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
New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division and Manchester
RNCM
Sat 4 - Sat 25 Oct 2025
Murder Mystery Evening
East Lancashire Railway
Fri 18 Jul - Fri 19 Dec 2025
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
Lowry
Fri 5 Dec 2025 - Sun 11 Jan 2026
Liberation
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Wednesday 2 - Saturday 26 July 2025
How does a revolution begin and who keeps it going? Inspired by true events in Black British history, LIBERATION is a powerful new play from writer Ntombizodwa Nyoni and director Monique Touko tracing the private lives of activists who foug...Living the Life of Riley
The Albert Halls, Bolton
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Starring Vicky Entwistle, Living the Life of Riley is a heart-warming, heart-breaking and hilarious tale of a family, trying to negotiate their way through teenage tantrums, autism, and Grandma. Joanne Riley always knew there was something...The Lowry Dance & Drama Workshops
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 2 - Thursday 31 July 2025
The Lowry offers a diverse and inclusive creating learning offer for Primary and Secondary Schools. With a variety of workshops linked to curriculum areas, mental health and wellbeing and project work. Held either at The Lowry or in scho...Altrincham Garrick Play Reading Club
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Friday 4 July - 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 4 July - 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...The Whirligig of Time
Waterside, Manchester
Sunday 13 July 2025
From the team that brought you the five-star Shakespeare's Fool, Tortive return with another spectacular one-man hit show. To hell with anger management! Malvolio was done notorious wrong; so much so that he swore to be revenged on the 'who...Jet Set Go!
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Tuesday 15 - Saturday 19 July 2025
Jet Set Go! is a high-flying British musical comedy from Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary, the writers of 'The Great British Bake Off Musical' and 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 The Musical'. Join Nicola and her fun-loving tran...Living the Life of Riley
Blackburn Empire Theatre, Blackburn
Wednesday 16 July 2025
Starring Vicky Entwistle, Living the Life of Riley is a heart-warming, heart-breaking and hilarious tale of a family, trying to negotiate their way through teenage tantrums, autism, and Grandma. Joanne Riley always knew there was something...Daddy's First Gay Date
Waterside, Manchester
Thursday 17 - Friday 18 July 2025
Is it selfish to leave someone you might love in order to find yourself? An uncomfortable restaurant break-up becomes a pressure-cooker first date in this brand-new comedy written by Sam Danson (BI-TOPIA) and Directed by the award-winning ...Cock
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Thursday 17 - Saturday 19 July 2025
Following its Northern premiere in 2024, COCK by Mike Bartlett and Directed by Rupert Hill returns as part of a large 2025 tour. The play centres on John, a man who finds himself torn between his long-term boyfriend and a woman he unexpecte...Murder Mystery Evening
East Lancashire Railway, Bury
Friday 18 July - 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 -...The Jury Experience - An Immersive Courtroom Case
The Stoller Hall, Manchester
Friday 18 July 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...National Theatre Live - A Streetcar Named Desire (15)
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Friday 18 July 2025
Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Kirby, and Ben Foster lead the cast in Tennessee Williams' timeless masterpiece, returning to cinemas. As Blanche's fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister Stella for solace - but her downward spiral brings...Bonding - The Myth, The Legend & The Legacy of Bond
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Monday 21 - Tuesday 22 July 2025
Cyril Blake's sell-out hit from the Edinburgh Fringe explores the myth, legend and legacy of Bond - and what it all means to guys trying to find their way through life and love. Stephen has always wanted to be James Bond. He's got a tux, a ...Living the Life of Riley
St Helens Theatre Royal, St Helens
Wednesday 23 July 2025
Starring Vicky Entwistle, Living the Life of Riley is a heart-warming, heart-breaking and hilarious tale of a family, trying to negotiate their way through teenage tantrums, autism, and Grandma. Joanne Riley always knew there was something...
