Waterside Arts to stage first in-house production with new play ‘Clothes Swap’
Waterside Arts is taking a major step this summer as it presents its first in-house production. The Sale culture and arts venue will stage Clothes Swap, a new play written by Liam Mansfield in June.
The cast of 'Clothes Swap' © Lee Baxter
Set in a queer youth club, the play explores identity, belonging, refuge, resistance and radical self-expression. It was inspired by a real clothes swap at an LGBTQ+ young persons’ charity in Trafford, where emerging playwright Mansfield volunteered.
Produced by Waterside Arts, Clothes Swap is directed by Nathaniel J Hall, known for First Time and Channel 4’s It’s a Sin. The play was originally developed by Green Carnation Theatre.
The story follows a group of queer young people navigating the joy, uncertainty and chaos of becoming themselves. Set in October 2025, against a backdrop of growing anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric and the pressure of austerity, the play centres on the friendships and connections formed inside a queer youth club.
At the heart of the story is a fiercely protective but emotionally drained youth leader, alongside an outsider whose suspicion threatens the fragile safety of the group. When the future of the youth club is put at risk, the young people come together to try to find a way forward and attract new members.
Playwright Liam Mansfield 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 of young queer people - highlighting the chaos, fun, and struggles 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 how and where they fit in.”
Mansfield worked with young people in Trafford and Knowsley to help shape the story and ensure it felt authentic and local. Workshops were held in collaboration with Rainbow Reflections and The Proud Trust, with young people helping to refine the story, language and nuance of the play.
He added: “The play became a way to explore gender in a world that was appearing more and more binary and divided. By exploring this through a naturalistic setting, I hope that audiences can both enjoy themselves and learn a little something about the real people behind the debates. I also wanted the characters to feel real, not caricatures from the news, so that the story can leave a lasting impression on audiences.”
The cast includes three youth club members, teenagers Tatum, Ash and Den, played by Abel Hanson, David Carpenter and Naomi Ricci. The youth club founder is played by Nicole Keri, with Lindsay Eavis playing Val, the retired ‘outsider’.
Clothes Swap © Lee Baxter
For Waterside Arts, the production marks an ambitious new chapter. Darren Adams, creative producer and Waterside venue manager, said: “It’s an incredibly bold and 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 at its heart. Producing work in-house allows us to champion stories that matter, and Clothes Swap is a perfect example of why this step feels so important. At a time when debates around safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people are becoming increasingly divisive, ‘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.”
Clothes Swap is at Waterside Arts from Wednesday 03 to Saturday 06 June 2026.
