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Ben Moor

International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester

25 September 2021

The War of the Worlds

Isley Lynn

Rhum and Clay Theatre Company

HOME Manchester

22 September–2 October 2021

Communism: The Musical (A Story About Growing Up)

Liv Burton, music by Chris Holloway

Rocket Whip Productions

TriBeCa, Manchester

20–23 September 2021

Dirty Old Town

Rob Johnston

Pact Productions

Greater Manchester Police Museum, Manchester

20–25 September 2021

Lady in Red

Claire Moore

Certain Curtain Theatre Company

The Lowry, Salford

20–21 September 2021

Love n Stuff

Tanika Gupta

Oldham Coliseum

16 September–2 October 2021

Jordan

Anna Reynolds with Moira Buffini

Easy Company

The King's Arms, Salford

15 September 2021

All Above Board

Nigel Planer

Northern Comedy Theatre

Salford Arts Theatre, Salford

13 September 2021

Failure Studies

Marco Biasioli

Precarious Theatre

The King's Arms , Salford

12–14 September 2021

Glee & Me

Stuart Slade

Royal Exchange Theatre

11 September–30 October 2021

Bat Out of Hell – the Musical

Book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman

David Sonenberg, Michael Cohl and Tony Smith

The Opera House, Manchester

11 September–2 October 2021

Hungry

Chris Bush

Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre

The Roundabout, Victoria Park, Swinton

10–12 September 2021

Black Love

Chinonyerem Odimba, with music by Ben and Max Ringham

Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre Coventry, in association with tiata fahodzi

The Roundabout, Victoria Park, Swinton

9–12 September 2021

Saucy Jack and The Space Vixens

Charlotte Mann with lyrics by Mann and Mike Fidler and music by Robin Forrest...

Teal Heart Productions

TriBeCa, Manchester

7–11 September 2021

Leaving Vietnam

Richard Vergette

Andy Jordan Productions and GM Fringe

The King's Arms, Salford

5–6 September 2021

All Above Board

Nigel Planer

Northern Comedy Theatre

The Preston Playhouse

3 September 2021

Subdural Hematoma

Eleanor May

Salford Arts Theatre, Salford

3 September 2021

Home, I'm Darling

Laura Wade

Octagon Theatre Bolton, Theatre by the Lake and Stephen Joseph Theatre

Octagon Theatre Bolton

1 September–2 October 2021

Fruit Salad

Selina Helliwell

GMF Digital Events

1–30 September 2021

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Book and lyrics by Tom MacRae, music by Dan Gillespie Sells, from an idea by ...

Nica Burns, Ian Osborne, TC Beech Ltd and Sheffield Theatres

The Lowry, Salford

1–12 September 2021

All the Bens

Ian Townsend, adapted for audio by Ian Winterton

Bamalam Productions

Released 1 September 2021

Groan Ups

Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields

Mischief Theatre

The Lowry, Salford

23–28 August 2021

Anna X

Joseph Charlton

Sonia Friedman Productions

The Lowry, Salford

11–14 August 2021

Waiting for Hamlet

David Visick

The Goat Mcr Festival / Smokescreen Productions

The Amphitheatre, Great Northern Warehouse, Manchester

6 August 2021

Rent

Jonathan Larson

Hope Mill Theatre

6 August–19 September 2021

Much Ado About Nothing

William Shakespeare adapted by The GOAT MCR

The GOAT MCR

The Amphitheatre, Great Northern Warehouse / 53two, Manchester

4–15 August 2021

Grimm Tales

Andrew Pollard

Dukes Theatre

Williamson Park, Lancaster

29 July–22 August 2021

News

Plays for our time

19 September 2021

The Dukes in Lancaster hosts two hard-hitting and highly-pertinent real stories next month.

Samantha all white on the night

19 September 2021

Samantha Womack is to play the White Witch in C S Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at The Lowry this Christmas.

Contact up and running again

19 September 2021

Manchester’s Contact theatre returns to its Oxford Road venue with a reopening programme.

Collective IDentity tours exhibition

16 September 2021

Danielle Teale’s Collective IDentity Project work with dancers with Parkinson's will tour an exhibition, Who we are now, and then….

