DRAMA PLAYS IN MANCHESTER
DRAMA PLAYS IN MANCHESTER
Most Popular Drama Plays in Manchester
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Manchester Opera House
Tue 2 - Sat 6 Mar 2027
Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger's Drift
Manchester Opera House
Wed 27 - Sat 30 May 2026
Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 8 - Saturday 11 April 2026
Starring Tom Chambers (Father Brown, Strictly Come Dancing) as Inspector Morse, in the first-ever stage adaptation of the iconic detective. ITV's long-running Inspector Morse, hailed by Radio Times as 'The greatest British crime series of a...Private Lives
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Wednesday 8 April - Saturday 2 May 2026
Jill Halfpenny returns to the Royal Exchange Theatre to play Amanda Prynne. 'I think very few people are completely normal really, deep down in their private lives.' In Noel Coward's savage comedy, there's nothing a cocktail can't cu...The Railway Children
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Wednesday 8 - Sunday 19 April 2026
Altrincham Garrick Playhouse present their Easter holiday production of a beloved children's classic. Capturing all of the angsts and exhilarations of childhood, it promises to be a heart-warming treat for all ages! Mike Kenny's version of...Bloody Women
Lowry, Salford
Thursday 9 April 2026
What do prisons and hormones have in common? Both hold sentences for many women! To mark 12 years in prison as a writer and facilitator, Jenny Berry offers a unique night on the imprisonments of women's hormones. Including, a script rea...Fixing
Lowry, Salford
Friday 10 April 2026
An interactive, queer drag theatre show by Matt Miller featuring drag alter-ego Natalie Spanner. When Matt was little, their dad bought a classic car. A 1952 Sunbeam Talbot Mark II. Dad had ideas that he and Matt would do it up, repair, re...Playreading Sessions
HOME, Manchester
Friday 10 April - Friday 4 December 2026
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 Jury Experience - Diamonds, Lies and a Dead Man
The Stoller Hall, Manchester
Saturday 11 April 2026
You've been called for jury duty. Step into a thrilling courtroom drama where the audience is the jury. Listen to testimonies, analyze evidence, and ultimately decide... guilty or not guilty? Scandal brews as a disgraced ex-driver stands tr...Waiting for Godot
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Wednesday 15 April - Saturday 2 May 2026
Matthew Kelly and George Costigan star in a new staging of Samuel Beckett's classic play - in which absolutely nothing happens. Set in a shifting, timeless landscape, Waiting for Godot follows two men, Vladimir and Estragon, as they wa...BALLAÍ / WALLS
53two, Manchester
Wednesday 15 - Friday 17 April 2026
In Belfast, everyone knows some stories aren't told. Some people aren't found. Some names you never learn. Some secrets stay buried. Set against the backdrop of Belfast, 1969, this powerful one-woman play follows a young woman reliving the ...National Theatre Live - All My Sons
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 16 - Saturday 18 April 2026
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) feature in a five-star, triumphantly acclaimed new production of Arthur Miller's classic play All My Sons, from visionary director Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge)....Murder Mystery Evening
East Lancashire Railway, Bury
Friday 17 April - Friday 18 December 2026
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 -...Under the Iron Clock
St Thomas Church Hall, Warrington
Friday 17 - Saturday 18 April 2026
"Under the Iron Clock", inspired by Georg Kaiser's 'From Morn to Midnight', follows the story of an everyman who grows tired of the corporate machine that traps society. He breaks free, running from the law and the collector, as he hunts fo...I, Daniel Blake
HOME, Manchester
Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 April 2026
Dan is a carpenter. A Geordie through and through. Just on the mend after a heart attack. Katie has just arrived from London. Finally got a council house for her and the kids. A fresh start. I, Daniel Blake is one of the most important stor...Noughts & Crosses
Lowry, Salford
Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 April 2026
This gripping Romeo and Juliet story by acclaimed writer Malorie Blackman and adapted by Sabrina Mahfouz from Pilot Theatre is a captivating drama of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world. Winner of Excellence i...The Animals
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Tuesday 21 April 2026
What happens when imagination becomes survival? Set inside a youth custody classroom, The Animals is a fierce, poetic and deeply human play about identity, anger, compassion - and the stories we tell ourselves to survive systems that refuse...
