One Night With Marilyn

Unknown to her many millions of fans in February 1961 Marilyn Monroe was sectioned by her psychiatrist Dr. Marianne Kris to the Payne Whitney Clinic, the psychiatric division of Cornell University New York.

Marilyn was under the impression she was being sent for some rest and recuperation by her trusted doctor. Marilyn was exhausted after the stressful filming schedule of ‘The Misfits’, its lukewarm reception and her fresh separation from Arthur Miller. In addition Marilyn had set alarm bells ringing amongst her friends and psychiatrist by talking of ‘ending it all’……..

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

 

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.

 

Liverpool Improvisation Festival

Liverpool: The Global Stage for Improv.

Liverpool is a city built on creativity, and the Liverpool Improvisation Festival (LiF) is its beating heart. We are bringing the world’s best improvisers to your doorstep and showcasing Liverpool’s finest talent to the globe.

Standing on the shoulders of giants like Ken Campbell, Improbable Theatre, and Showstoppers, LiF 2026 transforms the city into a hub of spontaneous brilliance. While you are here, explore Liverpool—the UK’s number one city and the 7th best in the world for culture, as ranked by The Telegraph and Time Out.

Whether you want to watch, learn, or perform, LiF is the place to take risks and innovate. Supported by the Unity Theatre and Liverpool Arts Bar studios, this is more than a festival; it’s a community.

Get ready for LiF 2026

See it first: 18 shows, including 3 World Premieres. Learn from the best: 8 workshops with renowned international teachers. Experience it all: From Shakespeare and musical theatre to clowning and comedy. Connect: Social events to meet, mingle, and make memories.

The Seriously Stupid Show

Tired of slightly silly shows for kids? Then prepare for the FIRST EVER Seriously Stupid Kids Comedy Show! An explosion of mayhem for the whole family – like Vic and Bob mashed with the Muppets! Expect stupid sketches, bonkers characters, and interactive daftness, delivered by Liverpool’s favourite professional idiots.

Don’t just watch – join in! Our grand finale is The Seriously Stupid Talent Show, we believe every child deserves a stage to be stupid on… and it means we do less! From the stooooopid minds behind Rubbish Shakespeare Company, Silly History Boys and Liam Hale, plus more!

Shouter-outers welcome!

For ages 6–106.

Previous Praise for The Seriously Stupid Crew

★★★★★ ‘If Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton did children’s theatre, it would look just like this. Outstanding.’ — The Reviews Hub

★★★★★ ‘Creative, fun and delightfully unique.’ — North West End

★★★★★ ‘This truly is the perfect show to go to as a family.’ — Theatre & Tonic

★★★★★ ‘Fantastic… ridiculous… genius!’ — West End Best Friend

★★★★ ‘An hour of non-stop, high-energy enchantment. A rare and genuine delight.’ — The List

★★★★ ‘Perfectly pitched character comedy.’ — The Skinny

★★★★ ‘Had both adults and children alike cheering for more.’ — Broadway World

★★★★ ‘The spark in new comedy that you always wish to find.’ — Liverpool Sound and Vision

Cast

Robert Rhys Bond

Liam Hale

Jen Hardy Lee Hithersay

Alice Rowbottom

Written and Devised by Robert Rhys Bond Liam Hale Jen hardy Lee Hithersay Alice Rowbottom

Supported by Unity Theatre

Last Requests by Joe Shipman

 

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.

 

 

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.