Greater Manchester Fringe

16/06/2026

It’s enough to make you choke on your breakfast what’s going on in that town!

Wilder! Wilder Productions 29 July Anthony Burgess Foundation is a wild burst of chaos: a fast-paced, absurd comedy best described as ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ meets ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ meets ‘Desperate Housewives’.

Set in a town fiercely ruled by the women of the Newport Village Garden Club, the story follows Gloria and Gregory Wilder, a mysterious, lavish young couple who appear to have it all. But beneath their ideal exterior lies a deadly secret, one that could cost them everything.

As they navigate the highs and lows of marital bliss, the Wilders fight to keep their secret safe from nosy neighbours, gossip-fuelled streets, and an endless onslaught of bake-sale invitations. In a community where appearances are everything, staying unnoticed may be their greatest challenge yet.

At its heart, this is a comedy about belonging and identity, what we are, and aren’t, willing to do to fit in, and how different people bring out unexpected sides of us all.

Creator, writer, producer, and actor Thomas Billiouw, who is from Brussels, Belgium, played Johan Toet, the real life drug lord, in the Sky TV show Amsterdam Narcos and is in a FIFA worldcup commercial airing globally.

He met co-writer, producer and actor Dany Van Brabant, also from Brussels, Belgium, at high school and they conceived the show in Paris. During their training there, they met current Wilder! actress Kgalalelo Thakadu from Ramotswa, Botswanawho, who had just moved to Europe.

Now living in London, director Jillian Osborne is from California, US; Jess Vince-Moin is from Armidale, Australia; and fight director Becca Watkin is from Dublin, Ireland.

Welsh actress Evie Weldon, who plays Martha Hueber, has been touring with The Boy At The Back Of The Class, which has just won an Olivier Awards for best family show.

That mix of nationalities is reflected in the play, which is set in a town that isn’t tied to any one place. It’s an idyllic suburb that could exist anywhere.

🎟️ https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/wilder/

15/06/2026

15/06/2026

The Divine Move 5-7 July elevator pitch on

Full interview featuring , and .x O’Malley with .diesel and .mr is available on the GMFringe YouTube channel.

In the suffocating world of Victorian high society, the Blackwood family stands on the brink of inheritance. Augustus has spent his life preparing for the moment his father places the future in his hands, while his brother, Arthur, longs for a freedom he may never be granted.

The arrival of the Prescott sisters and their enigmatic guests set in motion a dangerous game where love, duty, and ambition collide. As the summer unfolds, love is buried, duty is performed, loyalties fracture, and every choice carries a consequence that cannot be undone. But in a society where every move is observed, who truly has the power to choose?

Brought to you by emerging theatre company ‘Theatre on Draught’. Their debut production, ‘The Divine Move’, is a dark, poetic exploration of love, control, ambition, and the quiet devastation of living a life chosen for you.

Featuring the 2025 ‘Spotlight Prize’ screen winner – Polly Graves.

Tickets: https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/the-divine-move/

15/06/2026

Ryan Dre Sinclair - Why are you sharing everything with strangers?

No Photos 24 July 2026 is a raw and rhythmic one-man theatre show exploring the social anxiety of a young man who avoids having his photo taken exploring masculinity, identity, and the generational trauma we carry.

Audiences are invited to laugh, reflect, and possibly rethink how they view the camera lens and themselves. Using humour, and rhyme, No Photos is a captivating journey through childhood, self-acceptance and inherited silence.

The show follows the protagonist as he masks his fears behind jokes, denial and silence. As he unpacks childhood expectations, digital pressure, and emotional inheritance, we witness a journey toward self-acceptance and the unexpected healing power of images and media.

Written and performed by Ryan Dre Sinclair, this powerful new work uses poetry as performance, inviting audiences to question not just how we present ourselves to the lens, but what it really means to be witnessed.

Not everything we hide stays hidden.

Tickets https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/no-photos/

15/06/2026

Former Hitman and Her dancer Tara Lofthouse has written a play about “alternative” Manchester - the one that happened at Discotheque Royale, rather than the Hacienda in 1991!

Tara, who was born in Salford and grew up in Bolton, is premiering Licking Your Feet, Feeding You Grapes 24-25 July as part of Greater Manchester Fringe 1-31 July.

In the play, fake news spreads of the passing of an icon. In the confusion “Hitman And Her” videos flood YouTube and teenager Mich ( ) discovers a new obsession.

Tara said: “I was working on the show 1990-1992. I started as a 17-year-old and I’ve written this play around some of my memories. You have Manchester going on and the Hacienda but this is a different side of Manchester.

“The Hitman and Her was on at two o’clock on Sunday mornings when there was only about four channels. People would watch, regardless of who they were. It could be taxi drivers, ambulance drivers, police officers, parents feeding their babies, there were even rumours of royalty watching it.”

Presented by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan, Take That appeared on the show in their early days, and the Hitman and Her dancers feature in a montage on Robbie Williams’ film Better Man.

Tara added: “This inspired me to write the play because if anyone knows about the Hitman and Her, it’s me. It’s my passion. I used to watch it before I was on it.

“It’s 40 minutes of fun. If you were a fan of the show you’ll love it. If not, go on YouTube and see what it’s all about.”

