Event type: Theatre

Wirral Theatre Festival

If you love interesting theatre and want to support local writing join them this August at the Wirral Theatre Festival!

There will be workshops and Q&A’s on the creative process as well as events spotlighting Wirral’s cultural heritage and ongoing contribution to the dramatic arts – past, present and future.

The festival programme includes:

Wednesday 28 August

Big Bunny & the Powers of Fort Perch Rock (1pm)

Do you have what it takes to defeat the mystical powers of Fort Perch Rock? Join Big Bunny & the gang in this fun-filled family adventure and find out!

We’ll Meet Again (2.45pm)

A family story of a young girl evacuated from Liverpool during World War II. We see her adventures and troubles in Wrexham whilst also learning about what life was like back in the city with letters home to her dad.

The Seagull in the Attic / Remember When (4.30pm)

This is a double-bill: The Seagull in the Attic – A woman who finds solace in the unlikely company of a Seagull.
Remember When – A comical look at an ordinary couple on a walk, putting the world to rights and reminiscing on what they consider better times.

Hairy B (6pm)

A play about self-love, self-loathing – and how bloody expensive razors are.

I Am Purple (7pm)

When you are shamed from a young age, you start to believe what they say about you. And then who’s the enemy? Is it still them? Or is it you!?

The Comedy With A Censored Title (8pm)

An autobiographical one woman comedy investigating the wonders and pitfalls of growing up in the thick of America’s Bible Belt.

Cal and the Big C (9pm)

A comedy of navigating the byways of life when the worst happens, the absurdities, tears and triumphs of facing down an unseen enemy. What happens when real life comes crashing in, uninvited and invasive? Call in Edwardian drag performer Hetty King to help of course!

Thursday 29 August

The Wirral Monster (1pm)

There are marshmallows and Maltesers, and monster stories to tell. But more and more as things get strange and their favourite things are plundered; could there be some truth to these tall tales, could there be, we wonder…

TRAPPED in Williamson Art Gallery (2.45pm)

A group of friends think it’ll be a great idea to hide in the gallery and sleepover. After dodging security and the building being locked down the friends begin to explore. Darkness soon gets the better of them, and they decide to tell some tales to keep themselves from being scared. Will they survive the night, and more importantly, will they set off all the alarms?

Ukrainian Kaleidoscope (4.30pm)

A celebration of Ukrainian Culture. This is a free ticketed event, but donations will be gratefully received with a portion going to a Ukrainian charity.

Spin the Imperfect (5.30pm)

Staring into the abyss…how low would you go to save you career?

The Reunion Polly (7.15pm)

is on her way to a reunion at the Floral Pavilion. After being cut up by another driver, they find themselves stranded by the roadside. With deep references to Jane Eyre can these two lost souls, reconnect from a love they thought they once had.

Date Night (9pm)

Jenna feels trapped, James feels lost, Sonny needs a break and Sheila just wants to be loved. When all these worlds collide, mayhem ensues. These four people were never meant to meet, but fate brought them all together. Date Night is all about love, betrayal, joy, meatballs, but most of all… the need to just communicate!

Friday 30 August

Spooky Tales (2.45pm)

Your favourite tale could be your worst nightmare… It’s never too early to start the Halloween Frights. This is a great story but is aimed at 10 years and over!

Stage-Ed West End Holiday Camp Highlights (4.30pm)

Highlights from the Stage-ed West End Holiday Camp at the Floral Pavilion. Featuring West End smash hits, a section from Blood Brothers, and a Comedy Sketch written by the performers. This is a free ticketed event, but donations will be gratefully received to be reinvested into the festival for next year.

The Appointment (5.30pm)

You know how it is when you look in the mirror and you know you have to do something. It was 1955 and he was living his best life. He loved the glamour, and he loved helping women. If you look better you feel better. He never thought he could make things worse, or that there’d be no happy ending.

Tangled Roots (7.15pm)

Can love bloom amongst so many dangerous thorns in this Elizabethan Drama set in Bidston Hall? The right to succession is in question, and an Earldom is at stake. In the midst of this, there is a quiet love to be found in a timeless act of service. History will say they were roommates. This play is based on true events.

