Welcome to Backstage!  Here, you will find the ‘Ladies of the Chorus’ getting ready for opening night of Verdi’s Macbetto. If you’re a regular opera-goer in this area, you’ll have seen them before as Cigarette Girls, Geishas, and Nuns – this time, they are the Witches!*Despite their numerous appearances over the years, would you recognise them out on the high street? Or know their names if you ever met them? Who really are the people you only seem to see ‘upstage’?Set in a theatre broom cupboard, next to the building’s only toilet, Destination: ‘Old Hag’ draws on the ladies’ years in the world of opera.  The show was created, written by, and stars Bridget Hardy, Penny Rossano and Samantha Houston – three opera singers with more years’ stage experience than they care to mention ... so join them backstage as they chart their ups and downs over one-act with humour, heart, and a sprinkling of live opera singing.

BRUV. The break-out star of Taskmaster and Mr Bigstuff is only embarking on her first ever stand-up tour, isn’t she?! Fatiha’s ironed her swaggest hijab and she’s ready to hit the road to serve up her one-of-a-kind and award-winning stand-up. Expect strong language, stereotype-smashing, and to fall side-splittingly in love with this knock-out comic who is destined for stardom. As seen on Live At The Apollo, QI, The Last Leg, The Jonathan Ross Show, Cats Does Countdown and Donkey. As heard on Off Menu, Alan Carr's Life's A Beach and A Match Made Inshallah for BBC Radio 4. Winner of Leicester Comedy Festival’s Best Debut Show award.

Come and join us for an evening of script in hand readings from the graduates of our writing programme – Stage Write.There will be a selection of 10 minute excerpts from some of the scripts that have been submitted over the last two months. This is the chance to get an early look at works in progress as a team of actors and creatives get them ready for the next stage.Feedback from the audience and questions for any of the participants will be welcomed as we continue to develop the best in new writing.17th Feb Community Banned by Maxine McCarthy Little Predicament by Theo SambusEleven, Eleven by Sean PatrickMrs Damien Carter by Lyndsey McCallisterWe Don’t Talk About The Thing In The House by Michelle C-E KeeleyThe Scousebournes by Abbey Izabella FitzhenryThe Killing Season by Tim HemmingsWinning The War From The Floor by Harriet Ball 24th Feb The Subway Boys by Sean McLoughlinI Think Dad Might Be Sick by Conrad SmithThe Killing Jar by Matt ShielThe Reality of a Dream by Bradley BowckettSightseeing by Erin CraineRumours About Ayo by Evita AkomodeTo Serve The People by David EllisIf you would like to submit a script for consideration at the next Stage Write Showcase please email it to stagewrite@royalcourtliverpool.comClick here for more information about Stage WritePerformance InformationPlease note – the bar will close 15 minutes before the advertised start time.Latecomers will not be admitted so please arrive in good time.Please contact Box Office on 0151 709 4321 if you require wheelchair access. There are two wheelchair spaces available for each show.There are no booking fees payable (hurrah!)

Sashi’s surname - Perera - means pear tree in Portuguese. You won’t believe how mad Portugal gets if you mention why it’s a super common name in Sri Lanka hehe. Pear Tree is a stand up comedy show about pear shaped events between Sri Lanka and Australia. It’s about family, love, homes, knives, kids and cats - spliced with a bit of geopolitics and singing. As with her last show Boundaries (now on YouTube) Sashi’s signature observations remain dedicated to taking absolutely nothing too seriously. Sashi is a Sri Lankan Australian comedian, writer and recovering lawyer. After working with refugee organisations around the globe, she moved to Melbourne to do her masters and fell arse backwards into comedy. She’s now one of Australia’s fastest rising comedians, known for her sharp wit, unique international tales and bizarre insights. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Since then, she’s sold out shows in six countries, opened for Hannah Gadsby and made a slew of television appearances including Channel 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention and ABC’s Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee. Her memoir Standstill was published by Penguin Random House in August 2025.

It's time for Pierre to do stand-up. It's time for you to watch. It's time for Pierre to do standup! It's time for you to watch! Why not just embrace that, for God's sake? All earthly glories fade! Co-host of the Frank Skinner, Budpod and Button Boys podcasts and as seen and heard on World’s Most Dangerous Roads (Dave), The Mash Report (BBC2), Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), The Now Show and The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4).

Dole Bots  For rent: Bathroom, No lease. Not All MenDating is a dangerous game.  Dole Bots - Maria CunninghamEx-lovers Ró and Em are addicted to everything. Including each other. Directionless, dissociated and compulsively impulsive, they have just about everything they could ever need, living together in their landlords shared, 8 by 10 foot bathroom. Just about everything…  Warnings: Partial Nudity, Adult themes, Flashing lights WRITTEN + PERFORMED BY: Maria Cunningham and Cast PRODUCED BY: Gemma Robotham POSTER IMAGE BY: Blaise Robinson SET BY: Fiachra Davoren LIGHTING BY: Fiachra Ó Laigheanáin SOUND + TECH BY: Michael Brady Running time: 20 mins----  Not All Men - GráMór Theatre  An awkward first date between a lonely woman and her 'C List' celebrity crush unravels into chaos, exposing Saoirse's most unflattering qualities. An absurd comedy about dating culture and moral ambiguity.  Warnings: Contains language relating to and insinuating sexual assault  WRITTEN + DIRECTED BY: Chloé Kelly  PRODUCED BY: Naoise McFarland  CAST: Chloé Kelly, Alan Markey, Ciarán Palmer  PHOTOGRAPHY + ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Brian Brennan  Running time: 20 mins

