Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
When HOME proudly announced three "world premiere productions" as part of its 2019 theatre season you'd be forgiven for assuming that those shows would be premiering in front of local Manchester audiences. However, following that announcement back in November last year, it gradually emerged that the majority of those world premieres were being saved up [...]
30 July 2019. Twenty Twenty Two, Manchester. “The home you were raised in is being concreted over, any parting words?” is the 13-word provocation that shaped the 8 mini-plays that make-up Bypass - a showcase for new writing from Manchester-based Hung Theatre. They have form with this format having previously delivered 6 new pieces under [...]
29 July 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. Sub-titled Scenes From The Luddite Rebellion, Lauren Mooney and James Yeatman's new production provides exactly that – a rousing collection of voices, sounds and stories from a time of great turmoil. Drawing on archive material, including letters, court reports and newspaper articles, Mooney and Yeatman trace the increasing radicalism [...]
5 & 27 June 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. Cobblers? Not this production of Hobson's Choice! The Boot Shop of Harold Brighouse's classic comedy is now a tailor's in Tanika Gupta's zippy new adaptation, and the original play's Salford-based family business has crossed the Irwell to become embedded within the hustle and bustle of 1980s Manchester. [...]
7 June 2019. Bolton Octagon, at Bolton Albert Halls. "Ladies with an attitude Fellows that were in the mood Don't just stand there, let's get to it Strike a pose, there's nothing to it". Anyone heading to Bolton for a bit of Bunburying is in for a surprise. In a prelude to the main action, [...]
31 May 2019. The Ambassador, Bradford. That Andrea Dunbar's life and work continue to fascinate is unsurprising. Even today, theatres aren't exactly awash with the words of working-class women writers, and the lives and places that Dunbar chronicled remain a rare sight on stage. In Adelle Stripe's excellent fictionalized account of her life, Dunbar refers [...]
1 June 2019. Oldham Coliseum. Kate and Adam were in a relationship. Now they're not. She's having a baby, and he's the father. Adam wants to be a parent to his son, but Kate just needs to move on with her life. She's refusing to allow him access to their child. Seeking contact with his [...]
Yang Sing Restaurant, Manchester. 14 March 2019. Ant and Dec, Yorkshire pudding and Postman Pat? When Yi Di, a young Chinese woman, newly arrived in England, encounters any local references with which she is unfamiliar she scribbles them down in a note-book, to be looked up later. Mei Lan can remember how she and her [...]
53two, Manchester. 28 February 2019. Jamie and Katie have been together for three years. They've done all the usual couple milestones, including meeting each other's parents, so what's next? Jamie has booked a hotel room for them, so that they can spend an evening together talking, something he feels they don't do enough of. They're [...]
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 [...]
Circles & Stalls 