Event type: Comedy

Unity Theatre has always been a place for creatives to come and grow their skills in a comfortable, affordable and supportive setting. In 2025 Unity are upholding their commitment to supporting creatives through an entirely new range of workshops. Covering a vast range of topics, there is something for everyone, so feel free to come and get involved in the 2025 workshop series.

 
What’s Coming Up?
 
Bric à Brac Theatre Workshop
Tue 21 Jan

Join Bric à Brac Theatre (Associate Company of Told by an Idiot) for a workshop looking at how to use devising techniques to navigate big topics. Bric à Brac are a Lecoq-trained, female-led theatre company who combine physical storytelling and multimedia to focus on stories they feel need to be told.

Find out more

 
From Page to Stage with Helen Jeffery
Tue 28 Jan

What IS a scratch night?  How does a work-in-progress showing differ from a production?

If these are questions YOU are asking, then join Helen for this workshop where you will learn all about the nuts and bolts of getting your work on stage. Perfect for anyone thinking about self-producing.

Find out more

 
Expressive Ensemble with Tmesis Theatre
Mon 10 Feb

This workshop will focus on developing a playful, expressive performer, creating physical sequences, physical devising methods and working as an embodied ensemble to explore ideas, character or story. Tmesis are a renowned physical theatre company based in Liverpool, led by our AD Eli Randle.

Find out more

 
Commedia dell’Arte with Ann Farrar
Sat 15 Feb

Come and play with the wonderful masks of Commedia! As a physical comedy performer and teacher for over thirty years, I am always amazed and inspired to see how these masks can unlock a performer’s comic skills and timing. Through movement and improvisation we will explore the physicality and voices of key Commedia characters, creating short fun duets, later in the day.

Find out more

 
Theatre and Performance Skills for Families
Tue 18 Feb

Join us in this fun and practical workshop for children and families.

We will be using a range of activities and games designed to draw out elements of the play’s language, characters and themes. Come to Unity and take part in an interactive workshop for the whole family.

Find out more

 
Circus Skills with Splats Entertainment & Teatro Pomodoro
Wed 19 Feb

In this workshop, young people can learn various circus skills, including juggling scarves, balancing peacock feathers, spinning plates, juggling bean bags, diabolos, flower-sticks, and riding pedal-go.  This fun experience encourages a dedication to practice, building confidence.

Find out more

 
Accessing Vulnerability with Joseph Winder
Thu 25 Feb

Finding comfort in the uncomfortable. This workshop focuses on bringing actors together in an intimate way, exploring ways to build trust in their fellow actors in a short amount of time. It challenges the participants to be fully present and push themselves through uncomfortable situations but in a safe environment.

Find out more
This Kind of… Workshop: Poetry and Storytelling with Reece Williams
Tue 11 March

Are you ready to dive deep into your own narrative? Join us for ‘This Kind of…Workshop’, an immersive poetry and storytelling workshop that invites you to explore the richness of your autobiographical experiences. Guided by the powerful themes of identity, resilience, and community, this workshop offers a safe and inspiring space to craft your own stories and poems.

Find out more

 
Honest Play: Devising with Ugly Bucket
Tue 18 March

Learn from the multi-award-winning Ugly Bucket on how to devise with heart and humour. Together, we’ll explore how to draw from honest testimony and sources, harnessing clown techniques to create impactful scenes that blend humour, vulnerability, and pulsating physicality. Encouraging play, risk, and an intuitive, emotion-driven approach to devising, this workshop aims to leave participants inspired and confident to craft work that connects on a deeper level.

Find out more

 
It’s A Living Thing! with Marc Parrett of theOBJECTproject
Sat 22 March

This workshop is a welcoming, playful and creative introduction to puppetry in its multiple forms. Even if you’re familiar with puppetry, this is a chance to delve deeper into the life and thoughts of the puppet and explore its relationship with both the audience and its puppeteers!

Find out more

 
Working The Crowd with Daniel Bye
Tue 25 March

This workshop explores tools and techniques for engaging directly with the present audience. We’ll be particularly focused on storytelling but these approaches can be used by anyone.

