More than 18 months after the pandemic forced theatres to close their doors, Contact is back and ready to welcome audiences to an exciting reopening programme launching 25 September.

During lockdown, the theatre continued to pursue its mission of empowering and mentoring a new generation of young creatives, hosting numerous online workshops and supporting many creative projects alongside fostering emerging talent through Contact Young Company (pictured here: image by Fotocod).

As the theatre gets ready to raise the curtain on its new programme, here are our must-sees in the months ahead:

CYC: Everything All of the Time | Ages 12+ | Wed Oct 6-Sat Oct 9 | 7:30pm | £5-£10 | Sat 25 Sep

Contact Young Company presents Everything All of the Time, a thought-provoking evening of music, dance and theatre that draws inspiration from sources spanning both geographic and generic boundaries – from Gaika’s music videos to Benji Reid’s photography and Bo Burnham’s Inside.

This physical and visual journey through a new world asks: what now, what has changed and what needs to change?

The Queer House: Pink Lemonade | Ages 14+ | Tues Nov 23-Sat Nov 27 | 7:30pm with additional 2:00pm performance Sat Nov 27 | £5-£15 | Sat 25 Sep

This kaleidoscopic and explosive autobiographical piece of storytelling expertly combines original beats with poetry and movement to explore questions of sexuality, identity, and self-discovery.

After a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2019 and a highly acclaimed revival at the Bush Theatre early in September, you don’t want to miss the long-awaited return of this five-star debut.

Mandla Rae: As British as a Watermelon | Ages TBC | Sat Oct 23-Weds Oct 27 | 7:30pm | £5-£15 | Sat 25 Sep

Writer and performer Mandla Rae takes audiences on a journey of discovery and rebirth in this unflinching autofiction narrative piece that explores Mandla’s fragmented asylum and migration memories.

Supported and commissioned by Black Gold Arts and Contact, Mandla’s work weaves storytelling and poetry to ask questions about belonging, trauma and forgiveness.

BAC Beatbox Academy: Frankenstein | Ages 8+ | Tues May 10-Sat May 14 | 7:00pm with additional 2:00pm performance Sat May 14 | £10-£20 | Sat 25 Sep

Through immersive musical soundscapes created with rap, beatboxing and song, Beatbox Academy bring their own perspective as young people growing up in 21st-century Britain to the question of how modern monsters are created in today’s society. This is Mary Shelley’s classic, but not as you know it.

Ergon Theatre: The Wicked Problem | Ages 13+ | Weds Nov 3-Sat Nov 6 | 7:30pm | £5-£15 | Sat 25 Sep

In an innovative blend of science and the arts, The Wicked Problem places the audience in the position of jury members, making them question their own morals, debate on climate change, reflect on geographical privilege and decide on the outcome of the show.

A uniquely interactive and immersive experience that explores themes around climate change and sustainability and investigates the future of Greater Manchester.

A Manchester Wire Partnership post
Sat 25 Sep, Contact Theatre,
Oxford Road Manchester M15 6JA

contactmcr.com
Words:
Rachel Kevern
Published on:
Thu 16 Sep 2021