News

Winner of the ‘People’s Favourite Musical’ at the Offies 2010 and nominated for ‘Best Musical Production’ at the TMA awards, Britain’s got Bhangra arrives at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre on 8th Nov and plays until the 12th as part of an eight venue tour around the country this autumn and winter.

We are very excited to be presenting a new version of Britain’s Got Bhangra to audiences. We have been working hard to make the show even bigger and better than last year. With the support of our co-producers Watford Palace Theatre and Warwick Arts Centre and the creative team we have redeveloped the show for 2011, cranking up the energy, entertainment, drama, humour, catchy songs and glitz.”

Writer and Director Pravesh Kumar, Rifco Arts

After a very successful debut last year – and a sell-out visit to The Lowry – Rifco Arts were approached by venues and producers to bring the show back for 2011. Work started in February this year to bring audiences a new version of the hit musical, with changes being made to the cast, music, set, costume and script.

The story follows Twinkle, a farmer’s son from Punjab, India who comes to England to make a better living for himself and his wife. A gifted singer, he goes from being a van driver to a star in the growing Bhangra music scene of the 80s. The imaginative musical set against the evolution of Bhangra music follows his personal journey of highs and lows over three decades.

Real life Bhangra star Shin of the group DCS reprises his role of Twinkle Singh; Natasha Jayetileke (The Lion King (Lyceum), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (New London)) plays the villain Shinde; Sohm Kapila (Coronation Street, Doctors, Silver Street) plays Twinkles devoted wife Jussi; Michael Taibi (Jekyll and Hyde (UK Tour), Annie Get your Gun (Young Vic), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (Birmingham Rep)) takes on the role of Rocky; Jason Denton plays the young Jason (Hot Stuff (Leicester Curve), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (New London)) and Rifco Arts audience favourite Rina Fatania (Deranged Marriage, Bombay Dreams) returns.

The creative team behind the production includes, composer Sumeet Chopra who has written music for and collaborated with many Bhangra artists and Bollywood movies; lyricist Dougal Irvine whose award winning musical Departure Lounge has recently finished a successful run at Waterloo East Theatre and Bollywood Choreographer and Costume Designer Andy Kumar.

From the company who brought you hit shows such as The Deranged Marriage, There’s Something About Simmy and Where’s My Desi Soulmate; Rifco Arts’ ground-breaking musical is 
guaranteed to get you up to the beat of the Dhol Drums!

Rifco Arts in co-production with Watford Palace Theatre and Warwick Arts Centre present the new remixed and remastered Britain’s Got Bhangra.

Bring the family and move to the rhythm and bhangra! This show is guaranteed to have you dancing in the aisles!

Conceived, Written and Directed by Pravesh Kumar
Music by Sumeet Chopra
Lyrics by Dougal Irvine

The Cast:

• Shin (Twinkle)
• Natasha Jayetileke (Shinde)
• Sohm Kaplia (Jussi)
• Michael Taibi (Rocky)
• Jason Denton (Jason)
• Rakesh Boury (DJ Lovely)
• Rina Fatania (Bibiji)
• Alim Jayda (Presenter)
• Davina Perera (Udita Screwala)
• Keeza Farhan (Bling Singh)
• Sheena Patel (Mrs Singh)

Britain’s Got Bhangra runs from 8 – 12 November 2011 at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre. 
Tickets can be booked by calling the box office on o161 624 2829 or online at www.coliseum.org.uk

The Oldham Academy North is having an open day and two open evenings in the new school year this September.

The dates:

OPEN DAY: Tues 13th September 12.00am – 3.30pm

OPEN EVENINGS:

Tues 6th September 3.30pm – 6.30pm

Thurs 29th September 3.30pm – 6.30pm

Series came to Oldham Today with  a 1-Hour plus 5 laps race starting at 7PM following a day of fun cycling activites in the town.

The race followed a 1.1 km course circling the town centre and through the main pedestrian area; past the Spindles Shopping Centre along Henshaw Street, around the market, down to Yorkshire Street and back through the centre.

40 cyclists took part including international stars like Paris Roubaix, Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant, Steven Burke, Dan Browning, Rob Hayles and the Tour de France winner Magnus Backstedt. The average speed of the cyclists was 25mph (40kph) and it was thrilling to see them whizzing past only a few feet away.

Our video  follows the cyclists over the entire route for 1 lap - with the all the noise and speed of the race up close.

We have attended a number of awards ceremonies recently but here is an award we just made up: The Best Election Broadcast.
Because sandwiched in amongst the all the typically pompous, humourless and patronising stuff that goes on as part of elections, there occasionally shines a gem that makes it’s point without any of the above. There was one in 1987 when John Cleese (of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda) did one for the SDP/Liberal Alliance and a decade later 1997 when he did one for the (now merged) Liberal Democrats.

Finally there has been another.

NB. Eddie Izzard has recently completed a Marathon run/walk around Britain for charity – 26 miles a day for 7 weeks! - So when he says “I met people around the county” you can really believe him.

Conservatives and Liberals voted down the plans for an Oldham-wide free wireless broadband network to the disappointment of Councillor Shoab Akhtar of the Labour group, former mayor and wifi champion along with Cllr Jim McMahon. Free broadband sounds like a great idea that should be a popular as “Free Lunch with Free Delivery”. Indeed it would be great for visitors on business who would no longer have to seek out the nearest coffee shop or burger-chain for free wifi and obviously great for the companies tasked with providing the infrastructure.

However the plans may be moot as many Oldhamer’s may currently be getting free or near-free public wifi bundled with their cable/phone/satellite/mobile - and perhaps may soon be overtaken by the growing access to free wifi in coffee and burger chains .

The first simnilar public project of this scale was announced in Swindon, Wilts last year as a £1M public/private scheme with the council having a 35% stake. Swindon Council and Digital City UK plan on using 1,400 access point to provide blanket coverage for it’s 186,000 citizens to be completed in 2010 – It won’t be free but intends to be cheaper that a typical Internet connection.
There could be a few con’s. Pervasive wifi could pose some interesting Internet security questions. Would everyone in the borough be issued with a login and passkey to secure their connection, visitors too? Even on “secure” wireless networks keys can be readily “sniffed” from the network traffic which being public could not be “stealthed” and hide its network ID. It could be open season for identity theft, not to mention more laptops carried around of left in cars to be physically stolen. (a laptop on standby can be detected by wifi or bluetooth even while secured in the boot of a car)
It would be interesting to see how they are getting along with their plans.