What's On at 53two
TESTING TESTING
With Toby Hadoke
SUNDAY 29th MARCH
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: HANNAH PLATT, GARY DELANEY. JOSH JONES, ALUN COCHRANE, TABISH AKBAR & MR TOBY HADOKE!
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!
Myra DuBois LIVE
Multiple Dates
The siren from South Yorkshire, Ms Myra DuBois performs live at 53Two with support from "comedian" Frank Lavender.
Rotherham's own renaissance woman, venerated televised personality, energy worker, wellness facilitator, intellectual, and empath MYRA DUBOIS lands for one evening at Manchester's swinging 53two for an intimate evening of song and chat.
"Bust a gut funny" - Graham Norton
"Acid tongued, funny to the bone" - TimeOut London
"Myra DuBois is hilarious, if you don't believe me ASK HER" - Bianca Del Rio
DuBois is supported by last remaining straight man in show-biz, "comedian" FRANK LAVENDER.
"Not up to the job" - Chortle"
My Name Is Rachel Corrie
18th - 22nd March 2026
7:30pm
2:30pm Sat 21st
5:00pm Sun 22nd
£20.00 / £17.00 (Exc Booking Fee)
Take Back theatre and 53Two are excited and honoured to be co-producing the Manchester premiere of this rarely performed, multi award-winning play, based entirely on a young American peace activist’s diaries and emails. Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie, edited by actor Alan Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner.
In 2003 Rachel Corrie, profoundly affected by events in Palestine, was compelled to travel to live and work with the people in Gaza.
Originally produced by the Royal Court in 2005, Ian Kershaw will direct Harriet Bibby in this new production of this deeply human, funny and moving piece described by the Guardian as “a stunning account of one woman’s passionate response”.
Ian Kershaw is an award winning writer, whose work for theatre includes The Greatest Play in the History of the World (Royal Exchange, Traverse, Trafalgar Studios and UK tour), We Should Definitely have more Dancing (Oldham Coliseum and Edinburgh Festival), Bread and Roses, Starcross’d, Mist in the Mirror, Union Street (Oldham Coliseum) as well as many pieces for Take Back. He is a Bruntwood award winner, with many TV credits, including Coronation Street, Shameless, Casualty, Cold Feet, Death in Paradise and Castles in the Sky. My Name is Rachel Corrie is his directorial debut.
Harriet Bibby is best known as Summer Spellman in Coronation Street, a role she has played since 2020. Originally from Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, she trained at ALRA North. Other credits include- Brassic and Doctors for TV and Blackbird at Royal Court Liverpool in 2022. This is her first time working with Take Back.
THE ANGRY BRIGADE by James Graham
25th - 28th March 2026
1st - 4th April 2026
7:00pm
£17 (Exc Booking Fee)
Set in 1970s Britain during a period of Tory cuts, high unemployment, and increasing inequality, focusing on the hunt for the anarchist group "The Angry Brigade" by a special police squad.
The play contrasts the contrasting perspectives of the establishment and the young urban guerrillas, exploring themes of political engagement, rebellion, and the human cost of pursuing a radical vision for a fairer world.
Voices & Lyrics, a night for Jennifer
9th APRIL 2026
7:30pm
£15 (Exc Booking Fee)
Voices & Lyrics brings a musical theatre cabaret celebrating ‘b’ side musicals and commercial blockbusters. This special one night only performance is in aid of The Jennifer Charity, supporting widowed fathers and their children. With a cast including Andrew Tuton, Madeleine Healey, Emily Bailey, Megan Hickie, Megan Davies-Truin, Travis Wood, Nicola Avino, Ella Holt, James Cave and Jennifer Caldwell.
Registered Charity No. 1140783
BALLAÍ / WALLS
15th - 17th April 2026
7:30pm
£12 (Exc Booking Fee + PWYC av.)
In Belfast, everyone knows some stories aren’t told. Some people aren’t found. Some names you never learn. Some secrets stay buried.
Set against the backdrop of Belfast, 1969, this powerful one-woman play follows a young woman reliving the night she falls in love, and the moment she realises love, in the wrong hands, can become a weapon.
IAIN LEE - IMPOSTER SYNDROME
19th April 2026
7:30pm
£15 (Exc Booking Fee)
TV's Iain Lee invites you to commemorate his 30 years in showbusiness. He used to have impostor syndrome, believing he didn't deserve his success. Now at 52, Iain is starting to question his long held belief and consider the possibility that maybe he was actually decent.
Join him as he watches clips from the 11 O'Clock Show and provides a commentary letting you know what was going on behind the scenes and what people like Gervais and Sacha Baron Cohen were like to work with.
You'll also find out what makes Iain really angry as well as songs, jokes and plenty of indoor language.
After that there will be an interview and Q&A hosted by David Turners (The Compute Game Show).
Holmes & Watson; The Curious Case of The Masked Magician
8th April 2026
2:30pm
£15.00 / £12.00 Conc.
