Contact

05/06/2026

We're so excited to announce a new event for Manchester Literature Festival!

Don’t miss an electrifying evening with Asako Yuzuki, bestselling author of Butter, presented by Manchester Literature Festival. She’ll discuss her gripping new novel Hooked - a dark exploration of obsession, friendship and loneliness in contemporary Japan. Hear Asako discuss her work, themes and fearless storytelling.

🗓️ Fri 12 June
📍 Contact, Manchester
🎟️ Tickets on the website

05/06/2026

Yesterday we had performing arts students from The Manchester College city campus visit the theatre. They got a tour of the building, exploring different spaces, with a focus on learning about the technical side of things.

They got to practice how to rig lights, set up the light bar, set up the sound system and even had a little dance party where some of the students set up cues for lighting and sound.

If you’re interested in a workplace visit like this, please send enquiries to [email protected]

04/06/2026

Calling all d***s, divas and non-binary baddies!

Are you familiar with:
Navigating the le***an web like a pro?
How to tell if she’s flirting or just giving you a compliment?
Why a £950 pair of Diesel boots alone does not make you a ‘diesel dyke’? (Something Amy learned the hard way.)

If not don’t worry, as luckily breakout star of BBC’s I Kissed a Girl – and everyone’s favourite le***an big sister – Amy Spalding is on hand to answer all these q***r conundrums and more, to help you to live, laugh and love all things le***an.

Join Amy at Contact on June 19th as she covers everything you need to live your best sapphic life; such as finding community, dating, and navigating breakups; as well as running through q***r terminology, how to look the part and key cultural touchstones.

Alongside a special guest host, each show will feature stories from Amy’s own gloriously messy journey, heartfelt advice from sapphic elders, as well as the chance to ask Amy your questions. You’ll also be able to get a signed copy of ‘The Dykonic Handbook’!
This show is for anyone at any stage of their q***rness, whether you’re newly questioning, proudly out - or somewhere in between - this will be the ultimate guide to becoming absolutely DYKONIC, daaarling.

‘The Dykonic Handbook’ will be published by Bloomsbury on 18th June 2026

🗓️ 19 June
📍 Contact, Manchester
🎟️ Tickets on the website

04/06/2026

Have you seen our new giant banners? After all, you can’t have a castle without banners flying from the towers can you?

🖼️ Art
🎤 Music
🎭 Theatre
☕️ Cafe
🍷 Bar
💻 WiFi
+ loads more!

Big thanks to for installing them for us. Our Panto Dame is a man of many talents, and you can catch him back as our gorgeous Dame in Sleeping Beauty!

02/06/2026

Our brilliant Production Manager, Adam (on the right), represented Contact at the Technical University of Denmark’s Audio Engineer Society Conference!

Adam was part of a panel discussion named ‘Audio Engineering Music for Listeners with Hearing Loss’ talking about our use of Auracast and its increased accessibility for audience members at Contact, and how our staff makes this happen.

Panellists were Trevor Cox, Josh Reiss and Sara Madsen and Adam Steed.

01/06/2026

We're looking for a Head of Commercial to join our team at Contact!

Contact is a national leader in youth‑driven theatre, creativity, and social change. The Head of Commercial will drive the organisation’s earned‑income strategy, developing sustainable commercial activity that strengthens Contact’s financial resilience while aligning with its artistic and social mission.

This newly formed senior role leads the development and delivery of commercial operations including venue hire, bar and café services, commercial partnerships, and new revenue‑generating initiatives. It requires a balance of strategic thinking, hands‑on delivery, and a deep commitment to Contact’s values of youth leadership, equity, and community impact.

💶 SALARY: £35,000
📍 LOCATION: Hybrid
⌚️ HOURS: Full Time (100:80:100 equivalent to 4 days a week.)
📅 DEADLINE: 8th June 2026 - Midnight

Apply here:

We're looking for a Head of Commercial to join our team at Contact!

31/05/2026

The BGA Seed Commission is an opportunity for Global Majority & QTIBPOC artists to develop bold, experimental performance work for outdoor and non-traditional spaces.
We are looking for artists with ambitious ideas who are interested in pushing creative boundaries, testing new approaches, and engaging audiences beyond conventional theatre settings.

Selected artists will receive:
A commission fee of £4,000
Eight days of rehearsal space at HOME Arches, Manchester
Producing support throughout the process
Professional mentoring

Who Can Apply?
We welcome applications from individual artists and companies working across:
dance, physical theatre, circus, drag, interdisciplinary performance, vocal and live performance practices

Eligibility
Applicants must be: Global Majority and/or QTIBPOC
Based in the North of England, aged 18+ UK residents

Please submit:
A link to examples of previous work
A pitch deck (maximum 1 A4 page) outlining your idea
If you would prefer to discuss your idea verbally, you can arrange a conversation instead of submitting written materials.

Send applications and enquiries to:
[email protected]

Timeline
Application Deadline is 19 June 2026
Applicants will be notified by 26 June 2026

Artists will develop a 15-minute extract to be presented at the BGA Festival at Aviva Studios on Saturday 15 August 2026.
BGA Seed Commission 2026 is supported by Arts Council England and HOME.

29/05/2026

“Making peace with the fact this might be it.”

An exploration of contentment, led by a man brimming with mediocrity.

Through film, performance, song, and an increasingly questionable process, comes a show that investigates how to find meaning in the mundane - that somehow becomes increasingly more performative itself as time slips by.

Nathan is a performance artist, comedian, and theatre-maker whose work blends humour with the explorations of being human and the general absurdity of what comes with that responsibility (or lack thereof). With an unhealthy obsession with the internet, you’re just as likely to find him there as well as showing work in theatres, back rooms of pubs, and having work appearing on BBC Radio.

🗓️ 11 June
📍 Contact, Manchester
🎟️ No need to book!

29/05/2026

Could you be our next Development Manager?

We need someone eager to play a key role in creating and developing new funding opportunities for Contact, enabling projects that nurture and shape the imagination and futures of our young people and artists. If that sounds like you, get in touch via our website!

💶 SALARY: £28,000
📍 LOCATION: Hybrid
⌚️ HOURS: Full Time (100:80:100 equivalent to 4 days a week.)
📅 DEADLINE: 15th June 2026 - Midnight

28/05/2026

This is your last chance to experience our latest performance piece, in collaboration with and by artist .melissandre.varin…

evil eyes directly confronts the power dynamics embedded in gaze.

The evil eye is a belief, found across many cultures, that someone can cause harm just by looking at you. Some believe that it is put upon us by others, while some believe that it comes from our own pride.

Instead of ignoring or repulsing the energy of the evil eye, this performance-ritual demands its mobilisation and transmutation.

Attuning to ancestral and contemporary rituals around the evil eye, n:u invites you to enter this performance-ritual (audience participation is optional) and experience something powerful and entirely original.

🗓️FRI 29 MAY
⏰6:30pm
📍Contact, Oxford Rd
🎟️Pay What You Can