Theatre
Whether it’s contemporary theatre led by young people or traditional art deco interiors, Oxford Road is home to many of Manchester’s iconic theatre and performance spaces.
From Laurel and Hardy and Judy Garland in the early 1900’s to more recent notable performances such as the Book of Mormon and Les Miserables, The Palace Theatre is the city’s largest theatre space.
A short distance away is The Dancehouse, which held the world’s first twin cinema. In 2015 HOME opened its doors to the public, merging the former Cornerhouse with the Library Theatre Company to provide performance, exhibition, cinema and education spaces, alongside digital facilities, a café bar, restaurant and bookshop.
Contact brings game-changing theatre and multidisciplinary art to Oxford Road. Seeking to enable young people to change their lives through the arts, the venue presents a diverse and accessible artistic programme of exciting new shows for audiences of all ages. A leading national theatre and arts venue, Contact places young people at the heart of its mission. Company members aged 13-30 work alongside staff in deciding the artistic programme and making staff appointments, as well as acting as full Board members. The result is a unique and diverse programme of art that challenges and inspires, working to change the face of UK culture.
Grosvenor East Theatre at Manchester Metropolitan University is a fully equipped and flexible theatre space that seats 180 audience members in several configurations including thrust, flat floor and in the round. Manchester School of Theatre was originally established to provide acting lessons for opera singers at the Royal Northern College of Music but is now rightly recognised as one of the elite drama schools in the UK and one of only 20 classical conservatoire-style acting schools. It also sits among a community of artists, writers, filmmakers and other creatives within Manchester Metropolitan’s Arts and Humanities faculty.
Upcoming Shows
The Talent is a new show by Action Hero and Deborah Pearson about the legacy of the human voice in a non-human future.
Five children dream of reaching the moon from their bedroom…join the ‘Starchitects’ as they plan their daring mission.
The Hero Next Door at HOME is a celebration of difference, friendship and working together to do the right thing.
Join the award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on a ramshackle jaunt through a multiverse of wonders.
we were promised honey! is a hopeful, hopeless prophecy for humankind. A story of us, our future, of paradise and how we get there.
Hopefully hopeful, The Rest of Our Lives at HOME is a joyful dose of dance, theatre, circus and games.
Star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Rhys Nicholson brings a new show to Manchester.
In a blend of dance, theatre, and an attempt at a sports spectacle, Endurance looks at how we endure, why we endure.
I, Daniel Blake is one of the most important stories of a generation. A glimpse behind the headlines and the stark reality of what happens…
The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions at HOME brings together theatre, dance and song for the ultimate anarchic bedtime story.
A movement for youth-led mental health. Balmy Army is art and activism rolled into one show – expect the unexpected.
The smash-hit musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory based on Roald Dahl’s classic story.
Weaving personal tragedy with catastrophe at large, All right. Good night. is a meditation on loss and how to deal with uncertainty.
Rise and Shine Motherlovers! Hot Brown Honey are back with THE REMIX – Fierce! Femme! Global First Nations!
Known for Afro-futurist images that seem to defy gravity, Benji Reid invites us to watch him at play as he creates live photography in this genre-bending show.
Celebrate International Non-Binary People’s Day with 50 Hours of Freedom, a creative lock-in at Contact for MIF23
Drag Addict is a splendifferent new musical full of laughs, high stakes, high emotions and even higher heels!
Following two smash hit London seasons and the WhatsOnStage award for Best Musical, Heathers the Musical heads to Manchester.
Jesus Christ Superstar is the album that inspired a revolution. A revelation that changed the world. A reinvention for this millennium.
The hilarious comedy musical from the Olivier Award-winners behind Fleabag, Baby Reindeer and A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)
A classic for our times. After astounding audiences around the world, Akram Khan’s Giselle returns to the Palace Theatre, where it premiered.
Following a sell-out run in March, The Merchant of Venice (1936) returns to Manchester with Tracy-Ann Oberman as Shylock
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s multi-award-winning Hamilton is touring the UK and is coming to Oxford Road’s Palace Theatre for a 15-week run.
Based on the 1992 American comedy, the Broadway and UK smash-hit musical Sister Act returns to Manchester’s Palace Theatre in 2024.
Wicked the smash-hit theatre show is coming to Manchester’s Palace Theatre in November 2024 as part of a UK tour.
