Maria at 53two

Few contemporary playwrights have left as deep a mark on Manchester’s theatre scene as Simon Stephens. From the Manchester International Festival hit Fatherland to the quietly devastating Light Falls at the Royal Exchange, his writing has consistently captured the beauty, fragility and complexity of ordinary lives with remarkable empathy. This September, 53two presents the UK premiere of Maria – an intimate portrait of an 18-year-old navigating pregnancy, isolation and the search for hope in the digital age.

First staged in Germany in 2019, Maria finally receives its first professional UK production in Manchester. It’s a fitting homecoming for one of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, whose work has long resonated with audiences here through its emotional honesty and keen social observation.

Speaking ahead of the production, Stephens told us, “It means a great deal to me that Maria will have a life in Manchester. It will be its first life in English. It’s a play about the possibility of salvation and redemption in a post-industrial dockland city. It’s a play about birth and love and death, and a play about how love can survive the isolation of technology.”

Set in a once-thriving northern port town, the play follows Maria as she searches for trust, hope and human connection while navigating the realities of social neglect. As with Stephens’ finest work, the story reaches far beyond its central premise, asking profound questions about resilience, compassion and the ways we continue to find one another in an increasingly disconnected world.

Presented by 53two and directed by Sadie Mears in her debut production for the venue, this intimate staging marks the first professional UK production of one of Simon Stephens’ lesser-known plays. Bringing together one of Manchester’s most celebrated writers and an exciting emerging directing talent, Maria is a reminder of why Stephens’ writing continues to resonate so deeply with audiences.