Greater Manchester Fringe is back 1-31 July 2024 with theatre, comedy, dance, spoken word and magic. Launched in 2012, GMFringe is an open access, grass roots fringe festival, showcasing new writers and performers from across Greater Manchester and around the world at a variety of small venues. Award-winning writer Mike Heath stages his new play Faith about a gay couple clashing with a devout Catholic mother at their wedding, at HOME, Manchester, 1-3 July. Red Brick Theatre present Bad Moult at HOME, 4-5 July, a darkly comic monologue that brings us into the troubled mind of Roach, who has escaped modern life by living in a commercial waste wheelie bin. Natter, 4-5 July at The Edge in Chorlton, takes the audience back to 1980s Salford when Helen & Linda grapple with useless husbands, a homosexual son and what’s on telly. Presented by Qweerdog Theatre. Writer Joe Dennis explores his own personal experiences of autism in his show Tides at Salford Arts Theatre, 4-5 July. The Restaurant features dancers from Portugal and Taiwan (5-7 July) at the Fitzgerald in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Jewel is an autobiographical-one person-musical comedy by Preston-born queer Muslim comedian Zahra Abbas at Social Refuge on 8 July and features in a double bill with Olivera by trans American writer Jacklyn Jeffries. Religion and identity feature in Ultimate Jewish Mother with Rachel Creeger (11 July at the Whitefield Garrick); Lost Girl (15-16 July at King’s Arms); and Rules Schmules How to be Jew-ISH with Suzie Dupreli (21-23 July at King’s Arms). Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finalist Nerine Skinner went viral for her political parodies of former Prime Minister Liz Truss in 2022 and she’s trying to exorcise her at the Social Refuge on 9 July. Meanwhile Stephen Titley will be talking about the past Labour leader in Oh Jeremy Corbyn, part of a comedy double bill with Goldfish presented by Nina Gilligan on July 10 at The King’s Arms in Salford. Chris Tavener previously performed with Super Hans from Peep Show and will be Faking Cool in his musical comedy sketch show, 10-11 July, King’s Arms. Sam Lowe examines imposter syndrome in his magic show The Imposter on 13 July at the King’s Arms in Salford. Award-winning play Dear Eliza returns with an exploration of mental health, 13-14 July, at the King’s Arms featuring Barbara Diesel and directed by Helen Parry. A dispute over bins is the inspiration for With Love, Mr Gay by Brentwood winner Joshua Val Martin, 16 July, at Social Refuge. Ruth Berkoff’s character Hannah has decided to live as a sheep and she even has a song about it in The Beauty of Being Herd, 16-17 July at the Cockatoo Club in Manchester. There is a new musical called Nuns of Fury 17-20 July at The Fitzgerald, presented by Greater Manchester based Rocket Whip Productions. Life After is a powerful two-act Northern drama about grief, loss, hope, and change at Whitefield Garrick 18-20 July. In All Cops Are, 21-22 July at The Fitzgerald, an undercover police officer infiltrates the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, as part of a double bill of new drama and monologues. Mud Rats at the Empty Space in Salford, 27-28 July, tells the story of four Salford Pals before the Battle of the Somme in WW1 with their teacher as their sergeant. Comedians include Louise Atkinson; Nathan Cassidy; Joseph Parsons; Dan Driver; Amy Webber; Darren Walsh; Madam Chandelier’s Guide to Opera; Justina Seselskaite; Marigold Lately; Charis King and Kathryn Haywood. For more details and tickets visit greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk
