Event type: Performance

Radical Joy Cabaret

Join us for a riotous evening to find celebration even in the darkest of times.

Joy can be a radical act of resistance in this time of austerity. Come along to find out how we can use joy to mobilise and fight back.

Performed by Collective Encounters’ Adult Theatre for Social Change group, the cabaret will weave a story of radical joy through songs, sketches and scenes, and will reflect on the world through the lens of our assets, not our deficits.

The Brink, Parr Street, L1 4JN: Saturday 23 May, 7pm

Tickets: pay what you can

WoWFEST 2026: Writers Bloc Sharing Event

 

Join Toxteth Writer’s Bloc for this special sharing event where local writers will be sharing work they have created based around this year’s Festival Theme – NEW WORLD DISORDER. Powerful new work that will ignite conversations and gather us together to celebrate the impact of words shared within a community. 

Any queries please contact helen@writingonthewall.org.uk

Date: Friday 15th MayTime: Toxteth LibraryDoors open 11.45am. Event runs from 12.00-13.00Free tickets

Writer’s Bloc is Writing on the Wall’s dedicated creative writing centre in Liverpool – a welcoming space where writers of all backgrounds can write, connect and grow together. 

Launched online during lockdown, The Writer’s Block moved to Toxteth Library on 7 June 2024 with acclaimed Liverpool screenwriter Tony Schumacher, creator of the award-winning BBC drama The Responder. The Writer’s Bloc sits alongside our wider creative programmes and anyone with a passion for writing can attend – whether you’re just starting out or already developing your craft. 

Sessions currently run fortnightly at Toxteth Library, Bootle Library and Birkenhead Central Library and are a mix of ‘time to write’ sessions, where you can come and work on your own writing alongside others and sessions hosted by experience writers across various genres. 

Writer’s Bloc is a vibrant community of writers and creative thinkers from across the Liverpool City Region. It’s flexible, friendly and supportive: a place where inspiration and encouragement go hand in hand. Find out how to get involved HERE

 

Dear Zoo

Dear Zoo the timeless children’s classic book returns to the stage!

See our characters write to the Zoo. Who will be delivered? A cheeky monkey, a jumpy frog and of course a perfect puppy.

Help your children learn as the book leaps onto the stage and share a magical experience as the story unfolds with child-engaging puppets, music and lots of audience interaction.

Rod Campbell’s best-selling lift the flap book has delighted generations of young readers since it was first published in 1982. And has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.

This production will delight all those who have read the book (both young and old) as it unfolds with child-engaging puppets, music and lots of audience interaction.

Join us at your local theatre to see what the zoo has sent: the perfect pet – in the end!

#DearZooLive

 

‘A must-see for fans of the book, and for any young child who likes animals!’

★★★★★ Whatsgoodtodo.co.uk

‘A superb theatrical production’

★★★★★ My Theatre Mates

‘This show is the perfect running time and there’s no interval, so momentum isn’t lost. If you’re looking for a family trip to the theatre, this is one of the best.’

★★★★★ Entertainmentviews.co.uk

WoWFEST: A Reason to Sing – The Popular Song Movement of 70s Chile

Join internationally acclaimed artist Francisco Carrasco for a powerful and deeply personal exploration of Nueva Canción Chilena, Chile’s revolutionary popular song movement of the 1960s and 70s. 

Blending traditional folk forms with urgent, socially conscious lyrics, Nueva Canción became the soundtrack of resistance. Artists including Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara, Inti-Illimani and Quilapayún gave voice to workers, challenged injustice and helped shape the cultural spirit of Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity government. 

After the 1973 military coup, many musicians were silenced, imprisoned or forced into exile — transforming the movement into a global symbol of resistance and solidarity. 

Arriving in the UK as a child refugee in 1975, Francisco Carrasco brings this history vividly to life through storytelling, live music and archival material. He reflects on how these songs sustained displaced communities including his own family who performed at solidarity events across Britain. 

