The Greater Manchester Fringe Festival is back for 2022 and promises a stellar lineup of shows, performances and debuts. Now in its 11th year, the multi-venue, inclusive arts festival will take place from Friday July 1 to Sunday, July 31.
This year’s programme of events is packed with over 100 productions, including drama, comedy, music and children’s shows. The month-long festival will also feature spoken word performances, visual arts and walking tours.
Lisa Connor, Director of Manchester Fringe said: “Some of the greatest performers, actors, poets, bands, artists and creative writers have come from the North West, so it is fitting to have our Fringe Festival in Greater Manchester as a host for exciting, emerging talent. We're very proud that the Fringe is an open-access festival for artists and performers.
“It gives people a great platform to try out material, and it's also accessible and inclusive for the audiences. The ticket prices are not just affordable. Some of the shows are free to encourage a non-traditional theatre-going audience.
"This is our first festival post-Covid, and we can see that everyone is ready to come back and see live shows."
Over the years, The Greater Manchester Fringe has become a launchpad for new performers and writers, many of whom will be showcasing their work ahead of the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. People have previously performed fringe shows in a variety of venues across Greater Manchester, some more unusual than others including camper vans, Roman forts and even a crypt.
This year’s venues will include well-known theatres and performance venues such as Frog & Bucket, Whitefield Garrick Theatre, Salford Arts Theatre, as well as Foundation Coffee House, GM Police Museum and The Kings Arms. Manu past productions have moved onto established theatres including The Royal Exchange Theatre, HOME, The Bolton Octagon and The Lowry Theatre.
While there’s over 100 productions to look forward to, here’s a few highlights to look out for:
Bessie, at Midnight Alone
Manchester-based theatre company Blue Masque Theatre is returning to the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival with this new one-woman play written by Derek Martin and starring Janelle Thompson. Directed by Rhonwen McCormack, the play begins with Bessie, A harlot waiting outdoors for a late client. Richly written, this new play jumps around the centuries, not fixed in time or space.
Venue: Salford Arts Theatre
Thursday July 14, 7.30 pm (90 mins)
Full Price: £10
Concessions: £8
Garry Starr: Greece Lightning
Comic wunderkind Gary Starr returns with another anarchic masterclass in the form of Greece Lightning - winner of Best Comedy at Adelaide Fringe 2022. The show follows an ‘overzealous idiot’ who attempts to perform all of Greek Mythology in less than 60 minutes in order to save his Hellenic homeland from economic ruin. Never before has Medusa been looser, Achilles more sillies, or Uranus so heinous.
Venue: The Kings Arms Theatre
Monday 18 - Friday 22 July, 7.00 pm (50 mins)
Full Price: £12
Concessions: £9
After Shark
In this play written by multi-award-winning writer Lita Doolan, a rare Greenland Shark, which has not been seen in British waters for nine years, has been spotted on a Cornish beach. Based on actual events, what follows is a series of events jolting environmentalists and locals alike. Naturally, everyone chooses their own path: protests, insurrection, and breaking the law.
Inspired by the lives of two locals, this play shows the far-reaching consequences of environmental change on the planet. After Shark is about rising together as a society, standing up together and making this world a better place to live for the generations to come.
Venue: GMF Digital Events
Friday July 1 - Sunday 31 July
Free
The Day The World Came to Huddersfield
On July 4 1981, thousands marched through the streets of Huddersfield. They came from all over the country for this protest, the first of its kind, the UK's first national Gay Pride. This new production marks the 40th anniversary with an immersive new drama by award-winning playwrights Stephen M. Hornby, Abi Hynes, Peter Scott-Presland and Hayden Sugden.
Venue: The Kings Arms Theatre
Date & Time: Friday 1 July 7.30 pm
Running Time: 90 minutes
Ticket price: £10 / £8 concession
To help you decide what shows to book in, The Greater Manchester Fringe has also released its own festival brochure, which can be downloaded here and via their website . The Greater Manchester Fringe Festival takes place between Friday, July 1 and Sunday, 31 July.
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