Raves R Us
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Friday 25 - Saturday 26 July 2025
The most original night of immersive theatre you've ever been a part of! Naughty Corner Productions are a multi-award-winning theatre company from Liverpool, and they are bringing their biggest hit back to the stage. Toys R Us has closed do...Bouncers
The Albert Halls, Bolton
Saturday 26 July 2025
Trio Entertainment Ltd present a new production of John Godber's legendary comedy classic starring Warren Donnelly (Shameless), Steven Arnold (Coronation Street), Darren Jefferies (Hollyoaks, Brassic), and theatre legend Rob Stuart-Hudson....The Last Laugh
Manchester Opera House, Manchester
Tuesday 29 July - Saturday 2 August 2025
Direct from a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Last Laugh is a brand-new laugh-a-minute play which re-imagines the lives of three of Britain's all-time greatest comedy heroes - Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse. F...A Manchester Anthem
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Tuesday 29 July - Saturday 2 August 2025
Flashing lights. Sticky floors. Dancing shoes. Tommy, a young working-class Mancunian, has been accepted into Oxford. He's the first in his family to go to uni - the first on his street in fact... Join him on his last big night in Mancheste...By Royal Appointment
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 6 - Saturday 9 August 2025
The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion. She never said anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of expressing what she really thought - through her wardrobe. By Royal Appointment ...2:22 A Ghost Story
Manchester Opera House, Manchester
Thursday 7 - Saturday 16 August 2025
Winner of BEST NEW PLAY at the WhatsOnStage Awards, Kevin Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Chicago) and Stacey Dooley (TV presenter and Strictly winner) star as fictional couple Sam and Jenny in this edge-of-...Twelfth Night
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Friday 29 August 2025
The brilliantly bold Not Too Tame return with an electrifying production of Twelfth Night, starring Les Dennis as Malvolio. The company that brought you 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' return with their unique brand of high octane theatre in a ...Derren Brown
Lowry, Salford
Tuesday 2 - Saturday 13 September 2025
Prepare to be astonished! The multi award-winning master of mind control and psychological illusion, Derren Brown, returns with his brand new live show, ONLY HUMAN. The content of ONLY HUMAN is still under wraps, but we can guarantee you a ...CANAL STREET LONELY HEARTS CLUB
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Wednesday 3 - Sunday 14 September 2025
Filled with his trademark caustic wit, Jonathan Harvey's classic "gut-wrenching" (The Independent) 90s play, Rupert Street Lonely Hearts Club, has relocated from its original London location to modern day Manchester. Canal Street Lonely He...Private Lives
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Thursday 4 - 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...National Theatre Live - Inter Alia (15)
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 4 - 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...Jekyll & Hyde
Waterside, Manchester
Saturday 6 September 2025
In a new and enthralling one-man stage adaptation of the classic tale of terror, acclaimed actor Jonathan Goodwin plays both Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde in this production from Don't Go Into The Cellar! Victorian theatre company. Journey...IDEAL - Starring Johnny Vegas
Lowry, Salford
Monday 8 - Saturday 13 September 2025
Critically acclaimed and a ratings hit, the multi-award winning BBC sit-com Ideal ran for 7 seasons and 53 episodes. Now Moz and friends are back. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first episode's broadcast, this new stage show is da...Séance
HOME, Manchester
Wednesday 10 - 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...In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 11 - Saturday 13 September 2025
In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun is Houmi Miura's debut one-woman show. What happens when you grow up with heroes that look nothing like you? What happens when you find some that do? Join Houmi on her odyssey to find new heroes in this su...
Austen's Women: Lady Susan
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Tuesday 16 - 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...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...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
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 ...Gallifrey Cabaret
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 25 - 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...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 re...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, ...Bristol Old Vic - Hamlet
Waterside, Manchester
Wednesday 1 October 2025
Filmed in 4k, in front of a live audience at Bristol Old Vic, and with a new sound mix exclusively for cinema, director John Haidar's spellbinding adaptation of Shakespeare's seminal tragedy stars rising star Billy Howle (The Serpent, On C...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...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...
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
