Community Post Type: News

The streets of St Helens are being paved with entertainment gold this Christmas thanks to a fantastic cast which is ready to enchant Theatre Royal family audiences.

Regal Entertainments Ltd will present Dick Whittington – the first time in the company’s 25-year history.

The thrilling tale, which is packed with larger-than-life characters, dazzling costumes and scenery and a superb soundtrack, will run from Friday 28 November to Sunday 11 January 2026.

Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden has already been announced in the title role while the ever-popular Lewis Devine will play Idle Jack and Timothy Lucas, back by popular demand, is baddie King Rat.

And today it’s revealed they will be joined by a fantastic cast of talented St Helens favourites including Chantelle Morgan as Alice Fitzwarren, Rachael Wood as Fairy Bow Bells, Jenna Sian O’Hara as Dick’s cat Tommi and Richard Aucott who will play Felicity Fitzwarren.

The show is also set to feature incredible new, West End-inspired 3D technology which will take theatregoers young and old on an exhilarating underwater journey.

There are adventures aplenty when poor-but-ambitious young Dick Whittington leaves his Merseyside home to travel to London, where he’s heard the streets are paved with gold, accompanied only by his loyal cat Tommi.

There in the big city he is befriended by a magical fairy, falls for Alice the beautiful daughter of big-hearted businesswoman Felicity Fitzwarren, and does battle with the villainous King Rat. Will our hero find his fortune and live happily ever after with his true love? Or will the dastardly King Rat and his gang succeed in foiling his dreams?

Book in person at the Theatre Royal Box Office, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

Telephone ticket booking line 01744 756000, lines open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Book online at www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com

Get ready to rummage, re-imagine, and revel in fashion for a fantastic cause! Open Door, The Whitechapel Centre’s charity shops, announces the return of its hugely popular Fill A Bag event.

Calling all rummage enthusiasts, vintage and sustainable fashionistas! Dive into a sea of donated clothes from 3-5pm or 6-8pm (or both!). For just £15 per person, you’ll get a bag and two hours to score amazing finds among fantastic brands, wardrobe staples, items that require love or hidden gems. This is your chance to unearth unique pieces, breathe new life into pre-loved treasures, and all while supporting the fight against homelessness in Liverpool.

The thrill of the hunt is part of the fun!

For those attending both sessions – at One Fine Day – there is a fantastic selection of refreshments at the adjoining Little Leaf café.

Here’s the scoop:

• Dates: Monday 13^th October
• Time Slots: 3-5pm & 6-8pm (tickets purchased separately)
• Ticket Price: £15 per person
• Location: One Fine Day, Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9BS. Entrance via Little Leaf.

Update your wardrobe with unique and affordable finds while supporting The Whitechapel Centre’s vital work in tackling homelessness.

Have a blast rummaging through fashion treasures with fellow bargain hunters. Tickets are sold in advance and often sell out, so grab yours today!

Visit www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/fillabag  and choose your preferred session (or both!).

Who decides what stories are preserved and whose are silenced?

As part of Collective Encounters’ Radical Retrospectives Festival, they’re hosting an open space event exploring what creative approaches can bring to archiving practices.

They’ll ask how creativity and co-creation can challenge colonial, patriarchal and classist traditions in archiving, and instead build practices that represent communities on their own terms.

This is a participant-led space, with guest speakers offering provocations to spark discussion before we collectively shape the agenda.

📅 Tickets: £5 (limited bursary places available)
📍 Live transcription provided. BSL interpretation available on request (please contact them at least two weeks in advance).

Email: info@collective-encounters.org.uk

Acclaimed Art-Pop Singer-Songwriter’s sophomore album launch event at LEAF, Liverpool on 20th September.

File Next To: Massive Attack, Bat for Lashes, Beth Gibbons, Thom Yorke, Kate Bush, Björk

Leading with heartbreaking delicacy and a clear sense of artistic intention, Dorothy Bird makes music for heavy thinkers to escape into.

