Photos: Tom Claxton Stars in A MANCHESTER ANTHEM

Cloudburst Productions has announced that A Manchester Anthem, the hit solo play by Nick Dawkins, will return to the stage with back-to-back runs at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and Riverside Studios in London this summer. See photos of the production.

Following acclaimed, sold-out performances at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe and VAULT Festival, the show will be performed by Tom Claxton and directed by Izzy Edwards, with previews beginning July 29 in Manchester and August 19 in London.

Winner of the Pleasance Pick of VAULT Festival Award, ‘Show of the Week’, and an OffFest nominee, A Manchester Anthem follows Tommy, a young working-class Mancunian, on his final night in the city before leaving for Oxford. As the sticky floors and flashing lights of a big night out swirl around him, Tommy confronts the fears, memories, and people that shaped him. It’s a funny and heartfelt solo show about family, identity, and how the songs we love come to define us.

“I’m thrilled to be bringing this story to life with such a talented team,” said playwright Nick Dawkins. “A Manchester Anthem hopes to encapsulate the intense excitement of deciding to leave your hometown, and the fear of how it will shape who you are.”

Tom Claxton reprises his role as Tommy following roles in Romeo & Juliet (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Heart of Hammersmith (Lyric Hammersmith), and the film Boys in the Boat. Director Izzy Edwards, currently on the creative development team at Sonia Friedman Productions, brings her experience from La Bohème (King’s Head Theatre), The Time Traveller’s Wife (Storyhouse Chester), and anthropology (Hampstead Theatre).

The Manchester run will take place July 29–August 2 at Hope Mill Theatre, with a press performance on July 31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at hopemilltheatre.co.uk.

The London run will follow August 19–September 13 at Riverside Studios (Studio 3), with a press night on August 20 at 7:45 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at riversidestudios.co.uk.

Photo Credit: Flood LTD.