DRAMA PLAYS IN MANCHESTER
DRAMA PLAYS IN MANCHESTER
Most Popular Drama Plays in Manchester
Tina - The Tina Turner Musical
Palace Theatre
Tue 25 Nov 2025 - Sat 3 Jan 2026
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
Lowry
Fri 5 Dec 2025 - Sun 11 Jan 2026
New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division and Manchester
RNCM
Sat 4 - Sat 25 Oct 2025
Private Lives
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Wednesday 17 - Saturday 27 September 2025
LOVE AND CHAOS COLLIDE IN NOEL COWARD'S TIMELESS COMEDY Amanda and Elyot are charming, rich, utterly reckless - and divorced. When they meet unexpectedly on the first night of their honeymoons with new partners, in the balmy moonlight of th...Darkfield - Séance
HOME, Manchester
Wednesday 17 - Sunday 21 September 2025
SEANCE transforms the interior of a shipping container into a Victorian seance room. Over 20 minutes it explores the psychology of a group of people, and asks that they believe in what might be conjured up into the room with them. WE WILL N...Austen's Women: Lady Susan
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Wednesday 17 September 2025
From Dyad Productions, the award-winning creators of Austen's Women, A Christmas Carol, I, Elizabeth, Female Gothic, Christmas Gothic, and A Room of One's Own. Austen's Women are back - in a brand-new solo show! Devil-may-care Lady S...The Jury Experience - An Immersive Courtroom Case
The Stoller Hall, Manchester
Thursday 18 September - Saturday 29 November 2025
Step into the heart of a high-stakes trial with The Jury Experience in Manchester. In this live theatre show, YOU are the jury-the power to deliver justice is entirely in your hands. You'll examine every piece of the puzzle, from witness t...Murder Mystery Evening
East Lancashire Railway, Bury
Friday 19 September - Friday 19 December 2025
Nothing works up an appetite like exercising those brain cells. So bring your best detective skills and join us for a night of mystery and murder on one of our stunning heritage steam trains. If you love Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes -...National Theatre Live - Inter Alia (15)
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Sunday 21 September 2025
Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) makes her National Theatre debut as Jessica in this searing examination of modern masculinity and motherhood. Written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin following their global phenomenon, Prima Facie. Jes...Gallifrey Cabaret
HOME, Manchester
Tuesday 23 - Saturday 27 September 2025
Jump aboard the queerest TARDIS in time and space for a night of cosmic drag and cabaret, all inspired by the greatest TV show in the universe - Doctor Who. Following sell-out shows across the UK, the LGBTQ+ARDIS is materialising once again...The Fire Raisers
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Tuesday 23 - Sunday 28 September 2025
A darkly comic and absurd play about the dangers of turning a blind eye to growing threats and the consequences of inaction. The debut show from We Merry Dancers Theatre Company brings Max Frisch's constantly relevant play to life. In a tow...National Production Company - Macbeth
Stockport Plaza, Stockport
Wednesday 24 September 2025 - Monday 23 March 2026
Set in the murky Dark Ages where love, politics and witchcraft collide, National Production Company presents a full-scale production of the classic tale as portrayed by William Shakespeare with sorcery, ghostly apparitions and spectacular ...Death on The Nile
Lowry, Salford
Friday 26 September - Saturday 4 October 2025
Bitter Rivals. Buried Secrets. A love to die for. On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple's idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder. As secrets that have been buried in the sands of time finally r...A Suffocating Choking Feeling
Lowry, Salford
Friday 26 September 2025
A subversive interrogation of truth in the age of social media - inspired by Australian wellness influencer and cancer-con Belle Gibson (BBC's Bad Influencer). Blending live performance with live streaming and interactive social media expe...National Theatre Live - Inter Alia (15)
HOME, Manchester
Sunday 28 September 2025
Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) makes her National Theatre debut as Jessica in this searing examination of modern masculinity and motherhood. Written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin following their global phenomenon, Prima Facie. Jes...Bleak Expectations
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Monday 29 September - Saturday 4 October 2025
The story Charles Dickens might have written after drinking too much gin... Follow half-orphan Pip's extraordinary exploits with sisters Pippa and Poppy and best friend Harry Biscuit, as they attempt to escape the calculating clutches of th...King Arthur
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Tuesday 30 September - Saturday 4 October 2025
Award-winning funny men, Le Navet Bete, return to the stage with a a brand-new laugh-out-loud show for theatre. This hilarious retelling of the Arthurian legends, suitable for the whole family, will have audiences crying with laughter and b...Eddie Izzard - Hamlet
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 1 - Thursday 2 October 2025
Direct from her critically acclaimed, triple-extended New York, Chicago and London solo performances of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which was nominated for New York's Drama League Distinguished Performance Award and Outer Critic's Circle Outstand...
