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Waterside Arts presents its first in-house production, ‘Clothes Swap’ set in a queer youth club
Waterside Arts presents its first in-house production, ‘Clothes Swap’, a new play exploring refuge, resistance and radical self-expression set in a queer youth club Waterside Arts in Trafford, Greater Manchester, is producing its first show in a move to spotlight and champion original homegrown narratives that define the region. This new vision supports new writing, expanding the theatrical canon of what stories appear on stages across the UK. Clothes Swap is written by Liam Mansfield and is set in a queer youth club. It was inspired by a real clothes swap at an LGBTQ+ young persons' charity in Trafford, where emerging playwright Mansfield volunteered. ‘Clothes Swap’ is directed by Nathaniel J Hall (First Time, It’s a Sin C4) and produced by Waterside Arts. It was originally developed by Green Carnation Theatre. Clothes Swap follows a group of queer young people navigating identity, belonging and the beautiful chaos of becoming themselves. Set in October 2025 under the shadow of growing anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric, alongside the burden of austerity, the story captures and spotlights the joy of young people and the connections they make in a queer youth club. At its heart is their fiercely protective but emotionally drained youth leader, alongside an outsider whose suspicion threatens the fragile safety of the group. When the future of the youth group looks to be in jeopardy, they come together to try to navigate a path to resolution and find new members. The story...
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Waterside Arts presents its first in-house production, ‘Clothes Swap’ set in a queer youth club
Waterside Arts presents its first in-house production, ‘Clothes Swap’, a new play exploring refuge, resistance and radical self-expression set in a queer youth club Waterside Arts in Trafford, Greater Manchester, is producing its first show in a move to spotlight and...
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