Teatro Pomodoro get surreal

15 September 2021

Liverpool's international theatre troupe Teatro Pomodoro returns from lockdown slumber with its surreal Sirens, Men and Crabs.

Grand to be back!

15 September 2021

Blackpool Grand Theatre celebrated its re-opening with the first two shows to take to the stage.

Bruntwood back next year

15 September 2021

The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting returns next year.

Hope springs eternal

15 September 2021

Liverpool’s newest theatrical space The Hope Street Theatre set to officially reopen its doors.

Mackies make it home

15 September 2021

Lancaster actress Christine Mackie finally brings her semi-autobiographical play Best Girl ‘home’ to the city’s Dukes Theatre next week.

Outdoor fun in Halton

15 September 2021

Liberty UK Festival joins the Celebrate Halton programme for a weekend of exciting family-friendly activities.

Lorra Lowry fun ahead

15 September 2021

The Lowry in Salford celebrates the return of live events with a season featuring more than 100 different performances and events.

Cinderella at home on The Grange

15 September 2021

The Grange Theatre in Northwich hosts Cinderella from December 11 to January 2.

St Helens all set for fun

15 September 2021

St Helens Theatre Royal reveals a packed programme of events running between now and Christmas.

Garden by the lake

15 September 2021

Tom’s Midnight Garden, the Christmas production at Keswick’s Theatre By The Lake, aims to wow audiences with theatricality, music and puppetry.

ProPortal gets YOU connected

15 September 2021

ProPortal is a new and free online platform developed by Unity Theatre, Liverpool and bringing together artists and programmers who would normally struggle to connect.

Refugee artists’ festival returns in three cities

15 September 2021

A festival created by “artists exploring the refugee experience and global cultures”, which went fully digital for the first time in 2020, is to return in three cities during ten days in October.

Transgender tragedy dances into Birmingham

9 September 2021

Spanish-born choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra and his DeNada Dance Theatre are to return to the UK with Pons Guerra’s latest work Mariposa, a transgender tragedy inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.

A musical celebration of historic high streets

9 September 2021

Historic England has twinned North Shields and Lancaster for a musical celebration.

Haddock and Chips on tour

3 September 2021

Janet Plater’s new play, Haddock and Chips, is to tour in October and November.

Gabriela has star ticket

29 August 2021

Actress Gabriela Garcia saved the day after illness struck the cast of the sold-out production of Rent at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre.

Manchester Fringe serves up 60 shows

29 August 2021

Greater Manchester Fringe returns in September with more than 60 shows at a variety of venues around the city.

Exchange reaches The Mountaintop

29 August 2021

Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning play The Mountaintop comes to Manchester Royal Exchange in a new production.

Magical mayhem for Blackpool

29 August 2021

Olivier award-winning comedy favourite Mischief brings Magic Goes Wrong to the Opera House Blackpool.

Dancing around women's soccer

29 August 2021

They thought women’s football was all over in 1921 but, a century on, the story of a pioneering team will be told through dance by About Time.

Oldham's joyful return to stage

29 August 2021

Oldham Coliseum marks a return to the stage with Tanika Gupta’s "heart-warming" comedy Love N Stuff.

Premières bookend Liverpool theatre fest

29 August 2021

The Liverpool Theatre Festival returns next week with 23 performances of 16 shows across 12 days.

Patricia is Dressing Up Dietrich

29 August 2021

Patricia Hartshorne recreates the songs and images of Marlene Dietrich with a suitcase, an OK pair of legs—and a much-travelled wig.

Peaceophobia parks up in cities

29 August 2021

Peaceophobia is a new immersive theatrical experience to be performed in car parks in Bradford and Manchester this autumn.

balletLORENT back on tour

24 August 2021

The tour of balletLORENT’s The Lost Happy Endings resumes in September.

From High Peak to Jordan

22 August 2021

We Are Easy Company, a theatre company based in the High Peak, will be bringing Jordan to Greater Manchester Fringe.

