The Treatment is the new grime-theatre show from renowned MC, musician and performer Manchester Hypes.
A series of theatrically-staged grime tracks tell a story of childhood hyperactivity: growing up via youth-club rap-battles and his dad’s Moss Side barbershop, through to navigating the music industry, adult diagnosis and kicking the meds. Part gig, part live theatre show, The Treatment explores the links between hyperactivity, ADHD and creativity. It fuses crashing beats with stunning projected visuals to give audiences a visceral sense of the world through Hypes’ eyes.
Hypes is one of the godfathers of the northern grime scene, the founder of Burst Gang and a regular performer on the likes of BBC Radio 1Xtra and RinseFM. He works tirelessly to support the next generation of young musicians and MCs, some of whom feature in the show.
Hypes has brought together an outstanding creative team including director Matt Fenton (Contact, Lancaster Arts), dramaturg Reece Williams (This Kind of Black), digital animator Andrew Crofts (imitating the dog), music producer Yussuf Maleem, and visual artist and photographer Audrey Albert.
We sat down with Manchester Hypes to learn more about the show.
The Treatment traces a deeply personal journey from growing up in Moss Side to navigating adult ADHD and stepping off medication. How did it feel translating such intimate, real-life experiences into a theatrical narrative?
It was quite a personal process because the show comes from experiences I’ve lived through. Growing up, I was impulsive and hyperactive. I’d get in trouble at school for being disruptive, then get in trouble at home for not sitting still. At the time, I didn’t necessarily understand why I behaved the way I did.
Being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult made me look back at those experiences differently. It helped me connect the dots between my childhood and the person I am today.
It was quite a personal process because the show comes from experiences I’ve lived through. Growing up, I was impulsive and hyperactive. I’d get in trouble at school for being disruptive, then get in trouble at home for not sitting still. At the time, I didn’t necessarily understand why I behaved the way I did.
Being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult made me look back at those experiences differently. It helped me connect the dots between my childhood and the person I am today.
Music has always been my way of expressing myself, so turning those experiences into a theatre show felt like a natural progression. I’m able to look back at my life, make sense of certain things and hopefully help other people understand themselves too. It’s personal, but I hope that’s what makes it relatable.
You explore the direct link between childhood hyperactivity, ADHD, and creative energy. In what ways did your neurodivergence shape your relationship with grime when you were first coming up?
Growing up, I was always full of energy. But sometimes it could be negative, so music gave me somewhere to channel my energy. Grime suited me because of the rawness, the pace and the freedom to express yourself. There was always something to do, whether it was writing bars, battling someone or making music.
Growing up, I was always full of energy. But sometimes it could be negative, so music gave me somewhere to channel my energy. Grime suited me because of the rawness, the pace and the freedom to express yourself. There was always something to do, whether it was writing bars, battling someone or making music.
I wouldn’t say all my creativity comes from ADHD, but I can definitely see a connection between the way my mind works and the music I’m drawn to. The Treatment explores that relationship and how something seen as negative when I was younger has become a positive.
Your dad’s Moss Side barbershop and local youth-club rap battles feature heavily in the show. How did those specific physical spaces form the foundation for who you are as an artist today?
I loved my dad’s barbershop. It was like my second home, but the funny thing is I hated sitting still for a haircut! There’s something interesting about that contrast. The shop was somewhere I loved being, but having to sit and wait was a different story, given how hyperactive I was as a kid.
I loved my dad’s barbershop. It was like my second home, but the funny thing is I hated sitting still for a haircut! There’s something interesting about that contrast. The shop was somewhere I loved being, but having to sit and wait was a different story, given how hyperactive I was as a kid.
The barbershop was an important part my childhood and where I come from. But I also wanted those memories to serve a purpose in the show, rather than just be for nostalgia’s sake. The idea of waiting runs through the whole production, and the barbershop is one of the places where that theme begins to take shape.
Grime and traditional theatre operate in very different spaces. What was the spark that made you realise grime tracks could serve as the narrative engine for a theatre show?
