Seconding the teacher voice moment. I did teacher voice in an art gallery the other day to get people to make space for a person using a wheelchair so they could see the art too. People were blocking their path and not moving out of the way, even as they were obviously trying to move forward. Also sharing the tram love =)
Thanks for sharing your day with us and the insight into regional theater. I looked on the map where you were traveling. Hope you and Aeron have a wonderful and relaxing holiday. 🌲
As a greater manchester local I've been lucky enough to grow up going to the Royal Exchange - it's a really incredible space and every show I've seen there makes the most of the space. (If you do ever make it to a show, try and get the banquette seats which get you right on the front row)
Sound of Music at Pitlochry also was using regional accents instead of just standard RP English to represent Austria which I think made sense as the child cast were local so it made them sound less out of place perhaps. I’m taking my bf to see LSofH for his bday I’m really excited
When teaching summer school in Salford I got scooped up by another teacher to see The Importance of Being Earnest in the Exchange and had no prior knowledge of the theatre- which made it very unexpected and cool! We also got tickets at box office and for the couch like seats at the front for such a good price - highly recommend, show was fantastic too! You should come to Toronto, Canada. Check out the Fringe here, we also have theatre in Stratford (Shakespeare mostly, they really lean into it) and the Shaw festival in Niagara which I have yet to visit myself. Love seeing the regional theatres, I'm sure you have been to the Empire and Everyman in Liverpool, I think Ive seen you vlog one if not both - but if not!
We saw Spend, Spend, Spend at the Royal Exchange last weekend. It’s a good musical creatively staged in the round with a great cast. We felt it had a Blood Brothers feel to it but sadly this wasn’t a top tier musical experience. I would still recommend you go and see it especially as the seat prices are so reasonable when compared to The Lowery and Palace in Manchester.
The Royal Exchange is a great theatre space and my favourite building in Manchester. If you do get the opportunity to see a show there the banquette seats which are closest to the stage are only £12, great value.
Trains between Manchester and Sheffield are always heaving. Agree that the bit outside Sheffield Station is very slippery, broke my ankle there when it was icy a few years ago.
In some places, including the U.S., Yorkshire puddings are generally known as popovers. Just like the American biscuit vs scone confusion, popover recipes vary and have flavor variants as well, but some recipes are basically the same as Yorkshire pudding. They are an old fashioned thing and not at all common to younger generations unless their Midwestern or New England great-grandmother cooked for them.
So I know a lot of people think that having a lot of kids in the theater can be really annoying (sometimes yes lol) and I know you are definitely not one of those people since you are a former teacher. When I was a high school kid I was a member of an organization that is still currently a program in the Dayton, Ohio area called Muse Machine, and it’s a nonprofit organization where for a super small subsidized fee, like five dollars, kids can be part of this in school club where they bring six or so assemblies into the schools that promote the arts. So it might be a dance company or an orchestra, or even a stem program using arts and magic, or theater, and along with these awesome assemblies, students have the ability to purchase Broadway touring tickets, five shows a year, for only about $12-$15 a ticket and see Broadway shows in our hometown. And then, either the school will take all of the students down as an after school field trip on school buses, or on a couple of them, students will get dropped off for the show by a parent. In conjunction with that, Muse machine puts on one musical a year and they usually have five performances where they perform at a professional beautiful theater downtown, they sell tickets that are affordable, but are usually about $30 apiece unless you are a student and then you get them for about $10, and Muse Machine members get to try out for that musical, whether they want to be on stage, backstage, or in the pit orchestra, and it’s fairly hard to get into the musical because about 80 area schools participate in this nonprofit organization, so tons of kids audition. And the quality of the show is really professional and it would blow you away. This year, they are doing cats which I cannot believe. When I became a high school teacher, we did not have this program so I started it in our school and I became our advisor and it was one of the best things I ever did. Because in the US, of course, theater kids absolutely already love theater, but otherwise, a lot of kids just make fun of stuff that we love, and this brought out an appreciation two kids, who otherwise would not maybe have the money to be exposed to things like theater and ballet and different types of music. Many students who have been in these shows miss machine has put on have gone on to do professional theater and Broadway, Like Jill Pace just to name one person. But the goal is not to create theater performers, even though that does happen, the goal is to create lifelong citizens who appreciate the arts and support the arts into adulthood. It’s such a fantastic and educational organization, so whenever I see kids at the theater, I just remind myself that they are learning, that they are there participating, and they are probably going to be more likely to go to the theater voluntarily when they are an adult and take their own children, creating another generation of people who value the arts and theater. So I loved seeing all those kids at that performance and I think it’s fantastic!