Find out more
Stage Aesthetic for Performers with Carmen Arquelladas
Tue 1st April

This workshop focusses on the importance of the aesthetic on the stage,  what goes into creating and completing “a Look ” for the stage. Costumes, Props, Make Up, Set, Lights, Special Effects and more.

Focusing on the design aspect from the eyes of the performer and theatre makers and how to make your show visually striking.

Find out more
Make A Rubbish Myth Workshop
Sat 5 April

This exciting workshop, led by Lee Hithersay from Rubbish Shakespeare Company and Dear Old Uncle Bob Bob of The Silly History Boys, invites your children to become myth-makers! Combining clowning, physicality, and storytelling, participants will learn the essential building blocks of myths and legends, from heroic deeds to mischievous villains. Through playful activities, children will discover how to bring their own fantastical stories and creation myths to life. In a world of rehashed franchises and sequels, this wraparound experience aims to foster a love of new and original stories, and empower children’s creativity and artistic potential.

Find out more

Funded by The British Council
 

Rising | Pike Ake is a cross-continental theatrical collaboration with young people from Liverpool, UK and Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Connecting us both is our coastal location and strong relationship with the water. Using a ‘call and response’, between the two groups we will create stories inspired by each other’s cultures, stories and responses to the climate crisis.

We will work with both physical theatre and writing with AD Eli Randle and writer Ginni Manning over a series of 8 weekly sessions, connecting with our partner in New Zealand online.

We are looking for young people to be involved in this exciting opportunity. You can be involved as performers, writers, designers or musicians.

 
APPLY TO TAKE PART HERE
. If you can’t make all of the sessions, don’t let this put you off, as long as you can make the majority! The Deadline for applications is Feb 3rd 2025.

7.30pm
A movement ritual of care & resilience.
How has colonialism impacted the care we have received from our elders?
How did we experience their resilience?
What nurturing strategies can we share with each other to help us thrive, in a
mainstream society that seeks to racialise and dehumanise us?
Can we create rituals and spaces to care for ourselves?

Women from the Global Ethnic Majority whose families have been impacted by colonisation share their own histories of care, resilience, legacy, and how these stories live in their bodies. Going beyond everyday storytelling, transforming those energies into a live experience. This performance brings to audiences our latest research and development phase of this project, where we focused on weaving personal storytelling, movement, dramaturgy and community.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
The work deals with social construct of race and colonial histories/troubles.

CREATIVE TEAM: 
Fabíola is an interdisciplinary Afro-Portuguese artist based in Liverpool.
With a PhD scholarship in performance and decolonising studies (Liverpool Hope University) she is currently researching performance making as a space where people from the Global Ethnic Majority can gather to centre their stories, be witnessed, and nurtured – collectively creating a space for the ancestors to reverberate through us — pointing us toward the elders we want to become.
Fabiola is the maker of ‘A Home for Grief’, supported by Lancaster Arts, Unity Theatre, Contact Theatre, Glasgow Tramway & Arts Council England.
www.fabiolasantana.co.uk

Jessica Morgado is an emerging dance artists based in Cambridge. As a dancer and international collaborator her works include: WRESTLELADSWRESTLE by Jennifer Jackson Company (Cambridge); Turn 2024: Mother’s, Grandmothers and Their post Colonial Children with Fabiola Santana (Manchester; Company MARRAFA (Brussels); ‘HOME’ by Luís Marrafa at the Westrand – Cultuurcentrum Dilbeek; ‘Rebuild’ by Iolanda Rodrigues and Marina Sacramento (Portugal); ‘Oito’ by Lia Vohlgemuth and Nuno Santos (Portugal).

WilL Dickie is an interdisciplinary artist whose works received nationwide support, touring to 40+ UK venues including Southbank Centre, The Place & In Between Time. His recent show White Sun had its international premier this year in Boorloo (Perth, WA) as part of The Blue Room’s Summer Nights during Perth Fringe Festival. White Sun was first developed with Works Ahead 2020, co-ommissioned/co-produced by hÅb + Contact. Collaborative credits include choreography for Hanna Tuulikki; movement director at Regents Park Open Air Theatre; director of A Home for Grief by Fabiola Santana.
www.willdickie.co.uk

Created and performed by Fabíola Santana
Performed-Devised Jessica Morgado
Directed by WilL Dickie
Producer: Emmy Lahouel

Other creatives will be joining our team as the project keeps developing, we will update their names and contributions as they join.

