Waterside presents its first in-house production — a powerful new play by emerging writer Liam Mansfield, inspired by his work as an LGBTQ+ youth worker.
This powerful new play is set inside a youth club, a space of refuge, resistance and radical self-expression.
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| The cast. Photo by Lee Baxter. |
The story follows a group of queer young people navigating identity, belonging and the beautiful chaos of becoming themselves. At its heart is their fiercely protective but emotionally drained youth leader, alongside an outsider whose suspicion threatens the fragile safety of the group.
Honest, funny and deeply compassionate, the play explores what it means to be seen, supported and held by community. It celebrates the vital importance of spaces where queer young people can exist without explanation, while confronting the tensions that arise when those spaces are misunderstood or challenged.
This is a story about care, conflict and the power of showing up for one another.
We caught up with writer Liam Mansfield and director Nathaniel J Hall to learn more about the show.
What can you tell me about Clothes Swap and the inspiration behind it?
Liam: I used to work for a young persons’ LGBTQ+ charity and was inspired to write the play after we ran a clothes swap… this is where young people can come with their own unwanted clothes and swap them for something fresh. It’s also a place where people can explore identities in a way that might not be possible from home or on the high street. I initially wrote the play because I wanted to capture the joy of a clothes swap and also highlight the new connections that I saw being made there.
Liam: I used to work for a young persons’ LGBTQ+ charity and was inspired to write the play after we ran a clothes swap… this is where young people can come with their own unwanted clothes and swap them for something fresh. It’s also a place where people can explore identities in a way that might not be possible from home or on the high street. I initially wrote the play because I wanted to capture the joy of a clothes swap and also highlight the new connections that I saw being made there.
You’ve spent time as an LGBTQ+ youth worker. How did you navigate the line between documenting the 'truth' of your experiences and crafting the fictional 'theatre' of Clothes Swap? Was it difficult to switch off the part of your brain that needs to protect the young people you’ve worked with, to allow yourself to put characters in conflict on stage?
Liam: The truth is that the characters are a sort of hybrid of lots of different people and experiences, so I suppose they now feel quite far removed from any one single ‘truth’. Instead they’ve become a representation of that world, rather than a direct mirror of a single person or experience, so Clothes Swap very much feels like it’s own thing now. I’ll also always have that safeguarding hat on too, so I wouldn’t put something into the play that would jeopardise someone or break that trust.
Liam: The truth is that the characters are a sort of hybrid of lots of different people and experiences, so I suppose they now feel quite far removed from any one single ‘truth’. Instead they’ve become a representation of that world, rather than a direct mirror of a single person or experience, so Clothes Swap very much feels like it’s own thing now. I’ll also always have that safeguarding hat on too, so I wouldn’t put something into the play that would jeopardise someone or break that trust.
The title Clothes Swap implies a fluidity of identity and a literal exchanging of skins. Can you talk about why this metaphor became the anchor for the story, and what it represents for your characters’ journeys?
Liam: All of the characters explore their identities to some extent throughout the play, with them discovering how they can be the best and most authentic versions of themselves. But also the play is funny and chaotic, with everyone trying their best to do the right thing and, more often than not, failing. The swapping of clothes becomes both of these things: a source of humour and drama; and an exploration of identity.
Liam: All of the characters explore their identities to some extent throughout the play, with them discovering how they can be the best and most authentic versions of themselves. But also the play is funny and chaotic, with everyone trying their best to do the right thing and, more often than not, failing. The swapping of clothes becomes both of these things: a source of humour and drama; and an exploration of identity.
Liam, in a youth club setting, the language is often fast, coded, and full of subtext. How did you approach writing the 'voice' of these young people to ensure it felt authentic to 2026 without it feeling like a caricature?
