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The Manchester Weekly from The Mill
Do Manchester's theatres have a class problem?
Do Manchester's theatres have a class problem? Robert Pegg, a playwright and police station representative, seems to think so. In a remarkable long read for The Mill, he argues that working-class creatives have been confined to the fringe scene, with commissioning editors mainly looking towards their own narrow class to fill vacancies. So how do we address these imbalances, and how do we ensure we hear from more great working-class writers like Shelagh Delaney and Trevor Griffiths in the future?
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Should Manchester Pride be a party or a protest?
13:02|Manchester Pride, a large-scale music event with huge headliners and a packed schedule filled with music, dance and drag performances, returned last weekend. The city was filled with colour and thousands of people turned up to celebrate in Gay Village. But this year, Manchester Pride also faced fresh criticism over its relationship with Booking.com, a key sponsor of the festival who have faced criticism for listing rooms in the occupied West Bank, and many, including performers, withdrew from attending the festival. The involvement of big corporate sponsors like Booking.com, and the direction that Pride has taken more broadly, becoming more like a festival than anything resembling its revolutionary roots, has raised a crucial question: should Pride be a party or a protest? Mollie sits down with our new editor, Shannon Keating, to discuss.Recommendations:Alt Pride Festival 2024, Platt Fields Market Garden, 7th and 8th September - tickets hereShould Manchester Pride be a party or a protest? The MillExclusive: Salford Council is investigating the White Hotel
19:54|The White Hotel, a world-famous nightclub in Salford that has hosted some of biggest DJs in the world and has been described as a "nurturing influence" on new artists, is every Mancunian's favourite nightclub. But the iconic venue could be facing some complications due to a dispute involving planning permissions, as well as the development of its once-derelict but evolving neighbourhood. What does this all mean for the future of the legendary nightclub? Mollie and Joshi discuss.With thanks to the Davis Cup for sponsoring this week's episode. Great Britain’s best tennis stars will go head-to-head against Canada, Argentina and Finland at The Davis Cup from Tuesday 10th - Sunday 15th September. Being hosted at the AO arena in Manchester, big names including Cameron Norrie and Milos Raonic will be taking to the court. Tickets are selling for as little as £10, with premium options and hospitality packages available. To find out more about the packages, and book your business in for the best VIP tennis experience, click here.Recommendations:He complained about late night noise. Then a city-wide row erupted, The MillExclusive: Salford Council is investigating the White Hotel, The MillCan Manchester’s nightlife survive the student exodus?
15:15|It’s mid-August, and the students who buy so many of the tickets for local club nights are away. They aren’t coming back any time soon, and when they do, they’re less likely than their forbears to even go to clubs in the first place (and drinks aren’t cheap anymore).So how do we keep the city partying hard, and what’s it like to be a DJ right now? Mollie sits down with Finn McCorry, NTS resident, club promoter, and DJ best known for his critically-acclaimed EP Everything is alright. He plays Soup and White Hotel regularly, and he has been described as a music producer who “knows the transformative power of a lean groove and a catchy sample”, whose music feels “alive and eternal” (you can read the full review of this EP in Pitchfork by clicking here). In this episode, Finn takes us inside the city's club scene, and asks: What would it take to safeguard nightlife's future?Recommendations:Greatest Hits, FinnEverything is alright, FinnSummertime sadness: can Manchester’s nightlife survive the student exodus?, The MillClubland UK: The state of the nation, The GuardianManchester's week of riots
21:19|Last weekend saw the continuation of violent far-right riots that have erupted across the country in the wake of a devastating attack in Southport that left three children dead and eight injured. A man was pictured raising a Nazi salute in Piccadilly Gardens, where a black man was chased and attacked by a gang of white men and women, protesters in Bolton set off missiles and threw bricks at police, and rioters gathered outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Bredbury and Newton Heath. Greater Manchester Police made 19 arrests in connection with the violence over the weekend, and Andy Burnham has promised that the force will “pursue every legal means to prevent a repeat” of what happened. Some politicians have cast blame on the supposedly-defunct English Defence League, but is there truly one single organiser of the riots? Recommendations:Southport mourns. Then burns, The PostI thought we’d die in Southport Mosque. I almost jumped, The Sunday TimesDo we know what caused the police attack at Manchester Airport?
