Theatre in Manchester and the North
Kristy Stott, Theatre EditorThis month’s theatre guide is eclectic to say the least. Punchy verbatim shows, comedy festivals and rave-fuelled Shakespeare feature in our top picks.
Autumn marks the start of another bright new theatre season. In Manchester, the Royal Exchange Theatre embraces the magic of the city’s rave culture with a fresh, contemporary production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And over in Liverpool, our friends at the Everyman continue the theatre’s 60th birthday programme with Martin McDonagh’s sharp satire, The Lieutenant of Inishmore.
There’s still time to catch emerging Manchester-based theatre company Ordinary Glory with their debut show Joy Unspeakable, a verbatim work tackling disordered eating, at The Edge. Meanwhile, Ephemeral Ensemble bring their critically acclaimed Rewind to the Bluecoat – a startling show about the right to protest. The play offers a perceptive portrait of oppression in Latin America and aptly, takes to the stage on 11 September, the 51st anniversary of the military coup in Chile.
What else? Well, we’re highlighting the brand new edition of the Women in Comedy Festival, which returns for 11 days this October. Expect to see some of the UK’s funniest women and emerging female stand-ups at various venues throughout the Northern Quarter; Factory International present Traplord, a dynamic Olivier Award-winning performance from director and choreographer Ivan Michael Blackstock, and the 2022 Bruntwood Prize-winner, the super charming Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz heads to the Royal Exchange next month.
Read on for details of these and so much more.
