Theatre

Creative Tourist

Theatre’s getting political this spring, with a run of new plays tracing how conflict plays out in individual lives.

A world premiere at the Royal Exchange speaks to a defining moment in Manchester’s recent history. Even These Things places the 1996 IRA bomb in the context of the much longer stories surrounding it – and the people who carry them.

Liverpool Everyman brings its own world premiere, as Hilary Mantel’s audacious short story The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher becomes a psychological thriller about power, class and political anger.

At HOME, Suzy Crothers’ semi-autobiographical solo show Troubled shows us a Belfast childhood colliding with adult life, following the long shadow of political conflict. And at Lowry, Period Drama gives us a surreal dark comedy exploring mental health, identity and recovery in a world where fear is starting to look like common sense.

If all that sounds rather heavy, you’ll find some levity in the form of Party Season, also at Lowry. The Wardrobe Ensemble’s brand-new comedy drops us into a world of overstimulated kids, underslept adults and some of the more absurd truths of parenting.

Our top picks

Even These Things at the Royal Exchange

Even These Things at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 15 May–15 June 2026, From £12.00 - Book now

30 years after the IRA bomb, a new Royal Exchange play traces three centuries of Manchester history as it plays out through individual lives.

Courtesy of the Royal Exchange.

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher at Liverpool Everyman

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher at Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, 2–23 May 2026, From £11.00 - Book now

In this world premiere, Hilary Mantel’s audacious short story becomes a darkly comic psychological thriller about power, class and political anger.

Image by Julian Gil and Joe Harper. Courtesy of Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.

Party Season at Lowry

Party Season at Lowry, Manchester, 12–16 May 2026 - Book now

This brand new comedy drops us into a world of overstimulated kids, underslept adults and some of the more absurd truths of parenting.

Party Season lead image.
Image courtesy of Lowry.

Troubled at HOME

Troubled at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 7–9 May 2026 - Book now

A solo show where a Belfast childhood collides with adult life, balancing humour, care and the long shadow of political conflict.

Image supplied by Home MCR

Waiting for Godot at Bolton Octagon

Waiting for Godot at Octagon Theatre, Bolton, Until 2 May 2026, From £15.00 - Book now

An acclaimed production of one of the most influential theatre works of the 20th century plays in the round at Bolton Octagon.

Matthew Kelly as Estragon and George Costigan as Vladimir - Waiting for Godot - Citizens Theatre 2026 - Credit Mihaela Bodlovic.

Period Drama at Lowry

Period Drama at Lowry, Manchester, 9 May 2026 - Book now

Olga Kaleta’s surreal dark comedy explores mental health, identity and recovery in the context of a world where fear is starting to look like common sense.

Image courtesy of Lowry.

Nation at HOME

Nation at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 28–30 May 2026, From £19.20 - Book now

Arriving from an acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run, Nation brings a dark, unsettling fable about nationhood and identity.

Image supplied by Home MCR

A Sudden, Disturbing To Do List at 53two

A Sudden, Disturbing To Do List at 53two, 13 May 2026, From £12.00 - Book now

In this one-woman portrait of living with OCD, Phoebe’s obsession with lists spirals into something darker.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo at Leeds Playhouse

The Beekeeper of Aleppo at Leeds Playhouse, Leeds, 28 April–2 May 2026, From £16.50 - Book now

Opening this April at Leeds Playhouse, Christy Lefteri’s international best-seller novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo is brought to the stage in a moving adaptation that places human connection and understanding at the heart of an unimaginable journey. 

Two actors performing on stage. They are both sat on the floor.
Manuel Harlan

Funeral Teeth at 53two

Funeral Teeth at 53two at 53two, 16 May 2026, From £10.00 - Book now

Painfully true and often painfully funny, Funeral Teeth explores grief’s quieter losses – the moments that slip away before you realise they’re gone.

Funeral Teeth Press Image
Succulent Talent

Bus Stop Goths at The Warehouse in Holbeck

Bus Stop Goths at The Warehouse In Holbeck, Leeds, 25 April 2026, From £0.00 - Book now

Fantasy meets punk with a Teesside twist. A joyfully chaotic celebration of youth expression and identity at The Warehouse.

Two goths standing at a bus stop
ARC Stockton

English National Opera: Angel’s Bone at Aviva Studios

English National Opera: Angel's Bone at Aviva Studios, Manchester, 12–16 May 2026, From £10.00 - Book now

This Pulitzer Prize-winning opera brings a dark contemporary parable about exploitation, coercion and the abuse of power, underpinned by a score in which chamber music and cabaret collide with electronica and punk.

Image courtesy of ENO.

Return to the Forest at Aviva Studios

Return to the Forest, 7–10 May 2026, From £10.00 - Book now

Return to the Forest is an immersive puppetry and dance experience that treats children’s theatre as a space for serious ideas.

Henri T.

The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O’Connor at Aviva Studios

The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O'Connor at Aviva Studios, Manchester, 25–27 June 2026, From £10.00 - Book now

In a world premiere at Aviva Studios, Sinéad O’Connor’s musical power and moral defiance is translated into dance by the Tony Award-winning Sonya Tayeh.

Black and white photograph of Sinéad O'Connor
The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O'Connor. Image by Kate Garner.

More Theatre

Three actors performing on stage, carrying black bin bags.
Until
TheatreManchester
I, Daniel Blake at HOME

Adapting Ken Loach’s acclaimed film, I, Daniel Blake returns to HOME, revisiting a story whose urgency has only sharpened with time.

TheatreMediaCityUK
Period Drama at Lowry

Olga Kaleta’s surreal dark comedy explores mental health, identity and recovery in the context of aworld where fear is starting to look like common sense.

TheatreManchester
Troubled at HOME

A solo show where a Belfast childhood collides with adult life, balancing humour, care and the long shadow of political conflict.

Small Island

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