An exciting cultural experience is on the horizon for residents of Stockport and the metropolitan borough.  

'Port', a play written by Stockport-born playwright Simon Stephens, will be showing at the Garrick in an amateur production, whilst a tour will be showing at Offerton, Brinnington, and Bridgehall community centres.  

The locally born playwright has won both an Olivier and a Tony award, having produced a vast body of critically acclaimed work; so much so that The Observer suggested he may be the "busiest man in British theatre".   

Set in Stockport from 1988-2002, 'Port' follows Rachael Keats from age 11 to 24, as she navigates loss, abuse, and family trouble.  

Keats grows up in Edgeley, and the play features scenes set in the bus station, Stepping Hill, and the Elizabethan pub. 

Port's protagonist, Rachael Keats, grows up in Edgeley (Image by Alasdair Perry)

The description on the Garrick website asks: "Whilst everyone around her is letting her down or leaving her behind, still full of optimism, will Rachael be able to make her own way in the world?" 

This is not the first of Stephens' plays to feature the town in some way; 'Punk Rock' is set in a fee-paying school in Stockport, and his most famous work 'Harper Regan' involves an Uxbridge woman travelling to visit her dying father in a local care home.  

Yet although 'Port' may not be the only play to be set locally, Stephens himself admits that it represents the closest he has come to articulating his strong connection with the town, and that it was written with love, not bleakness as some critics argue.  

"Wherever I go and wherever I live, there will always be part of me that will call Stockport home. I think this play comes as close to articulating that as anything that I've written", he said in an interview with The Garrick. 

Like other plays by Stephens, 'Port' has been described as dark, philosophical, and flatly humorous. 

The playwright is known for his attempts at engaging with darkness, as well as his complex characters – good and evil are rarely so black and white in his work, and viewers are prompted to assess 'villains' more deeply.  

In the same interview with the Garrick, Stephens described having his play being performed there as "a real honour".  

He recalls passing the town centre theatre on the 192 bus on the way home from school, seeing it as "a building graced by potential".  

He encourages residents to visit The Garrick, "that magical place in the heart of the town", and hopes that it will be "the start of a relationship between you and the theatre". 

The showing dates are as follows: 

25 - 27 MAY 7.30PM 

Stockport Garrick Theatre - Exchange St, SK3 0EJ 

£12 

MON 5 JUNE 7.30PM 

Offerton Community Centre - Mallowdale Rd, SK2 5NX 

£4 

SAT 10 JUNE 2.30PM & 7.30PM 

Bridgehall Community Centre - Siddington Ave, SK3 8NR 

£4 

SAT 17 JUNE 2.30PM & 7.30PM 

Brinnington Community Centre - 35 Hereford Rd, SK5 8ER 

£4