This project is funded by the Arts Council England through National Lottery Project Grants; made possible by an Artist Residency with Metal Liverpool, and Fabíola being the recipient of the Turn Prize (2024) supported by Company Chameleon, Dance Consortia NW, hÅb + Project Auske. In partnership with the Unity Theatre (Liverpool), Tyn-y-Parc Studio (Wales), and Liverpool Hope University.

7:30pm
“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be born into a country where your safety was at risk?

Afloat is a theatre for social change performance, following the journey of two English citizens seeking asylum in a fictional place, fighting for their lives as the dream to make Britain Great turns into a living nightmare.

Afloat brings to the stage powerful real-life stories of asylum seekers, inviting the audience to step into their shoes and confront the daily struggles and challenges faced with every step. By experiencing their journey firsthand, we aim to foster a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for those navigating the asylum process.

Following the performance, engage in a thought-provoking post-show discussion led by Asylum Link, where we’ll open up a dialogue to explore how we can collectively support asylum seekers in our communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of something truly impactful—a journey of hope, humanity, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Members of Asylum Link have been empowered through training in all aspects of devising theatre, collaborating alongside industry professionals to bring this production to life. Together, they’ve crafted a performance that not only educates audiences on the asylum process but also highlights the importance of community cohesion and the transformative power of the arts. ‘Afloat’ is a response to the long term barriers asylum seekers face and theatre for change was recognised as an outlet allowing service users to articulate their voices alongside learning and fulfilling long term life goals.

Asylum Link is an organisation dedicated to helping Asylum Seekers and Refugees, offering a warm welcome, friendship and a place to belong. Their vision is to build a society where Asylum Seekers are accepted, understood and welcomed, for the benefit of the whole community. Asylum Link offers a wide range of services, including drop-in and appointments for specialist activities.| 15+

 

“The stories were very real & told authentically from the heart” – Audience Member

“Although harrowing, succeeds in finding an optimistic outlook in the humanity that is discovered along the way, and feels like a glimmer of sunrise on the horizon” – Good News Liverpool

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

4.30pm
 

This exciting workshop, led by Lee Hithersay from Rubbish Shakespeare Company and Dear Old Uncle Bob Bob of The Silly History Boys, invites your children to become myth-makers! Combining clowning, physicality, and storytelling, participants will learn the essential building blocks of myths and legends, from heroic deeds to mischievous villains. Through playful activities, children will discover how to bring their own fantastical stories and creation myths to life. In a world of rehashed franchises and sequels, this wraparound experience aims to foster a love of new and original stories, and empower children’s creativity and artistic potential.

 

11:30am & 2:30pm
 

Who is the God of dog poo bags? How did the microwave get its ping? What ancient crime was Marmite the punishment for… And why was it inflicted upon us?

Senior academics of history, and rather silly men, Professor Doctor Lee Hithersay and Doctor Professor Robert Rhys Bond, forge three new myths from the unhinged minds of their audience – and a boatload of cardboard props!

Will it be Greek? Viking? Ancient Babylonian? They haven’t a clue! That’s all up to you. Help shape the stories and even become the hero yourself (if you want, no pressure) in this EPIC interactive experience!

The renowned Rubbish Shakespeare Company and Silly History Boys present a hilarious hour of high-octane adventure for children and childish adults. Featuring clowning, storytelling, physical comedy, live music and more.
Watch the trailer here
 
★★★★??

‘Horrible Histories on Steroids’
THE REVIEWS HUB
★★★??

‘A truly special event’
NORTH WEST END

7:30pm

We survived so you don’t have to.
The world has ended, time to rejoice. A leader emerges, one who promises a better future. This curious collective may have outlived the humans, but can they avoid repeating the same mistakes? 

