What's On at 53two
At 53two we try to offer as diverse and exciting range of events as possible. These range from theatre productions, live music and quizzes, to corporate events, live podcasts, weddings, parties and more. We hold events both in the Bar area and Theatre area.
Below you will see a list of our upcoming events. Click on an image for more detail around them and a link to booking. Alternatively, check out the calendar opposite and search for a specific date.
If you have any questions about the events, please feel free to drop us a line. All events are fully accessible. Look out for specific listings for BSL interpreted events and events that also have Unwaged Tickets for sale.
TESTING TESTING
With Toby Hadoke
SUNDAY 2nd MARCH
Tickets £10 INCLUDING A £5 drinks voucher
PWYC Tickets Available
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.
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!
STATIC
20th March
8:00pm
Tickets £10 (£7 Conc)
PWYC Available
Arriving in the family caravan following the death of her father and charged with sorting through the bits and pieces of her life, Static is the story of Ruby: a neurodiverse performer coming to terms with her past and ultimately finding her voice.
Static is a dark comedy exploring one woman’s experience of acceptance surrounding disability and ultimately how to be free.
Elaine Collins is a theatre maker based in Liverpool. She has been on the Graeae artist development programme and Dadafest Theatre Makers and an artist development programme with the British Council. She is a neurodivergent artist with long-term health conditions. The piece is based on Elaine’s experience of being a disabled woman and feeling owned.
Running time - 70mins
BUCKLED
by Helen Jeffrey
21st March
7:30pm
Tickets £12 (£10 Conc)
PWYC Available
Ruby doesn’t think she has a problem
Maggie’s almost six months into recovery
Then there’s Callum…..
Family, friendship and booze
Drinking to remember
And drinking to forget
Written and directed by Helen Jeffery, this piece dives deep into the drinking culture of contemporary Britain as it asks the question: How do you navigate sobriety in a world that revolves around drink?
"Mature, intelligent work with plenty to say and a big heart.“
Vicky Anderson - Made Up Liverpool
‘Buckled 'is a brilliant new piece of writing from Helen Jeffery, sensitively exploring an important topic. Moving, humorous and excellently staged.’
Elinor Randle - Artistic Director: Unity Theatre
Run time - 1hr
REFLECTION
by Oleta Wright
22nd March - 1:30pm & 5:30pm
23rd March - 5:30pm
Tickets £10 (£7 Conc) Not inc. booking fee.
PWYC Available
Therapy may have comfy sofas and trained professionals but it’s lacking one thing; affordability. So Annie does what any young girl would do in a time of need - she googles it. ‘Reflection’ allows the audience to sit at the other side of the mirror, as Annie reflects on her life in the place that we feel most vulnerable; the bathroom. In an attempt to better herself, she relates her life to the music of Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and the existentialism of Captain Hook.
Run time - 50 minsContent warnings:
- themes of death/dying
- mentions of suicidal thoughts
- themes of divorce
HORSEMEN
Written by George Unitt
Directed by George Unitt & Nathan Bailey
13th & 14th April
7:30pm
Tickets £8 (Not inc. Booking Fee)
PWYC Available
Get ready for a night of thrills and chills at 53two! New theatre collective THUИK presents an evening of mystery, secrets, and murder - as well as a few laughs! When a group of bizarre and ridiculous strangers discover the dead body of the pub’s landlord in the cellar, accusations will fly, and the truth behind the Black Dog’s dark past will be uncovered as they try to figure out who the killer is before the police arrive — and before the killer strikes again. HORSEMEN is an original whodunnit with a thrilling plot full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right until the end.
This production is a part of 53New; a platform and initiative to provide 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 new work out and play safely without breaking the bank and in a safe, supportive space.
THE FAMILY MAGIC SHOW
15th April
2:00pm
Tickets £10 (£7.50 Conc)
The legendary magician the Great Baldini tells the story of his, and Baldwin the magical dog’s, life from their first tricks to the height of their careers – attempting Houdini’s greatest escape. The show is packed with magic, sweets, puppetry, sweets, water, sweets, eggs, sweets, and escapology. It’s hilariously silly…with sweets.
Come and see two true magical superstars (Baldini and Baldwin) at the very pinnacle of their powers.
The Great Baldini is an award-winning member of the Magic Circle and the Bristol Stage Magic Champion.
“Incredible” Front Row, BBC Radio 4
“Charming, engaging, and charismatic. A pleasure.” FringeReview
RUN TIME - 60 mins
JB Shorts
Weds 2nd - Sat 12th April
7:30pm
Matinees - Sat 5th/12th at 3pm
Sunday 6th at 3pm
Tickets:
£15 Cabaret
£13 General
£11 Concs
PWYC Available
After twenty-five sell-out seasons and 150 world premieres, REAL LIFE THEATRE CO. return with…JB SHORTS 25
'Shorts and snappy . It works every time... a ‘must-see’ on the Manchester cultural calendar.'
- Manchester Theatre Awards
Run time - 105 mins (inc interval)
A PINEAPPLE
by Olivia Mace
23rd April - 3rd May - 53two
7th May - Lawrence Batley, Huddrsfield
8th & 9th May - Dukes, Lancaster
7:30pm
EXCEPT
Sunday 27th at 5pm
53two Tickets Only;
£10 EARLYBIRD TICKETS!
Tickets £13 (Not inc. Booking Fee)
PWYC Available
Decades into the future, the planet is rocked by a perpetual storm caused by global warming. Survivors are placed in pods to match their wealth and live in isolation to await gradual extinction. The pod is all Nia has ever known. When her grandmother Connie decides that her time might be coming to an end, this isolation ends and with it, a world unexplored, is unlocked. A stark, sometimes funny and visceral world is created by Olivia Mace in the world premiere of ‘A Pineapple’.
