The best drama shows coming to Lowry this autumn

The totemic psychological thriller arrives on stage for the first time this autumn, as The Silence of the Lambs receives its world stage premiere at Lowry with John Partridge in the bone-chilling role of Hannibal Lecter.

Based on Thomas Harris’s landmark novel, the production follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks Lecter’s help in tracking down serial killer Buffalo Bill, only to find herself drawn into the twisted mind of the inscrutable man behind the cell door.

Written by award-winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo and directed by Nikolai Foster, this new adaptation brings one of the most enduring thrillers of modern popular culture into a live setting, with tension, violence and all the psychological gamesmanship that defined one of the greatest cat-and-mouse stories of all time.

An ambitious and forceful blend of documentary theatre and dance, LUNG’s Woodhill investigates the families left searching for answers following three deaths at the titular British prison. Drawing on first-hand testimony, the production follows the families as they uncover the hidden stories surrounding the deaths of their loved ones, confronting a prison system marked by grief, injustice and unanswered questions.

With choreography, music and the words of those directly affected woven into its storytelling, Woodhill pushes documentary theatre into a breathtaking physical dimension, creating a piece that is as visceral as it is politically charged.

In Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, Martin Shaw takes on one of English drama’s great roles as Sir Thomas More, a man caught between political power, personal loyalty and the demands of his own conscience.

When Henry VIII seeks to divorce Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn, More’s refusal to endorse the King’s decision sets him on a collision course with the most powerful figure in the country.

Directed by Jonathan Church, this acclaimed production revisits Bolt’s award-winning drama with a celebrated leading performance from Shaw, whose career has encompassed everything from The Professionals and Inspector George Gently to an illustrious record on stage.

Following a sell-out UK tour and London run, the chilling new play from Bruntwood Prize-winner Tim Foley brings a suspenseful psychological thriller with an innovative metatextual twist this November.

A job playing a ghost at an isolated country house sounds straightforward enough, so when an out-of-work actor accepts the role, he steels himself for a bout of cheap scares and wearisome dialogue. As night after night unfolds, things take a sinister turn, the boundary between performance and reality starts to dissolve, and he is left to question exactly what is haunting the house – and whether it is something he can escape.

Written by Foley and directed by Neil Bettles, the production combines ghost story and psychological thriller with dark humour, immersive sound and inventive visual effects, constructing a contorted scaffolding of creeping dread that promises several surprises along the way.

The extraordinary life of Dr Feelgood founder Wilko Johnson comes to the stage in Wilko, a play with live music charting the rock star’s remarkable journey through illness, mortality and an unexpected second act.

In 2012, Johnson was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given just a year to live, choosing to spend his remaining time reconnecting with the people, places and passions that had shaped his life.

Based on the events following some abrupt and wholly unexpected news, this acclaimed production follows the story through music and drama, offering a portrait of a singular musician and the strange twists of fate that transformed his final chapter.