Liam: That was hugely important to the development of the play, and getting it to where it is now. Clothes Swap was originally developed with Green Carnation Theatre Company and, over several weeks, we worked alongside Rainbow Reflections, a queer youth group in Trafford, and also with a youth theatre in Knowsley. The feedback from the young people on the firsts drafts of the play was invaluable to help guide the writing and ensure that the play properly reflected their lived experiences.
Liam: That was hugely important to the development of the play, and getting it to where it is now. Clothes Swap was originally developed with Green Carnation Theatre Company and, over several weeks, we worked alongside Rainbow Reflections, a queer youth group in Trafford, and also with a youth theatre in Knowsley. The feedback from the young people on the firsts drafts of the play was invaluable to help guide the writing and ensure that the play properly reflected their lived experiences.
You introduce an outsider character whose suspicion threatens the group. Why was it important to introduce this specific friction? Is the play arguing that for a space to be 'safe,' it must be closed, or are you exploring how these spaces open up to the world?
Liam: The play isn’t actually seeking answers to the conflict around shared spaces, which is what I think makes it interesting. It offers an insight into what life is like for these young queer people and how they try to get on despite the challenges around them. On the flip side, the play also explores what it’s like for the outsider character and what she needs in return to feel safe. The play doesn’t ever say one group or person is right, in fact everyone is messy and stumbling around trying to figure out how to best live their lives authentically.
Liam: The play isn’t actually seeking answers to the conflict around shared spaces, which is what I think makes it interesting. It offers an insight into what life is like for these young queer people and how they try to get on despite the challenges around them. On the flip side, the play also explores what it’s like for the outsider character and what she needs in return to feel safe. The play doesn’t ever say one group or person is right, in fact everyone is messy and stumbling around trying to figure out how to best live their lives authentically.
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| The Creative Team: Darren Adams, Jemma Baines, Liam Mansfield, Nathaniel J Hall and Sam Danson. |
The description mentions a space of radical self-expression and beautiful chaos. As a director, how do you translate that specific, messy, high-energy environment onto a static stage without losing the intimacy of those quiet, private moments?
Nathaniel: Music is a key driver for me. The right track and lyrics can really set the tone for what is about to happen or has just happened on stage. I spent three days on YouTube searching for the right soundtrack for this show! I want to celebrate artists who centre radical self-expression through their music - queer, global majority, neurodiverse or just… wonderfully different. The celebration of this difference is expressed through their music and hopefully this energy will transfer to the stage. The script is also really pacy and quick witted. Having worked in LGBTQ+ youth settings, writer Liam Mansfield has really captured the essence of how young people think, dress, talk and express themselves. It’s all very heart-on-sleeve, which is very much my brand!
How are you using the set and sound design to make the youth club feel like a living, breathing sanctuary? Does the outside world ever visually or audibly bleed into this space?
Nathaniel: As I’ve mentioned, getting the soundtrack right is very important to me but there are other ways we’re evoking the beautifully chaotic youth club vibes! We’ve got a stylishly simple (and very colourful) set design which gives us the flexibility to carve up the space to evoke different rooms of the youth centre. Add in some key visual signifiers and some SFX and hopefully we’ll all be transported back to those places and spaces we hung out in our younger years. The notion of the youth club as a sanctuary is interesting because I’m not sure the characters quite realise how important the space is for them until it is under threat. This threat comes from inside the centre itself and is a powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ people face systemic and structural queerphobia everyday, even in places we’ve built to create sanctuary.
Nathaniel: As I’ve mentioned, getting the soundtrack right is very important to me but there are other ways we’re evoking the beautifully chaotic youth club vibes! We’ve got a stylishly simple (and very colourful) set design which gives us the flexibility to carve up the space to evoke different rooms of the youth centre. Add in some key visual signifiers and some SFX and hopefully we’ll all be transported back to those places and spaces we hung out in our younger years. The notion of the youth club as a sanctuary is interesting because I’m not sure the characters quite realise how important the space is for them until it is under threat. This threat comes from inside the centre itself and is a powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ people face systemic and structural queerphobia everyday, even in places we’ve built to create sanctuary.
