What's On at 53two
TESTING TESTING
With Toby Hadoke
Sunday August 31st
Tickets £10 INCLUDING A £5 drinks voucher
PWYC Tickets Available
Free Carer Tix - email venue.
DOORS 7pm - SHOW 7:30pm
Presented by Toby Hadoke, top circuit comedians try out their new material in the arches of 53two. Who turns up, you never know but an evening of sheer quality is guaranteed.
WITH HAYLEY ELLIS, GARY DELANEY, SEAN MORAN, CHARLOTTE CROPPER & HANNAH PLATT!
Comedy at it's finest beneath the iconic brick arches of 53two.
Grab a pie and a pint before the show for just £10!
Testing, Testing is not quite like other gigs. We do things differently here. The acts have come for a safe, fun space to try their new stuff. They don’t need your “help” - so, thank goodness, you can leave your heckles at home. Also, the gig’s really good - so you don’t need your phone, and we ask you to respect your fellow audience members and the acts by taking any conversation you may wish to engage in outside. Toby’s an affable chap but he has zero tolerance for bad manners : comics like to do this show because he’s made it nice. Don’t be the one to make it not nice. Thank you!
XS MALARKEY
Every Tuesday*
(Check dates to confirm)
Doors: 7:00pm - Show: 8:00pm
Tickets £6
(£3 for members - become a member!)
XS Malarkey is a not-for-profit comedy club, hosted every week by Toby Hadoke, and eagerly maintained by a group of minions who do his bidding on a regular basis.
Despite our low door price, we put on shows with professional comedians and rising stars of the comedy circuit, also giving newcomers a chance to practise their material in front of a supportive and quite frankly fantastic audience, many of whom are just as obsessed with comedy as we are. We feed our audience’s comedy obsession by running a membership scheme charging a ludicrously cheap £3 per ticket. We don’t do group discounts, because to be honest – we’re cheap enough already!
REVENANT
21st & 22nd August
7:30pm
Tickets £12 - £10 Conc (Plus Booking fee)
Free Carer Tix - email venue.
An island off the coast of Ireland. A last minute casting decision. A grave mistake...
Carter, a gifted but volatile director, has found the perfect location to shoot his low budget zombie movie, -set during the Irish famine: a country house on a remote island off the coast of Mayo. With only three days to shoot and facing the sudden departure of his lead actor, Carter is forced to make a crucial decision – abandon the film or take a chance casting the mysterious Vardell, an actor with a shadowy past but extraordinary talent.
As the cameras roll, unnerving events and eerie occurrences hint at something much darker beneath the surface and Carter becomes increasingly suspicious that his decision may have been a grave mistake...
Revenant is a visceral, frightening theatrical experience, marrying elements of horror and suspense with deliciously dark comedy in a reflection on the choices we make in pursuit of success. Blackly comic and genuinely scary.
Winner of the Best Production Award at the Buxton Fringe Festival 2023. Patrick O’Donnell’s performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at both the Manchester Fringe 2021 and the Buxton Fringe 2023. Revenant was also Nominated for the Stewart Parker Trust Award.
Run Time 70 mins.
SITUATIONSHIPS
27th August
8:00pm
Ticket price incl. booking fee £9.70
Situationships is an explosive new comedy drama that follows two flatmates with very opposite ideas of dating; a man-eater, and a hopeless romantic. The women meet up to debrief fuelled by tarot cards and aperol spritz, only for secrets to be revealed and relationships to be tested.
After debuting a sold out show at Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, nominated for Best Newcomer, and the Write For The Stage award, Situationships invites you to join the girls for an eye watering exploration of modern dating and female friendship.
Run Time 55 mins.
CAN'T COMPLAIN - World Premiere
6th September
8pm
Tickets £10 (Exc. Booking Fee)
In England’s green and pleasant land, the blossoming romance between Tom and Joanna, two shy, aimless, post-school pre-university teens, is rocked by the sudden suicide of Joanna's father. Together, along with newly widowed mother Helen, they must keep calm and carry on by any means necessary whilst hamstrung by innate stoicism, solitude and silence.
Can't Complain is a brand new electropop audiodrama musical that captures a yearlong exploration of grief and loss, love and light, isolation and community seen through the eyes of a makeshift family unit living in the leafy but lifeless British countryside.
Join us under the arches of Deansgate for the second of two world premiere in person playback events celebrating the show’s global release.
For further updates, follow @cantcomplainmusical.
