I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip… at Contact

Name: I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip… at Contact
Start: 2017-02-01T19:30:00
End: 2017-02-04T23:59:00
Location: Contact Theatre

Andrew Anderson Last Updated 28 December 2016

Book now

I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip…

Contact Theatre, Manchester

1-4 February 2017

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

From £07.00

Book now

There are some subjects that are so difficult to talk about, or have so much stigma attached, that they get locked away where the light of reason can’t reach them. Abortion is one such subject: although one in three women in the UK have had an abortion it remains a silent and secret problem that many women often have to deal with alone.

One of the best ways to start a conversation is through art, and so 20 Stories High’s new show (co-produced with Contact) I Told My Mum I Was Going on an R.E. Trip… is a positive intervention. It takes the real-life experiences of women who have had abortions and puts them on stage, using dialogue taken from interview transcripts. This, we suspect, will make it a very powerful performance.

The subject matter is important but so is the skill of the storyteller, an area where 20 Stories High have always excelled (The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective stands out in my memory). They make subjects feel immediate without resorting to gimmicks or other clichés that would push away rather than pull in audiences.

Where to go near I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip… at Contact

Manchester

Event venue

MMU Geoffrey Manton Building

Manchester

Hotel

Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

With its Victorian design and distinctive clocktower, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is an iconic landmark on Manchester’s skyline.

Manchester

Gallery

Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections

A hidden gem of a library and museum – a tiny treat hidden on MMU’s All Saints campus

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.

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.

The Grosvenor East building at night, viewed from Oxford Road

Manchester

University

Manchester Metropolitan University Grosvenor East Building

The home of Arts & Humanities, the Manchester Writing School, Manchester School of Theatre and Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University – off All Saints Park (Grosvenor Square)

Oxford Road

Gallery

Pavement Gallery in Manchester

Pavement Gallery is a window space on a street corner providing a highly visible stage for the display of international contemporary art.

Manchester

Music venue

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

The Royal Northern College of Music is both a music venue and an academic institution for the country’s finest music students.

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.

See all places

What's on: Theatre

5 Feb – 6 Feb

TheatreManchester

Stayin’ Alive at 53two

53two hosts Stayin’ Alive, a fierce, funny North West–rooted play about grief, sisterhood and learning how to keep going.

From £15.00

6 Feb

DanceManchester

Obscura at HOME

Company Chameleon return with Obscura, a physically demanding double-bill exploring the hidden corners of self and society.

Two hands covered in sand are uncovering a piece of red fabric woven with flowers and a black and red repeating geometric pattern which is buried in the sand.

6 Feb – 7 Feb

TheatreLeeds

A Grain of Sand at Leeds Playhouse

Set in Gaza, one-woman show A Grain of Sand insists on one simple principle: that children’s voices matter, and that listening to them is a political act.

From £17.00

5 Feb – 7 Feb

TheatreMediaCityUK

Ockham’s Razor: Collaborator at Lowry

Ockham’s Razor return to Lowry with Collaborator, an intimate duet crafted and performed by artistic directors Alex Harvey and Charlotte Mooney.

Text reads The Memory of Water. A image of three women in black sitting by a coffin, two with cups of tea, one in the middle raising a wineglass

Until 21 Feb

TheatreBolton

The Memory Of Water at The Octagon Theatre

Three sisters, one bitter-sweet reunion – grief, whisky and buried truths collide in a sharply funny Northern family reckoning.

From £15.00

An image of a night club door with a pink and blue neon sign above it. The sign says Egypt with a gold neon cobra above it. On the club door is a sign saying Rome Corp - Under Offer

20 Feb – 21 Feb

TheatrePrescot

Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare North Playhouse

This UK premiere reframes Shakespeare’s story of love, loyalty and power as a contemporary struggle between community and corporate greed.

From £16.00

17 Feb – 22 Feb

FamiliesMediaCityUK

Pinocchio at Lowry

Watch a playful, high-energy adaptation of Pinocchio where everyday objects become puppets and family relationships take centre stage.

3 actors, dressed as a mouse, a gruffalo and a fox

27 Feb – 1 Mar

FamiliesManchester

The Gruffalo’s Child at Z-arts

Sneak into the deep dark wood with The Gruffalo’s Child in 2026.

From £14.70

Culture Guides

Tours and Activities in the North

Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science

Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

Exhibitions in the North

From monumental to minutiae, this month’s exhibitions trace power, care and community across galleries big and small.

Theatre in the North

Classic texts and new work meet in this month’s Theatre Guide, with a bumper crop of shows shaped by power, consequence and collective action.

Music in the North

We have an eclectic mix of gigs for you this month, moving from experimental electronics and noise rock to synth pop, opera, and hyper-local R&B.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

See all guides