Double-Ender at various venues

Double-Ender, Until 14 October 2021, from £5.00 - Book now

24 September — Lawrence Batley Theatre (£16.50, £5 under 30s)
30 September — The Met, Bury (£13)
14 October — Oldham Coliseum (£10/£7 under 26s)

“Who owns history?” and “Who gets to share it?” are the subjects up for discussion in Double-Ender, a new theatre double-bill by Initiative Arts. Touring the North of England this autumn, you can catch Double-Ender in Huddersfield, Bury and Oldham this September and October.

The result of a new collaboration between visual artist Jez Dolan (V&A, British Museum) and award-winning playwright Joshua Val Martin (Bruntwood Prize, Royal Exchange Theatre), Double-Ender serves up two dynamic and entertaining monologues. Personal, candid, and sometimes down-right funny, Martin and Dolan share stories about Queer people throughout the ages and their personal accounts of living in a rapidly regenerating city.

A fascinating, charming and laugh-out-loud funny evening.

Manchester tour guide, Joshua Val Martin’s monologue tells the story of the Free Manchester Walking Tours he set up six years ago. He’ll entertain you with his stories of meeting tourists who are heading to fetish nights; taking in the city’s sights with the Uruguayan rugby team, and a chance encounter with Noel Gallagher. He’ll also reflect on the time a rival tour company started up and he found himself dragged into the politics of city tours. Sucked into the dark underbelly of warring tours, Joshua is given a chance to examine history and identity, and unpick who has the ultimate claim to the story of a city.

Audiences will also leave the performance with a few cheeky Polari phrases up their sleeves too.

The second part of the show is part stand-up, part-lecture performance. Your fabulous host Jez Dolan shares the story of Polari, the subversive and lost language of Queer men spoken in gay pubs and secret spaces before the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Dolan will explain all about the coded language and its place in Queer history – both as a disguise and also as a space for expression and pride. Audiences will leave the performance with a few cheeky Polari phrases up their sleeves too.

Recommended for ages 14+, Double-Ender is a contemporary theatre show offering a fascinating, charming and laugh-out-loud funny evening. Perfect for anyone interested in LGBTQIA+ history and the evolution of Manchester.