Our outrageously talented actor-musicians bring you a show that’s part rock concert, part pop spectacular, and all-out family fun. Made just for Liverpool, this is the fairytale you know and love… but turned all the way up to eleven!
A little naughty, a lot loud, and totally live, you can expect powerhouse vocals, electrifying tunes and some wild costumes. So be our guest, grab your crew and head to Hope Street, for a monstrously good time.
7:30pm
It’s drag, it’s comedy, it’s cabaret, it’s clown. Parker Dee is a wannabe woke ‘cis-het-straight-white-man’. His girlfriend taught him how to be a sensitive guy, but when she dumped him, he found himself teetering on the edge of the Manosphere!
What’s a guy to do but write a deeply moving and fearlessly exposing cabaret show?
Watch him battle back from heartbreak with quirky takes on pop standards and killingly witty original songs – the bluesy ‘Manspreading’ and the heartrending Brel-like ballad ‘Ow, Baby’. Ungirlfriended is full of poignant moments, hilarious twists and snazzy outfits. Anyone with a heart should see it.
Peta Lily is a director, performer, theatre maker. One of the main practitioners in the early physical theatre movement, she trained with Le Coq, Gaulier, Monika Pagneux, Yoshi Oida, Sankai Juku (Butoh Dance), Mike Alfreds (Theatre Direction) and Carlo Boso (Commedia dell’Arte).
Reviews for Peta Lily’s previous work:
‘Funny where it hurts.’ – The Guardian
‘Incisive and inventive wit.’ – The Scotsman
‘Fringe theatre at its best.’ – South China Morning Post
‘Extremely funny.’ – Time Out
‘Bold, gutsy and a brave new adventure in style.’ – The Stage
Parker Dee audiences say:
‘Absolutely sizzling with comedic genius!’
‘Truly exceptional – the performance skills, the humour, the writing.’
‘Such a wicked night out!!
‘Funny, charming and super entertaining!’
‘Loved this narrative / non-narrative show existing at the intersection of theatre, cabaret and drag – it has a satisfying arc while at the same time being really silly.’
‘Masterful, fun, hilarious and really incisive!
‘Illuminating – allowed me to re-think some of my own 59-year-old-white-male assumptions.’
‘So smart and funny. touched so nimbly on the mad world we’re living in.’
‘Wonderful off-the-cuff impro.’
Part of Physical Fest 2026, Tmesis Theatre’s international physical theatre festival, for full programme go to: https://www.tmesistheatre.com/physical-fest/
7:30pm
Work in progress performance
We are in a remote village in 1590. And also in a folk tale. Gelly needs a love spell. Euphemia needs her child. Agnes needs only freedom from men. But a wind is blowing. King James’s ship is hit by a storm, and he blames witchcraft. Soon witches are everywhere: in dreams and thoughts and prison cells and court rooms. Gelly, Euphemia and Agnes find themselves caught in a whirlwind of fantasy and fear, and their only hope is to take control of the story.
A powerful new exploration of the stories we inherit and the ones we tell, combining Tmesis’ trademark blend of striking physicality, original songs and evocative text by writer Lizzie Nunnery.
Part of Physical Fest 2026, Tmesis Theatre’s international physical theatre festival, for full programme go to: https://www.tmesistheatre.com/physical-fest/
7:30pm
A Tragicomic history of a burn out
Nominated as Best Belgium contemporary circus show 2017
PESADILLA (Spanish for nightmare) is a visually breathtaking fusion of dance, circus and physical theatre that follows an ordinary man trapped inside his own dreams, desperately fighting to stay awake.
Funny, tender and profoundly moving, the story unfolds through the unlikely relationship between a lonely man and his imaginary alter ego: a giant panda.
With grotesque humour and striking visuals, it reflects on the pressures of contemporary life, our growing isolation, technological overload, relentless urban pace, and the quiet unravelling of a society on the brink of hysteria.
Dreamlike, exhilarating and deeply human, this unforgettable production invites audiences to ask: do our truest selves emerge with our eyes open… or closed?
Press quotes:
A really unique show, an absolute must see! Marine Girard – La Provence
Circus marries the dance-theatre to build a show that is attractive, funny and touching. Christian Jade- RTBF
BIO
Piergiorgio Milano is an Italian-Belgium internationally recognized choreographer. His background embraces circus, dance, theater and martial arts. He proposes a very strong physical language that combines virtuosity in movement with a clear theatrical esthetics. His works always run on the borders between arts, categories and discipline; trying to force those borders he finds strength into the creative process. His performances are always a radical combination between circus dance and theater
Part of Physical Fest 2026, Tmesis Theatre’s international physical theatre festival, for full programme go to
6:00pm
This is a participatory performance art. The audience is invited to make the performer “invisible” by putting on the Kurogo costume pieces.
