7:30pm
Celebrating 1 year of FUME Acting Lab in Liverpool. Showcasing the city’s brightest neurodivergent acting talent alongside new writing from up and coming local writers, in collaboration with Liverpool Scratch Network.
Get an insight into the FUME training room, as actors are coached live by Lewis Ian Bray, working with a groundbreaking technique developed for neurodivergent brains and accessible to all. Lewis Ian Bray is an award winning neurodivergent actor and writer from Merseyside. FUME provides a safe space for professional neurodivergent actors to further their artistry through small group and 1:1 coaching. Working with your brain, not against it.
IG: @fumeactinglab
IG: @liverpoolscratchnetwork
7:30pm
‘Are we definitely not sleeping?’
‘Doesn’t look like it!’
One hotel room. One bed. One bottle of Champagne. Prosecco.
Two girls: Jenny. Amy.
Two boys: Jason. Neil
Their mission, should they choose to accept, is simple:
1. Get hammered
2. Get lucky
3. Make it a night to remember.
But as the drinks flow freely and the hours slip by unnoticed, what starts as an evening blowing off steam soon turns into something far more complicated.
Funny, sharp and emotionally complex, this new play by Mason Guthrie, directed by Stuart Crowther, explores action, consequence, and the moments that linger long after the party’s over.
This isn’t just a theatre show — it’s a voyage through space and time like no other.
Guided by astrophysicist Ian Hall FRAS, Wonders of Our Universe takes audiences on an awe-inspiring journey from the explosive birth of the cosmos to humanity’s first steps beyond our home planet. Along the way, you’ll uncover the secrets of black holes, witness the birth and death of stars, and explore the breath-taking beauty of distant galaxies.
Every moment is brought vividly to life with cinematic visuals, immersive sound, and a soaring soundtrack that turns complex science into pure emotion. Ian’s live narration blends knowledge, humour and storytelling in a way that makes the wonders of our universe accessible to everyone — whether you’re a lifelong stargazer or seeing the cosmos anew.
Visually spectacular, scientifically rich and emotionally stirring, Wonders of Our Universe will change the way you see the night sky — and your place within it.
This is science as you’ve never experienced it before: live, cinematic, and utterly unforgettable.
Recommended Age Guidance: 11 years plus, although children younger than this will enjoy the show if they are particularly engaged with the topic.
Mud, blood and stiff upper-lips!
Join the critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company on a breathless race through the centuries in this delightfully inventive show that tells the entire story of Britain in under 2 hours.
Have you ever wanted to see the life of Henry VIII told as a romantic comedy or the tale of the Spanish Armada reimagined as a light operetta? Probably not. But that won’t stop The Pantaloons retelling great moments from the country’s past in a variety of surprising genres! Featuring live music, audience interaction and wild historical inaccuracy.
Warring lovers, lovers at war, revenge and reconciliation – Much Ado brings a war of words (& a happy ending) this August.
Shake-Scene are bringing their distinctive cue-based performance back to Shakespeare North – let the love & chaos commence!
The cast prepare from their own lines & cues only – not the whole play
Why? Because that’s how the original players played it!
Book your place in the Garden for a wild rollercoaster ride through love and relationships – there’s plots, there’s joy, there’s misunderstandings galore…
Suitable for 12+
When a king meets a princess, keeps his kingdom but loses his heart – but he, and his friends are all courting some very witty, wily ladies… Will they all labour in vain for love?
Shake-Scene are bringing their distinctive cue-based performance back to Shakespeare North – let the love & chaos commence!
The cast prepare from their own lines & cues only – not the whole play
Why? Because that’s how the original players played it!
Book your place in the Garden for a wild rollercoaster ride through love and relationships – there’s plots, there’s joy, there’s misunderstandings galore…
Suitable for 12+
What would you destroy to get what you want?
A dagger. A crown. The original text.
One musician. Ten storytellers. Fifty candles. Ninety breathless minutes.
Step into the shadows. Let the scorpions in your mind strike. Watch a world turn inside-out beneath a tyrant’s rule.
Ben Crystal returns to Shakespeare North with a fast, spooky, blood-spattered staging of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous works: The Tragedie of Macbeth—ambition-driven, greed-flecked, grief-filled, revenge-fuelled, ghost-haunted… and absolutely cursed.
Something very wicked this way comes.
Suitable for 12+
Step into the world of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s masterpiece of revenge, betrayal, and ambition.
Now in a brand-new 70-minute outdoor version from multi award winning A Place for Us Theatre Company, at Shakespeare North Ken Dodd Performance Garden this July. Shakespeare’s classic tale of revenge, betrayal, madness, and ambition is distilled into a high-energy performance that captures all the drama, emotion and language of the original play. Under the open sky, audiences will be drawn into Hamlet’s gripping journey and tragic demise as he confronts family betrayal, moral dilemmas, and the weight of destiny. Perfect for both newcomers and seasoned Shakespeare fans, this fast-paced adaptation brings the iconic characters and timeless story to life in a way that is thrilling, fresh and unforgettable.
‘…The torment is real, the hideous crimes authentic, the anguish and grief tangible – each scene, each actor, each movement, played with passion and credence. It was superb… (***** Northwest End Review – Macbeth)
Pedalling from venue to venue with all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, the HandleBards are a four-strong troupe of actors who are spending the summer bringing environmentally sustainable Shakespeare to venues across the UK.
Join the troupe at Shakespeare North Playhouse for a fantastically funny bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’.
What’s the play about? Well – Rosalind and her cousin Celia flee to the Forest of Arden, where they bump into Rosalind’s love interest Orlando. However, Rosalind is disguised as a young man. Cue some local Shepherds getting involved and the stage is set for a wild ride of wooing, hilarious mistaken identity and the odd wrestling match.
This is an outdoor production, so please bring a chair or blanket to sit on, a picnic to dig into, and dress for the weather!
Suitable for 8+
6:00pm
Love performing but new to improvisation? This workshop is for you.
Improvising Stories unpicks the DNA of great narrative. Learn the structures behind classic story archetypes and discover the tools to build them spontaneously. Whether you want to explore the grand scale of Myth and Fantasy or the deep connection of Personal Autobiography, you’ll gain the confidence to create on your feet.
Come with an open mind and leave having performed a brand-new story created entirely in the moment.
About the Instructor: Lead by Mark Smith co-director of LIF, storytelling tutor at LJMU, and a veteran of spontaneous theatre. Mark has been creating stories in the company of others for more than three decades, directing and performing in work that has toured extensively across the UK and beyond.
