Authors book a place at kids’ festival of reading
We Should Definitely Have More Dancing
AUTHORS will be making an appearance at Rochdale Children’s Literature Festival to discuss their books, inspirations and do book signings.
Seven writers who will be going to the event at Number One Riverside on Saturday, July 2 have been announced so far.
Teacher from Sandbrook Primary School, Simon Harthill and Carl Wheatley will be doing a sing along read to their first book called Reggie Rockit in the children’s library area.
The creator of the festival, Clare Mcgreevy, who also is Rochdale Spelling Bee’s organiser and the Open University’s teachers reading group leader for Rochdale said: “Rochdale is such a supportive community and it’s great to see people come together for the love of books.
“Book festivals are paramount for families as studies have consistently shown that reading leads to greater success in life.
“We don’t want parents having to go to other cities to participate in these events, we want them to be happening here.
“Rochdale has a great literature heritage and is already a real beacon for a love of literature.
“If we can get our children hooked on books and show parents how important reading to their children is we would have done our part.
“It is a very community based event from the university, schools, the council, the library, charities and local businesses coming together to promote a lifelong love of reading for children.”
The Fanfare Team will be standing on the balcony of the building dressed in medieval costumes to greet guests and the Mayor of Rochdale, Ali Ahmed will open the festival at 10am.
Junior Brass Band and Little Folk from Rochdale Music Service, Rochdale Musical Theatre Company and Northern String Quartet located on Dellar Fold will liven up the festival with their music.
Former assistant head and English teacher at Beech House School, Burhana Islam, says the inspiration behind her middle-grade series was from the students she taught in Rochdale.
The author behind the successful ‘Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World’ book and the hilarious tale ‘Mayhem Mission’, said: “I’m really excited about the upcoming event.
“It’s my first in-person festival as an author, which is great, and the fact that it’s a local one is even better.
“I’m looking forward to meeting readers more than anything.”
Wordsmiths Bethan Woollvin, Lydia Monks, Phil Earle, Onjali Q.rauf MBE, Eve Ainsworth and Dan Smith will also be attending.
Attendees will enjoy a variety of book themed entertainment such as Willy Wonka’s Sweet Stall, Book Tombola, Story Makers: Authors of the Future, Hook-a-book, Name the Book Character Competition, Story Stones and face painting.
Rochdale Round Table have sponsored the raffle by donating £100 worth of books for the winner.
Children can watch stories spring to life through puppetry and get involved in a book making workshop or listen to a rap about books.
Free family-fun workshops will take place on the ground floor.
The event is in conjunction with the Open University, Rochdale Council and book store, Madeleine
Lindley who is sponsoring the festival authors and will be the official booksellers on the day.
It comes following the huge success of the 2019 book festival which saw the Open University collaborate with five schools and Rochdale Round Table at Number One Riverside’s central library with at least 1,000 visitors in attendance.
Rochdale Library saw a 34% increase in its membership compared with the week prior to the book festival according to the university’s study.
You can join in the literary event from 10am3.30pm with a £7.04 admission charge for each author visit. Attendees should make sure that they arrive on time for the performance as late arrivals will not be admitted.
To book and find out more details and the timings of the authors visits go to Eventbrite’s website.
AN interval less, 75-minute play about the journey of a young woman dealing with a malignant tumour ‘the size of a fist’ in her head is no misery-fest but a moving, at times hilarious and ultimately life celebrating experience that none in the audience will ever forget.
Clara Darcy co-wrote and stars in We Should Definitely Have More Dancing at the Oldham Coliseum bringing the Wow factor back to this wonderful theatre.
The play opens with a recording of a conversation between Clara and her co-writer Ian Kershaw with a minimalist set and props such as a table and wheelchair with a number of child-themed bits and pieces and watched through the open front of a box-like set formed by drab hospitalstyle curtains creating a perfect setting for the focus to be on three superb performances.
Actors Shamia Chalabi and Suzanna Hamilton play versions of Clara, her parents, the team who saved her life at Salford Royal Hospital and The Christie as well as the boyfriend-to-be, Tom.
Clara Darcy is a 30-something, trumpetplaying actress who has appeared in shows at the Coliseum - including in ’Brassed Off three times’.
In 2019 in rehearsal she sees a doctor about her blinding headaches and quickly discovers that she has a malignant tumour growing at the top of her spinal cord and impinging on her brain.
Within a week she endures 14 hours of complicated, highly dangerous cutting-edge surgery.
Although Clara’s very presence demonstrates the successful outcome as she fills the stage with a life affirming vibrancy, we are also fully aware that there is a 50/50 chance of the tumour returning.
She is now with Tom, the man she met while having proton-beam therapy, so she’s as happy as she can be with life.
The production is directed by Tatty Hennessy and another cancer survivor, Raz Shaw, and is well made for easy touring, including as the Coliseum’s first Edinburgh Fringe show in August.
At the end the audience are on their feet applauding both the production and Clara herself.
As Clara says: “Although this is a show with a really serious subject matter that makes you confront quite dark, deep and difficult things about life and possibly even your own existence, more importantly it is a celebration of the brilliant nuances of being alive and actually what a gift it is to have a dance with death that brings you to that realisation.”
At the Coliseum until July 2, then Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, July 12-13, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, September 25-28, Edinburgh Fringe, August 3-18, with other dates to be confirmed.
Visit: www.coliseum. org.uk