Award-winnng playwright's Wigan research for new Northern Soul project

College students in Wigan are preparing a production to celebrate the days of Wigan Casino and are inviting those who went there to share their memories.
By Matt Pennington
Published 18th Apr 2023, 04:55 GMT
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Jim Cartwright and theatre director Nick Bagnall have teamed up with 25 students from Rose Bruford College at Wigan Pier and a number of Northern Soul aficionados to produce a play that will pay tribute to the legendary music and dance venue.

It started as a play about Northern Soul in general but recently Jim and Nick decided to change tack and make it much more Casino-based.

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By doing so they would be able to draw parallels between the venue prior to its shutting and how Wigan is as a town in the present day.

Jim and Nick are hoping that residents will share their experiences to help the production.Jim and Nick are hoping that residents will share their experiences to help the production.
Jim and Nick are hoping that residents will share their experiences to help the production.

The creative duo will be in Wigan for two weeks along with the students, enthusiasts and top DJs and will be showcasing their work on April 21 at the Rose Bruford drama school (The Mill at the Pier) from 4pm.

They wish to get as many people through the doors as possible, but in a community-led way to get a fund of tales from people who are familiar with what Northern Soul was all about.

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Nick said: “Jim sent me an idea three years ago around Northern Soul, we went to Leeds Playhouse with it and they commissioned it.

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"We’ve developed it over the last few years and we really hope to be able to get it into non-theatre buildings. We’re talking about Blackpool Tower Ballroom and the warehouse underneath Rose Bruford.”

Recognising that Wigan is the ‘Mecca’ of Northern Soul, Nick takes great interest in the political and social landscape and how these movements happened.

It will also give the town an important reminder of how important it was in a social way, as The Casino Club became the most famous in the world during the 1970s.

Nick said: “I’m talking to the students and they know absolutely nothing about it! They’ve been at this college for three years and didn’t even know that Wigan Casino was a thing.

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"This is all about research so we’re looking for stories, good or bad! There could be some people who hated the thing, and that’s just as interesting!”

Stories can be shared with Nick by email on [email protected] or phone on 0751 595 7107.

Related topics:WiganCollegeLeeds Playhouse