Bizarre Theatre
Event type: Performance
One Night With Marilyn
One Night With Marilyn
Last Requests by Joe Shipman
6PM
This is a play reading
At The Love Shack, a quirky, rundown cottage filled with family memories and dodgy plumbing, two men arrive with more baggage than the suitcases they carry. Len, a tightly wound musician mourning his mother Suzanne, and Clark, his reckless, estranged father, are summoned by Suzanne’s will to spend three days honouring her “last requests” before any inheritance is revealed.
Through a series of cassette tapes—equal parts heartfelt and inappropriate—Suzanne demands they share awkward hugs, celebrate Christmas out of season, and relive family memories, all while grappling with old wounds, resentment, and the ghosts of their past.
As booze, bad cooking, and psychedelic mishaps ensue, father and son are forced to confront long-buried secrets, bitter truths, and their own ineptitude as they stumble toward a messy, imperfect kind of closure.
Up Next Festival 2026
Up Next Festival is back for it’s fifth year running and we have an incredible line-up of local artists bringing work in progress pieces to our stages.
Join us for a week of performance, workshops, networking and celebrating creativity at Unity.
The Full Festival Lineup
Wednesday 25th March
Bember | 7pm
Saint Jason | 8:3opm
Thursday 26th March
Triple Bill Featuring: Muddle, My Little Brother Wasn’t Born to be Brainwashed & Ukpahiu | 6:30pm
PaintStripper | 8:45pm
Friday 27th March
Flying (Play reading) | 1pm
Silent Protest 2.0?? (Guided Walk) | 3:15pm
Friday Double Bill Featuring Beep Beep and Spinster | 6pm
Friday Double Bill Featuring Compost the Cabaret and Do it yourself | 7:30pm
Friday Double Bill Featuring Thumb Ducks and My Dead Nans Box Room | 9pm
Saturday 28th March
Box of Tricks Workshop | 11am
Mother/Daughter (Reading) | 1:30pm
Silent Protest 2.0?? (Guided Walk) | 3:15pm
Brick | 4pm
Mr Chubba Chubba | 5:30pm
KNICKERBOCKER GLORY | 7pm
Talking Head Twice | 8:30pm
Casu Martzu
8:00pm
A clown’s descent into a world of cheese.
Featuring Teatro Pomodoro’s Simone Tani and live music by Marco Riola, this surreal and mischievous duo of Sardinians living in Liverpool serve up laughter, music, and a dangerously delicious taste of their magical Mediterranean island.
If you are searching for meaning and purpose in life, a cheese maggot may just have all the answers.
Key takeaway from the show: the meaning of life.
A feast for the senses—though not for the faint-hearted.
Physical comedy, clown, bouffon, live music.
Join Simone for a Trance Mask Workshop Sat 18 Apr 2026 10:00 PM – Sun 19 Apr 2026 7:00 PM
The Pansy Project Planting Tour and Talk
Saturday 14 March / 2pm – 4pm / Open Eye Gallery / RSVP
Spaces are limited. If you’re unable to attend, please return your ticket at Eventbrite
Paul Harfleet will guide a gathered group on a small planting pansy tour, marking sites of homophobia and transphobia. The curated selection of locations will be within walking distance of Open Eye Gallery. After the tour we will return to Open Eye Gallery for a presentation on The Pansy Project given by Paul Harfleet, followed by a Q&A session and a chance to talk.
Paul Harfleet has been planting pansies at sites of homophobic and transphobic abuse since 2015. Through this quiet yet powerful act, the ongoing project gently confronts hate crime and brings visibility to LGBTQ+ experiences that often go unreported. Read more at thepansyproject.com.
For this event, Paul Harfleet is seeking further locations to mark with pansies that come directly from the local LGBTQ+ community. If you have a location that you would like to be marked with one unmarked pansy planted at the location where an LGBTQ+ hate crime has occurred, please submit it through the Google Form. You will need to supply the nature of the experience (this can be a quote from the assailant or a short description of what happened) and the exact location (postcode is useful).
The artist will find the nearest source of soil to plant the pansy. The subsequent photograph will be entitled after the quote or after what happened; this title should be as brief as possible. Locations can be supplied anonymously or on someone’s behalf. The artist will select from the locations supplied based on the nature of the abuse, location, and logistics of his visit. The artist may return at a later date to plant pansies that were not managed during this event.
This event is in partnership with Homotopia.
This event is part of LOOK Climate Lab 2026, a biennial programme by Open Eye Gallery.