The Island (9pm)

25 years ago, a small group of scientists sealed themselves away on a mysterious Island – together you will embark on your voyage to The Island.

The School of Night at Shakespeare Nor...

In the 16th century, The School Of Night was an underground sect of artists, thinkers, writers and spies, who some scholars believe wrote Shakespeare’s plays.

Revived for the 21st century in 2005, this heretical troupe has risen to the challenge of Hard Bardics: improvising lost masterpieces, summoning the muses and channelling the great poets and playwrights of the past.

The School’s unique blend of improvisation and mad exploration has been seen in Germany, Norway, Malaysia and Canada; at the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the RSC and the Edinburgh Festival.

With their trademark soft boots and tea cosies they will spin new tales in Chaucerian, tell fairytales in the style of any writer, and rediscover one of Shakespeare’s lost plays before disappearing back into the darkness.

Two one-off performances made on the spot just for Prescot.

YEP presents: A Monster Calls

‘Stories are wild creatures’, the monster said. ‘When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?’
Thirteen-year-old Conor has always managed just fine with his mum, even after his dad left. But now, everything’s changing. His mum is seriously ill, his grandmother always meddling, and the kids at school… well, they’re not the friends he thought any more.

One night, Conor hears a stirring from the trees at his window. A monster has come calling. A monster with ancient stories to share. Through their midnight visits, Conor confronts his deepest fears and discovers unexpected truths about love, loss, and healing.

A Monster Calls, based on the novel by Patrick Ness and inspired by an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, devised by Sally Cookson, Adam Peck and the Company, comes alive on stage at the Everyman this summer, directed by Nathan Crossan-Smith and performed by the YEP Actors 18-25 Company.

Chambers of the Heart

Three women confront love, desire and memory in stories spanning East and West in the first staged performance of Chambers of the Heart.

Newly divorced and adjusting to living alone in lockdown, 30-something Yasmine turns to online dating but there is something oddly familiar about who she meets.

Reem is a Syrian refugee in her early 40s fleeing her country but unable to let go of the memory of an unrequited love.

Mother is in her early 70s and reluctant to be on stage as she is interrogated by her son who is trying to unlock the past.

Written by Hassan Abdulrazzak, directed by Sepy Baghaei and performed by Laila Alj, this work will debut as a staged performance at Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

Oranges and Stones

ORANGES AND STONES is a play without words, told solely through physical action and original music that conveys a moving image of occupation and settlement in Palestine spanning over 75 years.

ORANGES AND STONES is a symbolic play, in which we find a woman living alone in her home. She is happy, tending to her orange orchards, until one day, a man walks in, carrying a suitcase, looking dishevelled. She has no idea who he is. She offers him some water. He waves a piece of paper and starts to unpack and move in.

Now more needed than ever, ORANGES AND STONES is conceived and directed by Mojisola Adebayo, co-created with ASHTAR Theatre. Last performed in the UK in 2013, it has been performed all over the world in countries including, Brazil, France, Germany, Jordan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the USA.

Credits:

Tamasha and Shubbak present ASHTAR Theatre’s production of ORANGES AND STONES

Directed by Mojisola Adebayo.

Making It

What does ‘making it’ really mean?

Backstage in a Liverpool social club, actress and cabaret diva, Bev, eagerly awaits a career- changing call from her London agent. As she prepares for her last ever gig, Bev shares stories of her search for stardom and her fight for survival. We learn about the lecherous managers, holiday-camp and cruise-ship mafia, and how a meeting with a famous director could mean the end of her days as a travelling social-club singer and a chance to ‘make it’. But at what cost?

For anyone who’s ever wanted to look behind the club-lounge starcloth, this new comedy two-hander shines a spotlight on how a working-class wonder woman survives in the tricky world of showbusiness.

Making It! began as a homegrown one woman show in 2018 called Our Bev’s Christmas Cracker, winning a Liverpool Echo Theatre Award, and played to sellout crowds. This time, writing duo Stephen Fletcher and Cath Rice have developed the show further and are proud to present this exciting comedy two-hander, now also starring the brilliant Andrew Schofield.

