DARKFIELD in Greater Manchester
Kristy Stott, Theatre EditorBook now
Darkfield in Manchester
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
This autumn, the boundary-pushing theatre company DARKFIELD brings not one but three of their acclaimed shows to Greater Manchester, landing at Aviva Studios, HOME and Lowry. Known for transforming shipping containers into sites of surreal, sensory theatre, DARKFIELD’s shows are experienced in total darkness, using 360-degree binaural sound, physical effects and precise storytelling to bend perception and leave you questioning what’s real. Co-founded by Glen Neath and David Rosenberg, the London-based company has toured internationally and built a cult following among fans of experimental performance, psychological thrillers and the deeply uncanny.
At Aviva Studios, FLIGHT invites you to board a commercial airliner – and take two possible journeys. This spine-tingling experience explores multiverse theory and quantum uncertainty, as your aircraft descends twice into alternate realities. With its unsettling stillness and precise sound design, FLIGHT taps into deep-seated fears and philosophical questions alike.
Over at HOME, SÉANCE is DARKFIELD’s shortest but perhaps most intense offering. Seated in pitch-black silence around a long table, audience members take part in a Victorian-style séance where sound takes centre stage – letting the imagination run riot. A chilling 20-minute exploration of suggestion and belief, it’s a clever experiment in how easily we can be scared by what we don’t see.
Meanwhile, ARCADE at The Lowry takes a more playful but no less eerie approach. Set inside a retro-style gaming cabinet, the show places you at the centre of a choose-your-own-adventure narrative that probes identity, agency and our relationship with technology. Intrigued? We certainly are.
Across all three shows, DARKFIELD delivers theatrical experiences unlike anything else happening across Greater Manchester right now. Claustrophobic, disorienting, and technically precise, these are experiences for fans of contemporary performance, cutting-edge design and spine-tingling storytelling. Catch one, or all three – if you dare.