We encourage you to use public transport or carpooling when getting to the events.
Open Eye Gallery is a short walk from the Liverpool ONE shopping centre and the Albert Dock.
By train. We are 20 minutes walk from Lime Street station. James Street station, served by Wirral Line trains, is a two minute walk. Moorfields station, served by the Northern and Wirral Lines, is a five minute walk. Visit Merseytravel for details of local train services.
By bus. The nearest bus and coach station is at Liverpool ONE, served by National Express coaches. Merseytravel has details of local bus services.
By ferry. The gallery is two minutes walk from the Pier Head Ferry Terminal, from which Mersey Ferries run regular services to the Wirral.
By bicycle. There are bicycle bays close to the gallery.
If you wish to offset the carbon footprint of your travel, you can do it with Carbon Neutral Britain, Carbon Footprint, Forest Carbon, My Carbon Plan or any other project that you trust.
RWC’s Strike A Pose Charity Fashion Show
On the 7th of March, Refugee Women Connect proudly presents our second charity fashion show – Strike a Pose – hosted at the iconic Camp and Furnace. Expect a night like no other as our sensational models take to the stage, showcasing the stunning creations of our ten talented designers, including a collection created by Refugee Women Connect’s service users.
It’s a night celebrating fashion, community, diversity and the vital work Refugee Women Connect does.
Refugee Women Connect is a Merseyside based charity, working to build a safe life in the UK for all women refugees and asylum seekers. Our service users come from all walks of life, those who have fled situations of conflict, persecution and abuse. Many of our service users have survived some form of gender based violence, including sexual abuse, exploitation, human trafficking and female genital mutilation. We offer expert support to the women and their children in the community, as well working with policy makers and the wider asylum sector to support their access to social justice.
We offer practical support for refugee women and their families. This includes expert casework, accommodation and housing support, school access for children, information sessions and English language classes. We also offer bespoke one-to-one mental health support for women recovering from trauma, as well as group wellbeing sessions, such as our art group and yoga sessions. Strike a pose, hosted in alignment with International Women’s day, celebrates empowerment of all, including those that Refugee Women Connect support.
100% of every ticket sale goes directly to Refugee Women Connect, enabling us to continue providing essential support to the women who rely on our services.
Every ticket sold will make a real difference.
From dazzling fashion to music, dance, and some unmissable raffle prizes, Strike a Pose has it all! So, get suited and booted and join us for International Women’s day for a night of style, glamour and grooving. We can’t wait to see you there!
Doors open at 6:30pm. Guests are invited to enjoy the lobby, buy raffle tickets, and visit the bar before the show begins at 7:30pm.
Fundraiser event for Liverpool East and South East Asian Network
Join us in person for a fantastic fundraising event supporting the Liverpool East and South East Asian artist Network!
There will be East and South East Asian Asian food, drinks, items for sale and auction. There will also be performances and an exhibition on offer too. It’s a great chance to meet new people, buy great artwork, try Asian cuisine, see local exhibition, enjoy some wonderful activities, and help strengthen our community.
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to make a difference while having a good time. Come along, bring your friends, and show your support!
Tickets are for admission only or admission with pre order food. You will be available to purchase food on the day too, but no gurantee as first come first serve, so pre order are essential.
Perfectly Frank
Bringing the swing of Sinatra to life, Perfectly Frank by David Knopov, as seen on BBC’s The One and Only, is a tribute to the legendary Frank Sinatra and is without a doubt one of the most successful Frank Sinatra tributes around.
David has been performing Perfectly Frank to a global audience for over 25 years and has even performed to Her Majesty the Queen, senior members of the British, Greek, Spanish and Norwegian royal families and a host of celebrities, including Sir David Frost.
Close your eyes and you will swear it’s ol’ blue eyes himself!
An Evening with Laurel and Hardy – Presented by Neil Brand
Following the success of his 2023/24 tour, Neil Brand invites you to celebrate the centenary of Laurel and Hardy with a brand-new show.
In 1926, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy signed separate contracts with Hollywood film mogul Hal Roach, and appeared for the first time in a film together; 45 Minutes from Hollywood. The following year they would become an official comedy partnership that would set the whole world rocking with laughter. Nobody could have anticipated at the time how this unlikely Anglo/American comedy duo would become global icons in over 130 countries around the world.
They are pleased to announce and celebrate those 100 years with the brand-new production of Neil Brand’s “Evening with Laurel and Hardy” 2026 Centenary Tour. Neil has established himself as the foremost exponent of silent film and improvised piano accompaniment.