convention. They may spend weeks on a costume, get up very early to put it on, and then travel on typically public transport to get to the venue. And all the while there’s typically a sense of confusion – why did I do this again? What was the point?
But it’s all worth it when you arrive.
On October 24th, myself and Motion Capture Technician Connoll Pavey cosplayed at the London MCM Comic Con, the biggest convention in the UK. Connoll was dressed as the Red Ranger from the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (1993); I was Essek Thelyss from The Mighty Nein (a television show from 2025, originating from Critical Role’s Dungeons and Dragons campaign from 2018).
It wasn’t our first rodeo, but it was certainly my biggest. Once we arrived, we found ourselves with an abundance of other cosplayers, all celebrating each other’s hard work. Pictures are taken, characters are gushed over and friends are made. It’s a celebration of fandom, creativity and fellowship with other like-minded people, and the high is real – after all the hard work pays off, you can’t help but plan what your next costume will be!
The beginnings of cosplay – or ‘costume play’ – can be traced back as far as 1939 at the first WorldCon (World Science Fiction Convention) in New York, where attendees dressed as futuristic versions of themselves. This began a trend of organised costume masquerades for people’s original characters (OCs) or to dress as pre-existing characters. Like many things pop culture, these trends exploded at the debut of Star Trek, with its first dedicated Star Trek convention launching in 1972. This set the stage for many other subsequent conventions and fandom cultures to blossom. In 1983, after visiting the Comiket convention in Tokyo, journalist Nobuyuki Takahashi coined the portmanteau of ‘cosplay‘ – combining ‘costume’ and ‘play’.
Year by year, the practice of cosplay grows. In 2020, Allied Market Research estimated the global cosplay costume market size to be around US$4.7 billion, and is estimated to grow to $23 billion by 2030. At our London MCM Comic Con alone, there were over 165,000 attendees, with thousands and thousands of them being cosplayers.
Lauren Williams, based in our Media City campus, facilitates workshops and one-to-one sessions all about cosplay. We asked her a few questions about her experiences and insight.
How did you get into cosplay?
I got into cosplay about 14 years ago when I attended my first Manchester MCM Comic Con in 2013. At the time I had no idea what cosplay was, but knew people got dressed up to go to the event. So I went to my local costume shop and got a Harley Quinn jester costume. I remember entering the con and being blown away by the number of amazing costumes and handmade props I saw! This inspired me to make my first prop: a giant cardboard hammer for my Harley cosplay. At next year’s con I brought it out and still remember that insane feeling of pride I got for a compliment on the hammer.
This fully kickstarted my cosplay journey over the next couple of years, but it wasn’t until 2020 that I really started to try my hand will fully handmade cosplays. Due to Covid, I lost my job so decided to finally tackle the thing I dreaded most: the sewing machine. With a cheap Argos machine and a lot of YouTube videos I managed to make my first costume piece – a blazer – and from there have developed my skills into what they are today.
Any advice for first time cosplayers?
For a first costume, start with a simple cosplay. It’s so easy to get drawn into something big and complicated on your first try, especially when people online make it seem so easy (it’s not, trust me!). Choose one discipline to focus on at a time, like sewing or wig styling. Check out cosplay youtubers like @canwecosplay who have easy-to-follow tutorials and shopping lists for newcomers to cosplay. Etsy is good for sewing or foam craft patterns and has a lot of good STL files for 3D printing.
Store bought cosplays are still cosplays regardless of the creation process. Not everybody has the time or money to create their own cosplays, and this is absolutely fine. We’re all cosplayers at the end of the day.
Anybody can cosplay regardless of gender, race or size. Take the phrase “cosplay is for everyBODY” literally and never pass up on a cosplay because you’re worried you won’t look “the part”.
Don’t worry about views or clout. It’s very easy to get dragged into the influential side of cosplaying, on Instagram or cosplaytok, and worrying that you don’t have a big audience. However, cosplay is, at its core, about getting dressed up, having fun and finding a like-minded community to make friends. You can enjoy those platforms and try to make a profession out of cosplay, but if you start putting numbers before fun, you’re going to find cosplay becomes more of a job then a fun hobby.
Thank you Lauren! You can find her Instagram at @LUNARPURPURA
Lauren’s cosplay workshops will run for six weeks across the summer – starting on Tuesday the 22nd of June 2027 and occurring every Tuesday and Thursday until Manchester Comic Con on Saturday the 31st of July. For anyone who wants to attend, you can register using a sign-up sheet at the FabLab (room 2.15) at MediaCityUK. One-to-ones are open to ALL students on a drop-in basis. You can email Lauren at L.C.Williams1@salford.ac.uk for her availability.