Shit-faced Shakespeare - Hamlet
The Albert Halls, Bolton
Wednesday 1 October 2025
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare have toured the world, broken America, established themselves on London's West End, won numerous awards, and survived a zero-star review in The Times. In 2025, they will be celebrating 15 years on the wagon with one o...National Production Company - Hamlet
Waterside, Manchester
Wednesday 1 October 2025
Prepare to be spellbound by this timeless masterpiece, brought to life in a thrilling and unforgettable production by National Production Company Ltd. A full-scale production set in the shadowy medieval court of Denmark, where love, power, ...The HandleBards - The Tempest
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Friday 3 - Saturday 25 October 2025
This production of The Tempest is the first collaboration between Shakespeare North Playhouse and internationally renowned theatre company ran by cycling actors, The HandleBards, who carry all the necessary set, props & costume on the b...Altrincham Garrick Play Reading Club
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Friday 3 October - Friday 5 December 2025
If you like theatre... no, if you love theatre, drama, comedy, musical theatre, play reading, poetry and much more and would relish the opportunity to meet new people, then the new 'Altrincham Garrick Play Reading Club' is for you. Here is ...Playreading Sessions
HOME, Manchester
Friday 3 October - Friday 5 December 2025
HOME's popular Playreading group meets on the first Friday of most months. The sessions, which are open to all, offer an opportunity to read and discuss plays that are linked to our theatre productions, or discover new plays from local tal...New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division and Manchester
RNCM, Manchester
Saturday 4 - Friday 10 October 2025
The brand-new stage production of New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division & Manchester celebrates its 10th anniversary. The new touring production is written by Brian Gorman, produced & directed by Giles D Bastow and Sean Mason fo...The Shawshank Redemption
HOME, Manchester
Tuesday 7 - Saturday 11 October 2025
Despite protests of his innocence, Andy Dufresne is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murders of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated in the notorious Shawshank facility, he quickly learns that no one can survive alone. Andy stri...Breaking Ground Scratch Night
Waterside, Manchester
Tuesday 7 October 2025
A showcase for work in development by some for the region's most talented performance-makers. From award-winning stand-up comedians to new drama productions, this relaxed evening of ground-breaking new theatre and performance, gives you a ...Far Gone
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 8 - Friday 10 October 2025
Northern Uganda. When Okumu's village is attacked by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), he and his brother's lives are changed forever. Inspired by John Rwothomack's own real-life experience of nearly being kidnapped by the LRA, Far Gone is ...Snake in the Grass
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Thursday 9 - Saturday 25 October 2025
A darkly comic thriller about family, secrets and manipulation. Annabel returns home after the death of her cruel father. Reunited with her sister Miriam, the siblings bicker as buried truths resurface. Tensions grow when his former nurse ...1884
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 9 - Friday 10 October 2025
Created by theatre-maker Rhianna Ilube and BAFTA-winning game-makers Coney, 1884 is an immersive game-theatre show inspired by the legacy of the 1884 Berlin Conference, an often-overlooked historical turning point for the African continent ...Batty!
Waterside, Manchester
Thursday 9 October 2025
This new production from Victoria Firth & Company explores the wildness - as opposed to madness - of women, and how our feral side can reconnect us to ourselves and our environment. Have you got a wild side? Batty has, she dreams of running...Mama Afrika
The Met, Bury
Thursday 9 October 2025
Zimbabwean born singer, musician and storyteller Anna Mudeka tells the remarkable life story of an iconic South African singer, songwriter and civil rights activist, Miriam Makeba, charting her rise from the townships of Johannesburg to glo...Dancing at Lughnasa
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Friday 10 October - Saturday 8 November 2025
"I want to dance, Kate. It's the festival of Lughnasa. I'm only thirty-five. I want to dance." Driven by an overwhelming desire, the five Mundy sisters dance. Together they twirl and spin, it is wild, passionate, reckless, and for the brief...Dirty Dusting
Blackburn Empire Theatre, Blackburn
Monday 13 October 2025
An evening of pure theatrical Viagra starring Crissy Rock (Benidorm) and Leah Bell (Stage Award Winner) plus Vanessa Karon and Paul Dunn. Gladys, Olive and Elsie are three "vintage style" cleaning ladies who, threatened with redundan...