You have a track record of creating work that feels urgent and deeply personal. What was your immediate reaction to Liam’s script? Was there a specific moment in the writing where you thought, 'I know exactly how to stage this'?
Nathaniel: This is a play about young people and its primary audience are teenagers and young adults, so it perhaps doesn’t delve quite as deep into the raw emotion and trauma of my personal work. That being said, the play deals with one of the key issues young queer people are growing up with today - rising trans and queer-phobia. Rather than creating villains, Liam has crafted a story that demonstrates the power of building bridges and winning allies. Through the news media we’re so often told who is our enemy, who we should hate, but Clothes Swap rejects this notion and offers an alternative. If we take a minute to let our walls down, listen to one another and try to understand, we might realise that retreating into our own camps might not help us achieve true liberation. I absolutely love that it is the non-binary character of Tatum - a person who is the living embodiment of rejecting binaries or ‘sides’ - who leads this charge in the play. The play doesn’t end in an overly romanticised or idealised portrayal of things however. It’s hopeful, but very real.
Nathaniel: This is a play about young people and its primary audience are teenagers and young adults, so it perhaps doesn’t delve quite as deep into the raw emotion and trauma of my personal work. That being said, the play deals with one of the key issues young queer people are growing up with today - rising trans and queer-phobia. Rather than creating villains, Liam has crafted a story that demonstrates the power of building bridges and winning allies. Through the news media we’re so often told who is our enemy, who we should hate, but Clothes Swap rejects this notion and offers an alternative. If we take a minute to let our walls down, listen to one another and try to understand, we might realise that retreating into our own camps might not help us achieve true liberation. I absolutely love that it is the non-binary character of Tatum - a person who is the living embodiment of rejecting binaries or ‘sides’ - who leads this charge in the play. The play doesn’t end in an overly romanticised or idealised portrayal of things however. It’s hopeful, but very real.
The play touches on the role of the emotionally drained youth leader—a figure often overlooked in stories about youth culture. How are you working with your lead actor to balance the weight of that responsibility with the joy that the queer youth characters are striving for?
Nathaniel: I was once an emotionally drained youth theatre leader as was Liam so we both know the role very well. The actor we have cast also has experience working with young people too. I find the character of Chris fascinating, because they are striving to be a good role model and support system for the young people, but like all LGBTQ+ people, they are also carrying the heavy emotional burden of systemic and structural queerphobia and racism. Who is supporting the support workers? Too often it’s no-one, and this leads to burnout. There is a profound sadness when Chris realises they can’t do anymore and must walk away. But there’s also a glimpse into a hopeful future where they can focus time and energy on themselves. Existing as queer people politicises our bodies whether we like it or not, and many of us feel a profound calling to be ‘activists’, to make the world better for others. Clothes Swap reminds us of the heavy toll this can sometimes take and that it is ok to centre our own peace, happiness and joy. In a queerphobic world, that in itself is a radical act.
Nathaniel: I was once an emotionally drained youth theatre leader as was Liam so we both know the role very well. The actor we have cast also has experience working with young people too. I find the character of Chris fascinating, because they are striving to be a good role model and support system for the young people, but like all LGBTQ+ people, they are also carrying the heavy emotional burden of systemic and structural queerphobia and racism. Who is supporting the support workers? Too often it’s no-one, and this leads to burnout. There is a profound sadness when Chris realises they can’t do anymore and must walk away. But there’s also a glimpse into a hopeful future where they can focus time and energy on themselves. Existing as queer people politicises our bodies whether we like it or not, and many of us feel a profound calling to be ‘activists’, to make the world better for others. Clothes Swap reminds us of the heavy toll this can sometimes take and that it is ok to centre our own peace, happiness and joy. In a queerphobic world, that in itself is a radical act.
The youth leader is described as fiercely protective but emotionally drained. How do you direct the silences of that character—those moments when the leader has to hold everything together for the kids while falling apart themselves?