The Intrusion is a dynamic new collaboration from Bric à Brac Theatre and Told by an Idiot. Featuring original music, creative captioning*, and clown; this darkly comic production offers an anarchic look at extinction and questions who gets to survive.
Directed by Anna Marshall

 

Praise for Bric à Brac:

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ‘The cast members are faultless in their hybrid roles and the whole world hint is, aptly, a perfect example of risk paying off’ The Observer on Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stars

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ‘Remarkably intricate piece of theatre’ British Theatre Guide on Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stars

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ‘Creative, really smart, very funny and poignant’ Sinners Review on Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stars

Previous praise for Told by an Idiot:

‘One of the jewels of left field British theatre’ Guardian

‘Their work is never less than sublime’ Independent

 

The Team

 

Alex Hinson

One of the founding members of Bric à Brac theatre, Alex is an actor, deviser, and singer originally from the USA. She studied movement and performance at Sarah Lawrence in New York, and continued her theatrical education at Jacques Lecoq in Paris alongside fellow Bric à Brac members. Alex’s recent credits include ‘Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stars’ at The Pleasance Edinburgh and ‘Mr. Gumpy’s Outing’ at Riverside Studios.

Anna Marshall – Director of Bric à Brac and The Intrusion

 Anna is a director specialising in collaborative and devised theatre. She is currently Resident Director on the National Theatre’s production of War Horse. She is a founding member of Lecoq company Bric à Brac and recently directed multimedia show Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stars supported by Leeds Playhouse and Shoreditch Town Hall. She has assisted on The Play that Goes Wrong (West End) and has worked for companies such as Opera North (Requiem, Leeds Grand & BBC Iplayer) imitating the Dog (Night of the Living Dead, National Tour) and was recently the intern director on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child West End.

Siobhan Cha Cha

Siobhan trained at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Siobhan specialises in theatre which involves devised, physical and comedic theatre.
Recent theatre credits include Owl Who Came For Christmas Tour at Theatre Severn and Palace Theatre, playing the title character of Red in Little Red Riding Hood at The Rep. Other credits include: Justin Audibert’s Anansi The Spider at the Unicorn Theatre London, Bluebeard’s Castle at Edinburgh International Festival and Beijing Music Festival. Theatre Royal Bath’s 40th Anniversary production of Noises Off directed by Lindsey Posner and Big Girl Words at Brixton House Theatre.

Anna Reddyhoff  |  Lighting Design

Anna is thrilled to once again be working with Bric a Brac on The Intrusion, after previously working with them on Glass Ceiling Beneath The Stars.

Previous design credits include; Omid Djalili – The Good Times Tour, Love it if we Beat Them – Live Theatre & UK Tour, The Shape of Things – Park Theatre, Shewolves – UK Tour, Crackers – Polka Theatre; Everything I Didn’t Say – UK Tour, A Little Night Music – Avondale Theatre; Vessel – UK Tour; Copacabana – Avondale Theatre; The Strange Case of Jekyll & Hyde – UK Tour; Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs – Bradford Alhambra (Associate LD); The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe – Garrick; Emilia – Vaudeville (Associate LD); Sara Pascoe: Lads Lads Lads – Wyndham’s.

Other credits;

Re-Lighter The Woman in Black – UK Tour; Chief Electrician – Secret Cinema’s Moulin Rouge; Deputy Electrician – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – UK Tour; Deputy Electrician – Hairspray – UK Tour.

Ellie Isherwood 

Ellie Isherwood is a sound designer, composer, actor/musician and synth-pop artist (BYFYN). Her “quietly ground breaking” work spans a vast array of forms, from site specific theatre, to binaural audio experiences, to musical theatre. Recent work includes composition and sound design for Tender (Bush Theatre), The Fir Tree (Arts Depot), The Odyssey (Unicorn Theatre), Son Of A Bitch, (Summerhall, Fringe First).