Healing through Hip-Hop Pieces of shit turned into fertilizer Big FeelingsSketches about people getting it wrong Healing through Hip-Hop - Thought Brownie Life threw pieces of shit at a writer. He sought refuge in hip-hop, turned said pieces of shit into fertilizer to make beautiful things bloom. For fans of Socrates, Simone Weil, Shakespeare, Hamilton, Hadestown, Ted Lasso, and Oxford commas. Warnings: Emotional nudity WRITTEN, PERFORMED + DIRECTED BY: Thought Brownie  PRODUCED BY: Luke Newman (Raise the Bar) MUSIC + PERFORMED BY: Lobepine Running time: 25 mins ---- Big Feelings - Camille Lucy Ross Big Feelings is a sketch show about adults with emotions too big for their bodies. People try very hard to be good, in control and self-aware, while quietly failing. Dysfunctional families, codependent friendships and coping mechanisms gone wrong. Please clap.WRITTEN + PERFORMED by Camille Lucy RossEmotional Support people & Creative consultants: Rory Dow, Genevieve Hulme Beaman, Kelly Shatter, Ciara Elizabeth SmythRunning time: 20 mins

In secret quarters deep within MI6, Mona and Em are waiting. Both highly trained and highly capable cyber-security spies, they’ve already thwarted what could have been world war, but for them the battle is only just beginning. Whilst they are a picture-perfect team professionally, Mona and Em must face each other now for a confrontation. One that won’t be pretty. One that’s been bubbling under the surface for a while. One where they’ll need an intelligent strategy if they are to come off smelling of roses. Can they put their differences aside to face a common enemy, and fight it together before it is too late?From the team behind the critically acclaimed Yellow Things and The Diary of a Provincial Lady comes a dark psychological thriller, where nothing is what it seems. The Ills We Do invites audiences to consider how far they’d go to prove their worth, rise to the top and protect what is rightfully theirs.

Dyon “Mojo” Brooks is an actor, writer, producer, and stand-up comedian. As a comic, Brooks is nationally acclaimed and celebrated having toured with legends such as Mike Epps, Martin Lawrence, and Deon Cole to name a few. He recently wrapped his headlining nationwide “Unhand Me Now” Tour which sold out every single with multiple added shows in nearly every location.This tour marks Brooks’ transition from fully sold-out club weekends into headlining theaters with sold out stops at Atlanta’s Center Stage, Memphis’s Minglewood Hall, and two sold-out Sunday night shows at Chicago’s historic Vic theatre. Dyon can be seen on the most recent Season [21] of Nick Cannon’s WILD N OUT, having been hand selected by Cannon who is a fan of Brooks viral sketch comedy videos that can be found across his social media pages, which have amassed millions of views and over 26.5 million likes. Brooks counts more than 1.1 million Instagram followers, 1.5 million Facebook followers, and over 1.3 million TikTok followers.

Mermaids Have No TearsEvery tale needs a hookIn this fairytale folk-pop musical, along the shores of The Blasket Islands, two wayward sisters join a talented if neurotic lighthouse keeper to start a band and change music forever… that is if their siren voices don’t drown their male listeners first.Warnings: Drowning, strong violence, strobe lighting, dangerous weather, suicide, loss of autonomy, descriptions of violence and death in natureMUSIC BY: Joshua McNutt WRITTEN + DIRECTED BY: Rachel Thornton PRODUCED BY: Ash DawesRunning time: 45 mins

Three boys, one girl, and a friend who won’t stay dead. It wasn’t meant to happen this way, it wasn’t supposed to go this far. They didn’t mean it. Sure, it was only supposed to be a mess.  SIMPLE CREATURES is a dark exploration of violence amongst young people in today’s society, especially between men and their relationship with each other, and women. It’s a cruel and at times absurdly comic view of the dark road many young people across the world are walking in today’s age.  Age Suitability: 16+ Warnings: Strong Language / Sexual Reference / Partial-Nudity / Violence  WRITTEN BY Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds  DIRECTED BY Ailbhe Casey  CAST Ben Michael Kavanagh, Callan Cummins, Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds, Erica Fitz, & Michael Kennedy  TICKETS €20 | €16 (student/OAP/unemployed)  RUNNING TIME 1hr 30 mins no interval *There will be a post-show discussion after the performance on Fri 27 Mar. ABOUT THE COMPANY Founded by Artistic Director Emmet Hamilton-Reynolds after graduating from the Gaiety School of Acting, Abstract Dreams hit the ground running with their debut production of Hold Me Away from the Sun at the New Theatre in May 2025.

Are you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? You should be. Storyteller Rhys Williamson brings A Very Difficult Person to SPRINT Festival 2026, reshaping a real roofing scam into a dark and uncanny modern fairytale. When the Big Bad Wolf knocks at his door, Rhys lets him in, sits him at the dining room table and is shocked when the wolf tries to gobble him up. Bold, eerie and unexpectedly moving, A Very Difficult Person invites audiences into a lived experience that is as absurd as it is frightening.