Theatre
Kristy Stott, Theatre EditorAutumn is here, and this month we’re leaning into the more adventurous end of the North’s theatre scene. Contemporary performance, verbatim theatre, dark comedy and a bold vision of Gaza make for an eclectic mix, with four very different shows on our radar.
Lowry’s Autumn Contemporary Season brings a whole host of bold, experimental performance to Salford this season, and two shows in particular have caught our eye. LUNG’s powerful Woodhill combines real testimony, documentary theatre and dance, while Matchstalks Remastered turns L. S. Lowry, Manchester and the song his paintings inspired into live jazz, movement and theatre.
At Aviva Studios, Palestinian writer and theatre-maker Ahmed Masoud looks much further into the future with Application 39. Set in 2048, exactly 100 years after the Nakba, this sharply satirical black comedy imagines a rebuilt Gaza preparing to host the Summer Olympics – combining lived testimony, humour and an extraordinary act of hope.
Looking a little further ahead, Night of the Werewolves comes to a top-secret Oldham venue in December. Part comedy horror, part social deduction game, it invites audiences to channel their inner Traitors contestant.
From powerful, politically resonant theatre to experimental performance and some very dark audience participation, here’s what’s on our radar.
