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.

‘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