The Fit Prince
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Tuesday 21 - Sunday 26 April 2026
The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle the night before [insert public holiday here]) Following the sold-out, award-winning shows Gwyneth Goes Skiing and Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, Awkward Produ...BOYS by Ella Hickson
The Kings Arms, Salford
Tuesday 21 April - Friday 8 May 2026
The Kings would like to announce their latest production of their inaugural season, BOYS by Ella Hickson. Hickson's firecracker play makes it's Manchester premiere at The King's Arms from 21st April - 8th May 2026. It's the final day for th...National Theatre Live - All My Sons
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Wednesday 22 April 2026
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) feature in a five-star, triumphantly acclaimed new production of Arthur Miller's classic play All My Sons, from visionary director Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge)....The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton
Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot
Friday 24 April 2026
Mark Farrelly (Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope, Howerd's End, Jarman) presents his riveting, kinetic solo show portraying one of the great English writers of the inter-war years. Patrick Hamilton was a dazzling success in his twenties, producin...Creative Tiny Humans
HOME, Manchester
Friday 24 April 2026 - Friday 26 March 2027
Join us in the Creativity Corner for our baby and toddler group drop in session to enjoy crafts, chats and creativity. Expect making for tiny hands, stories and most importantly PLAY. Join artist and community facilitator Phoebe Foxtrot on ...National Theatre Live - All My Sons
Stockport Plaza, Stockport
Sunday 26 April 2026
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) feature in a five-star, triumphantly acclaimed new production of Arthur Miller's classic play All My Sons, from visionary director Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge)....Double Indemnity
Manchester Opera House, Manchester
Tuesday 28 April - Saturday 2 May 2026
Hollywood icon Mischa Barton (The O.C.) makes her UK stage debut in Double Indemnity, the gripping adaptation of one of the greatest crime novels of the 20th Century - the story that inspired Billy Wilder's film noir classic. Los Angeles, 1...Amadeus
Woodford Community Centre, Stockport
Tuesday 28 April - Saturday 2 May 2026
Peter Shaffer's Amadeus is a reimagining of the lives of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The play, brought to life with the music of Mozart, is a tale of jealousy and betrayal... and perhaps even murder. In the court of the Aus...National Theatre Connections Festival
Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 29 April - Sunday 3 May 2026
Connections is the National Theatre's annual, nationwide youth theatre festival. The programme is 30 years old and has a history of championing the talent of young people from across the UK. Every year, Connections commissions new plays for...The Angry Brigade
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Friday 1 - Saturday 2 May 2026
Set in 1970s Britain during a period of Tory cuts, high unemployment, and increasing inequality, focusing on the hunt for the anarchist group "The Angry Brigade" by a special police squad. The play contrasts the contrasting perspectives of ...Altrincham Garrick Play Reading Club
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Friday 1 May - Friday 4 December 2026
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 ...Teechers
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Tuesday 5 - Saturday 16 May 2026
New Year. . . same problems! It is the end of term and Godber's hilarious comedy masterpiece has been reset for our post Covid times. bristling with teenage swagger and outlandish imagination, Salty, Gail and Hobby use their B. Tech Perform...Black Is The Color Of My Voice
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Tuesday 5 - Sunday 10 May 2026
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...Bears Bears Bears
Contact, Manchester
Wednesday 6 - Saturday 16 May 2026
An explosive world premiere of Bears Bears Bears, a wild and electric drama that explores power dynamics within relationships, nature vs nurture, and what it means to be a feminist. If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big su...Return to the Forest
Aviva Studios, Manchester
Thursday 7 - Sunday 10 May 2026
A magical forest comes alive through dance, puppetry and play - inviting us to reflect on what we treasure and how we connect. Step inside a museum where precious treasures are on display. But remember - strictly no touching! Dusk falls and...
Troubled
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 7 - Saturday 9 May 2026
It's 1993, Mum won't let Alice go to Funderland because Belfast is burning. 'How about Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and Chinese chicken balls instead?' Fast forward to 2023, where Alice meets Tim, falling in love (finally) but can she esca...Desperate Scousewives
Stockport Plaza, Stockport
Wednesday 13 May 2026
Get ready for a riotous, fast-paced comedy following the lives of three loud, no-nonsense Liverpool women and one nervous newcomer, all navigating life, love, loyalty, and lipstick on a tightly knit street. Susan, Vanessa and Lily dominate ...A Sudden, Disturbing To Do List
53two, Manchester
Wednesday 13 May 2026
Phoebe is 28, a journalist, has OCD and is the queen of lists. On her mirror, on the fridge, all over her hands and... everywhere basically. Her favourite lists are: 1) shopping, 2) favourite stationary, 3) least favourite numbers, 4) past ...Even These Things
