Waterside Arts' first home-grown production, 'Clothes Swap'

Waterside Arts' first homegrown production, Clothes Swap: l-r Abel Hanson, Nicole Keri, David Carpenter, Naomi Ricci and Lindsay Eavis

Waterside Arts in Trafford, Greater Manchester, is producing its own work for the first time, as a way of spotlighting original home-grown stories.

Clothes Swap (June 3-6), by local writer Liam Mansfield, is set in a queer youth club and was inspired by a real clothes swap at an LGBTQ+ young persons' charity in Trafford - at which playwright Mansfield volunteered. The play follows a group of queer young people navigating a more-than-usually chaotic early adulthood.

Set in October 2025, in the shadow of growing anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric, the story spotlights the joy of young people and the connections they make.

Liam said: "I wanted to capture the joy of a clothes swap, where young people can try out new styles and explore identities in a way that might not be possible at home. The play shares these experiences - highlighting the chaos, fun, and struggle of being a teenager. Just like in life, the characters are a little messy at times, nobody is perfect, and they're all trying to find out where they fit in.”

Helping to shape the story so it felt authentic and local, Mansfield worked with young people in Trafford and Knowsley, with workshops in collaboration with Rainbow Reflections and the Proud Trust. Working closely with the original creative team at Green Carnation Theatre, they helped to refine the story and language, ensuring its authenticity.

Stepping up as a producing venue and bringing the work of new writers to the stage, Waterside is taking an important and ambitious next step in becoming a producing theatre, and has plans to tour its shows nationally.

Darren Adams, creative producer and Waterside's manager, said: “It’s an exciting moment for us, to be putting on Clothes Swap. We have a phenomenal creative team in place and a story shaped with care, love and community.

"Producing work in-house allows us to champion stories that matter to us, and Clothes Swap is a perfect example of why this step feels so important. Clothes Swap offers something different; it doesn’t lean into culture wars or conflict; instead, it unfolds gently, sensitively and movingly, giving space for empathy and understanding. ”

More info and tickets here