Mr Smiths dancers to reunite for nostalgic performance inspired by memories of iconic nightclub

A nostalgic celebration of the iconic Mr Smiths nightclub and its lasting legacy on the community is coming to Warrington Arts Festival next week.

From Mr Smiths, With Love will transform Time Square into one giant, open-air dancefloor on Friday, 18 July, bringing the venue back to life through club anthems and the stories of the people who danced there.
The building – once a cinema and bingo hall in its early years – had its heyday in the 1980s and 90s as a much-loved nightclub, but was lost forever when it was devastated by a fire in April 2015.

However, people’s memories and fondness for Mr Smiths during that decade of absence has only grown stronger – and that is what Stacey Atkinson aims to capture with this bespoke performance. The Warrington dance artist has teamed up with dance-theatre specialists Night People with support from a cohort of 50 dancers to weave together movement, music and memory, and capture the magic of the nights out that shaped a generation.
Some of the original dancers from Mr Smiths, including Clive Donaldson – better known as Wiggy – will even be making a guest appearance.
Wiggy found fame as one of the star dancers on The Hitman and Her, a TV show hosted by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan which followed club culture at the venue in the late 80s and early 90s.
Stacey said: “I used to go to Mr Smiths with my friends on nights out, but I also went to the dance class which Wiggy ran every Tuesday.
“He wanted to keep the legacy of The Hitman and Her going and created some amazing opportunities for dancers all over the north west through that. I did a couple of gigs in Manchester with him off the back of it.
“It’s been great to see him again. It’s brought back a lot of memories remembering how he used to teach back then. It’s been nice to reunite and collaborate.”

Dancers prepare for the event

Created especially for Warrington Arts Festival 2025, From Mr Smiths, With Love has been in the planning stages for more than a year.
Warrington Arts Festival’s organisers wanted to develop a show which recognised the deep connections that so many people have with Mr Smiths and celebrate the power of place, people and nostalgia.
“It was like a home to many,” added Stacey, who studied dance at Priestley College before gaining a Master’s at John Moore’s University.
“In a lot of the research and interviews I’ve done with the community, they described it as a meeting point where everyone would go at the end of a night, and they would know everyone there.
“I was very honoured when I was asked to create this piece for the festival, especially given it’s a project that’s so close to my heart. I have a lot of personal memories attached to the iconic Mr Smiths.”
Night People have been choreographing the work alongside Stacey – a massive task that involves coordinating around 50 dancers, including graduates and children, aged between 11 and 14, from Warrington schools, Velocity Dance and Wolfprint.
Stacey, who trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, said: “It’ll be high energy. I’ve worked alongside composer Tom Hodgson who’s created the score and within that we’ve really gone back to the old tunes and brought in that nostalgic music that everyone collectively remembers.
“There are so many songs connected to that era and we’ve fitted in as much as we can. We hope that everybody will be up on their feet and having a dance at Time Square. We’re here to create a party for everybody.”
Featuring an original score as well as voices from the community saying what Mr Smiths meant to them, the performance will be split into four sections for a celebration of togetherness found under flashing lights and on sticky dancefloors.
This includes a step back in time to look at the building’s history, its significance to the world of clubbing and nightlife, the emotional impact of the fire and the lost era and present day and the desire to keep Mr Smiths’ legacy alive.
Stacey added: “When you talk to anyone from my generation about Mr Smiths, their memories are still so vivid and poignant. We’ve not allowed that to be taken away after the building burned down.
“It was iconic and a huge part of Warrington’s recent history. It was important to so many people. It’s been a real labour of love because I wanted to do it justice.”
From Mr Smiths, With Love is a free performance which will take place as part of Warrington Arts Festival on Friday, 18 July, between 8pm and 8.30pm. All are welcome and no tickets are required.