“A lot of heart, soul and Merseyside wit, you’ll be glad you popped down to see Bev” Liverpool Echo

Written by Stephen Fletcher & Catherine Rice with additional material by Andrew Schofield

Directed by Stephen Fletcher

My Son’s A Queer, (but what can ...

Once a cult sensation, Rob Madge’s show has grown in stature to become WhatsOnStage Award winning and Olivier Award nominated and now due to public demand is set to embark on a brand new national tour visiting Liverpool Playhouse for the first time.

When Rob was 12, they attempted to stage a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma. As Rob donned a wig and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction. Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry and Ariel’s bubble gun didn’t work properly. Grandma had a nice time though.

My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) celebrates the joy and chaos of raising a queer child and is testament to the power of unconditional familial love.

Originating at the Turbine Theatre in 2021, it had a sold-out season at the Edinburgh Festival in 2022, followed by a national tour and then two West End runs. Three years on join social-media sensation Rob Madge as they set out to recreate that parade – and this time, nobody, no, NOBODY is gonna rain on it!

Pirates & Whips: The Cage of Men

Embark on a High Seas Adventure like never before with Pirates & Whips The Cage of Men at Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool

Liverpool…Get ready to set sail on a rollicking voyage with Pirates & Whips: The Cage of Men, a brand new adult comedy theatre show that promises to be a riotous adventure filled with strong female pirates who dominate the high seas…and men!

Written by Barry Levy and the production team consisting of Jennifer Keeley and Caitlin Novak.

The adventure follows the journey of five fearless female pirates – Kendell, Alexa, Blunder, Sin, and Chains – aboard the legendary ship The Crimson Tempest en route to the enigmatic Dungeon Kingdom. These swashbuckling heroines are determined to prove themselves as the bravest pirates to ever sail the seas. But when a familiar face from their past unexpectedly joins them on board, their quest for glory takes an unexpected turn as danger looms on the horizon.

Enter a world where comedy reigns supreme as quirky characters like Charlie and Egor Hudson add a touch of laughter to the high-stakes adventure. Amidst the chaos, audiences will be introduced to the formidable Master Steel, the cunning Mistress Raven, and the alluring Princess Siren, each bringing their unique personalities to the stage. Brace yourselves for a theatrical experience like never before as these characters clash and unite in a whirlwind of laughter, action, and intrigue.

Pirates & Whips: The Cage of Men is set to premiere at the Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool from June 20th to June 22nd,

Whether you’re a fan of comedy, adventure, or simply looking for a night of entertainment unlike any other, this theatrical production is sure to deliver an unforgettable experience for all.

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this swashbuckling escapade – secure your tickets now at BOX OFFICE: TicketQuarter.co.uk

Pretty Vacant

Not many musical explosions define a generation and change music for ever. There was Rock and Roll in 1956, Beatlemania in 1963, Flower Power in 1967, The birth of Rock in 1970 and then there was… Punk and New Wave.

Between 1976 and 1979 the music world and popular culture was turned upside down as bands, musicians and fashion adopted a new and fresh ‘DIY’ approach to making music and expressing itself. From its birth in New York City to its adolescence in London and onto its maturity across the globe Punk and New Wave is most defiantly the music that defined a generation.

For the first time all the hits, attitude and fashion are brought to the stage by this incredibly talented cast of musicians, singers and dancers that will take you on a rollercoaster ride you will never forget.

Behold Ye Ramblers

“Behold Ye Ramblers!” – weaves poetry, song, wit, music and comedy in a performance revealing the history of the Clarion Movement that inspired the development of outdoor pursuits and leisure for ‘the many’ and established vital campaigns to claim the right to walk freely across the countryside; to protect, defend and connect with the land.

From about 1890 up to the 1930s, readers of the “The Clarion” newspaper formed clubs and societies dedicated to leisure and educational pursuits for the furtherance of health and wellbeing – Clarion Cycling, Clarion Rambling, Scouts, Vocal Unions (choirs), drama groups, brass bands – as well as the Clarion Van for the promotion of Socialism.

New, lively arrangements of songs from the Clarion Song Book (from such luminaries as William Morris, Edward Carpenter and Edith Nesbit) and popular songs amongst the cyclists and ramblers will be front and centre of the performance.