[Definition: Kurogo]
Kurogo is a figure on the stage dressed in black in the Japanese traditional theatre genres of Bunraku puppetry and Kabuki. Kurogo signifies “invisible”/ “ non-existent”, functioning to support the on-stage characters. In both of these 400-year-old Bunraku and Kabuki, women have not been permitted to perform professionally on the stage.
Izumi Ashizawa is a Japanese performance and visual artist, born/trained in Tokyo, based in New York. Rooted in her deep study/training in Japanese culture, she specializes in transmedia performance art, particularly keen on reinterpreting male-only-permitted Japanese traditional cultural codes, and places them in a different context to give a new meaning.
“Izumi Ashizawa has created a gut-wrenching realm of discovery where commonsense is thrown aside and your latent instincts are awakened.”—DC Metro Theater Arts
Ashizawa’s direction have the same kind of ritualistic beauty that one might find in a Japanese tea ceremony”—AmericanTheatre Web
“The show conjures up an otherworldly atmosphere that makes it intoxicating.”—Washington City Paper
Part of Physical Fest 2026, Tmesis Theatre’s international physical theatre festival, for full programme go to
6:30pm
A VV story, in three acts. (15 minutes)
I : THE HORSEFLY
The flow of one shot cinema (pretty much), this is the beginning like when you open the book and start reading the words – except visually
II : THE CITY
The story of the four towers.
III : THE CAFE
Someone was sitting in the cafe. There’s a zenith television flickering up under the ceiling corner. And then, the ending.
Zoë McWhinney, have recently won the internationally renowned festival Clin d’ Oeil’s Sign Slam championships in Reims, and as a British Sign Language (BSL) poet, was shortlisted in the nationally prestigious Forward Poetry Prize 2026
The brainchild between Mime and Sign Language, Visual Vernacular (a.k.a. VV) is a kinetic, cinematic storytelling performance involving everything from the knee, waist and up. VV needs only a small area of the stage to perform great silent visual epics, akin to sign language.
Part of Physical Fest 2026, Tmesis Theatre’s international physical theatre festival, for full programme go to
A passenger wakes up on a ship with no idea who they are or where they are going. Their seemingly simple quest for answers becomes increasingly difficult as they discover that no one else on the boat knows where they are going either, but they don’t seem to care. A serious comedy, Unity are delighted to be collaborating on this R&D. A Work in progress sharing
Alongside the Work In Progress sharing of his new play ‘An Absurdist Play Set on A Boat’, Liam will be delivering a workshop exploring absurdism in theatre.
In this workshop we will delve deeper into the use of non-narrative theatre. ‘An Absurdist Play Set on A Boat’ was written to have no traditional structure and contains no direct message or meaning, making it completely open to interpretation. We will explore the text and absurdism in general looking at how one play can encompass a wide range of interpretations that reflect many voices from diverse backgrounds. It will also be a chance to chat to Liam about his process throughout the R&D of his play.
The workshop will be delivered by Liam D. Gillies and Alice Bunker Whitney.
Please let us know in advance if you have any specific access requirements we can support you with.
Join us in Church Square, St Helens for a day of outdoor entertainment the whole family will love!
All absolutely FREE and all absolutely WONDERFUL
Featuring:
Katumba Celebrate diversity, wellbeing and mindfulness with the huge infectious rhythms, bold visuals and serious crowd energy. You’ll be wowed by the performance then have the opportunity to interact and dance as you lose yourself in the rhythm with Liverpool based Katumba.
HUG by Levantes Dance TheatreHUG & HUG EXPERIENCE is a vibrant outdoor contemporary circus theatre performance and living installation that promises to engage audiences in a unique exploration of relationships – between people, objects and the environment that surrounds us.
Through a fusion of aerial dance, physical theatre and striking visuals, the audience is invited to rediscover the power of touch, connection and the simple act of a hug. HUG is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Ensemble Festival, Brighton Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival. Supported by Centre 151. Supported by 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space.
HUG Image Credit – Roswitha Chesher
Touch, explore, and join in as all that glitters unfolds before your very eyes.
In a long-forgotten room, two people find friendship, joy and treasures that turn from ordinary to extraordinary.
Dance company Turned On Its Head makes exciting participatory theatre for early years, taking children on a creative adventure, engaging audiences and encouraging lots of Christmas family interaction. Treat your little one to some Christmas magic this December, and you’ll find a world that sparkles and dazzles at your fingertips!
Shiny Christmas is a Turned On Its Head production, supported by Arts Council England, produced in partnership with Z-arts and commissioned by Wonder Arts.
Where: Spirix, Silk Street, Leigh WN7 1AW
Times: 10:00am, 12:15pm & 2:15pm
Age Guidance: 6 months – 4 year olds
Length: 50 minutes
Price: £3.50 single | £12 Group ticket (4 people)
Parking: Parking is free on weekends and can be found at Spanning Gate and Lord Street