Part cultural history, part lived testimony, this event is an invitation to explore exile, identity and the enduring power of music in times of struggle. 

Francisco Carrasco MA FRSA is a Chilean-born international artist, storyteller, world musician and cultural activist. Exiled to the UK in 1975, he has dedicated his life to using art as a platform for dialogue and social change. 

Based in Liverpool since 1983, he is the founder and Creative Director of LUMA CREATIONS and has led major cultural initiatives including LA FERIA International Festival of Latin American Arts & Culture and the Merseyside International Street Festival. 

In 2025, he received the LCR Award for International Reach. His forthcoming poetry collection, Oceans of Exile, continues his exploration of displacement, resilience and belonging. 

Date: Tuesday 19th MayTime: 6.30pmVenue: Victoria Gallery and Museum: Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3DRTickets: £5

Outer Waves Festival 2026

Liverpool’s underground music and arts festival OUTER WAVES is returning to Liverpool’s North Docks at Invisible Wind Factory and Make CIC on May 23rd & 24th 2026!  Dedicated to experimental, avant-garde, and underground music from across the world, the festival platforms international artists alongside commissioned local talent, with an integrated visual art programme and a programme of events extending beyond the main stages including workshops, artist interviews & panel discussions.

HeadlinersHeadlining the festival are ØXN (feat. Radie Peat of Lankum) and Dame Area, joined by Jarboe (Swans) feat. Thor Harris and Joy Von Spain and the world premiere of HAND TO MOUTH TO — a newly reimagined live performance commissioned by Outlands Network and Full of Noises, collaboratively composed and performed by Keeley Forsyth and long-time collaborator Matthew Bourne.

Final Lineup AdditionsThe final wave of artists joining the bill includes HHY & the Kampala Unit, Elspeth Anne, a Lesser Version, Those Holy feat. Ly Nguyěn, Jacques Malchance, and veve, joining a bill that already includes the incendiary ritual electronics of Lord Spikeheart, the Okinawan-Jamaican dub and traditional fusion of Waq Waq Kingdom, and much more besides.The festival also presents specially commissioned new works from local artists Coby Obi, S. Fearon, Quieting (in partnership with Music Futures), and Tomas Edgar (Dada Fest). The weekend will also feature panel talks, workshops, and afterparties.

Visual Art ProgrammeComplementing the music programme, OUTER WAVES 2026 features an expansive visual art programme transforming the spaces of the North Docks. Works will be presented by Kromavision, Sam Wiehl, Freddy Francke, Jasmine Murphy, and more, bringing immersive and site-specific installations that extend the festival’s sensory world beyond the stage.An International FestivalWith artists travelling from across Europe, Africa, Asia, and beyond, OUTER WAVES 2026 is a truly international gathering. The festival’s lineup reflects a genuinely global underground, connecting Liverpool’s North Docks to experimental and avant-garde communities worldwide. Alongside the music and visual art, the festival will present panel talks, workshops, and afterparties across the weekend.

Full Line UpØXN (feat. Radie Peat of Lankum)Dame AreaJarboe (Swans) feat. Thor Harris and Joy Von SpainKeeley Forsyth & Matthew Bourne present HAND TO MOUTH TOHHY & the Kampala UnitElspeth Annea Lesser VersionJacques MalchanceveveLord SpikeheartWaq Waq Kingdoma.P.a.t.TCarmel SmickersgillDale De Saint Paul & Mariam RezaeiDomestic PartnersE the Artist (Nyahh Records)GermanagerGY!PAHAALHedgling (Nyahh Records)HaressKarl D’SilvaLuce MawdsleyMincemeatMohammad Syfkhan (Nyahh Records)MugstarUltan O’Brien (Nyahh Records)Coby Obi *S. Fearon *Quieting *Those Holy feat. Ly Nguyěn *Tomas Edgar (Dada Fest) ** Commissioned local artist

 

Fun for Little Ones: A Tribute to Ms Rachel

The UK’s Ultimate Tribute to the Global Sensation… Ms Rachel! 

