Census at various Greater Manchester venues

A bus ride. A bingo card. A conversation you thought you’d forgotten. The moments that shape a community are rarely the ones that make the headlines, but they often tell us the most about who we are.

That’s the starting point for Census, the award-winning production from Manchester-based artists Malandra Jacks, which returns to Greater Manchester this June with performances at Urmston Library (11 June, 6.30pm), Wythenshawe Forum Library (13 June, 6pm) and NWTAC Theatre, Moston (18 June, 7.30pm).

Blending autobiographical material with the lived experiences of local people, Census explores working-class identity through a mix of theatre, projection and real voices. Part time capsule, part celebration, it offers an alternative snapshot of communities whose stories rarely make it onto the stage.

At the heart of the work is a simple but powerful idea – what happens when a community tells its own story? Drawing on memories, everyday rituals and shared experiences, Census shines a light on lives we rarely see on the stage, creating space for reflection, recognition and conversation.

Founded by Manchester artists Chloe Malandra and Josh Wilkinson, Malandra Jacks create theatre, film and installation work rooted in the realities of contemporary life. Their projects celebrate everyday people and working-class communities, while challenging inequality and amplifying voices that are too often overlooked. It’s an approach that clearly resonates – Census won Best Performance at the Manchester Culture Awards 2024 and continues to spark  conversations wherever it’s performed.

Fittingly, the production isn’t confined to traditional theatre spaces. Instead, it pops up in libraries and community venues across Greater Manchester, bringing the work directly into the neighbourhoods that inspired it. There’s something rather lovely about that – a show about community meeting audiences on their own doorstep.

Funny, intimate and defiantly proud, Census is both a celebration of working-class history and a reminder that the stories we carry with us matter.