Fringe favourite: award-winning play Skin A Cat at The Lowry

Fresh from the Edinburgh Festival, award-winning play Skin A Cat brings its coming-of-age tale with a difference to The Lowry. Pick Of The Year at London’s biggest arts festival VAULT, Skin A Cat follows young protagonist Alana on an awkward sexual odyssey, delivered in equal measures of sympathy and hilarity. Every teenager thinks they’re the last one to be having sex, but in Alana’s case it’s probably true. From being unable to use tampons on getting her first period to various thwarted attempts at losing her virginity, Alana finds anything to do with “down there” a painful subject, thanks to vaginismus, a rarely talked about though not uncommon uncontrollable spasming of the muscles in the vagina. Based on the personal experiences of the piece’s writer, Isley Lynn wanted to draw attention to the condition, which she manages to do while also presenting a legitimately sensitive and uplifting piece of theatre.

Thu 27–Fri 28 Sep, The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ, Tel: 0843 208 6000, 8pm, £10-12, thelowry.com