Helios at George Street Chapel

Wright & Grainger have carved out a unique space in British theatre, retelling stories from Greek mythology as if they’re happening today. The award-winning duo behind Orpheus, Eurydice and The Gods The Gods The Gods bring myth down to earth – transforming epic tales into intimate, music-laced performances about the lives we actually live.

Their latest show, Helios, comes to Oldham as part of Oldham Coliseum Theatre’s off-site programme, while the much-loved venue undergoes refurbishment ahead of its 2026 reopening. It’s the perfect example of the Coliseum’s commitment to keeping theatre alive across the borough – bringing exciting, imaginative work to unexpected spaces like the beautifully restored George Street Chapel.

Helios reimagines the ancient Greek myth of Phaeton – the son of the sun god Helios – as a modern-day story about a teenage boy, a road trip and a complicated relationship with his father. Created by writer-director Alexander Wright with a soundscape by Phil Grainger, this award-winning touring production draws audiences directly into its world, blurring the boundaries between storytelling, music and live performance.

A lad lives halfway up a hill; a teenager speeds toward the horizon in a stolen car; a boy drives a chariot across the sky. These parallel lives converge in a narrative that asks what we inherit, what we risk, and how far we’ll go to find our own light.

Performed in the atmospheric setting of George Street Chapel, Helios feels part ritual, part road movie – an intimate experience blending poetry, rhythm and imagination. Wright & Grainger’s lyrical, multi-sensory style turns myth into something immediate and human. Above all, this is a story we can all relate to – it’s a tale about fathers and sons, recklessness and legacy – told by candle-glow and underscored by an evocative live soundscape.

Bold, inventive and profoundly moving, Helios is a modern myth for our times – and a bright sign of the Oldham Coliseum Theatre’s creative future.