Contact Reopening Season

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

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Contact Reopening Season

Contact Theatre, Manchester
27 September 2021-17 May 2022

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

CYC: Everything All of the Time at Contact
Image courtesy of Dom Varden.
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Following the extensive transformation of their iconic Oxford Road venue, Manchester’s Contact Theatre has announced a vibrant, progressive and celebratory reopening programme.

Always placing young people at the centre of its decision making and supporting the next generation of artists and audiences, the venue will throw open its doors and welcome audiences into the newly renovated building this autumn. Bringing radical, ambitious and pressing work to the city of Manchester, we couldn’t be more thrilled about this impressive reopening season.

Visitors to the new building can expect new and improved performance spaces; a purpose-built recording studio for young people’s music projects; a unique health and science development space; new offices for artists and organisations to hire and the delicious arrival of Manchester’s Indian street food champions, Chaat Cart.

We’re absolutely thrilled that this season launches with a new production by the award-winning Contact Young Company. Directed by Contact’s Artistic Director Matt Fenton, Everything All of the Time is a highly visual journey into a new world. Audiences should buckle up and expect a heady 60 minutes of hedonism, love, anger, nostalgia and hope.

For Black History Month, Contact will join forces with Black Gold Arts to deliver an outstanding line-up of Black-led art, performance and film. Audiences can enjoy the eagerly anticipated live world premiere of mandla rae’s as british as a watermelon alongside stunning film screenings from Chanje Kunda and Mele Broomes.

In a groundbreaking and immersive piece of theatre commissioned by Contact and Re:Con, Ergon will present The Wicked Problem – a brand new fully immersive work that places the audience at the centre of the world’s first judicial ecocide trial.

Two autobiographical works are further highlights in the Contact Reopening Season. In Pink Lemonade, writer and performer Mika Onyx-Johnson combines original music, spoken word and movement in an invigorating exploration of sexuality, identity and self-discovery. Meanwhile, theatre-maker and activist Nathaniel Hall and Dibby Theatre will present the award-winning First Time, a funny, frank and unapologetic show that smashes through the stigma of HIV.

The theatre season also features Contact favourites House of Ghetto presenting The Black Pride edition of Manchester Vogue Ball and Eight-freestyle’s modern upbeat reimagining of Dick Whittington and his Amazing Cat.

Contact’s Reopening Season showcases everything we love Contact for; its produced work, its partner artists and the award-winning Contact Young Company.

Check out our rundown of this exciting season.

What's on at Contact Theatre

Where to go near Contact Reopening Season

Manchester
Music venue
The Deaf Institute

The Deaf Institute is a vibrant gig venue and nightclub for which it is well worth taking a jaunt out of the Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Catalog Bookshop

Find Peter and his Christiania cargo bike around All Saints Park, a hop, skip and a bunnyhop from Manchester Poetry Library.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Sandbar

Sandbar, just off Oxford Road in Manchester, is a well-loved watering hole, with a great selection of ales and some eccentric seating.

Johnny Roadhouse store
Manchester
Shop
Johnny Roadhouse

Buffeted by fried chicken outlets, legendary musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse has been serving the local music community for over 50 years.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Eighth Day

Eighth Day is a co-operative shop that sells ethically-sourced food, wine and cosmetics. There’s also café that serves hearty, healthy meals in the basement.

Manchester
Event venue
The Proud Place

Based in the heart of Manchester on Sidney Street, The Proud Place houses The Proud Trust and serves as a community hub for the wider LGBT+ population across Greater Manchester and beyond.

What's on: Theatre

Myra's Story at Lowry
TheatreSalford
Myra’s Story at Lowry

Direct from London’s West End, a critically acclaimed play shining a light on homelessness, addiction and resilience through one woman’s unforgettable story.  

From £28.50
Static at Unity Theatre.
TheatreCity Centre
Static at Unity Theatre

Fiercely personal, Elaine Collins’ new semi-autobiographical solo show about memories, misfits and the messy side of showbiz is a must-see this May.

From £12.00
The Same Deep Water as You at PINK
ExhibitionsStockport
The Same Deep Water as You at PINK

Get involved in this artistic and ambitious takeover of PINK’s three-storey venue, weaving together live performance, video, sculpture and sound.

Free entry
TheatreSalford
Liz Richardson: Local at Lowry

Liz Richardson explores community, identity and connection in Local – a candid solo show rooted in real-life stories.

From £12.00
TESS at HOME: A woman holds four planks over her head, watched on by three women.
DanceManchester
Tess at HOME

A bold, breathtaking fusion of circus and storytelling, Ockham’s Razor transform Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles into a visceral, visually stunning spectacle.

From £21.20
Piece of Work at The Edge
TheatreChorlton
Piece of Work at The Edge

James Rowland’s acclaimed one-man show is a witty and quietly moving story about identity, friendship and finding your place in the world.

From £16.00

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