Family - £45 (Exc Booking Fee)
When (mid-show) the Masked Magician disappears, completely, magically and seemingly forever, Sherlock Holmes (with Watson in tow) plunges into a secret world of Edwardian Magic to solve the mystery of the missing Magi. A brand new Holmes and Watson adventure for all the family filled with Mayhem, Mirth, Mystery and…Magic!
"TELL ME EVERYTHING, HOLMES"
1t’s 1906 - the Golden Age of Magic. The Masked Magician, bestrides London’s world of Magic like a colossus, UNTIL..one night, mid-performance, the Magician vanishes. Dead? Kidnapped? In hiding?
After a month Scotland Yard is completely baffled (obviously) and calls in Sherlock Holmes to help solve the mystery of the Masked Magician’s disappearance. Holmes, with an excitable Watson in tow, plunges into the secret world of Edwardian Magic only to find that the Masked Magician’s identity is Magic's best kept secret.
As they meet, and question, the Magician‘s peers (seeing a lot of Magic), the mystery of his identity and fate deepens. As they unravel clue after clue, Holmes comes to share Watson’s wonder and discovers that it can sit alongside his logical outlook.
Run Time: 70 mins
NorthWave Presents - Jain Edwards: She-Devil
30th April 2026
8:00pm
£20.00 (Exc. booking fee)
Join award-winning comedian and viral sensation Jain Edwards as she brings her sell-out, five star Fringe show to Manchester.
Jain Edwards is an award-winning comedian who isn't like other girls. She's worse. But she's finally ready to Lean In (and receive a little forehead kiss from hubby).
A cult comedy legend and online sensation, Jain is one of the most exciting voices in comedy.
The sell out show of Fringe 2025, She-Devil is a show about conspiracy theories, autism and men turning on you.
Expect silly, subversive comedy from literally the best comedian.
The Guardian Top Ten shows to see at the Fringe 2025
Winner of the Neurodiverse Review Actually Autistic Award 2025
Sell out show Edinburgh Fringe 2025
A Sudden, Disturbing To Do List
13th May
8:00pm
£12 (Not inc. Booking Fee)
Phoebe is 28, a journalist, has OCD and is the queen of lists. On her mirror, on the fridge, all over her hands and…everywhere basically.
Her favourite lists are: 1) shopping, 2) favourite stationary, 3) least favourite numbers, 4) past jobs ranked in order of wanting to staple her earlobes to the table, 5) the missed opportunities folder in her emails.
She’s pretty sure keeping them is her healthiest habit, propelling her on towards being the most productive, best version of herself. So, when her lists are spawning lists and lists and lists and becoming an overwhelming listathon, and a pink fluffy monster appears under her duvet and starts spooning her while she sleeps: she’s sure there isn’t a problem.
Phoebe wonders if she needs her space: but the monster is a really good cook, plus they do all her washing for her. So why is she suddenly listing all the ways she might die?
Phoebe takes 'monster to do list' to a whole new level.
Funeral Teeth
16th May
7:30pm
£12 (£10 Concession) Not inc. Booking Fee
PWYC Tix Available
Maybe you’ve lost your marbles… Or maybe you’ve found the most transformative piece of theatre that you’ll see this year. Probably both. Nominated for a London Pub Theatres award in 2025 and debuted to rave reviews, the Succulent girlies are making waves on the scene with 'Funeral Teeth'.
What and who are we allowed to grieve? And does that really matter?
Loss is the only truly universal experience. Whether it’s coming to terms with the passing of a loved one, tucking the first tooth you’ve lost under your pillow, or realising that you have no idea where your wallet is after spending a blurry night boozing at the pub - we’ve all been there. What’s more, we’re going to keep coming face to face with loss. Lose yourself (geddit?) in the latest piece by Succulent Theatre, unpacking what loss looks like to them, what it looks like to you, and what it could look like for all of us.
Following the success of their debut show ‘NASTY: ‘Big’ girls being gross, mean and sexy’, the Succulent team bring another queer, autobiographical, confessional piece of theatre that’s gut-busting and gut-wrenching in equal measure.
Death, grief and loss can be scary to talk about, but if we don’t - we just feel alone. And grief already makes you feel alone. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. This feel-good tragicomedy will remind you that life is a celebration and every loss you experience is an opportunity for you to grow. Drugs, sex, love, family and friendship are at the centre of this contemplative work which really puts the ‘fun’ in funeral.
The stories shared are painfully true, often painfully funny, and will hold a mirror up to your own experiences in a way that you might not expect. In their signature style, Succulent dexterously guides you through their losses from cradle to grave. Come watch them pick at a brand new scab and see what comes oozing out.
Run time - 70 mins
One Breath Before Before The End
20th May - 22nd May
7:30pm
£15 Not Inc. Booking Fee
"It's always been the end."
The sky's on fire and everything's falling apart.
