Theatre in Manchester and the North

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Last Updated 13 March 2019

There are some cracking shows happening right now in Greater Manchester.

This March, we highly recommend booking in for the eagerly awaited Barber Shop Chronicles presented by Contact as part of their exhilarating In The City Part Three Season. And From Shore to Shore at the Yang Sing restaurant blends fine Chinese cuisine with powerful drama.

Dance enthusiasts should certainly check out Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Beauty and the Beast at The Lowry and Northern Ballet’s Victoria at Leeds Grand Theatre.

Looking further ahead – don’t miss bagging your tickets for Abigail’s Party at Manchester Opera House and Jerry Springer – The Opera at Hope Mill Theatre. Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre will be a summery treat this year too – do book early for their outdoors performance of Twelfth Night. Starry skies and prosecco a-popping…

Here’s where you’ll find us over the next few months…

Enjoy!

Here are our picks

1. Mark Morris Dance Group: Pepperland at The Lowry

Dance Consortium

Mark Morris' Pepperland at The Lowry, Manchester, 29–30 March 2019, from £15.00 - Book now

This new dance work features an original score by composer Ethan Iverson inspired by songs from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

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2. Abigail’s Party at Manchester Opera House

Abigail's Party at Manchester Opera House, City Centre, 8–13 April 2019, from £13.00 - Book now

Cheese and pineapple sticks, shagpile carpets and spider plants…Mike Leigh’s seminal play and most celebrated comedy comes to Manchester Opera House.

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3. Twelfth Night at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

Mark Carline

Twelfth Night at Grosvenor Park, 5 July–24 August 2019, from £19.50 - Book now

Don’t miss Shakespeare’s most outrageous romantic comedy Twelfth Night when it comes to Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre this summer.

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4. Jerry Springer – The Opera at Hope Mill Theatre

Jerry Springer - The Opera at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, 8–31 August 2019, from £20.00 - Book now

Not for the faint-hearted or easily offended, expect chaos and debauchery to ensue in this smash hit musical based on the infamous talk show. Coming to Hope Mill Theatre this August.

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Flecky Bennett’s HALLOWEEN 2018 Ghost Walk

Activity 13 October 2018–13 May 2019, from £15

Flecky Bennett’s Ghost Walks

Meet, Flecky Bennet, your guide through the dark and demonic side of the city as he takes you on one of Manchester’s award winning ghost walks.

Theatre 17 January–18 July 2019, from £5

Royal Exchange Backstage Tour

Join one of the Royal Exchange’s passionate volunteers as they take you through the underbelly of this working theatre. Experience first hand the hard work and amount of people that go into putting on one of the theatre’s productions as well as seeing the props and costumes from some of your favourite shows.

Theatre 1 February–13 June 2019,

Contact In The City Part Three

Contact In The City Part Three – is a radical city-wide programme of performance taking place whilst Contact’s theatre undergoes an exciting transformation. Read our preview of the upcoming season.

Theatre 1 February–13 June 2019,

Oldham Coliseum Spring Season

Oldham Coliseum’s new programme for Spring/ Summer 2019 celebrates Northern voices and tackles universal issues faced by families and communities.

Cinema 22 March–13 April 2019, from £5.50

¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival at HOME

For its 25th edition, ¡Viva! returns with a HOME-wide celebration of film, theatre and visual art from across Spain and Latin America.

Families 26–31 March 2019, from £26.50

The Worst Witch at The Lowry

Pandemonium ahoy as Mildred Hubble and friends land at The Quays.

Theatre 27–30 March 2019, from £5.00

The Funeral Director at HOME

Intersecting religion, sexuality and gender – winner of the 2018 Papatango New Writing Prize, The Funeral Director comes to HOME’s stage this March.

Families 29 March 2019, from £6

Kite at Waterside

An enchanting play without words, with originally composed music, dance, puppetry and of course kites.

Music 2–6 April 2019, FREE

Fivestones (world première) at Royal Northern College of Music

A meditation on the concept of memory, trauma and loss as viewed from the eyes of five disparate characters. Fivestones challenges current forms of theatre and concert hall performance whilst forcing us to think about how we can challenge the ways we deal with commemorating horrific events in the modern world.