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Vagina Cake

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Theatre & Cabaret

Theatre & Cabaret

Theatre and theatricality is at the heart of what Girl Gang do! We’ve presented world premieres of new writing, original devised productions, undertaken R&D’s & residencies, co-created work with young people, curated cabaret nights, tour immersive theatrical events around schools made movie mashups and pop up performances for promo events, not to mention six annual “Unseemly Shakespeare” collaborations with HER Productions.

Girl Gang’s theatre work is playful, political, visual and multi-sensory, often taking a participatory 360 approach and featuring popular culture nostalgia & a banging soundtrack. We love to work site-specifically and have made work in theatres, bars, scene docks, shopping centres and abandoned department stores.

Our theatre work has seen us collaborate with organisations including HOME, The Lowry, Hope Mill Theatre, Shakespeare North Playhouse, The Lawrence Batley Theatre, Oldham Coliseum, Waterside Arts Centre, Stage Directions and a Pendleton College.

Check out an overview of our projects so far below!

Want to commission us to make work for your space or got an idea you’d like to pitch for us to produce?

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Devised & New Writing

Girl Gang have been leading and collaborating on full length devised and new writing theatre projects since 2018. Theatre-making has been a core part of the collective’s creative calling card since their inception with roaming performers and montaged reimagining’s of famous pop cultural moments being a key part of the immersive screenings programme.

5 women laying down with their heads together, women are of different ethnicities and pulling a variety of expressions, the photo is reapeated

Millennial Pink

Millennial Pink is a piece of contemporary theatre exploring how pop culture shapes young women as they move from adolescence into adulthood. Going through an initial R&D period in early 2023, it encompasses devised and verbatim theatre, poetry, choreography, film and music to explores how the 00’s shaped millennial women’s ideas around gender, sexuality and self worth in a society which presents young women with complex messaging and conflicting “ideals”. Supported by Arts Council England, Waterside Arts Centre, HOME & IOU Theatre.
More About Millennial Pink

Vagina Cake

Vagina Cake is a comedy drama about five friends who just can’t give each other up. Set across 4 “milestone moments” from weddings to baby showers to divorce parties and exploring the evolution of female friendships and societal pressure to push women down a relatively narrow path. Produced by Girl Gang and HER Productions, funded by Arts Council England and performed at Hope Mill Theatre in 2022, Girl Gang helped develop the script from it’s inception and initial R&D in 2021.
Four people are energetically dancing in a brightly lit room with pink walls. They are wearing colorful and varied attire. The stage is set with boxes and a patterned rug. The mood is lively and playful.
Performers on stage engaged in a dynamic dance routine with ribbons, some standing and others on the floor, against a purple-lit background. Several black cubes are scattered, and geometric props are visible.

It’s A Lot

A devised show about what it means to be Gen Z in 2022 co-created with teenagers across a 5 month period. “Gen Z is currently the largest generation on Earth. They are the most diverse, politically engaged young people in history. They’ve lived through a global pandemic, political polarisation and a financial crisis, all before turning 18. So, what’s it like to be Gen Z right now? Well, it’s a lot…” Commissioned by Stage Directions and Pendleton College and performed at The Lowry.

Grand Finale

A 3 hour immersive “theatrical celebration event” touring schools in Summer 2021 to mark the end of a strange school year. Grand Finale was omewhere between an Oscars Red Carpet, Prom and Graduation and included a bespoke red carpet experience, “champagne reception”, press tent, ribbon cutting moment, graduation, oscars speeches, photo booth, roaming character, montaged performance paying homage to our cultural perception of these moments, and a confetti canon of course. Commissioned by Stage Direction for a Salford Schools Tour, 2021.
A group of people celebrate as they hold and cut a red ribbon, with the central figure wearing glasses and a suit. The event appears festive, with lights in the background and an atmosphere of excitement and joy.

Cabaret

With poetry, dance, stand-up, theatre, music and more, our cabaret nights celebrate the very best in established and up-and-coming North West female and gender diverse talent, all presented with the Girl Gang staples of managed mayhem and audience participation!

