Great Manchester Fringe gears up

Published: 19 May 2019
Reporter: David Upton

The Yank is A Manc! My Ancestors and Me
About Time

Greater Manchester Fringe is back in July—giving new writers and performers from the North and around the world the chance to showcase their work at a wide variety of venues.

Coronation Street and Downton Abbey star Christine Mackie has written a one-woman play, Best Girl, for her daughter Lois Mackie (July 18–20 at Hope Aria).

Hollywood actor Hopwood Dupree has written a comedy show The Yank is A Manc! My Ancestors and Me about his adventures in converting Hopwood Hall in Rochdale (July 3–6 at International Anthony Burgess Foundation).

This year there is a new element, The Hive, a curated branch supported by Arts Council England. A shortlist of 49 were performed before judges, including comedian and actor Justin Moorhouse, at Salford Arts Theatre in January.

The judges chose Stefanie Moore’s play Blue Lines, Siân Davies’s comedy About Time and Simon Widdop’s spoken word show Stained. They are being mentored for their debut shows by Tim Firth (Calendar Girls), Mike Heath (Write for the Stage), comedian Dave Williams and Ben Moor.

Anne Wynne returns to The Met (July 11) and the King’s Arms in Salford (July 2–4) with her second play A Touch of Magic, after her debut A Fine Life.

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