36:57 The brutalist housing development from 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' isn't called 'Sky's Edge', it's 'Park Hill'. It's that the neighbourhood behind Park Hill is called 'Skye's Edge' (which has a housing development of its own (both with an 'e'), that is unrelated to the musical, but formed the basis for the original Richard Hawley song). All pleasantly confusing.
feels so weird seeing you walk around my area!!! (well, I don't literally live in the central bit but I'm from manchester!) I haven't been to the royal exchange theater since high school but I remember really being mesmerised by the design of the place, seeing it again makes me want to go back the central bit with the primark/no longer functional fountains/bus area is called picadilly gardens! they have some permanent food stands (as well as the christmas ones) and I super recommend the massive brownies and blondies they do although I can't for the life of me remember the name of the stall! its in that area with huuuuge slices of sweet treats its great edit: I think it's called picadilly bakes!!
ooo with your familiarity of a christmas carol I'd be interested to see your thoughts on starkid's version. it's an 80s take on it, sung-through, composed by clark baxtresser (also singing as the narrator of the show). only 45mins, 1 act, and the 2021 version is free on their youtube. not beauty and the beast vibes but a vibe nonetheless 😁🪩
Seconding the teacher voice moment. I did teacher voice in an art gallery the other day to get people to make space for a person using a wheelchair so they could see the art too. People were blocking their path and not moving out of the way, even as they were obviously trying to move forward. Also sharing the tram love =)
You can get the tram direct to Media City tram stop (Lowry Theatre side of the bridge) or the War Museum tram stop (other side of the bridge)
Thanks for sharing your day with us and the insight into regional theater. I looked on the map where you were traveling.
Hope you and Aeron have a wonderful and relaxing holiday. 🌲
As a greater manchester local I've been lucky enough to grow up going to the Royal Exchange - it's a really incredible space and every show I've seen there makes the most of the space.
(If you do ever make it to a show, try and get the banquette seats which get you right on the front row)
Brilliant video. I recommend visiting the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.
Salford quays is a really early tram stop! You can get off at MediaCity and its only a 2 min walk to the lowry
You are correct, but our tram didn't stop at media city! 😅
@@MickeyJoTheatre Yeah but theres still 3 stops later than salford quays closer! Haha, no worries, hope you enjoyed your trip xx
@@MickeyJoTheatre Also, deffo check out the royal exchange if you get the chance in the future, its a fab little theatre!
Sound of Music at Pitlochry also was using regional accents instead of just standard RP English to represent Austria which I think made sense as the child cast were local so it made them sound less out of place perhaps. I’m taking my bf to see LSofH for his bday I’m really excited
When teaching summer school in Salford I got scooped up by another teacher to see The Importance of Being Earnest in the Exchange and had no prior knowledge of the theatre- which made it very unexpected and cool! We also got tickets at box office and for the couch like seats at the front for such a good price - highly recommend, show was fantastic too!
You should come to Toronto, Canada. Check out the Fringe here, we also have theatre in Stratford (Shakespeare mostly, they really lean into it) and the Shaw festival in Niagara which I have yet to visit myself.
Love seeing the regional theatres, I'm sure you have been to the Empire and Everyman in Liverpool, I think Ive seen you vlog one if not both - but if not!
We visited Toronto for the first time this year, and it was during the Fringe but sadly we didn't have enough time to investigate!
Definitely see a show at The Royal Exchange. We saw Ria Jones in Gypsy a few years ago, was incredible.
What about the Bolton Octagon, lovely little theatre. Saw an excellent "Little Shop of Horrors" there last year.
You should go to the rules theatre Lancaster they always do a great Christmas show or in the summer do a promenade show in the park
We saw Spend, Spend, Spend at the Royal Exchange last weekend. It’s a good musical creatively staged in the round with a great cast. We felt it had a Blood Brothers feel to it but sadly this wasn’t a top tier musical experience. I would still recommend you go and see it especially as the seat prices are so reasonable when compared to The Lowery and Palace in Manchester.
The Royal Exchange is a great theatre space and my favourite building in Manchester. If you do get the opportunity to see a show there the banquette seats which are closest to the stage are only £12, great value.
