Dare to Know Theatre set to dazzle art galleries with live performances

Following their incredible success, Oldham-based Theatre Company, Dare to Know is returning to the stage for a Spring 2026 tour . . . taking on new spaces and offering the chance to see the show that topped Manchester’s theatre scene.

Smoke & Mirrors tells the story of Frankie - a working-class artist navigating the art world alongside her trauma and darkest secrets as she exhibits her artwork for public critique.  

To truly honour this journey that many creatives will be so familiar with, Dare to Know Theatre themselves are now venturing into the visual art world with the production, allowing the story to unfold in the same environment in which it is set.  

As part of this tour, the show will arrive at Manchester Art Gallery and Gallery Oldham and will feature an exhibition curated especially for the show at The Way in Leigh. 

This dramatic exploration of what it means to be an artist will take viewers along a journey that has resonated strongly with audiences in Oldham and Manchester already, promising a new perspective on creativity and art.  

Dare to Know Theatre are stepping beyond the stage with this production, blurring the boundaries between art forms by bringing live performance and exhibition into conversation to truly challenge traditional distinctions and expectations surrounding creative practices.  

The return of Smoke & Mirrors for a Spring 2026 tour reflects the creative spirit of the show, mirroring the rhythm of the play unfolding across two art exhibitions.  

Dare to Know Theatre premiered the piece in August 2025 at Dare to Create: Oldham Arts Festival, echoed by the story opening with Frankie launching her debut art exhibition.  

A dynamic time jumps in the performance, whilst accelerated, then takes you to the edge of your seat as scenes progress in response to the moments of scrutiny, reflection and discovery that emerge from experience in such creative industries.  

The production is very representational of Dare to Know Theatre, their work, values and experiences. Jake Talbot, the writer of the piece and Co-Founder of Dare to Know Theatre said: “As a working class playwright, these are worlds that I constantly found myself in, constantly finding myself ‘out of place’, whatever that means.  

“I wanted to attempt to understand my place within those spaces whilst exploring how much of myself needs to be present in the work I create for it to be truthful, for it to be honest.” 

As part of the Smoke & Mirrors Spring 2026 tour, the performance at Gallery Oldham with Oldham Coliseum Theatre has already sold out. The show will also visit Manchester Art Gallery on Wednesday, March 25 and The Way in Leigh on Friday, March 27. 

Further details and ticket information can be found at www.daretoknowtheatre.com. 

Smoke & Mirrors is written by Jake Talbot, and directed by Miranda Parker, who both cofounded the Oldham based Dare to Know Theatre in 2020, to honour their commitment to making work with and for Oldham.  

This is their seventh professional production, however they also run ‘The Community Project’ year-round, creating work with the community of Oldham, and they debuted last year their festival Dare to Create: Oldham Arts Festival, creating spaces for artists and audiences within Oldham to experience professional theatre and artistic work.