British Theatre Guide

News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK

North West

North West theatre podcast episodes

Reviews

Tom Dixon, Zoe Iqbal and Nikki Patel

The Importance of Being Earnest

Yasmeen Khan, based on the play by Oscar Wilde

Lawrence Batley Theatre & The Dukes Lancaster

19 April–14 May 2021

Oh By The Way, I Hate Myself

Oh By The Way, I Hate Myself (The Covid-19 Monologues Volume 2)

Hannah Ellis Ryan

Elysium Theatre Company

From 16 April 2021

I Just Called To Say… (The Covid-19 Monologues Volume 2)

I Just Called To Say… (The Covid-19 Monologues Volume 2)

Rani Moorthy

Elysium Theatre Company

From 16 April 2021

Fake (The Covid-19 Monologues Volume 2)

Chris Barlas

Elysium Theatre Company

From 16 April 2021

Jodie Prenger in West End in Blackpool

West End In Blackpool

Director Ashley Luke Lloyd

Winter Gardens, Blackpool

6 April–9 July 2021

News

Winter Gardens, Blackpool

Winter Gardens back in bloom

11 May 2021

Blackpool’s Winter Gardens reopens next Monday.

Bolton Octagon reopening events announced

Set to release The Hound in Bolton

10 May 2021

Bolton Octagon presents a programme of warm-up events and its first main house production, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Alice in Wonderland - Down the Rabbit Hole

Hole lot of Wonderland

10 May 2021

Alice in Wonderland—Down the Rabbit Hole returns on a UK tour featuring children’s TV presenter Kerry Boyne.

Island posting for Todd Carty

10 May 2021

Grange Hill’s Tucker and Dancing on Ice contestant Todd Carty swaps the screen for St Helens Theatre Royal to appear in the summertime family pantomime Treasure Island.

Going The Distance

Going The Distance going online

10 May 2021

Going The Distance, the world première of a digital production of a new comedy, is available on demand.

Hannah Ellis Ryan

HER in hymn to Hope!

10 May 2021

One of the first plays in England to take to the stage after lockdown will be at Manchester Hope Mill Theatre.

Preston Live Arts Festival

Write up your street?

10 May 2021

The creative team behind Preston Live Arts Festival are on the lookout for submissions from musical theatre book-writers or scriptwriters.

Frank Cottrell Boyce (left) with Danny Boyle

Frank in praise of youth

10 May 2021

Leading screenwriter and novelist Frank Cottrell Boyce has praised the ‘resilience and kindness’ of the UK’s young people.

Gates stars in Liverpool Sleeping Beauty

10 May 2021

Gareth Gates stars as the handsome prince in Sleeping Beauty—The Pantomime of Your Dreams.

Rock Of Ages ready to roll

10 May 2021

Rock Of Ages will return to tour the UK opening at The Alexandra, Birmingham.

The Show Must Go On! Cast in rehearsal

Show Must Go On in Liverpool

10 May 2021

Actors from across TV and theatre lend their support to a new show opening in Liverpool this month.

Swan to watch on tour

10 May 2021

Swan Song, a revised comedy by playwright Jonathan Harvey, is heading out on a northern tour in July.

Touch & Go for 20 Stories High

10 May 2021

In late 2019, 20 Stories High created a piece of theatre inspired by the concept of touch. But soon after, touch became prohibited...

MIF returns to Manchester with a snapshot of the past year

28 April 2021

Manchester International Festival 2021 will feature indoor, outdoor and online performances from artists including Akram Khan, Boris Charmatz, Cillian Murphy, Deborah Warner and Lemn Sissay.

The Storm from M6

M6 route through lockdown

27 April 2021

Rochdale-based M6 theatre company has been creating work for children and young people across the UK.

80s Mania in Lancaster

27 April 2021

80s Mania is revived at Lancaster Grand Theatre June 25.

To The Lighthouse

To The Digital Lighthouse

27 April 2021

Theatre by The Lake will stage the world première of a major new adaptation of To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

Julie Hesmondhalgh in The Greatest Play

Greatest way back for Oldham Coliseum

26 April 2021

Oldham Coliseum Theatre is preparing to welcome audiences back with Julie Hesmondhalgh in The Greatest Play in the History of the World….

Dreamgirls - three dates across region

Three chances to catch Dreamgirls in the North West

26 April 2021

The first-ever UK tour of the musical Dreamgirls will now open at Liverpool Empire before visiting Manchester and Blackpool in the region.

On side: illusionist Elizabeth Best

A magical end to Liverpool Lockdown

26 April 2021

A spectacular magic show is set to be the first performance of the year at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.

Preston Live Arts Festival

Call out for Preston Live Arts Festival

26 April 2021

Celebrating the city of Preston and its people, the recently announced Live Arts Festival is looking for locals to submit work.

Hushabye Mountain

Hushabye Mountain online

18 April 2021

Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre will work with Stream Theatre on a new online production of Hushabye Mountain by Jonathan Harvey.

Life of Riley goes online

18 April 2021

Deep Blue, from Liverpool-based Paperwork Theatre—online May 8–15—finds Riley caught between two worlds.

2019 winner Colin Dowland

Hope play prize springs eternal

18 April 2021

The Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize has re-opened for submissions.

Sleeping Beauty at the Dukes

The Dukes springs into new season

18 April 2021

The Dukes in Lancaster returns to live performance with a spring and summer season.

