WonderIfTheatre is a new, brave and bold Northern theatre company and mentorship programme, which affords aspiring actors their first opportunity to stage and tour professional productions. Fuelled by imagination, innovation and Mancunian grit, this young and innovative theatre company trains and supports the next generation of theatre actors, technicians and creatives. With a deliberate attention to those stories that are hard to tell, we focus on the poignancy of narratives that have been left unheard and stage them with a fearless re-imagining and physicality.
Director
Jennie Fairclough
As an A level Drama, Theatre Studies and English teacher of 20 years, Jennie has extensive experience of working with young people and nurturing emerging talent, helping to support a large number of young actors successfully gain entry to professional drama schools. She has directed a broad range of works, from traditional plays including, Sophocles and Shakespeare to contemporary playwrights including Dennis Kelly and Lee Hall. She has also directed Purcell’s baroque opera Dido and Aeneas and a range of musicals including The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music and Sweeney Todd. Jennie has also acted as an educational consultant for A level Theatre Studies. She worked as Assistant Director on Big Blanket’s ‘This Wide Night’ for the Greater Manchester Fringe 2018 and also directed WonderIf’s ‘Airswimming’ (Charlotte Jones) and ‘Mojo’ (Jez Butterworth) for the Greater Manchester Fringe 2019.
Associate Director
Leigh Manning
From an early age, Leigh has always had an interest in theatre, both in acting and creating work. This interest in the wide scope of theatre has allowed him to have a diverse and interesting few years in the industry. From participating and training in the Royal Exchange’s ‘Young Company’ in its first year at the age of 16, Leigh has been able to work with some of the North West’s biggest and brightest theatres and companies. His acting credits include ‘Kes’ at the Oldham Coliseum and ‘Rats Tales’ at the Royal Exchange where, working with Melly Still, he began to really understand how imaginative creating and developing stories for the stage can be. Developing a fledgling theatre company at the age of 18 granted him opportunities to create work for outdoor spaces, museums, small theatres and the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival. Leigh was ecstatic to work with Wonder If on MOJO in 2019 and is excited to be able to develop future work now a part of the creative team.