The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show 2025
8th September
8pm
Tickets £10-£15 (Exc. Booking Fee)
PWYC Available
"The most renowned sketch troupe of them all" (Independent) present one hour of brand-new sketch comedy written by the country's finest up-and-coming young comedians. 'Fragile Contents' is a sketch show about falling apart (because we can all feel a little fragile, can't we?) Prepare for blood, crises, and a good few belly laughs...
The Cambridge Footlights are the world-famous student comedy society who first aired the talents of some of the foremost British comedians and actors.
Run time - 1hr
DOMINO
Supported by 53two
19th September
8pm
Tickets £12
(All ticket sales donated to charities supporting the homeless).
Free Carer Tix - email venue.
BthechangeTheatre creates theatre that inspires awareness, empathy, and a commitment to supporting those in need.
Our Mission
We aim to foster a sense of community and unity by highlighting our shared humanity. We believe that collective accomplishments are possible when individuals come together to make a difference. Our goal is to encourage people to reflect on their own contributions and pledge to create a more equitable world.
Supporting a Good Cause
All earnings from the play ‘Domino’ ticket sales will be donated to the charitable organisations that have supported John's journey. These organisations provide vital services to those in need.
JB SHORTS
Wed 24th September 2025 - Sat 4th October 2025
7:30pm
Tickets £15 (£11 Conc) Exc Booking Fee
£2 Unwaged Tickets Available
After twenty-six sell-out seasons and 149 world premieres, REAL LIFE THEATRE CO. & 53TWO return with…JB SHORTS 27
"Shorts and snappy . It works every time... a ‘must-see’ on the Manchester cultural calendar."
- Manchester Theatre Awards
SLAMCHESTER RETURNS – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
12th OCT
7pm
After a stellar debut, Slamchester is back at 53Two for Round Two – and this time it’s going to be even bigger, bolder, and louder.
Eight incredible poets will go head-to-head in a high-energy battle of words, wit, and rhythm, competing for the title of Slamchester Champion. Expect punchy performances, passionate voices, and an atmosphere like no other.
And that’s not all… we’re thrilled to welcome reigning Slamchester Champion Biz Bond back to the stage for a special headline performance.
Plus, the Lucky Dip open mic. Sign up on the night for a chance to step up and shine in a welcoming, supportive space.
Hosted by four-time UK Slam finalist Kieren King.
Be part of Manchester’s poetry party – grab your tickets now and join the Slamchester movement!
Run Time - Approx 3hrs
'I'M WITH PULP, ARE YOU?': MARK WEBBER IN CONVERSATION
15th October
7:30pm
Tickets are £15 or £34 including a paperback of Mark's book (RRP £25). The first 20 tickets are £12 or £31 with a book.
A special evening with Pulp guitarist Mark Webber to celebrate the paperback launch of his history of the band, 'I'm with Pulp, Are You?'
Both Mark and Pulp have stories that are unique within pop - Mark the teenage fan eventually (after 10 years) invited to join the band. Pulp, the band who spent 13 years before finding mainstream success.
In a funny and revealing night of conversation for Pulp fans – and anyone who ever dreamed of joining their favourite band – Mark will share stories and insights from Pulp’s early days in Sheffield to this year’s surprise Glastonbury appearance and the recording of the band’s No 1 comeback album, More.
There will be a chance to ask your own questions.
Mark will be in conversation with journalist and longtime fan Duncan Steer, previously host of nights with Baxter Dury, Nick Lowe, Don Letts and many other music luminaries.
THE MAGIC MOD
19th October
8pm
Rock ‘n’ roll’s favourite magician, The Magic Mod performs a magic show like no other.
Expect to see a modern take on Tommy Cooper and Paul Daniels’ iconic magic tricks performed by a fella who wouldn’t look out of place in the best rock ‘n’ roll band in the world.
Wightwater
by Frankie Lipman
29th October - 7th November
7:30pm
£15 (£2 Tix Available)
Check booking link for specific timings!
Free Carer Tix - email venue.
In a dingy radio booth, a washed-up radio host clings to the threads of her career. Left alone to present The Paranormal Show, Terie spins kitsch haunted-house jingles and Cereal ads to a dwindling audience.
But tonight, something’s listening.
And it’s broadcasting back.
Chillingly intimate and darkly funny, Wightwater is a bold and haunting debut play about shame, fear, and buried secrets that sing under the static of the radio.
Runtime - 1hr 15mins (no interval)