Altrincham Garrick Playhouse brings Manchester stories to its studio stage

The Altrincham Garrick has been part of the town's cultural life for well over a hundred years. The Altrincham Garrick Society was established in 1914, and it presents theatrical entertainment of all kinds in its own theatre building, a rare thing for a society with such deep amateur roots.

The Playhouse has a main auditorium seating 401 people, along with a Studio Theatre for more intimate productions. Between the two, the venue can move from large-scale musicals to small new plays within the same season.

The 2025/26 season showed that range clearly. It opened in the main house with A Chorus Line, which ran from 11 to 20 September 2025, giving local performers the chance to take on one of musical theatre's best-loved shows.

Upstairs in the Studio, the theatre programmed a season of plays with a distinctly Mancunian flavour. Among them was Voices of Manchester, a new play by Duncan Battman, staged from 11 to 16 November 2025, a fine example of a local venue giving space to new writing about the region.

Alongside its own productions, the Garrick welcomes visiting shows, from tribute concerts to evenings of a very different kind, which helps keep the building busy throughout the year and brings in new audiences.

The Playhouse also invests in the next generation. The Garrick Academy of Performing Arts runs Saturday classes for young people, with groups organised by age and terms running through the year, so teenagers can build their confidence and skills on a real stage.

For those who would rather be on stage than in the audience, the theatre publishes an actor's guide to each season and holds auditions for its productions, making it a welcoming place to get involved in Altrincham. For anyone who has ever fancied treading the boards, or helping out behind the scenes, a society theatre like this is an approachable first step and a friendly way to meet people who share the same enthusiasm.

Show listings, audition details and information about the academy are on the Altrincham Garrick website, where tickets for upcoming productions can be booked online.