Unity Theatre gets set for a massive run of shows in 2026

Liverpool’s Unity Theatre announces its first release of shows for the new year, showcasing the very best in theatre, comedy and performance.

A new year brings a brand new programme – and a renewed vigour for platforming some of the most innovative, inclusive and downright exciting theatre in the North West. Renowned for championing radical, pioneering and underrepresented productions, 2026 is shaping up to a be a huge year for Unity Theatre.

Following universal acclaim for the Unity’s December programme – including their own Christmas Cabaret and festive family show Sleep Can Wait – 2026 begins with a suitably abstemious start to the year. Reopening the theatre on Wednesday 21st January is Sober Scribbles: Scratch Night- a safe and supportive community for sober and sober-curious writers to come together in Liverpool and be able to create and share work in alcohol free spaces. Following a series of online courses, the next generation of emerging playwrights will present extracts of their developing work, giving audiences the chance to potentially see a new masterpiece in the making…

Credit: Unity Theatre / One Fell Swoop The Guide Liverpool — Credit: Unity Theatre / One Fell Swoop

Unity’s first theatre presentation of the year comes in the form of KITTEL: Doktor Faustus of the Third Reich – a brave and caustic telling of the true story of renowned German theologian, Professor Gerhard Kittel, who sold his soul to Satan. Presented by Heirs of Banquo, this new production offers a shocking and uncompromising account of how reputation, personal honour and religion can be appropriated in the service of radical evil.

Showing from Wednesday 28th to Saturday 31st January, The Ghost of Graves End is perfect post-Christmas not-Panto entertainment. A parody of those classic Victorian ghost stories – think Woman in Black meets A Turn of the Screw, with the high-energy comedic silliness of The 39 Steps.

Charles is a penniless poet who takes a position as a tutor to a peculiar orphan boy. The previous tutor left in a hurry, and everyone is reluctant to say why. Afflicted by strange dreams, things that go bump in the night, and increasingly dire circumstance, Charles has to decide whether to stay or get the Hell out of there.

The Ghost of Graves End is a spooky Victorian comedy – inspired by classic ghost stories of the genre, with its tongue firmly in its’ cheek, but at the same time, genuinely scary. “A great night out with lots of jokes” – from the same team who brought you 2025’s acclaimed Stella.

February see’s a mesmerising and intensely moving play begin its first run in the UK, following a sold out 2024 tour across the North of Ireland, garnering both standing ovations and critical acclaim.

The Marian Hotel is based on Caitriona Cunningham’s lived experience of being in Marianvale Mother and Baby Home, Newry – a searing portrayal of a dark time in Irish history with a 70s/80s soundtrack. This play is a call to all impacted to come forward and raise their voices so that they may never again be silenced and shamed for being human.

Lucy Hughes, The Gown, said:

“The Marian Hotel is hard-hitting, but Cunningham takes full advantage of theatre’s dimensionality to create a shared sympathetic experience between performers and audience, effectively blending humour and drama.”