Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Promised to see more theatre in 2019? Well, you’re in the right place.
2019 looks to be a strong year for theatre and we’re looking forward to all of the wonderful performances happening in Manchester and the North.
There’s still time to catch The Producers at The Royal Exchange – it’s a phenomenal show and the run has been extended due to popular demand.
Also happening now – shake off those January blues with HOME‘s annual PUSH Festival, a two-week-long showcase of the most exciting film, theatre and visual art in the North West. We’re also championing Gypsy Queen, a site-specific performance at Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club. If you didn’t catch the first time around, here’s your second chance to step into the ring.
We highly recommend booking ahead for SparkPlug at Home, Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee, directed by David Thacker, at Bolton Library Theatre and Mother Courage at The Royal Exchange, with Julie Hesmondhalgh in the title role.
Here’s where you’ll find us this January and beyond…
Enjoy!
Here are our picks
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1. The Producers – A Mel Brooks Musical at the Royal Exchange
The Royal Exchange Theatre The Producers - A Mel Brooks Musical at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 30 November 2018–2 February 2019, from £10.00 - Book now
Adapted from the cult film by Mel Brooks, The Royal Exchange continue to delight audiences with their musical, The Producers. Run has now been extended to 2 February.
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2. PUSH Festival 2019 at HOME
Laura Spark Push Festival 2019 at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 11–26 January 2019 - Book now
Shake off those January blues and check out HOME’s two-week-long showcase of the most exciting film, theatre and visual art in the North West.
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3. Gypsy Queen at Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club
Gypsy Queen at Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club, Manchester, 27 January 2019, from £5.00 - Book now
This January Rob Ward’s acclaimed tale of love and boxing heads to Moss Side Boxing Club for a special knock-out performance.
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4. A Different Way Home at Oldham Coliseum
Oldham Coliseum Theatre A Different Way Home at Oldham Coliseum, Manchester, 31 January–9 February 2019, from £17.00 - Book now
Starring Kenneth Alan Taylor, A Different Way Home tells a powerful story of prejudice, loss and love from two wildly different perspectives.
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5. Ad Infinitum: No Kids at The Lowry
Alex Brenner -
6. Mother Courage and her Children at the Royal Exchange
The Royal Exchange Mother Courage and her Children at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 8 February–2 March 2019, from £10.00 - Book now
A sharp new adaptation of Brecht’s classic – Mother Courage and her Children – written by Anna Jordan and headed up by Julie Hesmondhalgh in the title role.
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7. SparkPlug at HOME
SparkPlug at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 13–23 February 2019, from £12.50 - Book now
Inspired by autobiographical events, SparkPlug is a punchy and poetic monologue which explores family, race, identity and love.
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8. The Last Yankee at Bolton Library Theatre
Image courtesy of Inge Morath / Magnum Photos — Arthur Miller at home, Roxbury, CT, USA 1980 The Last Yankee at Bolton Library Theatre, Bolton, 28 February–16 March 2019, from £10.00 - Book now
There will be a few Arthur Miller revivals happening in 2019 but this one really shouldn’t go under your radar. Directed by David Thacker, we’ve got high hopes.
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9. Barber Shop Chronicles at the Royal Exchange
Dean Chalkley Barber Shop Chronicles at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 7–23 March 2019, from £18.50 - Book now
Following two sold-out runs at the National Theatre, acclaimed performances in Leeds, Inua Ellams’ Barber Shop Chronicles comes to Manchester this Spring.
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10. Northern Ballet: Victoria at Leeds Grand Theatre
Northern Ballet Northern Ballet: Victoria at Leeds Grand Theatre, Leeds, 9–16 March 2019, from £12.00 - Book now
Choreographed by Cathy Marston, Northern Ballet’s new biopic brings the sensational story of Queen Victoria to life in dance.
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11. Zara at The Piece Hall
Walk The Plank Zara at The Piece Hall, 19–20 April 2019, from £8 - Book now
A mother against the world and a giant outdoor theatre event for the whole family from Walk The Plank and Mind The Gap.
More in Theatre
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.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto: The Snow Queen at Liverpool Everyman
The Everyman’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto is as much of a festive tradition as matching Christmas jumpers and a trip to Father Christmas’ grotto.
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.
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.
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.
Jack and the Beanstalk at Waterside
Fee Fi Fo Fum. Expect enormous shoes, tiny houses, showers of silver and gold and a big, leafy explosion in Lyngo Theatre’s production of this classic tale.
Living History performance Peterloo at the People’s History Museum
As part of the People’s History Museum’s Radical Lates series experience a Living History performance of the Peterloo Massacre, a major event in Manchester’s history, and a defining moment for Britain’s democracy.
Touch Tour: The Animals And Children Took To The Streets at HOME
Touch Tours give visually impaired patrons the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the set, key props and costumes before a show and sometimes even to meet the performers at HOME.
Please let us know if you’re coming to the tour on your own and we’ll arrange for a member of staff to accompany you. Guide dogs are also welcome on set, subject to an advance assessment to ensure a safe environment. Alternatively, we can arrange for your guide dog to be looked after.
Those Magnificent Men at Waterside
A nail-biting, side-splitting true story of a daredevil flight by Mancunians pilot Capt. John Alcock and navigator Lt. Arthur Whitten Brown.
Culture Guides
Exhibitions
On the brink of the new year, here’s a couple of the major exhibitions and smaller gems we’re looking forward to in 2019.
Literature
January, February, March, April, even May… we’ve plenty for you to look forward to live literature wise as 2019 unfolds – from performance poetry and soundscapes to readings from magazines, memoirs and award-winning short stories.
Tours and Activities
Explore the other side of Manchester’s performing arts, as this month, we highlight some of the best tours of the city’s theatres, venues and concert halls.
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Christmas Theatre and Concerts
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Theatres in Liverpool
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