A new indie musical by an acclaimed playwright is set to begin its UK tour at the Lowry Theatre this year.
The world premiere of ‘How Soon is Now?’ by Siân Owen will open in Salford on 1 October 2026 before heading to theatres across the country.
Set to a live soundtrack of 90’s classics, against the backdrop of a generation-defining era of music, club culture and possibility, How Soon is Now? is billed as an original musical about female friendship, empowerment and hope.
Box of Tricks, the award-winning theatre company behind the show, said its live soundtrack of iconic indie anthems from the likes of The Stone Roses, Radiohead and The Smiths, capture the highs and lows, darkness and light of a big night out on New Year’s Eve.
“You open the door into this club. And the noise and the smell and the heat hit you. It smothers you. Jumps all over you. Gets right in.”
“It’s New Year’s Eve, 1997. Manchester. The DJ’s in full flow, and as your favourite indie songs blast out into the smoke-filled air of the club, the whole place feels electric.
“Three girls are on the dancefloor. Polly and Angie are up for a big night. Jean is lost and alone. Change is in the air – New Labour, New Year, a new millennium. After decades of grey, this should be their time. But as darkness falls and midnight arrives, will they find their light?”
Box of Tricks, a theatre company dedicated to championing new writing and bringing original voices to audiences across the UK, said How Soon is Now? was its biggest project to date and a fitting production with which to mark its 20th anniversary.
Adam Quayle, Artistic Director, Box of Tricks said “Ten years in the making, How Soon is Now? is an electric story of female friendship and empowerment, driven by a live soundtrack of iconic indie classics. A reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is a light that never goes out. At a time when midscale touring faces increasing challenges, it means more than ever to share our biggest, boldest production to date with audiences across the country.”
Matt Eames, Director of Theatre & Performance at Lowry added: “Box of Tricks holds a unique place in the Northern ecology and their work with writers has become increasingly important in such a challenging context for producing new work.”
How Soon is Now? is written by one of the UK’s most exciting voices in contemporary theatre, the award-winning playwright Siân Owen.
She is currently under commission with Michael Sheen’s Welsh National Theatre and wrote additional material for Under Milk Wood at the National Theatre. Her play Restoration won the Oxford Playhouse New Writing Competition, and she has been a member of the Royal Court Studio Group, Sherman Cymru Advanced Writers Group and BBC Writersroom’s Welsh Voices programme.
Her theatre credits include Under Milk Wood (National Theatre), This Land (Pentabus/Salisbury Playhouse), How to be Brave (Dirty Protest), The Turn (Arcola Theatre/Box of Tricks), Classic (Theatre503) and Scarcity (Sherman Cymru/Theatr Clwyd). It is designed by Hannah Sibai with Musical Direction from Vidar Norheim, Lighting from KJ and Movement from Chris Brown.
Writer, Sian said: “I want audiences to feel like they’ve walked into the middle of a nightclub where a story is unfolding around them full of laughter, heartbreak, music and magic. But above all I hope people leave feeling lighter than when they arrived. It’s really a love song to music, friendship, courage and remembering that together we can all find glimmers of hope.”
Following its premiere at Salford’s Lowry Theatre, the musical will also visit Bradford, Bristol, Chester, Exeter, Ipswich, Lancaster, Scarborough, Sheffield, Stockton and Wakefield.
More informtation about the show can be found here.
