Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
1 October 2019. Contact Theatre, Manchester at STUN Studios. What does success look like? Buying a house? Getting married? Having a baby? Contact Young Company's new show Baby Fever grew out of an exploration of the value and relevance of those traditional milestones for a younger generation. How healthy are they as goals to structure [...]
22 August 2019. The Den, Stalybridge Civic Hall. Using Thomas More's book, published in 1516, as their starting point, the Royal Exchange Young Company explore the concept of Utopia in their latest show. In these uncertain times, it seems only natural to search for alternatives, wish for something that's not broken, and perhaps even dream [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
16 May 2019. The Lowry, Salford. As the tram winds it way from town to Salford Quays, the view from the window is a rapidly evolving blur of construction sites and new buildings. As well as the seemingly never-ending apartment blocks, glass fronted office complexes and trendy business parks loom large. What goes on inside [...]
18 April 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. "You are invited to attend a Surprise Leaving Party for Amy Waters (Postwoman Extraordinaire) at Albion Close Community Centre". 'Guests' find themselves seated at big round tables. There's plenty of bunting and balloons, and the organisers make sure you've got your silly pointy hat on and party poppers at [...]
Manchester theatre tittle tattle... Gee, Officer Krupke, if you're thinking of waiting to read the reviews before buying a ticket for West Side Story at the Royal Exchange, you might want to prepare yourself for a bit of scramble to get tickets. A lot of performances are already completely sold out, and those that aren't [...]
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 [...]
Circles & Stalls 