Out of options, inseparable trio Ash, Oliver, and Kieron have retreated to their old childhood hangout to figure out what the plan is – or whether there's even one at all.
That’s until Phoebe turns up. Wanting to talk.
Wanting connection.
Wanting forgiveness.
As the hours tick down, old grudges are unearthed and tempers flare as the group struggle to come to terms with the decade-long fallout of an event that drove them apart. If all you had was a single night, do you think you could make things right again?
The second play from Stephen Leach (Can't Wait To Leave) and directed by Mimi Collins (Water Party, Snakeskin Suit, Orange Flower Water), One Breath Before The End is a moving, acutely intimate piece exploring how far the bonds of friendship can be tested before they break.
Set design by Ruth Varela
“A gripping piece of new writing brimming with dramatic instinct and creative clarity… [Leach is] a writer to watch.”
-Everything Theatre
NOCTURNE
30th May
2:00pm / 6:00pm
£12 Not Inc. Booking Fee
East of the sun and west of the moon comes a tale of finding your courage and staying true to yourself.
★★★★★ "The musical theatre highlight that came out of nowhere" - Theatre in Brighton (2025)
Nocturne is a new original musical rooted in Norwegian folklore and folk music, inviting you on a mysterious and inspiring journey filled with enchanting music, puppetry and physical theatre.
Join our protagonist Solveig as she delves into the forest of ancient fairytales, encountering familiar characters and dark mysteries.
Get lost in the magical fables we often forget as we grow older.
Set in the Scandinavian forest, Nocturne tells a story of courage and identity. Embracing the magic of music and puppetry, Nocturne transports you to a world of wonder!
★★★★★ "Featuring a large and talented cast, it’s as sparkling as the fjords and as warming as a Nordic sweater – but it also tells a thoughtful story of self-discovery, which kids and grown-ups alike can enjoy." - The Wee Review (Edinburgh Fringe 2025)
Silent Struggles
14th June
7:30pm
£8 Not Inc. Booking Fee
Silent Struggles brings real talks and support for those battling invisible challenges, face to face.
Join Us for Silent Struggles!
Hey there! We're hosting Silent Struggles, an in-person event where real stories come to life. It's all about sharing those moments we keep inside and connecting with others who get it. No fancy stuff, just genuine vibes and support. Come hang out, listen, and maybe share your own silent journey. Let's break the silence together!
Tides (An Autism Story)
23rd July 2026
7:30pm
£15 Not Inc. Booking Fee
Dylan Ward is autistic. He has his own way of thinking and his own way of doing things, but no one seems to understand him. How do you navigate a world which operates on a completely different wavelength to the one that you’re on?
Following its hugely successful and critically acclaimed run at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and based on real experiences of growing up autistic, Tides (An Autism Story), combines Monty Pythonesque humour with a touch of drama to offer an insight into the wonderful, yet challenging world of autism... From one particularly silly individual.
"Nothing short of brilliant... Powerful & Profound" ★★★★ Theatre & Tonic
" A masterclass in storytelling... This is the kind of show which theatre is all about" ★★★★
A Young(ish) Perspective
"This is a bittersweet show, filled with humour and candour, and compellingly performed. See it if you can" ★★★★ WeeReview
Grindr The Opera!
AUGUST 2026
Check booking site for full times and dates
£15.00 Early Bird
£35.00 General Admission
£130.00 VIP Table
Grindr: The Opera! puts the most notorious gay hook-up app into the exaggerated world of opera.
With musical styles ranging from baroque to contemporary pop, Grindr: The Opera! is a daring, humorous look at the changing landscape of gay relationships, and the greatest catalyst for the shift: Grindr. We meet GRINDR, a mythical siren from remote antiquity who has been awoken from its millennial slumber by technology. Its power, which is derived from human lust, is exhibited as it manipulates its gay devotees in a soaring soprano.
The Modern Prometheus
18th - 19th OCTOBER 2026
£8.67
Upcoming medical mogul Victor Frank and his entire immediate circle vanished or were found dead one by one in violent, unexplained circumstances.
Tonight, media-dubbed conspiracy theorist Professor R Walton has gathered an audience to tell the story as he was told it from the man himself.
This brand new reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus sets the original gothic horror in the 21st century, against a backdrop of social unease, technological breakthroughs and asks what is the real measure of a monster.
Note: This production contains strong language, violent scenes, substance abuse, references towards sexual violence and suicide. Therefore we request that all audiences must be 15 or over.
A part of what makes 53two special is our dedication to supporting grass-roots artists, new companies and start-up creatives whilst striving for a quality of theatre that exceeds expectations.
Sometimes, for new, talented companies and individuals, they first need a platform to explore, play, develop and grow not only themselves but their craft as a Manchester ensemble.
With this in mind, 53New was born. A platform and initiative, as one of our charitable activities, to provide just that - a theatre space and/or rehearsal room at a reduced rate where those starting out can tread the boards in front of an audience, try their work out and play safely without breaking the bank and in a safe, supportive space.