Salford Arts Theatre’s Young Performers Company

Playground time for Young Performers

22 August 2021

Salford Arts Theatre’s Young Performers Company presents new writing by award-winning Libby Hall.

A Killer Queen's outing

22 August 2021

Killer Queen comes to Hidden Club, Manchester.

Survivors Guide to Manchester

22 August 2021

Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre’s Young Company, in The Survivors Guide To Living, ask themselves: what does the future hold?

Novel move from punk performer

15 August 2021

Big Country and Spizz Energi rock musician Clive Parker-Sharp brings his show Coneboy to Manchester.

Fortifying the over-40s!

15 August 2021

Act Your Age New Writing Festival launches on August 23 at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre.

St Helens reveals Treasure trove

15 August 2021

St Helens Theatre Royal reopens its doors to live audiences from August 23 with panto Treasure Island starring Todd Carty as Long John Silver.

Sophie has a surprise in store

14 August 2021

Sophie has organised a surprise party for her parents and all are invited! Falling Stars Theatre brings its immersive style of performance to Manchester Fringe for Recall.

Solo debut in Subdural Hematoma

14 August 2021

Eleanor May Blackburn makes her solo professional debut in Subdural Hematoma—the story of a near-death encounter.

Many happy returns for Dukes

14 August 2021

The Dukes theatre in Lancaster celebrates its 50th birthday year with news of its new season.

Luke who's here

14 August 2021

Luke Wright brings his new show The Ballad Seller to The Edge in Manchester.

Porto's playing in the park

14 August 2021

Porto’s Peculiar Playground is an arts and adventure trail created especially for Whitby Park in Ellesmere Port.

A neuro outlook for theatres

8 August 2021

New Manchester-based organisation Every Brain launches its first project at an online event this Thursday.

More shows added to Liverpool fest

8 August 2021

Four new shows for children and a new George Harrison music production, form part of this year’s programme for the return of Liverpool Theatre Festival next month.

Hollyoaks and the Three Bears

8 August 2021

Goldilocks and the Three Bears comes to St Helens Theatre Royal this Christmas with Hollyoaks favourite David Tag as Ringmaster.

World première for Glee & Me

8 August 2021

Stuart Slade’s Bruntwood-winning dark comedy Glee & Me has its world première at the Royal Exchange in Manchester.

Boisterous Bouncers back!

8 August 2021

Boisterous is back with Maurice Bessman’s adaptation of the comedy play Bouncers.

Pleasure for all the family

8 August 2021

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has a host of family shows for the summer.

All Day Breakfast on tour

8 August 2021

Theatre company All Day Breakfast is a collective of theatre graduates from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

Full cast revealed for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof tour

4 August 2021

The full cast has been announced for a new production of Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which will open at Leicester’s Curve theatre before touring England and Wales.

Laughter open house in Liverpool

29 July 2021

Liverpool’s Laughterhouse Comedy Club has signed up for a return to the city’s outdoor live entertainment festival in September.

Keswick welcomes audiences Home

29 July 2021

Theatre by the Lake in Keswick will reopen its building and welcome audiences back for live performances from October 6.

Take The Hound home

29 July 2021

Bolton Octagon theatre’s summer comedy The Hound Of The Baskervillles can now be enjoyed at home.

Footfall's coming HOME!

29 July 2021

HOME in Manchester is all set to bring back live theatre for the first time in 10 months.

Musical theatre medley at Manchester fest

29 July 2021

Hope Mill Theatre’s summer festival of arts and culture in Manchester will close with four nights celebrating musical theatre.

Features

Not Drowning but Waving—Dancing in ‘Sea Change’

3 July 2021

After a lengthy rehearsal period, a reviewer has the chance to dance in Sea Change—the opening ceremony of the 2021 Manchester International Festival.

A Dancer Dances: taking part in ‘Sea Change’

24 June 2021

A reviewer switches from observer to participant and reports on the development of Sea Change—the opening ceremony of the 2021 Manchester International Festival.

A Chain of Moral Dilemmas

28 May 2021

Our editor's trip to Bolton has become mired in political controversy.

North West theatre in 2020

6 January 2021

David Chadderton summarises a year of both devastation and impressive innovation in North West theatre.