Three performers dance energetically on a stage lit with pink lighting. They wear colorful outfits and white sneakers. The stage is decorated with tinsel, balloons, and a disco ball. A small table is off to the side.

Girls Night Out #2

As part of Oldham Coliseum’s Cultivate Fest!, Girl Gang took over the venue for the afternoon and evening with 2 for £5 friendly and inclusive workshops in dancing, singing and crafts and a lively and diverse cabaret featuring the return of the famous quiz and prize hamper. The audience were encouraged to join in with the music, dancing and laughs whilst sharing a cocktail or two!

Girls Night Out #1

As part of Hope Fest, Girl Gang returned to live events with this socially distanced cabaret celebrating the friendships that had got us through lockdown, the silliness of shared nights out and the power of shared experiences. Featuring the very popular quiz with prize hamper, audience participation and celebration and top notch acts.
A stage performance features three individuals. One person holds an umbrella and poses dramatically, while another hands them an item. A third person stands to the side, holding a large sheet of paper. Audience members watch from tables in the foreground.

Shakespeare

Since 2018 we have been collaborating with the fantastic team at HER Productions, who lead on producing our annual “Unseemly Shakespeare”, which reinterprets Shakespeare and centres local female and non-binary talent. Our productions are based at Hope Mill Theatre, who have been partners on the project since its inception, and since 2022 have toured to Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot.

Check out this short film about the teams approach to Unseemly Shakespeare, made about our second ever production Hamlet in 2019.

A group of performers in theatrical costumes gather under dramatic lighting around a person lying on the floor. The scene is filled with tension and dynamic energy, with colorful costumes and moody shadows adding to the atmosphere.

The Taming of the Shrew

Step into a world of burlesque, clowns and cabaret; exploring one of Shakespeare’s most talked-about comedies. Our Unseemly Women address the violence, misogyny and gaslighting head on.

Lear

LEAR marked Unseemly Women’s fourth annual Shakespeare. The sleek production, with a hint of HBO’s Succession, saw the play cast and staged with an all female and non binary cast for the very first time. It explored a collision between the monarchy and the working class; the very people they have abandoned and let down. A world where systems are breaking down and a plush corporate board room can fall into ruin and disarray.
A person in a colorful, checkered outfit stands confidently on a wooden table, surrounded by six individuals seated and standing, holding wine glasses. Stage lighting and a curtain backdrop create a theatrical atmosphere.
Three people perform on a stage: one person lies under two folded chairs, while a second person holds the chairs with a surprised expression. The third person stands nearby, appearing amused. The setting is simple, with wooden panels and a platform.

Much Ado About Nothing

In the gender-bending spirit of Unseemly Women’s Shakespearean series, Much Ado About Nothing brought a much loved comedy up to date at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester and Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot, in the summer of 2022.

Midsummer Nights Dream

Irreverent and hilarious, Girl Gang, HER Productions and Unseemly Women took on a comedy classic – A Midsummer Night’s Dream. An absolute fire cracker of a show with so much swagger sass and total joy! More theatre that feels like a party please!
A theatrical scene with a person in revealing attire holding a microphone, standing on a colorful stage with three people lying around. The background features shimmering curtains and spotlight effects, creating a dramatic atmosphere.
A diverse group of women in eclectic outfits pose in a rustic, industrial-style room with brick walls and large windows. Some are seated, while others stand confidently, creating a dynamic composition with a mix of modern and vintage elements.

Hamlet

Unseemly Women, HER Productions and Girl Gang take on the big boy. It’s high fashion, pirate fights, clowns and backflips. Young Hamlet returns home from university to discover that, not only is their father newly dead, but that their mother, Gertrude, has married their father’s brother, Claudius, and that Claudius is now king. One of Shakespeare’s finest work, with an all-female twist.

Romeo & Juliet

Her Productions first foray into Shakespeare, in collaboration with Girl Gang, they staged an all female production of Romeo & Juliet.
A diverse group of people pose together outdoors against a brick wall backdrop. They are wearing stylish clothing, with some sitting and others standing on stacked pallets and bricks. The atmosphere is creative and relaxed.
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