This September, the Berlin-Liverpool based art-pop songwriter hosts the final live show at LEAF on Bold Street before it closes its doors -following the release of her sophomore album, Whispering Paper. Produced by Dorothy Bird and Jon Lawton, and recorded at Crosstown Studios, the collection of tracks/songs showcase Bird’s distinctive vocal and innovative soundscapes, as she continues to evolve artistically.

Stream ‘Whispering Paper’ here.
Buy ‘Whispering Paper’ here.
Buy tickets to the ‘Whispering Paper’ Launch here.

This autumn, Museum of Liverpool explores the social and cultural power of hair in a brand-new photographic display Curly Blows, Cuts and Curlers, opening on 3 October 2025 in the museum’s Skylight Gallery.

From the iconic mop tops made famous by The Beatles to the unmistakable ‘curly blows’ that have defined the scouse look in more recent times, the display explores the connections between hair salons, identity and community.

Through striking photography and rarely seen images from the Museum’s own collections, Curly Blows, Cuts and Curlers is a fun look at Liverpool’s love affair with hair.

The display features the work of renowned photographers, including Alex Hurst, Abdullah Badwi, Paul Trevor, and The Caravan Gallery, each offering a distinct lens on the city’s salons, barbershops, and beloved ‘style queens’. Together, these photographs explore stories of family, fashion, pride, and place in a city that isn’t afraid to glow up.

Kay Jones, curator at Museum of Liverpool, said: “It’s been a great experience delving into the Museum’s collections revealing amazing photographs which tell a multitude of stories about hair, identity, and the city.

“The images have really been brought to life incorporating the previously untold stories of people featured the photographs alongside the personal insights of the photographers inspired to take the shots.

“What is very apparent is the importance of salons and barbers in our communities bringing people together, whilst helping us to express our unique personal styles overtime, often in fun and outrageous ways!”

From barbers to high-street salons, Curly Blows, Cuts and Curlers is a series of 17 photographs that highlights the power of hair. It opens in the Museum of Liverpool’s Skylight Gallery on 3 October and is free to all visitors.

For more information, and to find out about other events and activities, visit: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/curlyblows.

Liverpool Philharmonic are throwing open their doors on Sunday 28 September!

Whether you’re a regular or a newbie, head along and explore a whole world of musical opportunities right on your doorstep.

If you are curious about classical music, this is your chance to see the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for free, with three mini-concerts running throughout the day, plus much more in the Hall.

Meanwhile, in the Music Room, they start their fortnight of celebrations for the venue’s 10th birthday, with friends and partners from across the city, and a secret set too!

Hope Street really is the place to be on the 28th, with their Open Day coinciding with the final day of Liverpool BiD’s Hope Street Blend three days of culture, creativity and community on one of Liverpool’s most iconic streets.

They open their doors at 11am – see you there!

For more details, visit here

A special show for 5 years of Future Yard!

They’re celebrating their 5th Birthday with 5 of their favourite artists from 5pm on Saturday 20th September.

Brown Horse are joined by A Lesser Version, with solo sets from Trout (Solo) and Astles (Solo), plus Lara Maddie kicking things off.

Help them celebrate half a decade (!!!) of live music on Argyle Street – tickets still available via the link here.

Cinema is returning to Prescot with a brand-new programme of film screenings at Shakespeare North Playhouse 🎬

From this month until February 2026, the exciting film programme will feature everything from family favourites to cult classics.

For families the Wee Film Club on Saturday mornings will show animated films and will include a free arts and crafts activity. Tickets are just £3 per person.

For adults the Friday evening screenings will feature new releases and classics, including the documentary Liverpool Story, with a special Q&A with the director. Tickets are only £5 per person.

Find out more and how to book tickets here

The University of Liverpool’s Liverpool Literary Festival is back to celebrate a major milestone – its 10th anniversary.

Taking place from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 October 2025, the Festival brings together bestselling authors, sharp minds, and passionate readers for a weekend of inspiring conversation, readings, and a shared love of literature.

Headlining the 2025 programme is Mark Kermode – renowned writer, film critic, and musician – who will appear in conversation with collaborator Jenny Nelson. The pair will discuss their forthcoming book, Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music.

