Skip to main content

From Passion to Purpose: How Culture Calendar Began

Way back in 2013, what began as a casual coffee shop meet-up in West Lancashire grew into a vibrant community of over 100 women enjoying organised theatre trips, mystery dining and luxury coach trips across the UK.

But as the years passed, we realised something powerful: the real magic wasn’t just the destination or the logistics of the trip. It was the rich tapestry of stories, the emotional late-night interval debates and the creative spark that live performance ignited in all of us.

Today, Culture Calendar has evolved. We have traded the logistics of coach keys and ticket bookings for something that feels much closer to where our passion has always been — a creative platform celebrating the arts through audience-led storytelling, creative writing, digital products, journaling and, most recently, Beyond the Spotlight UK Podcast.

Love of Culture

Culture Calendar grew from bringing women together for friendship and live entertainment. 

Years of organising theatre trips, concerts, comedy nights and cultural experiences gave us a close-up view of what audiences enjoy, what matters to them and what makes an experience worth talking about.

As a freelance theatre critic and writer, Catherine began turning those observations into reviews, cultural commentary and stories — bringing the audience voice into the conversation.

Catherine Glachan, Culture Calendar Founder and Host

For more than a decade, Catherine has connected people through theatre, live entertainment and cultural experiences, building Culture Calendar from a local social group into a creative platform exploring how audiences experience and remember live entertainment.

The Creative Ecosystem

Today, Culture Calendar brings together three connected strands:

The Audience Voice — Creative Writing & Blogging

Audience-led theatre reviews, cultural commentary and creative writing that explore the production, the venue and the experience from the audience perspective.

Beyond the Spotlight UK — Podcast & Cultural Commentary

A podcast exploring theatre, musical theatre, live entertainment, interviews and the people behind the performances — from the West End and Broadway to Los Angeles and beyond.

Capturing Memories — Journalling & Digital Products

Journals and digital products designed to help people record, reflect on and preserve the performances, places and cultural experiences that matter to them.

Culture Calendar Today

Culture Calendar UK has moved beyond event organisation to focus on cultural storytelling, audience experience and live entertainment.

Our work brings together years of first-hand audience experience with reviews, writing, podcasting and digital content — creating stories that connect people with the performances, places and experiences they care about.

And that audience perspective now informs how we work with theatres, venues, performers and cultural organisations to create authentic content that speaks to the people on the other side of the marketing message.