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Theatre is positively bustling in Manchester and the North – vibrant, eclectic and bold. There’s a real wealth of performance on offer; arts festivals, stunning physical theatre and intimate in-the-round performance top our list of drama, comedy and dance this month.
Queer Contact Festival returns for two weeks this February. True to form, the 2023 edition showcases a loaded line-up of theatre, comedy, live music, drag shows, spoken word, conversations and cabaret. The festival is a popular and celebrated event of Manchester’s queer arts scene – with something for everyone – be sure to check out our full preview.
Meanwhile, Theatre Re bring The Nature of Forgetting, a beautifully realised physical theatre piece exploring the memories lost to dementia, to The Lowry.
The Royal Exchange have a cracking new season lined up too – we’re championing Simon Eldridge’s intimate and beautiful two-hander, Beginning, which aptly kicks off the season and Kimber Lee’s Bruntwood Prize International Award-winner untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, happening as part of Manchester International Festival in the summer.
We’ve also got our eyes on Catherine Cohen‘s first UK stand-up tour; imitating the dog’s bold and daring retelling of Macbeth; Simon Stephen’s stunning monologue – Song From Far Away – starring Will Young at HOME; an adaptation of The Beekeeper of Aleppo directed by Miranda Cromwell and a brand-new show by Complicité.
Read on for details of these and much more…
Here are our picks
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1. PUSH Festival 2023 at HOME
Image courtesy of HOME Manchester. Push Festival 2023 at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 18 February 2023 - Book now
Shake off those January blues and check out HOME’s bumper four-week-long showcase of the most exciting theatre, screenings and visual art in the North West.
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2. Queer Contact Festival 2023
Image courtesy of Ginny Lemon Sister Sister/ Contact. Queer Contact Festival 2023 at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 4–18 February 2023 - Book now
The ultimate celebration of art and creativity in the LGBTQ+ community, Queer Contact Festival returns for 2023.
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3. The Makings of a Murderer at The Lowry
Scottish detective David Swindle features in The Makings of a Murderer show. -
4. House of Suarez + Contact: Vogue Ball at Manchester Academy
Image courtesy of House of Suarez/ Contact House of Suarez Presents: Vogue Ball at Manchester Academy, Manchester, 4 February 2023, from £15.00 - Book now
Fabulous and fierce – with a dazzling disco theme – House of Suarez are back to stage the ultimate battle for dance supremacy.
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5. Catherine Cohen: Come For Me at The Lowry
Image courtesy of Catherine Cohen. -
6. When All Is Said at Contact
Image courtesy of Fuel/ Contact. When All Is Said at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 13–17 February 2023, from £6.00 - Book now
Curated by Travis Alabanza and happening as part of Queer Contact 2023 – sit back and listen to five short plays, penned by five Black trans people, delivered over the phone.
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7. Beginning at the Royal Exchange
Image courtesy of the Royal Exchange. Beginning at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 16 February–11 March 2023, from £7.00 - Book now
Charged with emotional truthfulness, beauty, charm and embarrassing conversation, don’t miss David Eldridge’s intimate two-hander exploring love and loneliness.
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8. imitating the dog: Macbeth at CAST Doncaster
Image courtesy of imitating the dog Macbeth at CAST Doncaster, Doncaster, 21–22 February 2023, from £18.00 - Book now
imitating the dog take on Macbeth…a bold and daring retelling that explodes with new scenes, digital technology and their signature experimental storytelling.
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9. Song From Far Away at HOME
Image courtesy of Michael Wharley. Song From Far Away at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 22 February–11 March 2023, from £10.00 - Book now
Will Young makes his return to the stage in this powerful one-man show written by Olivier Award winner Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel.
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10. The Beekeeper of Aleppo at Liverpool Playhouse
Image courtesy of Everyman and Playhouse. The Beekeeper of Aleppo at Liverpool Playhouse, City Centre, 1–11 March 2023, from £11.00 - Book now
One of the most exciting directors around – Miranda Cromwell – tackles this new play based on Christy Lefteri’s bestselling 2019 novel.
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11. Too Much World at Once at HOME
Image courtesy of HOME. Too Much World at Once at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 3–11 March 2023, from £10.50 - Book now
A debut play by Billie Collins – supported by the ever-brilliant Box of Tricks – exploring home, connection and what happens when it all begins to fall apart.
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12. Theatre Delicatessen Sheffield
Image courtesy of Theatre Deli. -
13. Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Manchester Opera House
Image courtesy of Johan Persson. Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Manchester Opera House, City Centre, 21–25 March 2023, from £13.00 - Book now
Starring Jenna Coleman and Aiden Turner, this tender and funny romantic comedy heads to Manchester from the West End. Don’t miss out.
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14. Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead at The Lowry
Image courtesy of Complicité. -
15. Akram Khan’s Jungle Book reimagined at The Lowry
Image courtesy of Akram Khan. -
16. Factory International Opening Season
Image courtesy of Factory International. Factory International Opening Season at Factory International, Castlefield, 30 June–19 November 2023 - Book now
Prepare to fill that crisp new diary as we preview the Factory International Opening Season.
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17. untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play at the Royal Exchange
Image courtesy of the Royal Exchange/ MIF untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 24 June–22 July 2023, from £7.00 - Book now
Winner of the Bruntwood Prize 2019, International Award and presented as part of MIF23, Kimber Lee’s play looks to be the pièce de résistance for another brilliant season at the Royal Exchange.
More in Theatre
The Lion King at the Palace Theatre
The sun may have set over our Manchester theatres during the pandemic – but now “it’s rolling high through the sapphire sky” once again. Hit musical The Lion King has added even more dates to its previously postponed run.
The Cocoa Butter Club at Contact
Happening as part of Queer Contact 2023, expect a spiritful soiree packed with a blend of burlesque, live music, drag, voguing, hula hooping and lots more.
Gallifrey Cabaret at Contact
Jump aboard for a night of cosmic drag and cabaret, all inspired by the popular TV show Doctor Who.
Cardboard Carnival at The Edge
An inspirational and visual treat that combines Camille Saint-Saëns’ music with puppetry and a whole lot of cardboard.
The Bitten Peach – Peach Chutney at Contact
Come and celebrate South Asian awesomeness with the Bitten Peach, the UK’s only gender-diverse Pan-Asian cabaret collective.
50 Things That Shaped Me with Fisayo Akinade at Contact
Join Fisayo Akinade in conversation with Contact Artistic Director and CEO Keisha Thompson, as part of Contact’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.
Grandmother’s Closet at Contact
An autobiographical musical adventure packed with mischief, divas and a tonne of heart.
An Audience with Milly-Liu at Contact
Following an award-winning run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, the “one-man-cat-drag-late-night comedy show” comes to Contact.
Lady Bushra: Robbed at Contact
For lovers of drag – Queer Contact 2023 brings the hilarious and iconic drag comedian, Lady Bushra to the stage.
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