LIGHTING UP THE NORTH
by Tim Skelly
October and November are busy months in the theatre making calendar, slowly winding up to the Pantomime and Christmas show season in December. In my professional role as a live performance lighting designer, I’m often called upon to provide visual storytelling, psychophysical visual indicators, and a range of performative moods and atmospheres.
Last week saw the culmination of a fascinating collaboration with Opera North for the Light Night Festival in Leeds. It is one of the UK’s largest annual arts and light festivals, transforming the city centre into an extraordinary, illuminated playground over two nights each October. Since its beginnings in 2005, the festival has grown and now welcomes over 200,000 visitors across the city over two nights. The festival brings together local, national, and international artists to present an ambitious programme of artworks that explore aspects of light in some of Leeds’s most recognisable indoor and outdoor spaces. The festival transforms familiar streets, buildings, and public spaces, creating opportunities for people of all ages to discover and enjoy art in surprising places. The events of the festival are free and accessible to all; they celebrate creativity and bring communities together showcasing the city as a vibrant cultural destination.
The Fractures event, which was part of the Briggate Zone, offered an immersive music and light installation inspired by Jasdeep Singh Degun’s award-winning Orpheus, and blended the timeless beauty of Monteverdi’s Orfeo with the rich traditions of Indian classical music. Led by Musical Director Kaviraj Singh on santoor and voice, Fractures seamlessly blended tradition with sparks of musical innovation through acoustic and live electronic improvisations. The musicians worked as soloists, in duets, and as an ensemble in a theatre-in-the-round installation in the Howard Assembly Room. Together, we created a vivid meeting of musical worlds, complemented by an immersive lighting environment that transformed the Howard Assembly Room into a truly magical space.
PERFORMING WITH THE CHOIR OF MAN!
by Erika Vasylets
The Choir of Man is an Olivier Award-nominated musical, set in a typical British pub “The Jungle”. Nine men have a foot stomping good time as they jam through popular songs. The show features a working on-stage bar from which pints of beer are poured for the audience during the performance. The Jungle Choir Community Project – a nationwide initiative that invites local community choirs to join the professional cast on stage during the opening night performance in each touring city. Almost Famous theatre company got the opportunity to perform with the Choir of Man at the Lowry stage as an audience choir on the 14th of October. It’s great opportunity to join the cast for the final moment of the show and performing song Chandelier by Sia.
The committee of the Almost Famous applied through the call out on The Choir of Man Instagram story. The chair of the society, Ella, though it would be great opportunity and she have seen the show herself.
“We were so excited and we immediately started planning the rehearsals and contacting people to helping us to teach the vocals” – Ella Smart
Three-hour extra rehearsals allowed everyone to prepare and show their best on the actual performance day. The song was learned on the first rehearsal which is very good and surprised many committees leads.
“No one was not getting stressed about rehearsals. It was a pretty chill, low-key thing. It was a great opportunity to sing with people” – Amy Fitzsimmons
On the day of the actual performance all the audience invited choirs got the opportunity to rehearse together before the show. There were the variety of choirs involved. For example, in association with organisations who help people with disabilities to get involved or the caravanettes, and many other adult choirs joined for this amazing performance.
“When we got to the theatre it was so lovely to meet the other choirs who were performing and getting to rehearse with everyone” – Taya-Jay Lewis
The show itself is very fun and interactive. You were free to go on stage and have a pint in the bar there. The idea of group of men meets in the pub, becoming best friends not just between the performers but the audience members itself felt it. Even though, the show supposed to be fun, it also arises important topics such as awareness about male mental health, masculinity and community power. Nevertheless, it’s important to mention how famous songs, pop songs, performed into more musical way.
“The promise of Choir of Man is that’s the choir of man who all meet in the pub and they sing songs, especially pop songs, but in a more theatrical stylised way, so vocally it was very-very interesting to hear and also watch” – Charlotte Parry
In the finale, Almost Famous, stood up and sang with the performers and other choirs from their places in the audience. Responsible, but on the other hand incredible moment to be a part of amazing West End Show.
‘We’ve got so many compliments from the audience members. There were many people recording on their phones. When we went to stage door, we’ve got compliments from the cast as well’ – Danielle Limb
Mark Fox played an equally important role. He helped book rehearsal rooms and find extra space. As a thank-you, he was invited to attend the show. Mark wasn’t stressed because he didn’t have to perform, but he absolutely loved the show – especially when Almost Famous sang in the finale. I would like to finish my article with Mark’s words:
“Just to be there and watch them being involved. To see our students being involved with a professional show and kind of being as good as the professionals on stage. It was very nice, proud moment to be there and to see them to do that. That was lovely” – Mark Fox, New Adelphi Theatre Manager
Almost Famous theatre company, we would be happy to invite you for our Miscast show on 19th of December to light up your Christmas spirit. Our big theatre production shows The Clue and Merrily We Roll Along after Christmas break. Follow us on Instagram to discover more.
