Edinburgh Festival – Bold and brilliant new drama The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me steams into Blackpool Grand Theatre STUDIO on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September fresh from rave reviews at Edinburgh Festival.

This bittersweet tale of political campaigns, sexual consent and steam trains explores consent, coercion and grooming within the gay male community with biting humour and contemporary social commentary and is definitely not to be missed.

The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me from renowned writer and performer Rob Ward has received a raft of four-star reviews following its recent appearance at the famous Fringe Festival and has been described as a ‘high quality, thought-provoking and witty comedy’ and a ‘vital yet endlessly engaging piece of theatre’ which ‘addresses important questions about the Dom wants more than anything else to be an #InstaGay #Influencer, but it’s tough when no-one likes your posts, you can’t find a bloke who shares your love of trains and you live with your MDMA popping, Simply Red loving mum in a small northern village five miles from the nearest gay.

He’d love a fabulous life with the A-Gays in the city, but his social anxiety prevents this from being a reality. It’s all a bit of an effort. Then one day, a chance encounter with his local MP turns everything upside down. But in pursuit of the life he thinks he wants; just how much does Dom have to give up?

The MP, Aunty Mandy and Me from Emmerson & Ward Productions in association with Curve Leicester is written by and stars Rob Ward (British Council Emerging Artist 2017). Rob won critical acclaim for his play Gypsy Queen (Ed Fringe 2017 and 2018), which told the story of ‘Gorgeous’ George O’Connell, bare‐knuckle fighter and traveller, who enters the world of professional boxing which puts him on a collision course with his roots, his identity and his greatest fear.

Rob said of his latest powerful production: “Have we, as gay men, created an environment that blurs the lines when it comes to consent? Even as I write it down, that feels like a tricky and provocative question, one that would invite disapproving frowns from the queer liberal intelligentsia. Yet it’s the question I kept returning to as I tried to make sense of events of my past, as well as conversations I had within the community, and turn them into a play. The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me asks questions about how the hyper-sexualisation of our community impacts who we are and what we value. I also wanted to explore other aspects of society that fascinate me right now. The political climate in the north of England, the queer experience in provincial towns vs cosmopolitan city life and the relationship between those who have and those who have not.”

The STUDIO at The Grand has previously staged countless cutting-edge artists and thought-provoking productions, which would have sacrificed their vital intensity within the theatre’s vast auditorium and thrived in its appropriately intimate performance space.

The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me is on Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29 September in the STUDIO at Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Recommended age 16+ contains strong language, and sexual references – the subject matter of sexual abuse and exploitation may be triggering to some.

For bookings, further details, and full show listings please visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk or call the box office on 01253 290 190.

LISTINGS

The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me – Wed 28 & Thu 29 Sep at 7pm – The STUDIO

Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT

Box Office 01253 290 190

blackpoolgrand.co.uk

Facebook – @blackpoolgrand

Twitter – @Grand_Theatre

Instagram – grandtheatrebpl

Emmerson & Ward were formed in 2018 by Producer Max Emmerson & Writer Rob Ward and are a new writing company with a focus on producing new LGBTQ+ work for the UK and international touring.

Emmerson & Ward strive to achieve the following:

To share LGBTQ stories nationwide, not just within the capital and other national metropolises.

To engage with non-typical theatregoers by removing the pretence of theatre as an upper-middle class pursuit, theatre is for everybody.

To give a voice to the disenfranchised and disillusioned within our society and put their stories on stage, with a focus on LGBTQ+ stories. For further info please visit www.emmersonandward.com

Rob Ward is a writer, performer and producer who has penned previously ACE funded plays Away From Home (2013), Gypsy Queen (2016) and The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me (2020) as well as performing in all three shows. Rob received the 2014 Manchester Theatre Awards for Best Fringe Performance and Best New Play for Away From Home and was named as one of the British Council’s Emerging Artists in 2017. Rob’s work has toured across the UK and also at international venues in Auckland, Barrie (Ontario, Canada), Belgrade, Dublin and Frankfurt.

Max Emmerson is Creative Producer of Emmerson & Ward, Executive Producer for Box of Tricks Theatre Company and Project Producer for ThickSkin Theatre. He has previously worked as Interim Producer for Oldham Coliseum, Producer of The Letter Room and Assistant Producer for the Royal Exchange Theatre & Bill Kenwright Productions in London.