Is anyone ever really gone? Denis Côte poses this question with his adaption of Laurence Olivier’s (no, not that one) novel, a glacially paced gaze at a community’s grief following an untimely death.

Have you ever woken from an especially interesting dream, gone to recount the details to someone only to find it suddenly seems incomprehensible in your head?

Standing around on a rainy Saturday afternoon outside HOME, a group of people dressed in brightly coloured raincoats and carrying umbrellas seem little out of the ordinary. That is until the song Singin’ in the Rain begins to play and they all burst into dance.

Class is a hard-hitting performance of raw storytelling that interrogates the disparity between Britain’s haves and have nots through the experiences of Scottee, the show’s writer and sole performer.

Javaad Alipoor wants you to watch his play and scroll through Instagram for its duration.

Hornsey Road with Mark Lewisohn is an immersive dissection of the Beatles penultimate album before the band landed on the title Abbey Road.

Co-produced by York Theatre Royal in association with Bristol Old Vic, the company of Wise Children are fierce in their non-stop energy as Emma Rice skilfully delivers a spirited adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers that is toe-tappingly infectious to all.

The Jumper Factory starts with an announcement. The six young actors, who have been seated on chairs lined across the stage, bring their legs together and unclench their hands, rise from their chairs, and begin to chant as one.

Here’s five places in Central Manchester where you can find some peace and quiet this summer…

The 20 square metre outdoor screen has returned to Tony Wilson Place for the third year running.

The Manchester International Festival returns this year and with it brings a whole host of artists, films and exhibitions.