I would like to say thank you to my dear friends who are as me part of incredible Almost Famous. They helped me with this article by sharing pictures and information in full detail. Thank you so much Amy, Charlotte, Danielle, Ella, Taya and Mark.
SMALL GRANT, BIG IMPACT
by Isobel Dixon
Receiving the Metcalf Vernon Bursary award created a domino effect in advancing my career in production management! The funding was put towards the purchase of a DJI Osmo Pocket 4, which became an invaluable tool in developing my creative portfolio. Over the summer, I wrote, directed, produced, and edited my own visual short film, AMARANTHINE, using this camera to gain production credits and showcase my artistic vision.
I added this project to my LinkedIn profile, where it became a key factor in securing the opportunity to attend the Edinburgh TV Festival under the Up and Coming Talent category. This experience allowed me to network with industry professionals and gain valuable insight into the television industry.
During the festival, I attended a masterclass for Saturday Night Live UK, which further confirmed my passion for producing and production management within studio television. The connections and knowledge that stemmed from the scholarship have significantly contributed to my career development and reinforced my ambitions within the industry.
ACTING UP! 40 YEARS OF ACTIVISM FINDS SUCCESS ON THE LGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVAL CIRCUIT
by Dr Abby Bentham
Acting Up! 40 Years of Activism, a documentary commissioned by George House Trust to mark its 40th anniversary, is receiving recognition on the LGBTQ+ film festival circuit.
Created by director and activist Nathanael Hall and filmmaker and lecturer Georgiana Ghetiu, the documentary brings together personal testimonies and archival material to reflect on the experiences of those who challenged stigma, fought for change and built communities of support during four transformative decades of HIV activism.
Since its screening at the Candlelit Vigil at Pride 2025, the documentary has gone on to receive international festival recognition, winning Best Documentary Film at LGBTQ+ Toronto and the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The film is also nominated for the Community Award at the Iris Prize, and has been screened as part of Manchester’s SCENE Festival.
Created to celebrate and preserve an important part of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ history, its continued success is allowing the stories and experiences captured in the documentary to reach new communities and new generations.
You can watch the documentary here.
A TALE OF HARDSHIP AND HEROISM AT PASSCHENDAELE – LANDSHIP’S NORTH WEST PREMIERE
by Hannah Briggs
This summer, the University of Salford celebrated the Northern Premiere of the magnificent film Landship starring University of Salford MA Screen Acting student Vin Hawke.
The film explores the incredible true story that takes place in World War One at Passchendaele in 1917. At the spear head of a British offensive, the crew of Battle Tank F41 ‘Fray Bentos’ become bogged down in a shell crater in no-man’s-land, yards from the German front line. Over the course of sixty gruelling hours, Captain Donald Richardson struggles to maintain discipline, as the crew come under repeated attack from a fiendish enemy that seemingly appear from nowhere in the dense smog that hangs across the battlefield.
The premiere was attended by many eager fans and enthusiasts, including a military historian and a former tank officer!
We asked Vin Hawke to talk about Landship, how it linked to his studies at the University of Salford and the premiere itself:
Landship was completed before I commenced my MA in Screen Acting at The University of Salford, but that didn’t mean the two had to exist exclusively.
Although the film was an external professional endeavour, I knew I could utilise it to facilitate an understanding within my cohort on how parts of the industry actually tick over and how to develop character and nuance in film acting. It also allowed the University of Salford to show what is possible for a new wave of actors and filmmakers. Studying at Salford let me to return to my home city to continue developing my craft alongside exciting lecturers and peers. While Landship had its official premiere at Raindance Film Festival (receiving nods for Best Director, Best Film, and for me Best Performance), hosting a secondary ‘Northern Premiere’ at the university allowed me to involve and promote our students and our city.
We celebrated Landship alongside student films by screening the students’ work in lieu of trailers. It was extremely important to me to promote the film from an anchor point in Salford – pride of self, and leaning into a positive and progressive use of one’s heritage, is a worthy fight in this industry.
Landship can be found on Amazon and Sky. Click here to buy!
OLD BLEND CHALLENGE: A DELICIOUS BREW OF RESEARCH, CREATIVITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT
by Anna Wilson Hall
I’m currently involved in a research /charity project called Old Blend Challenge, fundraising for Actors Trust. Actors Trust is a resource for actors, providing financial and emotional support for those facing physical and mental challenges. For every £50 raised, I am remaking a vintage serial advert from the 1980s & ’90s, adopting a deliberately DIY approach where I play all of the characters in wonky wigs against crappy green screen backdrops, lip syncing to the original audio. Minimal AI is used, excepting some functions in the editing & production software I use (mainly background removal). In an age where the distinction between AI and reality is increasingly blurred, the project seeks to expose the seams of its creative production.