Get ready for singing, dancing, giggles and non-stop fun as the magic of Ms Rachel comes to life on stage in an interactive, high-energy live tribute performance made just for little ones and their grownups!

With over 10 billion views and 15 million YouTube subscribers, Ms Rachel is the viral superstar capturing hearts across the world — and now, your little ones can experience this FUN, interactive LIVE on stage performance!

Fun for Little Ones Live is the UK’s only tribute show of its kind, bursting with lively sing-alongs and engaging songs, puppets, characters, and colourful on-screen animations, and audience participation and educational moments.

Whether they’re clapping, dancing, or singing their hearts out, children will be enchanted from start to finish!

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the excitement — families across the UK are raving, and little fans are going wild!

STAGE LEFT

Created in-house at the Unity, this new performance dives into the theatre’s bold and rebellious past. From its roots as Merseyside Left Theatre in the 1930s to the vibrant creative home we inhabit today, A Radical Reimagining brings decades of radical storytelling roaring back to life.

Through dynamic performance, powerful voices, and striking moments from the past, we celebrate a legacy of theatre made for the people. Expect a journey through protest, passion, and creativity, a reminder that this stage has always belonged to those with something to say.

Part of Unity’s Heritage Lottery Funded project.  

Young Radicals

Step into the future with our Young Radical Theatre Makers as they take the stage in a bold, high-energy ensemble performance, this new generation of artists amplifies the voices of today to ask the urgent questions of tomorrow, a call to listen, to reflect, and to imagine what comes next.

Divided by the ensemble. Directed by Grace Gallagher and Mariana Pires

Part of Unity’s Heritage Lottery Funded project.  

 

Breaking the Class Ceiling – A Live Exploration of Working Class Artistry (Plus Scratch Open Mic)

Join us for an unflinching, live panel discussion that bridges the gap between Unity’s 1930s ‘Workers’ Theatre’ roots and Liverpool’s contemporary creative scene.

In an era where the ‘class ceiling’ remains a challenging barrier in the arts, how do creatives and radical makers keep momentum? We bring together five Liverpool working-class artists to discuss the politics of the stage, the power of heritage, and the future of working-class storytelling.

Following our headline panel discussion, we’re offering a space for working-class creatives to test new ideas, political rants, or works in progress.

Followed by Radical Scratch Open Mic 5-6.30pm Part of Unity’s Heritage Lottery Funded project.  

WoWFEST 2026: Launch of Buckled: a play by Helen Jeffery

Family, friendship and booze. Drinking to remember. Drinking to forget.How do you navigate sobriety in a world that revolves around drink?

Join playwright Helen Jeffery for the launch of the published playtext of Buckled, released by Salamander Street Press as part of WoWFEST26.

Originally commissioned by Unity Theatre for Up Next Festival and later touring across the North West, Buckled is a darkly funny, deeply human exploration of alcohol dependency and the relationships shaped by it. At once tender and unflinching, it examines the quiet pressures of a culture where there’s always an excuse for another drink.

During this intimate event, Helen will share extracts from the script and take part in a conversation about the play’s creation, development and journey to publication. Copies will be available on the night at a special discounted price.

Trigger warning: Alcohol dependency. Suggested age: 14+

Helen Jeffery is a playwright, poet, performer & director. A graduate of the Liverpool Everyman Playwright’s Programme she has had several plays produced including ‘The Brink’ and ‘Gun Metal Blue,’ a recipient of the Blink.Theatre Award for new writing.

Helen was commissioned by Unity Theatre, Liverpool to create Buckled as part of Up Next Festival 2023. In 2024 and 2025 it toured to several venues in the Northwest including The Atkinson, Southport, The Arts Centre, Edge Hill, 53 Two in Manchester and Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Helen is currently developing a new play for stage, as well as working as a dramaturg through her company ‘Sober Scribbles.’ More information about this and her other projects can be found here.

Venue: Unity Theatre Bar

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