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Friday 15 May - Monday 15 June 2026
'Do you think the city's forgotten?' Three centuries. Three moments in time. An epic story of Manchester and Ireland by multi award-winning playwright Rory Mullarkey comes to the Royal Exchange Theatre 30 years after an IRA bomb devastated ...Funeral Teeth
53two, Manchester
Saturday 16 May 2026
Maybe you've lost your marbles... Or maybe you've found the most transformative piece of theatre that you'll see this year. Probably both. Nominated for a London Pub Theatres award in 2025 and debuted to rave reviews, the Succulent girlies ...The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Tuesday 19 - Saturday 23 May 2026
The Theatre Chipping Norton and Selladoor Worldwide present a new version of the West End classic - rebooted and reimagined for 2026. All 37 plays. Three actors. One wildly funny show. The worldwide comedy hit returns with a brand-new, upda...Split Ends
Contact, Manchester
Tuesday 19 - Wednesday 20 May 2026
Critically acclaimed tragi-comedy SPLIT ENDS (transferring from Brighton, Camden and Edinburgh Fringe) follows the story of a woman who falls in love with a Vacuum. Using physical theatre, puppetry and multi-media, this 'Sarah Kane Rave' ...One Breath Before The End
53two, Manchester
Wednesday 20 - Friday 22 May 2026
"It's always been the end." The sky's on fire and everything's falling apart. Out of options, inseparable trio Ash, Oliver, and Kieron have retreated to their old childhood hangout to figure out what the plan is - or whether there's even on...Spitfire Girls
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Tuesday 26 - Saturday 30 May 2026
INSPIRED BY REMARKABLE TRUE EVENTS"It's built for us, isn't it? The Spitfire. Built for women." New Year's Eve, 1959. Decades after answering the call, two women separated by the war meet again as the rain hammers down on the windows of ...Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger's Drift
Manchester Opera House, Manchester
Wednesday 27 - Saturday 30 May 2026
Murder comes to the countryside in the theatrical world premiere of the critically acclaimed television favourite Midsomer Murders. When well-loved spinster Emily Simpson is found dead in the picturesque village of Badger's Drift, her frien...The Bench: A Tale from Paradise Heights
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
Thursday 28 - Saturday 30 May 2026
'Stephen King meets Jimmy McGovern' Gritty, urban comedy/drama with a rich vein of the supernaturalIt?s just a bench in the park, the one by the war memorial. A thief, a fake clairvoyant, a homeless man, two burglars, a street sweeper, two ...National Theatre Live - Playboy of the Western World
HOME, Manchester
Thursday 28 - Saturday 30 May 2026
Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) joins Eanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) and Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls) in John Millington Synge's riveting play of youth and self-discovery. Pegeen Flaherty's life is turned upside down when a young m...Barbara
Gullivers, Manchester
Thursday 28 May 2026
An immersive theatrical experience that sensitively explores the subject of dementia through the lens of how we care for those we love and how we care for ourselves. Barbara and Bernard will transport you, their guests, to a bygone era ...Philosophy of the World
Contact, Manchester
Friday 29 - Saturday 30 May 2026
In partnership with SICK! Festival 2026, IN BED WITH MY BROTHER take to the stage for their three-act biopic, Philosophy Of The World. Ridiculed then revered, "the best worst band of all time" 1960s American rockers The Shaggs defied cate...The Good Life
Altrincham Garrick, Altrincham
Monday 1 - Sunday 7 June 2026
Remember the Goods - Tom and Barbara, suburban eco-warriors? And their next-door neighbours Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, desperately trying to maintain the Surbiton status quo? Well, they're back - and on stage for the first time in The Good...
Malory Towers
HOME, Manchester
Tuesday 2 - Saturday 13 June 2026
Darrell Rivers is starting school with an eager mind and fierce heart. Unfortunately, she also has a quick temper! Can she learn to tolerate the infuriating Gwendoline Lacey, or value the kind-hearted Sally Hope? Can she save the school pla...Desperate Scousewives
Blackburn Empire Theatre, Blackburn
Wednesday 3 June 2026
Get ready for a riotous, fast-paced comedy following the lives of three loud, no-nonsense Liverpool women and one nervous newcomer, all navigating life, love, loyalty, and lipstick on a tightly knit street. Susan, Vanessa and Lily dominate ...We Invented The Weekend Festival
Lowry, Salford
Saturday 6 - Sunday 7 June 2026
We Invented the Weekend festival is back for 2026! Across Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026, Salford Quays and MediaCity will be buzzing with over 200 free activities in the UKs most ambitious, creative, original and fun-filled festival cel...The Archers - Live at 75
Palace Theatre, Manchester
Sunday 7 June 2026
Don your best hat, dust off your prize-winning jam recipe and join us for an unforgettable celebration of 75 glorious years of BBC Radio 4's The Archers. To mark this extraordinary milestone, The Archers is stepping out of the studio and on...The Jury Experience - Death on the Port Side
RNCM, Manchester
Sunday 7 June 2026
You've been called for jury duty. Step into a thrilling courtroom drama where the audience is the jury. Listen to testimonies, analyze evidence, and ultimately decide... guilty or not guilty? On a summer night, the son of a powerful politic...The Jury Experience - An Immersive Courtroom Case