It explores how a solo screen performer can create suitable screen content on their own, for marketing and PR purposes. Suitable content design involved the relationship between casting bracket, performance skills /style and USP and, crucially, how they spoke to each other in service of enhancing my online profile and employment prospects. The project aims to mirror the technological and economic resources available to most emerging screen actors, creatively optimising these ‘limitations.’ For example, everything is shot on a smartphone, using basic, free editing software. The technological challenges of having to do everything (perform, shoot, edit, design, costume, light, source material, etc.) are woven into the creative approach, ultimately informing the creative development of the project.
The creative decision to remake vintage adverts was informed by my professional commercial work, more specifically a serial advert I’m currently involved in in New Zealand. This got me thinking about the lack of serial ads currently about in the UK anymore and fondly remembering the ones I used to enjoy as a child.
It also nurtured an interest in non-realist performance approaches for screen, and how social media, in particular, offers a platform for the playful and low-fi.
The choice to use lip syncing and green screen drew on the professional skills developed working with the multi-media company imitating the dog.
I consider myself a character actor and the creative choices were therefore an attempt to cultivate and develop that impression alongside my professional skills and experience.
You can view the videos on Instagram at @AnnaWilsonHall or by clicking on the links below:
Launch video | Remix 1 | Remix 2
STUDENTS TO COLLEAGUES
by Georgiana Ghetiu
This summer I had the pleasure of working with several former students on set, this time as colleagues. Every year I bring at least one student with me to help capture the Create Awards ceremony, and this year recent graduate Freya joined me. She did a fantastic job, so naturally I invited her to join me on a few other jobs over the summer.
What I didn’t expect was to arrive on set and find another former student, Lily, already working with the company we were filming with. It was such a great feeling to work alongside two former students who are now working confidently in the industry.
I was also particularly proud to be working as part of a team of women and to see the alumni stepping confidently into technical roles, areas of the industry where women are still under-represented. Representation is something I’m deeply passionate about and I strongly believe it’s crucial that women can see that there is a place for them behind the camera and in other technical roles.
Seeing students grow into colleagues is one of the most rewarding parts of the job!
WHAT’S ON AT THE NEW ADELPHI THEATRE!
by Hannah Briggs
BREAKAGES
WEDS 18TH NOVEMBER
Award-winning writer and performer Christine Entwisle presents Breakages, a compelling new short play about all the things we break in our lives – from hearts to fine china – alongside two beautifully observed companion monologues.
By turns darkly comic and deeply moving, these three interconnected pieces paint a vivid portrait of middle-aged women navigating obsession, loss and invisibility. A lanyard worn to bed, the wreckage of treasured possessions and the unexpected growth of new body parts become touchstones in stories that are both absurd and profoundly recognisable.
Breakages is the result of a new creative collaboration between Christine Entwisle and Teresa Brayshaw.
NEW ADELPHI COMEDY NIGHT
TUES 1ST DECEMBER
The New Adelphi Comedy Night is back for another night of improv, stand-up and more! In the first half, professional improvisers from the award-winning Totally Improvised Company and student guests will get the night going with gags and games inspired by your suggestions. In the second half, the stage is yours for an open mic with stand-up, songs, sketches or whatever funny business you want to try!
Previous line-ups have included award-winning student stand-ups developing material and launching their careers. Don’t miss your opportunity to catch the top talents of tomorrow… today!
DEBUT 2026 – A FESTIVAL OF THEATRE AND FILM
WEDS 9TH – THURS 10TH DECEMBER
Final year Performance students prepare to launch themselves into the professional world; join us for their debut.
This festival of collaborative projects from students on the BA Theatre & Performance Practice, BA Technical Theatre and BA Media and Performance brings together a diverse range of work – including devised pieces, scripted plays, multimedia theatre, short films and more – in our New Adelphi Theatre and Studio spaces.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE!
FIGHT NIGHT: FREE STAGE COMBAT TRAINING FOR SALFORD STUDENTS
by Dr Abby Bentham
Richard Goodwin, Programme Leader for Media and Performance, is currently running the first block of stage combat courses, made available free to students.
This is an 8-week course, which takes place every Tuesday evening throughout October and November and is designed to give University of Salford students a FREE introduction to stage combat (for stage and screen).
Students focus initially on unarmed dramatic combat (including punches, kicks, throws, hair grabs, strangulations etc.) and then progress toward engaging in choreographed fight pieces with single sword and rapier & dagger.
To encourage collaborative opportunities, a group of MAP students will also be given an opportunity to film and edit the fight scenes for students to keep as a memory of their experience and proof that they survived!
If you would like to take part in the next 8-week block, either as a performer or as film crew, please look out for details to follow in the forthcoming weeks.
GUESS THE STAFF MEMBER – REVEALED!
It’s our own theatre technician Charlotte Stoker who has the X FACTOR!