Nathaniel: To be honest, the script does all the heavy lifting here! There are some fantastically written moments that I know queer and Black audiences will find extremely relatable - proper ‘I can’t believe you just said that to me’ moments that are very funny. Chris has to bite their lip and try to react professionally, but when the comments are so intensely personal that’s not always easy and we do get moments where their righteous anger surfaces, and rightly so. In my experience queer kids are very emotionally intelligent, and whilst sometimes the young people in the play are wrapped up in their own daily dramas, there is a sense of care and protection they place around Chris too - theirs is a shared experience.
Nathaniel: To be honest, the script does all the heavy lifting here! There are some fantastically written moments that I know queer and Black audiences will find extremely relatable - proper ‘I can’t believe you just said that to me’ moments that are very funny. Chris has to bite their lip and try to react professionally, but when the comments are so intensely personal that’s not always easy and we do get moments where their righteous anger surfaces, and rightly so. In my experience queer kids are very emotionally intelligent, and whilst sometimes the young people in the play are wrapped up in their own daily dramas, there is a sense of care and protection they place around Chris too - theirs is a shared experience.
Waterside is presenting this as an in-house production. How has the proximity of the production team and the venue influenced the way this play has taken shape? Does the fact that it is in-house change the stakes for the story you are trying to tell?
Liam: I love working with passionate people and the team at Waterside are incredible, so proactive and invested in telling this story in the best way possible. They worked on the initial development of the play and have been really open to exploring ideas and offering solutions. They’re fab!
Liam: I love working with passionate people and the team at Waterside are incredible, so proactive and invested in telling this story in the best way possible. They worked on the initial development of the play and have been really open to exploring ideas and offering solutions. They’re fab!
Nathaniel: As a self producing artist it’s been a breath of fresh air to have such a wonderful team around me supporting the development of the production! But for me, it’s also significant that Waterside has chosen a play about LGBTQ+ lives for their first in-house production. It’s really refreshing to see an arts venue truly centre our lives and stories, not just on the fringes, but in their mainstream programme. Other venues take note - our stories deserve to be in the mainstream!
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| The cast. Photo by Lee Baxter. |
As Waterside’s first in-house production, what kind of precedent do you hope Clothes Swap sets for the type of work this venue will champion in the future?
Nathaniel: I hope to see more work centering traditionally ‘marginalised’ voices. But this has to have broad and universal appeal. Audiences often ‘deselect’ shows based on their own identities. The real long term challenge is encouraging people to take a chance on something new. That’s where the magic happens for me.
Nathaniel: I hope to see more work centering traditionally ‘marginalised’ voices. But this has to have broad and universal appeal. Audiences often ‘deselect’ shows based on their own identities. The real long term challenge is encouraging people to take a chance on something new. That’s where the magic happens for me.
Liam: Waterside has been championing queer artists for a long while now and I feel very lucky to be working with them at this milestone. I can’t speak for them directly but hopefully they can continue to create incredible work and providing a platform for new, queer artists, performers, and writers.
Queer narratives in theatre have evolved significantly over the last decade—moving away from solely focusing on tragedy to embracing the mundane, the joyful, and the communal. Where does Clothes Swap fit into that evolving conversation for you both?
Liam: Yes, absolutely, and this was extremely important for me when writing this particularly story. Of course there’s a place for both queer trauma and queer joy, but this story is definitely focussing on the joys of being part of a community and discovering your place in the world.
Liam: Yes, absolutely, and this was extremely important for me when writing this particularly story. Of course there’s a place for both queer trauma and queer joy, but this story is definitely focussing on the joys of being part of a community and discovering your place in the world.