16:08|Last week, a video emerged of a Greater Manchester Police officer forcefully kicking a prostate man in the head and kneeing him in the stomach at Manchester Airport. The story dominated national news coverage and triggered an investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct. But a lengthier video, released over the weekend, has fuelled further debate. It shows the run up to the confrontation, with a man attacking at least two police officers before he was tasered and restrained on the ground. Do we know the full story yet? And what does this story tell us about our instinct to create a simple narrative from chaotic events?A warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence throughout.Recommendations:What we didn't learn from the Manchester Airport police attack, The SpectatorThe missing detail: Meet Akhmed Yakoob’s ‘gang leader’ business partner, The Dispatch Another video of the Manchester Airport police attack — but much remains unanswered, The MillThe strange death of Levenshulme Market
16:34|Levenshulme Market was a local success story, cementing a narrative of a neighbourhood on the rise. For ten years, it ran weekly markets on a council-owned car park near the train station serving everything from craft beer to books, cocktails and gifts, and the market became celebrated for its role as an incubator for small businesses that managed to make the jump from a market stall to a spot on the high street. Then, in 2023, the directors announced that the market would have to cease trading for the rest of the year after a "painful planning permission process" made it impossible for them to proceed, but that they hoped that the market could come back stronger in 2024. It's now 2024, and there are no signs of the market returning anytime soon. Manchester City Council and Levenshulme Market both say they want the market to reopen. So why hasn't it?With thanks to this week's sponsor, The Davis Cup. With unrivalled drama, big names and an amazing wrap-around hospitality offer, there’s no better event for your business than a trip to the Davis Cup. Taking place at the AO Arena in September, packages include premium seating right next to the action, and complimentary drinks. There’s also a choice of tapas-style food or real luxury with a three-course lunch in the Skyline suite. Reward your employees for their hard work this year, or impress your most important clients with an unforgettable day of drama in the heart of Manchester.To find out more about the packages, and book your business in for the best VIP tennis experience, click here.Recommendations: The strange death of Levenshulme Market, The MillBattening down the Hatches: We all love a food hall, but does the model actually work?, The MillHow did a semi in Harpurhey sell for £1.8m?
21:07|In this week's episode, Mollie and Joshi discuss the curious case of a semi-detached house in Harpurhey that was bought for £575,000 and sold for £1.8 million on the very same day. Manchester City Council cited the sale as an example of market manipulation, but the property company involved happens to be a major council partner. Mollie and Joshi talk about how the story showed up on our radar, and what the situation tells us about Manchester's housing crisis.Subscribe to read the full long-read here: https://manchestermill.co.uk/subscribeBritain doesn't have a second city
18:56|Has the question of whether Manchester or Birmingham is Britain's second city distracted us from another possibility: That Britain doesn't have a second city at all?David Rudlin, director of urban design at BDP, thinks so. A little-known law states that neither Birmingham nor Manchester are big enough to claim the title of Britain's second city, which brings us onto an interesting question: How have both cities fallen short? And what would it take for them to catch up?With thanks to Manchester Museum's Wild Show for sponsoring this episode. Wild is a brilliant new exhibition at Manchester Museum exploring how people are creating and repairing connections with nature, from post-industrial urban landscapes like Manchester to Aboriginal-led cultural revegetation projects in Western Australia and the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park in the US.Many readers have been sending in photos of their favourite wild spaces, if you’d like to join them, just email us a photo and description of your favourite wild space to editor@manchestermill.co.uk. Our favourite ones will be published in future newsletters and you will get a free curator’s tour of the exhibition. Read more about Wild and plan your visit via this link.Recommendations:Britain doesn't have a second city, The MillI value Brummie art, but who else does? The ObserverHow to invigorate Britain's second-tier cities, The EconomistThe Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane JacobsThe Economy of Cities, Jane JacobsManchester Unspun, Andy Spinoza