Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
Martin Harris Centre, Manchester. 20 February 2019. In 1885, James W Wallace, an architect’s assistant from Bolton, established a book group for local working men, within his family home. This modest two-up two-down terraced house came to be known as Eagle Street 'College', a meeting place for a collective of like-minded "upstarts from the back [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 13 February 2019. It's 2080. Europe is no longer a collection of nations, it has become The Grid. The Reds and the Blues are at war, fighting for possession of each individual grid square of land. Self-styled "entrepreneur" Mother Courage follows the conflict in search of profit. Her daughter and two sons [...]
HOME, Manchester. 14 February 2019. "I've got two dads. One's white. One's black". David Judge's new play unflinchingly explores identity, race and family through the lens of his own experiences, as a mixed-race child adopted by a white man. Performed as a monologue by Judge, the story is told from the perspective of Dave, a [...]
HOME, Manchester. 23 & 25 January 2019. The theatre seating is out-of-bounds. Heads of broccoli have been placed at intervals on the floor around the space. Their varying shades of green and yellow stand out within the black box surroundings. The audience gathers among the cruciferous forms. We are on our feet. In the centre [...]
53two, Manchester. 6 February 2019. Formed from a group of Royal Exchange Young Company alumni, Manchester-based Switch's aim is to "provide young artists with a platform to showcase their talents, working together to create exciting theatre". Currently resident at 53two, Switch's first full production is a double bill of new plays, both written by company [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 2 February 2019. Jimmie Chinn's A Different Way Home unpicks a bitter estrangement between siblings Leslie and Maureen. Split into two monologues, the play tells one story from each of their perspectives, with actor Kenneth Alan Taylor playing both brother and sister. Leslie has lived with his mother all his life, and he [...]
HOME, Manchester. 26 January 2019. Ensconced upon a big red sofa, surrounded by a 'hareem' of houseplants, Chanje Kunda sips white wine and traces the rocky emotional path that led her to a very personal botanical epiphany. Efforts to channel the positive force of affirmations, yogis and good omens have failed to save Kunda from [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 5 December 2018 & 3 January 2019. After the success of Sweeney Todd, Sweet Charity and Guys and Dolls it's no surprise to see the Royal Exchange programming in another crowd-pleasing musical as their Christmas and New Year show. Mel Brooks’ The Producers, however, might not seem the most obvious choice for [...]
Hope Mill Theatre. Commissioned by Contact. 13 December 2018. When children head into the woods in traditional fairy stories and pantomimes they often find themselves lost in a dark and scary place. Contact's Christmas show is having none of that. We're led into the Forest of Forgotten Discos by friendly and sparkly 'virtual assistant' Alexa, [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 16 October 2018. A travelling salesman no longer fit to travel. A home filled with consumer goods that break down before they are even paid for. A once green and leafy neighbourhood concreted over and crammed with new apartment blocks. Willy Loman's world has become one of increasing disappointment and insecurity, yet [...]
Circles & Stalls 