Manchester’s new, £25m arts complex boasts 500 square metres of gallery space and five cinema screens as well as its 500 seat theatre; host to UK premieres, visiting companies and internationally focused work, the offering at HOME is as ambitious as it gets.

With a recent £7m refurbishment, Contact is the place for emerging theatre, dance, spoken word, hip hop and digital performance mash-ups.

In addition to award-winning theatre, the programme for The Lowry’s two theatres also includes touring popular acts, classical music, dance and opera. Just opposite Media City, a decent café (with good kids’ options), a restaurant and ‘terrace bar’, plus a shop all fit under its unusually shaped roof.

This former trading hall underwent a £32m redevelopment after being severely damaged by the 1996 IRA bomb in Manchester’s city centre – and has been delivering stellar productions from its unusual seven-sided glass and steel theatre-in-the-round (the biggest in the UK), and smaller (but still excellent) studio, ever since. Productions here are renowned – both Vanessa Redgrave and Helen Mirren have graced the Royal Exchange’s stage.

A Manchester landmark for almost 130 years, The Palace Theatre is situated on Oxford Street and is one of the main theatres in Manchester.

Octagon Theatre in Bolton was the first professional theatre to be built in the North West of England after World War Two. Its flexible main auditorium space is perfect for entertaining and thought-provoking productions alike, including Shakespeare, American drama, great European plays and contemporary classics, alongside brand new work, musicals and plays for families.

The Grade II Manchester Opera House, affectionately referred to as the Opera House by most Mancunians, is one of the largest theatres in Manchester.

Hope Mill Theatre is open for business, bringing exciting fringe theatre productions back to Manchester.

With lots of shows and activities for children and families, Z-arts is a theatre and arts venue in Hulme.

Based in a former Red Cross Hospital in Chorlton. South Manchester, The Edge is a little theatre with big aspirations.

Waterside is a thriving and vibrant arts venue in the heart of Sale in Greater Manchester. Comprising a theatre, art galleries, studios and workspaces, the centre is an important regional hub for both performance and visual art.