Wake at Aviva Studios

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Book now

Wake

Aviva Studios, Manchester
17-21 April 2025
Date
Time
Session Features
17 Apr 2025
7:30 pm
18 Apr 2025
7:30 pm
19 Apr 2025
7:00 pm
19 Apr 2025
9:30 pm
20 Apr 2025
7:30 pm

See website for more sessions

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

Wake at Aviva Studios: Man dances in a mesh crop top and gold shorts with purple and white irridescent lights in front of an audience.
Image courtesy of Aviva Studios, home of Factory International.
Book now

Expect wild acrobatics, outrageous cabaret and electrifying variety when Irish sensation THISISPOPBABY come to play at Aviva Studios. Bringing an exhilarating blend of ritual, rave, grief and joy, Wake is a performance party that celebrates life and connection.

Club culture collides with Irish tradition in Wake, a variety show that takes its name from Ireland’s traditional funeral rite. Expect high-octane and fabulous performances from an all-star cast of traditional musicians, electro-pop superstars, cabaret artists, aerialists, pole dancers, Irish dancers, singers and slam poets.

Co-created and co-directed by THISISPOPBABY’s Jennifer Jennings and Phillip McMahon, Wake explores liturgy and togetherness; it toasts yesterday’s passing and looks toward the future – a live performance – with the euphoria of a wild party – reminding us to live fully.

A vital force for social change in Ireland, THISISPOPBABY have been tearing up the space between high art and club culture almost two decades. Their shows have played to audiences of over 450,000 people, winning major theatre awards and thrilling audiences globally. Standing at the cutting edge of contemporary performance in Ireland – pioneering large-scale shows such as Wake, Riot and Alice in Funderland – the company speak to the world through the lens of what it means to be Irish.

This acclaimed spectacular has already had two sold-out, award-winning runs in Dublin. Now, Wake is set to rouse the people of Manchester – don’t miss out.

What's on at Aviva Studios

Where to go near Wake at Aviva Studios

Castlefield
Event venue
Old Granada Studios

Manchester’s old Granada Studios is an iconic piece of the city’s history and home to Sidney Bernstein’s television empire.

Manchester Opera House by Phil Tragen
City Centre
Theatre
Manchester Opera House

A commercial touring theatre, the Manchester Opera House is reopening in August 2021, all set to host the city’s finest mainstream theatrical productions, music gigs, opera and ballet.

City Centre
Music venue
Low Four Studio

Old Granada Studios has announced Low Four: a new studio and music project that will stream and archive live music performance as part of a new generation of music TV programming. The inclusion of a viewing balcony also means that these recordings, along with special events and concerts, will be made open to a few […]

Manchester
Restaurant
20 Stories

High-end restaurant and cocktail bar, with stunning views of the Manchester skyline.

Manchester
Gallery
Smolensky Gallery

This appointment-only gallery is a hidden gem in Manchester. Art lovers and collectors can browse many high quality pieces.

What's on: Dance

Culture Guides

Sepia image of a courtroom with the words 'Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird’
Theatre in the North

Winter brings a huge haul of seasonal shows, as well as productions that resolutely veer away from the fairy lights.

Music in the North

Manchester’s closing out the year – and looking to the new one – with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
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.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
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.

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.