Other highlights include:

• Emma Jane Unsworth, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, bestselling novelist, and University of Liverpool alumna, who will open the Festival weekend.
• Award-winning Young Adult author Juno Dawson, who presents Human Rites, the long-awaited final book in her #1 bestselling fantasy series Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.
• Dr Nussaibah Younis, shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction, who will discuss her powerful novel Fundamentally.
• Chris Shepherd, Liverpool-based artist, writer, and filmmaker, who will speak about his debut graphic novel Anfield Road – a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Liverpool.

Festival Director Professor Greg Lynall, Head of English at the University of Liverpool said: “Since our inaugural Festival in 2016, we’ve created an enduring cultural highlight in the University calendar. Over the last decade, we’ve welcomed thousands of guests who’ve had the chance to explore and deepen their love of literature.

“This year’s programme continues our tradition of bringing together storytellers who offer rich insights into the world around us. The Festival promises to be one of our most exciting yet.”

Curated by the University’s Department of English, the festival has previously welcomed a host of literary greats, including former Chancellor, Colm Tóibín (Brooklyn), Ali Smith, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Lemn Sissay, Philip Pullman, Sally Rooney, Alan Hollinghurst, and alumna Professor Dame Carol Ann Duffy.

Professor Greg Lynall continued: “In the Department of English we explore the power of words in the world and we’re proud to programme the Festival. Not only does it offer the public the chance to hear from and meet some of the greatest writers and thinkers of our time but also enhances our students’ experiences of their courses.”

Liverpool Literary Festival 2025 will take place at the University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum (Ashton Street, L69 3DR) from Friday 17 – Sunday 19 October 2025. Festivalgoers can buy VIP passes for the whole weekend or just for one day, to make the most of everything the festival has to offer.

Buy tickets here.

Liverpool Literary Festival 2025: full line-up

Bestselling author Emma Jane Unsworth in conversation
Friday 17 October, 6pm
£12
BAFTA-nominated and BIFA-winning screenwriter Emma Jane Unsworth opens the Festival with her acclaimed new novel Slags, a Vogue ‘Book of the Summer’. A University of Liverpool alumna, Unsworth is known for Animals, The Outlaws, and The Buccaneers, and is currently developing Slags for TV. Emma will be in conversation with Dr Danny O’Connor, Colm Tóibín Lecturer in Creative Writing.

How do we write about the Climate Crisis? John Ironmonger discusses his new novel The Wager and the Bear
Saturday 18 October, 10am
£8
Author, zoologist and alumnus, John Ironmonger joins the Festival to discuss his latest novel The Wager and the Bear, a gripping tale of a dangerous bet and climate collapse.

Best known for the international bestseller Not Forgetting the Whale, Ironmonger’s work explores environmental themes. He’ll be in conversation with Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics, Dr Jessica Hampton.

Exterminate/Regenerate: blowing your understanding of the Doctor Who universe wide open
Saturday 18 October, 1pm
£8
Writer, journalist and cultural historian, John Higgs discusses the hidden history behind one of the UK’s most beloved shows, Doctor Who.

The author of books on topics such as The Beatles, James Bond, William Blake and The KLF, Higgs will focus on his latest book Exterminate/Regenerate: The Story of Doctor Who – the first biography of the Time Lord. Interviewing Higgs will be Dr Matthew Bradley, Senior Lecturer in English Literature.

Fundamentally: Nussaibah Younis exploring love, radicalism and identity
Saturday 18 October, 2.30pm
£8
Peacebuilding expert Dr Nussaibah Younis discusses her satirical novel Fundamentally – shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction – which follows an academic tasked with rehabilitating women linked to ISIS.

Younis is a former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a widely published commentator on Iraq.

Searching for My Slave Roots with Malik Al Nasir
Saturday 18 October, 4pm
£10
Liverpool-born author, poet, and filmmaker Malik Al Nasir reads from his new book Slave Roots: From Gyana’s sugar plantations to Cambridge – published in August this year.

Born in Liverpool to mixed parentage, Malik started tracing his roots back through Caribbean slavery over 20 years ago. His acclaimed research has earned recognition from leading historians and institutions.