 

Kitty Devlin

Kitty’s screen credits include starring as MISS STOWELL in Netflix BRIDGERTON & SKY/PLAN B’s THE THIRD DAY. Theatre credits include several shows with BRIC À BRAC THEATRE, most recently GLASS CEILING BENEATH THE STARS at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 & PUNCHDRUNK ENRICHMENT’s THE LOST LENDING LIBRARY. Kitty is a founding member of Bric à Brac Theatre who met while training together at Jacques Lecoq. She is an Associate Artist with Punchdrunk Enrichment, after previously being their Associate Director, working with them both as an actor and director. She is training in British Sign Language (BSL) and is currently qualified to Level 4.

 

Michael Julings

Michael is a designer and art director from Leeds living and working in South London. He co-founded Piñata, beloved comedy/cabaret showcase and art collective.  

Sophie Slater 

Sophie is currently Assistant Production Manager at Leeds Playhouse working across a variety of projects within the company. Having graduated from RADA with a foundation degree in Technical Theatre & Stage Management she then went on to freelance in a variety of backstage roles including work with Contact Theatre, Brixton Theatre, ETT and Sheffield Theatres.

 

Virginie Taylor 

Virginie Taylor is a London based theatre video and creative captions designer, with a background in lighting design and fine art.

Video and lighting design credits include: « Pajoma Collective » Bernie Grant Arts Centre, « Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven » London Performance Studios and « Hummingbird » Vaults Festival.

Video design: « Bright Places » The Rep Birmingham, « Windrush the Journey », « Roman Fever » and « the Human Voice » by Pegasus Opera, « The Odyssey » Unicorn Theatre, « Wendy: A Peter Pan Story » The Egg (creative captions only), « Press » Park Theatre, « Charlie Russell Aims To Please » EdFringe/The Other Palace and « No Place Like Home » EdFringe/Camden People’s Theatre »

 

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England
Supported by Unity Theatre Trust
 

 

 

7:30pm
After a personal tragedy, a floundering TV comic starts listening to the wrong voices in his head. His moral compass is getting derailed. He kind of knows it. But all these ideas for his new show are brilliant.
Is it ok to go too far so long as you’re on the right side of history? How far would you go?
Daniel Bye’s award-winning stand-up storytelling is at its best in this startling new show. Book now for a wild ride through the warped mirror of twenty-first century culture.
 
PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS SHOWS:
“Bye is an exceptional storyteller” – Exeunt Theatre Magazine 
“Funny, wise, impeccably performed. […] Bye is one of the most astute and thoughtful contemporary theatremakers around.” **** – The Stage
“Fascinating, terrifying and thought-provoking” **** – The Guardian
“Captivating and illuminating” **** – The Independent
“Unforgettable. Beautifully written.” **** – The Scotsman
“Riveting, funny and thoughtful” **** – The Guardian

(Event description below). This event was recorded by Irish in the UK TV and broadcast on 18 Feb 2024. You can see the full TV show here:

Taking their cue from the new Irish bank holiday, held in Brigid’s honour — and Imbolc* — the George Ferguson Dance School and Melody Makers perform a specially curated evening of song and dance.

Brigid: Initially a Pagan goddess, then canonised (proclaimed a Saint); Brigid’s popularity is on the rise as she becomes a multidenominational LGBTQ+ icon (read more here).

Following recent success at the 2024 Liverpool Irish Festival, we represent these two incredible groups. Their engaging 2-hour programme features over 50 musicians and dancers from across Merseyside. The performance takes place in one of Liverpool’s greenest spaces: the ever magnificent Sefton Park Palm House.

If October’s event was anything to go on, this is not to be missed!

We have a select number of standing tickets available, thought to be best for parents of performers. Get in early to get your standing only tickets. Please be aware this is a 2-hour show (total, plus an interval).

The Festival has long been a promoter of Brigid. You can see many of our related commissions here and here.

* Imbolc is the beginning of spring. With the Festival’s annual theme being ‘arrivals’, what better way to mark the advent of a new season than with this stunning event.