My music always contains storytelling elements, and I gradually became aware that I could tell a story over several tracks, a bit like a concept album. I’m obviously not the first artist to do that! I also saw some theatre shows that did a similar thing with grime and spoken word - Highrise’s Lil’ Miss Lady and Reece Williams’ This kind of Black – which gave me confidence I was onto something.
My music always contains storytelling elements, and I gradually became aware that I could tell a story over several tracks, a bit like a concept album. I’m obviously not the first artist to do that! I also saw some theatre shows that did a similar thing with grime and spoken word - Highrise’s Lil’ Miss Lady and Reece Williams’ This kind of Black – which gave me confidence I was onto something.
The Treatment fuses heavy, crashing beats with projected visuals to give audiences a visceral sense of how your mind works. How did you and digital animator Andrew Crofts go about turning the sensory experience of ADHD into a visual world?
In the early rehearsals, my director Matt Fenton was saying he experienced my tracks visually, like short films. This led us to see the show like a series of linked films or music videos that accompany the music and draw out the visual world as I experience it. We couldn’t think of a better person to create that than Andrew Crofts, from his work with imitatingthedog theatre company.
In the early rehearsals, my director Matt Fenton was saying he experienced my tracks visually, like short films. This led us to see the show like a series of linked films or music videos that accompany the music and draw out the visual world as I experience it. We couldn’t think of a better person to create that than Andrew Crofts, from his work with imitatingthedog theatre company.
We also wanted to create a physical world the audience would recognise, for the show to emerge from. My discomfort with waiting led us to the idea of setting the show in the waiting room on the day of my adult diagnosis.
You’ve brought together a formidable team with director Matt Fenton, dramaturg Reece Williams, producer Yussuf Maleem, and visual artist Audrey Albert. How did this collaboration push forward the project?
I came into this project with my own experiences and a vision of what I wanted to communicate. But turning that into a fully realised theatre show takes a team to see the possibilities beyond your own perspective.
Working with people from different backgrounds helped us think about how the story is structured, how the audience experiences it and how all the different elements fit together. The music, the lyrics, the visuals, the live performance and the emotional journey - they all need to work together.
It’s important the show still feels like me - I don’t want to lose the rawness or authenticity of grime in the process of making theatre. The collaboration has been about finding that balance.
I’ve always believed that if you’re in a position to help the next generation, you should do what you can. I’ve spent a lot of time working with young people through music workshops and community projects, and I know how important it can be for someone to have a space where they can express themselves and be taken seriously.
Including young MCs in the show connects my story to what’s happening now. Grime didn’t stop with my generation. It keeps evolving, and there are young people coming through with their own
perspectives. I also think it’s important that young artists aren’t just spoken about — they’re given opportunities to be part of the work.
perspectives. I also think it’s important that young artists aren’t just spoken about — they’re given opportunities to be part of the work.
What role did youth clubs play in your early development, and what message does The Treatment send about the importance of those community spaces today?
Youth clubs and community spaces can make a massive difference. When you’re young, you need somewhere to go, to meet, to explore your interests and make mistakes without feeling like your future depends on them.
Youth clubs and community spaces can make a massive difference. When you’re young, you need somewhere to go, to meet, to explore your interests and make mistakes without feeling like your future depends on them.
For me, spaces where young people could engage with music and rap battles were important because they gave us an outlet. Instead of just having energy and ideas with nowhere to put them, you had an opportunity to develop skills and find out what you were capable of.
That’s a big part of my work today. Through my music workshops, I see how much young people get out of having access to a studio, equipment and someone who believes in them.
I think we underestimate the long-term impact of those spaces. You might think you’re just providing a room and a music session, but you could be helping someone discover a passion, build their confidence or find a completely new direction in life. We need to invest in those opportunities, not take them away.
The show tackles the journey through adult diagnosis and the decision to "kick the meds." What do you hope neurodivergent audience members—especially young people—take away from seeing that process staged so openly?