One day we’ll all be gone
And in a year or so, no-one will know
Which side lost and which side won.
THE MAGIC MOD
Rock N Rolls Favourite Magician
THE MAGIC MOD – aka Ben Taylor – is a card magician and entertainer of huge esteem who can proudly count himself as a member of the exclusive Magic Circle fraternity. Born in Crawley in South London, he now lives in Belfast and has previously supported The Libertines, Paul Weller and The Brian Jonestown Massacre on tour, all people he can call friends alongside the likes of Liam Gallagher, Shaun Ryder and Rick Witter.
Ben has appeared on Sky Sports Soccer AM, considers journalist and broadcaster Eamonn Holmes as a friend and fan (“I’ve met David Blaine and Dynamo but, for me, what he did was the best I’ve ever seen”) as well as former Fulham and West Ham United footballer Tony Gayle (He’s good, the boy’s good, but can he head a ball?) and makes a cameo appearance on the Paul Weller album On Sunset.
His act astonishes, perplexes and entertains all those who witness it and is a performance wrapped in warmth and humour. Which is why people endlessly return to see him perform and why his audiences are growing with every tour, as evidenced by his sold-out run throughout the UK late last year.
THE FLOOD - A New Musical
7th - 8th May
7:30pm
Tickets £15 (£12 Conc)
PWYC Available
On Boxing Day 2015, the small Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge experienced the worst floods in century. But, as the town submerged a community emerged, working together to rebuild their sodden town.
A new musical with a folk rock soundtrack, 5 multi talented actor musicians perform over 20 characters who were trapped in the valley that wet December.
Honest and touching with a dash of Northern humour, The Flood is a love letter to a town that refused to give in to the volatility of nature.
Run time - 105 mins (inc interval)
The Long Walk
9th May
7:00pm
Tickets £10
Coming to Manchester, The Long Walk, a multi-award winning film based on a true story. Heart wrenching and full of hope. Created to raise awareness of mental illness. Starring the brilliant Michelle Collins (EastEnders) and the superb Daniel Casey (Midsomer Murders).
After the screening of the film there will be a Q&A for the audience to ask questions to the creator.
A percentage of the ticket price will be given to a mental health charity in Manchester.
Running time - 35mins
12A. If you would like more information on content warnings, please email us.
Sirens Of The Silver Screen
23rd May
8:00pm
Tickets £12.75 - £15 (Not inc. booking fee)
Sirens of the Silver Screen delves into the lives of the 20th century's most iconic women: Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. This sisterhood of stunning starlets lit up the silver screen for decades and kept tongues wagging with their scandalous off-screen antics. Award-winning actress Beth Burrows takes on each iconic woman, performing their songs and shedding light on the shadowy secrets that stalked their careers. Prepare to be transported to a world of Old Hollywood glamour, where fame, fate and misfortune collide, presented through story, song and cinema!
Running time - 1hr45
Age 12+
NEZLOBIN
21st June
7:30pm
Tickets from £35
24 марта впервые в Манчестере выступит один из первопроходцев жанра stand-up на русском языке Александр Незлобин.
Экс-резидент Comedy Club, продюсер, режиссёр. Незлобин давно закрепился на комедийной сцене благодаря своему узнаваемому стилю.
От бытовых проблем до жизни в США, о чём бы ни говорил Саша, мы узнаём себя!
В концерте специальным гостем выступит стенд-ап комик Игорь Меерсон. У вас будет уникальная возможность стать свидетелями воссоединения легендарного дуэта Бабочки.
AGE RESTRICTED: 18+
Extra Ordinary
14th July
7:30pm
Tickets £12 (£10 Conc) Not inc. booking fee
PWYC Tix Available
Rachel and Max are an ordinary couple, living ordinary lives until something extraordinary turns everything upside down. Now they have the single most important decision of their life to make.
They piece together their thoughts, bit by bit, good and bad, speaking the things you shouldn’t say and contemplating the never ending ‘What ifs’.
Extra Ordinary follows Max and Rachel as they consider the news that their unborn baby will be born with Down’s syndrome. They are faced with many life-changing decisions -- how will their lives change, what complexities will their child have, will they be able to support their child? The list goes on.
Extra Ordinary is an emotional rollercoaster, exploring the differing perspectives of a mother and father. As they debate, reflect, and consider all the possibilities, the question remains, will they reach a conclusion?
This piece of new writing examines the effects of genetic testing and the impact this has on the diversity of our society. Extra Ordinary is a powerful, thought-provoking experience that will leave you pondering, what you would do in their position?
Run time - 55mins
Age restriction - 10+
OFFCUT FESTIVAL 2025
23rd July - 3rd August
7:30pm (Sunday 3rd @ 1pm & 5pm)
Tickets £10
PWYC Available
2 Weeks...
20 Plays...
5 Finalists...
1 Winner!
OFFCUT IS BACK!!!
One of the UK’s most successful platforms for undiscovered writing, acting and directing talent found a new home in at 53two in January 2019. Prior to this, the Off Cut Festival had been one of London’s biggest springboards for many new careers and working relationships, all born in the spirit of collaboration, camaraderie and friendly competition. And always with an emphasis on audience engagement.
PETERLOO IN ROCK
16th August
3pm & 8pm
Tickets £15 (£5 Conc.)
PWYC TIX AVAILABLE
‘It started with a song about the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, the song grew, more songs in the same vein were written, they came together and became Peterloo in Rock. It was as if it was always meant to be.’
The Reformers of Peterloo aim to tell the world what happened at one of Britains most brutal atrocities and how it fuelled the determination of the working classes for fairness, democracy and universal suffrage
Peterloo, The Rock Musical. to be performed on the 206th anniversary of the massacre at St Petersfield in Manchester
Running time - 2hrs exc interval