Site-specific theatre: Sari story unfolds in Handlooms by Rasa & Contact

Handlooms tells the story of a mother-and-son sari business in crisis, with the site-specific action unfolding in the Alankar House of Sarees, the first sari shop on the Curry Mile when it opened 40 years ago. An exciting and immersive theatrical experience in the heart of one of Rusholme’s oldest working businesses, Handlooms offers a mixture of live performance and audio storytelling through headphones. Told from the male perspective of Rajesh, the play explores the generational conflict between him and his mother as they each seek solutions to save the family firm, providing a fascinating insight into the historically male-dominated world and rich traditions of the sari, some of which are gradually disappearing through contemporary demands for ready-stitched fashion – not to mention the changing role of women. This theatrical event is co-produced by Rani Moorthy’s Rasa Theatre and Contact, as part of their In The City season, and directed by the Slung Low theatre company’s Alan Lane,

Mon 12 -Sat 24 Mar (except Sun), Alankar House of Sarees, 46-48 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M14 5TQ, Tel: 0161 274 0600, 7.30pm, 9.30pm (Saturdays 8.30pm only), £10-15, www.contactmcr.com

For more theatre in Manchester, click here.