Juno Dawson: talking witchcraft and confronting the good and evil in Human Rites
Saturday 18 October, 5.30pm
£10
Juno Dawson joins Dr Matthew Bradley to discuss Human Rites, the long-awaited final instalment to her number one bestselling fantasy series Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Dawson is a novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and a columnist for Attitude magazine, whose books include the global bestsellers This Book is Gay and Clean. She won the 2020 YA Book Prize for Meat Market.

 

She also writes for television, including the much-praised ‘Interstellar Song Contest’ episode of Doctor Who, and has multiple shows in development both in the UK and US.

The stories of movie music: Mark Kermode and Jenny Nelson, on their new book Surround Sound
Saturday 18 October, 7pm
£12
Mark Kermode, one of the UK’s most recognisable film critics, discusses his forthcoming book Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music.

Co-authored with radio producer Jenny Nelson, Surround Sound is a deep dive into the world of movie soundtracks, giving an insight into the emotional connection audiences form with film music.

As well as an award-winning film critic, Mark is a musician and radio and television presenter and hosts a popular film review podcast Kermode & Mayo’s Take with former BBC Radio broadcaster Simon Mayo.

Short Story competition winners – staff and student categories
Sunday 19 October, 10am
FREE
Join Dr Danny O’Connor, Colm Tóibín Lecturer in Creative Writing, for a special event celebrating the winners and runners-up of the Liverpool Literary Festival Short Story Competition.

This year’s theme was ‘anniversaries’, marking the Festival’s 10th year. Writers submitted stories of up to 1,500 words, with the very best published in an online anthology.

This competition, sponsored by Liverpool ONE, was judged by a panel including Festival Director Professor Greg Lynall, King Alfred Chair in English Literature.

The event will also feature readings from this year’s School of the Arts Literary Magazine.

Adele Zeynep Walton discusses Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World
Sunday 19 October, 11.30am
£8
Journalist Adele Zeynep grew up online, building a career through social media – but after losing her sister to online harm, she began questioning the digital world’s impact.

She joins the Festival to discuss her powerful new book Logging Off, in conversation with Dr Mark McGlashan, an expert on the language of online safeguarding.

Hattie Williams, in conversation about her debut novel Bitter Sweet
Sunday 19 October, 1pm
£8
Musician-turned-publisher Hattie Williams joins the Festival to discuss her debut novel Bitter Sweet – a gripping story of power, control, and silence in relationships.

After touring Europe and releasing three albums, Hattie spent over a decade in publishing. Her second novel, Beginning. Middle. End., is already in the works.

The impact of crimes and abuse on families: Dorothy Koomson discusses her latest novel Give Him To Me
Sunday 19 October, 2.30pm
£10
Bestselling author Dorothy Koomson joins Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Dr Melissa Raines. Here Koomson will discuss her latest thriller Give Him To Me, out in paperback this August, and the theme of domestic abuse that runs through much of her work.

With over 2.5 million UK sales, Koomson is a literary trailblazer, featured on the 2021 Powerlist as one of the most influential Black people in Britain and was a former Women’s Prize judge.

Chris Shepherd takes us along Anfield Road, his debut graphic novel
Sunday 19 October, 4pm
£10
Artist and filmmaker Chris Shepherd joins Senior Lecturer in English Literature Dr David Hering to discuss his acclaimed debut graphic novel Anfield Road – a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Liverpool and named Observer Graphic Novel of the Month.

Shepherd’s award-winning career spans film, music, and teaching, with British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) and BAFTA recognition and collaborations with artists including Holly Johnson, and Reverend and the Makers.

Simon Hughes: Chasing Salah – the biography
Sunday 19 October, 5.30pm
£10
Simon Hughes is an award-winning journalist and author and covers Merseyside football for The New York Times’ The Athletic.

He joins this year’s Festival to discuss his new book Chasing Salah, a definitive biography of Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah, the most famous Egyptian footballer in the history of the sport.

His book Red Machine won the Antonio Ghirelli Prize for Italian Soccer Foreign Book of the Year 2014, and his other titles include Secret Diary of a Liverpool Scout, Men in White Suits and Ring of Fire.

Printroom is the official Liverpool Literary Festival 2025 supporter.