We’re Not Really Here – A Football Opera at Contact

Creative Tourist

Book now

We're Not Really Here – A Football Opera

Contact Theatre, Manchester
20-23 September 2017

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

© Lee Baxter
Book now

Believe it or not, Contact is getting a bit of a reputation for football theatre. Earlier in the year we had a play about women’s football titled Offside, while in its summer programme Michael Essien I want to Play as You featured African footballers who had come over to Europe in a bid to make the big time. Now in the new season we’ve got We’re Not Really Here – A Football Opera.

In many ways it makes sense – after all, football is often described as the people’s theatre, a place where the masses come to be entertained each week, with heroes and villains being reviled and redempted. We’re Not Really Here takes these stories of highs, lows and a shared spirit and puts them on the stage.

The excitement of a goalmouth scramble, the pressure of a penalty shootout and the stomach-sinking sucker punch of a last-minute loss – all this is material ripe for dramatic treatment. Further, we know it’s going to feel authentic because it is performed by real football fans (in this case, those of Manchester City…though don’t let that keep you away).

A thorough and well-thought-out treatment of football fandom, We’re Not Really Here does a great job of bringing the beautiful game onto the spot-lit stage.

What's on at Contact Theatre

Where to go near We’re Not Really Here – A Football Opera at Contact

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.

Johnny Roadhouse store
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.

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.

What's on: Theatre

–
TheatreManchester
Bright Places at HOME

Rae Mainwaring’s award-winning Bright Places brings humour, 90s pop and glitter to an honest, unpredictable exploration of life with MS.

From £11.20
Halloween at HOME.
–
CinemaManchester
Halloween at HOME

Featuring a programme of chilling cinema, thrilling theatre and frightful family fun, HOME is embracing the darkness like never before.

From £0.00
–
TheatreMediaCityUK
LOVE**WORK at Lowry

Anonymous stories gathered across continents ask how love and work shape each other, through performance, music and live art.

Culture Guides

Nwando Ebizie and Sidiki Dembélé wear jewel-toned clothes against a midnight blue backdrop.
Music

Returning legends, their noisy heirs and centuries-old music made new – all in our latest guide update.

Food and Drink in the North

It's autumn and time to get scheduling those hearty meals. Here's the October guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre

Shakespearean tragedy, indie musical theatre, live art and beautifully strange dance-theatre – four standout picks for autumn.

Exhibitions

It’s a good season for contemporary art fans in Manchester, with many of our favourite small galleries launching something big.

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.

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.