Also starting directed by .show

New photographs by back in the day photographs provided by Tara Lofthouse.

For more details and tickets visit greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk

13/06/2026

We ❤️ Salford - celebrating 40th anniversary of The Queen Is Dead and The Smiths with poet Tony Walsh.

Bit windy at the start but the sound gets better.

12/06/2026

EAST by Steven Berkoff 8-11 July stars David Degiorgio (Les), Steve Connolly (dad), Andrew Marsden (Mum), Lisa Brandreth (Slyv), and Alex Lafferty (Mike), as part of Greater Manchester Fringe 2026.

A Shakespearean Vision of the East End

Set in the early 1970s, EAST imagines what William Shakespeare might have written if he had grown up in the rough streets of London’s East End. The play follows an ordinary family living through a culture of “ultraviolence,” gin, and casual racism.

The dialogue is a unique blend of elevated, poetic verse and gritty street slang. It depicts a world where characters struggle for identity in a landscape of “pleasure palaces” and social neglect.

Though it is widely discussed in theatrical circles, EAST is rarely staged because of its intense physical and linguistic demands. This production offers a rare opportunity for local theatre-goers to witness a masterpiece that gave a voice to the voiceless long before modern soap operas.

Steven Berkoff is a landmark figure in British theatre, famous for his physical performance style and confrontational scripts. This revival at The Kings Arms continues the venue’s tradition of hosting bold, fringe theatre during one of the region’s most vibrant arts festivals.

Tickets https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/east/

11/06/2026

EAST by Steven Berkoff 8-11 July at the The Kings Arms, Salford, with Stir Crazy Productions.

Starring Steve Connolly (dad), Andrew Marsden (Mum), Lisa Brandreth (Slyv), Alex Lafferty (Mike) & David Degiorgio (Les). Directed by Alan Pattison.

Before Eastenders, there was EAST.

Ever wondered what Shakespeare would have written had he grown up in the visceral East End of London in the early 1970s? Steven Berkoff’s masterpiece offers a fearless look into that world through the eyes of an everyday family.

It is a story exploding with rage, regret, and lust. Set in a time of pleasure palaces, gin, and ultraviolence, the play captures a specific British era defined by Crossroads and casual racism. It uses a unique, poetic language to elevate the grit of the streets into something operatic and unforgettable.

Rarely staged but constantly discussed, this is a vital chance to see a play where the message of lost voices and failed dreams has never been so relevant.

Why you should see it

A Rare Revival: This is a unique opportunity to witness one of Berkoff’s most influential works in an intimate setting.

Stunning Language: Experience the famous “Berkovian” style that blends high verse with rough street slang.

Timeless Themes: Though set in the 1970s, its exploration of urban frustration and identity still resonates today.

Tickets https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/east/

10/06/2026

Awkward Re-Entry sci-fi standup comedy, Thurs 23 July 7pm
Listen to writer Phillip Carter interview with .mr on our YouTube channel.

Awkward Re-entry is a comedy show about what it means to be human in our increasingly inhuman world. Simultaneously introspective and cosmic. Expect quantum fire alarms, hilarious theories about aliens, and a story about the most awkward one-night-stand in the known universe.

In an era when everyone seems to want to abandon authorship of their own lives and let ‘AI’ write for them, sliding dimly into sleepy reliance on unthinking machines, Phillip is instead boldly going where everyone else should probably be - he is writing this stuff himself, using his human brain.

Featured on Channel 4’s Lego Masters, Phillip Carter has been a geeky comedian from the start. His fiction features neurodiverse characters with a sense of humour navigating the enormity of the cosmos, and his real life as a comedian isn’t much different. If you ever want to ponder the nature of reality whilst laughing in a cocktail bar, Phillip is the comedian to watch.

Phillip’s debut book WHO BUILT THE HUMANS? has become something of a prop at his comedy nights. People don’t expect that a comedian would have the spare time to write a large doorstop into existence, but he has, and audiences are always pleased to discover the stories within are just as weird, just as dark, and just as hilarious and existential as his stand-up.

Photography by Craige Barker

10/06/2026

Tara Lofthouse was a dancer on Hitman and Her at Discotheque Royale in Manchester in the 1990s - now she’s written a play Licking Your Feet, Feeding You Grapes about a new generation of fans.

Directed by show will be performed 24-25 July as part of Greater Manchester Fringe 2026.

Starring and

Madchester 1991, Afflecks Palace, The Hacienda, Eighth Day T-Shirts and...Discotheque Royale!

Manchester 2021, fake news spreads of the passing of an icon. In the confusion “Hitman And Her” videos flood YouTube: THE best late night pop music TV programme to hit Discotheque Royale’s Manchester. It’s bright, bold and better than that, there’s a presenter called Mich too!

Mich has a very special Birth “day” coming up, she’s going to be 17. She’s getting her ears pierced - and a You Tube Account.

Welcome to Mich’s Manchester. An “Apple White” no posters on the wall world and absolutely, definitely no internet world; until you’re 17. Which is when Mich logs on for the very first time.

Join Mich in her new obsession, and her take on an “alternative” 1991 Manchester.

Tickets on sale now https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/licking-your-feet-feeding-you-grapes/

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