Nathaniel: Clothes Swap certainly isn’t a play I could see being commissioned in a main space when I was teenager, that’s for certain. I think the play strikes the right balance. There’s plenty of humour, heart and joy, but the realities of daily life for queer people isn’t brushed under the carpet. There’s an interesting discussion happening at the minute about commissioning queer artists to make work that isn’t about being queer. Totally fine if other people want to do this, but for me, my queerness and lived experience is always going to be expressed in some way through my art, it would be impossible for it not to be. And that lived experience includes incredible highs and crushing lows. I never want that to be tone policed by anyone. We live in a world saturated with ‘straight stories’, so in my opinion, adding to the queer canon is always a good thing.
What was the first piece of theatre you remember having a big impact on you?
Liam: When I was a kid my Nan recorded a cassette tape of Les Mis, but she blanked out all the rude bits, I remember being obsessed with that, and then when I finally saw the show in real life, I was in awe at how expansive and dynamic theatre could be. Clothes Swap is obviously very different to a grand, sweeping story like but for the characters in the play the stakes are huge… even though we’re talking about shared spaces and identity, rather than the French Revolution.
Nathaniel: I saw a production of ‘Lord of the Flies’ at secondary school which blew me away. They used tribal techno music, projected visuals and the most incredible moving set. The visceral nature of the staging (one character completely smeared head to toe in blood!) was intoxicating. I went on to stage my own version of the same play inspired by this experience with a youth theatre some years later and people still mention it to me today. That show unlocked my creative potential for sure. It gave me permission to take all the wild ideas in my head and have the confidence to make them real.
What keeps you inspired?
Nathaniel: Oh I find inspiration everywhere: in nature, on the bus, in overheard conversations, in music, in fashion. My current guilty pleasure is Married At First Sight Australia. Watching how people interact on that show is fascinating - the lies, the manipulation, the mind-games. I now want to write a play called ‘After the Dinner Party’ which exposes the crazy ways humans behave in social situations! I have an ongoing note on my phone with ideas and jokes and little mini soundbites that have popped into my head on the daily. I wish I had more creative projects to put them all in!
Nathaniel: Oh I find inspiration everywhere: in nature, on the bus, in overheard conversations, in music, in fashion. My current guilty pleasure is Married At First Sight Australia. Watching how people interact on that show is fascinating - the lies, the manipulation, the mind-games. I now want to write a play called ‘After the Dinner Party’ which exposes the crazy ways humans behave in social situations! I have an ongoing note on my phone with ideas and jokes and little mini soundbites that have popped into my head on the daily. I wish I had more creative projects to put them all in!
Liam: I'm very lucky to have incredible friends and family who are a constant source of inspiration for me, and also the amazing young people that I've met over the years and the wonderful queer people and allies that I have in my life. All of those people keep me inspired and motivated.
At the end of a performance, when the lights go down, what do you want the audience to feel in their chests? Are you hoping for a sense of catharsis, a call to action, or something else entirely?
Nathaniel: Phillip Osment, an old writing colleague of mine who wrote lots of plays for young people once said: ‘you can go to as dark a place as you like, so long as there is hope.’ I want people to leave Clothes Swap feeling uplifted, because feeling hope opens us up to the possibility of something better on the horizon. Hope inspires us to make the change we want to see in the world.
Nathaniel: Phillip Osment, an old writing colleague of mine who wrote lots of plays for young people once said: ‘you can go to as dark a place as you like, so long as there is hope.’ I want people to leave Clothes Swap feeling uplifted, because feeling hope opens us up to the possibility of something better on the horizon. Hope inspires us to make the change we want to see in the world.
Liam: I would love for people to leave with questions about how they engage with young people, queer people, and discussions that centre on our community. But also, I want audiences to feel excited, I want them to laugh, and hopefully see elements of themselves in the characters on stage. I hope that the play lingers with audiences and leaves them thinking about these characters for some time after.
Clothes Swap runs at Waterside Arts in Manchester from Wednesday 3rd June until Saturday 6th July 2026. For tickets and more information visit https://watersidearts.org/events/clothes-swap/
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| Photo by Darren Adams. |
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