For many years, Liverpool Irish Festival has coordinated Merseyside’s contribution to #GlobalGreening for St Patrick’s Day. 2025 was no different.
“We are thrilled that, once again, Liverpool and the region’s civic structures will come out to show support for our Irish diaspora communities. #GlobalGreening was originally the brainchild of Tourism Ireland and we were very pleased to pick up the mantle. As a city with a unique connection to the island of Ireland, being emerald for the night is a flattering colour on us. It is also a symbol of environmentalism and what we can each do to make the world a greener, healthier, happier place”, Dr Ann Hoskins, Liverpool Irish Festival Chair.
Greening regional locations is an act of care; showing Irish diaspora communities that they are seen, recognised and cherished. Green is also the colour of environmentalism, so another depiction of how we love our world and those in it.

Use these hashtags to learn more on social media: #GlobalGreening #StPatricksDay and #FeilePadraig. Share your pics with us on social media by adding our handle @LivIrishFest or tagging us with #LIF2025. Happy St Patrick’s Day! See a short film of the images taken on 17 March 2025 here:

In 2025, the following buildings and structures lit for St Patrick’s night:

Mersey Gateway Bridge, St Helens
Steve Prescott Bridge, Saint Helens
M62/Greystone Road Bridge, Knowsley
The Yoko Ono Lennon Centre, home of The Tung Auditorium, University of Liverpool, Liverpool
The Campanile, Liverpool
The Black-E, Liverpool
M&S Arena, Liverpool
ACC Liverpool, Liverpool
Liverpool Town Hall, Liverpool
Liverpool ONE’s John Lewis bridge, Liverpool
Liverpool ONE’s zig-zag steps, Liverpool
Cunard Building, Liverpool
The Three Graces, Liverpool
George’s Dock Building, Liverpool
Liver Building, Liverpool
Liverpool Parish Church, Liverpool
St George’s Hall, Liverpool
Central Library, Liverpool
World Museum, Liverpool
Seacombe Ferry Terminal, Wallasey
Woodside Ventilation Building, Birkenhead.

There is also a photo archive, on Googledrive, here. We are extremely grateful to each of the teams that enables this to happen and especially to Tourism Ireland, whose initial idea it was.
Environmentalism
In 2025, we’d like to give a significant focus on environmentalism. As a carbon literate organisation it is important to us that we are not wasting energy. Lighting cultural buildings green, rather than their standard colour, takes no more energy that in any other colour, but will symbolise both Ireland and the environment. Lighting anything with LEDs costs between 50-70% less that old lighting systems. Can you swap out your old lightbulbs (when they blow) for LED ones?

This year, onlookers are asked to consider their carbon outputs. Can you make one change to your life that would help the planet?

Due to the carbon footprint of milk, our Artistic Director lowered her cow’s milk intake by seven/eighths and cheese intake to less than half of her previous consumption!  She also has meat free days and takes all her soft plastic to the recycling drop offs at the local superstore. What can you do? The Festival commits to ensuring all our print — newspapers, posters, printer paper, envelopes, books, postage packaging etc — are as responsibly sourced as possible.
Internationalism
#GlobalGreening was originally founded by Tourism Ireland in 2010. It gained international partners, with sites in Sydney, Venice, Milan, Hong Kong and Washington DC and many more. Each celebrates Irish communities across the world. Turning emerald honours the influence, assimilation and impact Ireland has had. It reminds us of the time, effort and labour Irish people have invested in their ‘found homes’ and the friendships made within their host communities. At a time when parts of the world are at war, being able to show our affection for a community — post-conflict — seems all the more pertinent. We hope for a time beyond war and for a time when peace and reconciliation can truly be found.

Below is a gallery of last year’s supporters. For previous years, you can visit our Googledriveof archive images.

Get involved
We invite you to visit as many locations as you can. Add your images to social media, using our handle @LivIrishFest and hashtag #GlobalGreening. We’ll photograph each participating building/structure and share them on Mon 18 March 2024, accessible from our news page.  Keep an eye out on Facebookand Twitter, too, where we’ll try and post some of the images! We hope you will enjoy seeing these buildings and structures light up in honour of Ireland and its people.
2023 poem
For anyone interested, please see Cristina-Steliana Mihailovici’s 2023 St Patrick’s Day poem, here.
2023’s film
2022’s film
2021’s film