New Liverpool writing in Manchester

Heading over to Manchester in the near future could reap rewards, as writers with Liverpool links premiere some unique new writing. The Nowt Part Of festival is now underway at the John Cooper Clarke Theatre at the Black Lion in Salford. But organiser Mike Francis Carvalho is actually Huyton based, from where he runs Gerundagula Productions; his show Vienna – inspired by the Ultravox hit - is being performed as part of the festival and will tour over the summer. He says: “The format and design [of Nowt Part Of] provides an intimate alternative and balance to the Manchester International Festival and the intention is to run the event on a biennial basis. Given the growth of interest in grass roots festival culture together with recent expansive media development, Salford is an ideal choice of location”. Nowt Part Of runs until July 14 – tickets are available through Skiddle, or keep track of events via Twitter @nowtpartof. In addition, next week new writing collective The Alligator Club - who have been staging pop up works across the North West since last winter and includes several Liverpool playwrights - also turn their attentions to Manchester. Pages from My Songbook is described as “a mix tape of theatre”, incorporating 18 short plays featuring live music, all the length of a song. The collective will be taking over the Studio of Royal Exchange Theatre on July 19 and 20. They say: "Against the backdrop of a dusky festival night this innovative theatrical event will immerse the audience in stories that blur the lines between a theatrical and festival experience, as the powerful short stories and talented musicians evoke the spirit and vibe of a festival. Music-packed, fun-filled, sleepless nights revelling in the canvas city under the stars. The freedom. The new friends, old friends and strangers. The best nights of your life. The memories. The pages from your songbook." The show is produced and written by playwrights Ella Carmen Greenhill (from Liverpool) and Kim Wiltshire, and pairs up-and-coming North West playwrights Lee Thompson (YEP’s Papertown for the Liverpool Playhouse), Miriam Battye, Jennifer Tuckett and Becky Prestwich with musicians in a theatrical exploration of the combination of music, story and emotion. To book tickets log on to royalexchange.co.uk.