Come to Boston/Cambridge…but in the spring…its 20 degrees now !
Trains between Manchester and Sheffield are always heaving. Agree that the bit outside Sheffield Station is very slippery, broke my ankle there when it was icy a few years ago.
In some places, including the U.S., Yorkshire puddings are generally known as popovers. Just like the American biscuit vs scone confusion, popover recipes vary and have flavor variants as well, but some recipes are basically the same as Yorkshire pudding. They are an old fashioned thing and not at all common to younger generations unless their Midwestern or New England great-grandmother cooked for them.
NI Opera are producing Follies in our beautiful Grand Opera House in Belfast in September 2025 as a regional theatre shoutout 😂
So I've heard! How exciting - I'll definitely be looking into it!
So I know a lot of people think that having a lot of kids in the theater can be really annoying (sometimes yes lol) and I know you are definitely not one of those people since you are a former teacher. When I was a high school kid I was a member of an organization that is still currently a program in the Dayton, Ohio area called Muse Machine, and it’s a nonprofit organization where for a super small subsidized fee, like five dollars, kids can be part of this in school club where they bring six or so assemblies into the schools that promote the arts. So it might be a dance company or an orchestra, or even a stem program using arts and magic, or theater, and along with these awesome assemblies, students have the ability to purchase Broadway touring tickets, five shows a year, for only about $12-$15 a ticket and see Broadway shows in our hometown. And then, either the school will take all of the students down as an after school field trip on school buses, or on a couple of them, students will get dropped off for the show by a parent. In conjunction with that, Muse machine puts on one musical a year and they usually have five performances where they perform at a professional beautiful theater downtown, they sell tickets that are affordable, but are usually about $30 apiece unless you are a student and then you get them for about $10, and Muse Machine members get to try out for that musical, whether they want to be on stage, backstage, or in the pit orchestra, and it’s fairly hard to get into the musical because about 80 area schools participate in this nonprofit organization, so tons of kids audition. And the quality of the show is really professional and it would blow you away. This year, they are doing cats which I cannot believe. When I became a high school teacher, we did not have this program so I started it in our school and I became our advisor and it was one of the best things I ever did. Because in the US, of course, theater kids absolutely already love theater, but otherwise, a lot of kids just make fun of stuff that we love, and this brought out an appreciation two kids, who otherwise would not maybe have the money to be exposed to things like theater and ballet and different types of music.
Many students who have been in these shows miss machine has put on have gone on to do professional theater and Broadway, Like Jill Pace just to name one person. But the goal is not to create theater performers, even though that does happen, the goal is to create lifelong citizens who appreciate the arts and support the arts into adulthood. It’s such a fantastic and educational organization, so whenever I see kids at the theater, I just remind myself that they are learning, that they are there participating, and they are probably going to be more likely to go to the theater voluntarily when they are an adult and take their own children, creating another generation of people who value the arts and theater. So I loved seeing all those kids at that performance and I think it’s fantastic!
36:57 The brutalist housing development from 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' isn't called 'Sky's Edge', it's 'Park Hill'. It's that the neighbourhood behind Park Hill is called 'Skye's Edge' (which has a housing development of its own (both with an 'e'), that is unrelated to the musical, but formed the basis for the original Richard Hawley song). All pleasantly confusing.
This occurred to me while editing - I thought "oh it's called something else isn't it" 😅, thanks for the actual info!!
feels so weird seeing you walk around my area!!! (well, I don't literally live in the central bit but I'm from manchester!)
I haven't been to the royal exchange theater since high school but I remember really being mesmerised by the design of the place, seeing it again makes me want to go back
the central bit with the primark/no longer functional fountains/bus area is called picadilly gardens! they have some permanent food stands (as well as the christmas ones) and I super recommend the massive brownies and blondies they do although I can't for the life of me remember the name of the stall! its in that area with huuuuge slices of sweet treats its great
edit: I think it's called picadilly bakes!!
Merry Christmas and how was Cyrano? ❤❤❤it mote 2nd time?
Wolverhampton 😊
Regional accents might be a good vlog. Live or taped.
Hi how are you doing
ooo with your familiarity of a christmas carol I'd be interested to see your thoughts on starkid's version. it's an 80s take on it, sung-through, composed by clark baxtresser (also singing as the narrator of the show). only 45mins, 1 act, and the 2021 version is free on their youtube. not beauty and the beast vibes but a vibe nonetheless 😁🪩