Scratch
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Tuesday 14 October 2025
With networking and live jazz, Scratch is Shakespeare North Playhouse's quarterly platform for creatives to share, experiment, and connect. This is your chance to present work in progress or showcase completed pieces to a supportive audienc...Dirty Dusting
St Helens Theatre Royal, St Helens
Wednesday 15 October 2025
An evening of pure theatrical Viagra starring Crissy Rock (Benidorm) and Leah Bell (Stage Award Winner) plus Vanessa Karon and Paul Dunn. Gladys, Olive and Elsie are three "vintage style" cleaning ladies who, threatened with redundan...Going Out Out
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 16 October - Saturday 1 November 2025
Going Out Out is a show filled with music, courage and love about a man who finds a way to cope with grief by joining the Manchester drag scene. Ian's gone out less since he became a widower. Actually, he hasn't gone out at all - a local c...The Legends Of Them
HOME, Manchester
Friday 17 - Saturday 18 October 2025
The Legends of Them charts the story of Sutara Gayle's extraordinary life - a pioneering female deejay on London's infamous reggae scene in the 1980s, Lorna Gee cut her cloth performing for the legendary Saxone, Coxsone and Nasty Rockers so...Havisham
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 17 October 2025
Who was the woman behind Charles Dickens' most monstrous female creation? What was it that condemned the hopeful young Miss Havisham to her cruel and fractured fate? Experience her heartbreak as we delve into her childhood trauma and follow...The Haunting of Blaine Manor
St Helens Theatre Royal, St Helens
Saturday 18 October 2025
Renowned American parapsychologist Doctor Roy Earle, famous for discrediting hauntings and exposing fake mediums, is invited to attend a seance in what is said to be the most haunted building in England, a building with a horrific history, ...Myra's Story
Lowry, Salford
Monday 20 - Wednesday 22 October 2025
Direct from London's West End, where every performance received a huge standing ovation and the smash hit of four Edinburgh fringes. The incredible story of middle-aged homeless alcoholic, Myra McLaughlin living rough on the streets of Dubl...curious directive - Black Sheep
Lowry, Salford
Tuesday 21 October 2025
Black Sheep, from Norwich-based theatre company curious directive, is a contemporary psalm about rural life, a razor-sharp account of the dilemmas facing generations of farming families. It's Easter weekend on the Carter family's farm. In ...Black is the Color of My Voice
Lowry, Salford
Thursday 23 - Saturday 25 October 2025
Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring many of her most iconic songs performed live. Apphia Campbell's acclaimed play follows a successful singer and civil rights activist as she seeks redemption after the untimely death o...National Theatre Live - Mrs Warren's Profession (12A)
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 23 - Saturday 25 October 2025
Five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown) joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) for the very first time, playing mother and daughter in Bernard Shaw's incendiary moral classic. Vivie W...New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division and Manchester
The Bowdon Rooms, Altrincham
Friday 24 - Saturday 25 October 2025
The brand-new stage production of New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division & Manchester celebrates its 10th anniversary. The new touring production is written by Brian Gorman, produced & directed by Giles D Bastow and Sean Mason fo...Mama Afrika
Waterside, Manchester
Friday 24 October 2025
Zimbabwean born singer, musician and storyteller Anna Mudeka tells the remarkable life story of an iconic South African singer, songwriter and civil rights activist, Miriam Makeba, charting her rise from the townships of Johannesburg to glo...Not Truly Dead - Three Ghost Stories by MR James
Lowry, Salford
Saturday 25 October 2025
Nunkie Theatre Company presents three tales of the restless dead, by the master of the English ghost story performed by R M Lloyd Parry. "His eyes were very deep-sunk. And over them, from the brows to the cheek-bone, hung cobwebs. Thick,...Breaking the Code
HOME, Manchester
Tuesday 28 October - Saturday 1 November 2025
It's not breaking a code that matters, it's where you go from there. Mastermind code breaker. Maverick. Arguably one of the most important and inquisitive minds of the twentieth century. Alan Turing is famed for cracking the Enigma code at ...Garth Marenghi
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 29 - Thursday 30 October 2025
From the fevered imaginata of Horror Fiction's Grand Frightener Garth Marenghi - Channel 4's spoof pulp horror author created by English comedians Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade - author of Sunday Times Bestselling Garth Marenghi's T...
Black Tie Ball
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Wednesday 29 October - Saturday 1 November 2025
It's the glitziest night of the year, and everyone wants to be there, from the great to the good. The Bentleys are parked, the Jazz band has arrived, and the magician is magic, so pick up your invite for this fundraising frenzy. But behind ...The Haunting of Blaine Manor
The Met, Bury
Wednesday 29 October 2025
Renowned American parapsychologist Doctor Roy Earle, famous for discrediting hauntings and exposing fake mediums, is invited to attend a seance in what is said to be the most haunted building in England, a building with a horrific history, ...Shellshocked
Lowry, Salford
Thursday 30 October - Saturday 1 November 2025
From the creative team behind the five-star, multi-award-winning Jesus, Jane, Mother and Me and LASH, comes a thrilling new drama. The horrors of World War Two have broken young Wesley, but could the madness he encounters beyond it save or ...National Theatre Live - Mrs Warren's Profession (12A)
Stockport Plaza, Stockport
Friday 31 October 2025
Five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown) joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) for the very first time, playing mother and daughter in Bernard Shaw's incendiary moral classic. Vivie W...Victoria Wood's Acorn Antiques the Musical
Manchester Opera House, Manchester
Sunday 2 - Sunday 16 November 2025
From the genius of Victoria Wood and based on the iconic sketch from her weekly television show, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV, Hope Mill Theatre bring Acorn Antiques the Musical back to the stage for One Night Only!Come along to Manchesterfo...Victoria Wood's Acorn Antiques the Musical
