This is what happens when a working-class community tells its own story.
 
A bus ride. A bingo card. A memory you didn’t know you shared.

This is our neighbourhood, not the one in the media, but the one shaped by our stories, our laughter and our silence.
 
Award-winning duo Malandra Jacks invite you into a world of spellbinding projection,  real voices and unapologetic heart. Census is part theatre, part time capsule: a celebration of communities rarely seen on stage.
 
Funny, intimate and defiant, Census is a love letter to working-class communities, a call to remember who we are and what we carry with us.

Note: This performance of Census is accompanied by a workshop and post-show Q&A. 

Running Order:

3.30-4.30: Workshop
6.00-7.15: Show
7.15-7.25: Break
7.25-7.50: Q&A with Malandra Jacks.

WORKSHOP: What’s your story?

Join a hands-on exploration of storytelling. You’ll get to know people, learn playful techniques and practical skills for preserving your own stories.

A welcome space to collect and preserve working class voices, experienced and histories.

Through fun games, group activities and creative prompts award-winning duo Malandra Jacks will spark memories and imagination.

Those who wish can also take part in an informal audio-recording session, offering personal anecdotes that may feature in the performance of Census (in the evening).

Praise for Census

‘Ambitious, exciting and gorgeous’ – I Love MCR 

‘Indeed, there’s a real delight in the inventiveness with which they upset the apple cart’ – Northern Soul 

‘The core of this production is about what strong community values mean and how they enhance and are the very backbone of what makes an area viable’ – Live Art Alive 

‘Warm-hearted and thought-provoking, it was the sort of socially engaged theatre-making that we need more of and felt like a true labour of love’ – Circles & Stalls 

Additional information:

Winner of Best Performance at Manchester Culture Awards 2024.

Co-presented with Word of Warning and supported by hÅb. 

Originally commissioned by Contact and hÅb; supported by Manchester City Council and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

About Malandra Jacks:

We are Malandra Jacks, two artists making film, theatre and art installations, sharing authentic stories. 

It’s important to us that our work offers a platform for communities whose voices often go unheard and underrepresented.

Content Warnings:

Includes discussion of class and economic inequality, poverty and financial hardship; includes discussions around mental health including anxiety, depression, and social isolation; cites racist commentary; use of mild language/profanity