Timely Manchester premiere for WINK

Ten years on from its London premiere, WINK, by Phoebe Eclair-Powell, has its first Manchester outing at under the arches city centre venue 53Two from Sunday (July 13-17), in a production from ETAL Theatre.

Eclair-Powell - daughter of comedian Jenny Eclair - won the Royal Exchange-organised Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2019 for Shed: Exploded View.

WINK, now particularly timely in view of the recent Netflix series Adolesence, is an examination of toxic masculinity in a digital age.

Mark is 16, lonely, and chronically online; John is his insecure, chauvinistic French teacher. In a world of unmoderated content and carefully-curated online profiles, the life Mark wants is only a click away - but what if that life already belongs to John?

Director Arthur Loades said: "The themes of male role models, online identities and the 'manosphere' are more relevant now than ever.

"Bringing such a dynamic, physically and emotionally charged show to the Greater Manchester Fringe is incredibly exciting.”

More info and tickets here