Letsby Avenue at Hulme Playhouse Theatre
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
A thrilling circus theatre show will be performed in Hulme’s historic Playhouse Theatre this Christmas. Letsby Avenue will be streamed online from 20-23 December for audiences to enjoy at home.
The Grade II listed building first opened in 1902 and played host to a number of iconic big names, Nina Simone, The Beatles and Les Dawson amongst them. Sadly, there were issues around funding and planning which resulted in the Theatre’s closure in 1997. In 2018 the Theatre was relaunched as a community arts centre by NIAMOS.
Featuring a community cast of children and original music from Hulme-based collective Ku’umba, Letsby Avenue will be the first aerial circus show that has ever been performed at the venue. Directed by Alex Anderson and circus performer Seren Marimba, the performance is set in a council housing block on Letsby Avenue and features a community of interesting and vibrant characters.
An exciting collaboration between NIAMOS and Mancunian circus-specialists The Circus House, Letsby Avenue promises to be a rip-roaring spectacle and celebration for Manchester following a difficult year of physical distancing and social restrictions.
Margo Riley, one of NIAMOS’ Directors, said, “It has been a really difficult year for everyone. NIAMOS has had to adapt to the constantly shifting cultural landscape in order to stay creative and relevant. And this is our biggest in-house production since reopening, that’s quite impressive in the middle of a pandemic. I think that’s a real testament to the spirit of creativity and adaptability in our community. We’re looking forward to giving people a reason to be excited over Christmas.”