Cheddar Gorgeous heads for Waterside

Waterside gets back in the swim

18 April 2021

Waterside, in Trafford, has announced its reopening from May 17 with a summer and autumn programme.

Elysium's online 'afterlife' prized

18 April 2021

Manchester theatre company Elysium has won an Olwen Wymark award after taking work online in the COVID-19 pandemic.

DriveINSIDE artist's image

Drive INSIDE for 30 city shows

18 April 2021

Beyond Theatre will present 30 live shows to the DriveINSIDE Theatre in Manchester in May.

Preston Live Arts Festival

Preston to stage a live arts festival

18 April 2021

Preston City Council is to use money from the Cultural Recovery Fund for a brand new Preston Live Arts Festival from June 21–30.

The full cast of MTFestUK 2021

Cast revealed for musical theatre online festival

14 April 2021

A “spectacular company of international stars” has been confirmed for Paul Taylor-Mills’ annual festival of new musical theatre, MTFestUK 2021.

New Earth’s 2019 Birmingham academy

Applications open for online performance courses

14 April 2021

New Earth is offering a five-week online performance course for British East and South East Asians based in the south of England, the Midlands and the North West.

Court in the act again

12 April 2021

Liverpool’s Royal Court has three new shows on sale: Bouncers, Ellen & Rigby and Homebaked.

A Midsummer Nights Dream the first show at new outdoor venue Homeground

HOME plays outdoors

12 April 2021

Manchester multi-arts venue HOME is launching a massive temporary outdoor arts space.

Theatre By The Lake in Keswick

Theatres Home in on hit comedy

12 April 2021

Theatre by the Lake in Keswick is to stage Home I’m Darling by Laura Wade in a co-production with Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and Bolton Octagon.

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Digital Importance

12 April 2021

First look pictures have been revealed for the Lawrence Batley Theatre and The Dukes’ digital production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Whodunnit at the Coliseum

Whodunnit at the Coliseum?

9 April 2021

Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Front Room Productions present Whodunnit at the Coliseum?

The Wiz heads to Manchester

Hope Mill plans a Wiz of a Christmas

8 April 2021

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester will stage the first new UK production of The Wiz in 10 years.

Homebaked the musical

Homebaked musical rises at Royal Court

8 April 2021

Liverpool’s Royal Court is teaming up with Red Ladder Theatre Company to bring the story of Liverpool’s most famous community bakery to the stage.

Peter Andre as Teen Angel in Grease

New dates as Grease revs up for 2021 tour

8 April 2021

Producers of a new tour of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's musical Grease have rescheduled its 2021 dates which will start at Leicester’s Curve in July.

The Octagon's refurbished box office area

Second helpings for Octagon

4 April 2021

The Octagon Theatre in Bolton has been awarded funding from the second round of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

Hear this! Hear this! Hear this!

4 April 2021

Manchester-based theatre company ThickSkin, has teamed up with venues and organisations in central Manchester, Ancoats and Huddersfield to present three new location-based audio plays.

Bombed out! Liverpool Theatre Festival

Little extra from Liverpool Theatre Fest

4 April 2021

Liverpool Theatre Festival plans to return in September after its inaugural year—and this time introduces a summer event to première new works.

Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

Chester opens up ticket sales

28 March 2021

Storyhouse in Chester has put tickets for its Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre season on sale.

The Storm Shepherd

The Storm Shepherd, weather or not

28 March 2021

The Storm Shepherd—a new interactive, audio experience for families—is the opening event in Unity’s Open Call Programme in Liverpool.

Chantelle Nolan and Jane Jospeh

Dynamic duo's Royal takeover

28 March 2021

Regal Entertainments Ltd., the company that has managed day-to-day running of St Helens Theatre Royal for 22 years, has now taken over ownership.

The Lowry in Salford

Lowry route out of Lockdown

25 March 2021

The Lowry in Salford has confirmed details of its planned re-opening line-up.

SIX the musical

Blackpool counts down to SIX

25 March 2021

SIX the musical is set to head to the Opera House Blackpool.

Octagon main theatre

Inside the new-look Octagon

19 March 2021

The Octagon in Bolton has given a first look inside its new building following a two-year, £12m redevelopment.

Three lives for Liverpool

19 March 2021

Shone Productions has announced three new shows—including a pantomime—heading for Liverpool.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the streamed Stalk

19 March 2021

St Helens Theatre Royal’s Easter pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk will be streamed online.

Rent at Hope Mill

Rent 'rebate' at Hope Mill

19 March 2021

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester will stage classic rock musical Rent this summer.

Miss Julie set in Hong Kong

Miss Julie in Hong Kong

19 March 2021

Storyhouse in Chester is to stage a live-streamed run of Strindberg’s Miss Julie.

Open Mic coming your way

Open Mic for your stories

19 March 2021

English Touring Theatre and Soho Theatre, in association with HOME in Manchester, are to stage a new interactive show.

Features

Olly Dobson as Marty McFly and Roger Bart as Doc Brown in Back to the Future

North West theatre in 2020

6 January 2021

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

Popular

15 November 2020

Conservative MP Jake Berry’s remarks that northern communities prefer football to opera, ballet and theatre can be dismissed as nonsense but reflect an attitude that may deter, or limit the enjoyment of, potential theatregoers.