My journey with medication is only part of my story, but I wouldn’t want anyone to see it as me telling them what they should or shouldn’t do. Everybody’s circumstances are different, and decisions about medication should be made with professional support. For me, I felt like medication slowed me down, and I wanted to explore whether working on things like diet and sleep patterns could help me before going down that route again.
My journey with medication is only part of my story, but I wouldn’t want anyone to see it as me telling them what they should or shouldn’t do. Everybody’s circumstances are different, and decisions about medication should be made with professional support. For me, I felt like medication slowed me down, and I wanted to explore whether working on things like diet and sleep patterns could help me before going down that route again.
I explain more of that in the tracks Ritalin and Chemical Imbalance in the show. It’s about my own experience and the way I’ve been trying to understand myself, my mind and what works for me.
I also want people to understand that diagnosis doesn’t have to define you. Learning about yourself and finding ways to manage your energy can be part of that journey. When you go through life without fully understanding why you think or behave in certain ways, it affects how you see yourself. Getting an adult diagnosis can help you look back at your childhood and reconsider things you might have blamed yourself for. It can help you make sense of experiences that previously felt confusing.
I also want people to understand that diagnosis doesn’t have to define you. Learning about yourself and finding ways to manage your energy can be part of that journey. When you go through life without fully understanding why you think or behave in certain ways, it affects how you see yourself. Getting an adult diagnosis can help you look back at your childhood and reconsider things you might have blamed yourself for. It can help you make sense of experiences that previously felt confusing.
Ultimately, I want people to understand how music and creative expression can channel the negative into something positive. A lot of the energy, frustration and behaviours that got me into trouble when I was younger have been channelled into my creativity.
Music has given me an outlet. It’s allowed me to express things I can’t explain in any other way. That’s what I mean when I talk about music being the treatment for me.
Grime is often celebrated for its fast cadence and relentless energy. Do you see the rhythm and speed of the music as a natural extension of a hyperactive brain?
I can definitely relate to that. Grime has this urgency to it. The beats are often stripped back, the tempos are fast and you’ve got to think quickly to keep up with the rhythm, the wordplay and the energy of the track.
I can definitely relate to that. Grime has this urgency to it. The beats are often stripped back, the tempos are fast and you’ve got to think quickly to keep up with the rhythm, the wordplay and the energy of the track.
For me, there’s a connection between that and having a mind that doesn’t always switch off. Sometimes you’ve got so many thoughts coming at once that you need an outlet for them, and grime gives you somewhere to put them.
Looking back now, it’s interesting to see how something I was drawn to as a young person connects with what I’ve since learnt about myself and my brain. Some of the things I didn’t understand about myself back then are part of what make me an artist.
The Treatment is described as part gig and part live theatre show. When the house lights go down and the beats drop, what do you hope the audience feels at their core?
First and foremost, I want people to feel something. I want them to experience the energy of a grime show, and also go on an emotional journey that stays with them after they’ve left the theatre.
First and foremost, I want people to feel something. I want them to experience the energy of a grime show, and also go on an emotional journey that stays with them after they’ve left the theatre.
For some people, it’ll bring back memories of growing up, the music they listened to, the places they went and the people they knew. For others, it might open their eyes to a world they haven’t experienced. And for anyone who’s ever felt misunderstood or struggled to make sense of themselves, I hope there are moments in the show that really resonate with them.
There’s nostalgia, but it’s not just about looking backwards. It’s about understanding how your past shapes you, how you make sense of your present and what you do with that knowledge moving forward.
I want people to come away entertained, challenged and maybe even seeing mental health differently.
Ultimately, The Treatment is me putting my life, my music and my mind on stage. It’s about being honest about where I’ve come from and showing that there’s more to a person than what you see on the surface.
The Treatment runs at Contact Theatre in Manchester on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st October at 8pm. The performance on Friday 30th October is followed by a post-show discussion. The performance on Saturday 31st October is followed by an after-party.
For tickets, visit https://contactmcr.com/events/manchester-hypes-the-treatment
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