The Treatment is the new grime-theatre show from renowned MC, musician and performer Manchester Hypes.

A series of theatrically-staged grime tracks tell a story of childhood hyperactivity: growing up via youth-club rap-battles and his dad’s Moss Side barbershop, through to navigating the music industry, adult diagnosis and kicking the meds. Part gig, part live theatre show, The Treatment explores the links between hyperactivity, ADHD and creativity. It fuses crashing beats with stunning projected visuals to give audiences a visceral sense of the world through Hypes’ eyes.

Hypes is one of the godfathers of the northern grime scene, the founder of Burst Gang and a regular performer on the likes of BBC Radio 1Xtra and RinseFM. He works tirelessly to support the next generation of young musicians and MCs, some of whom feature in the show.

Hypes has brought together an outstanding creative team including director Matt Fenton (Contact, Lancaster Arts), dramaturg Reece Williams (This Kind of Black), digital animator Andrew Crofts (imitating the dog), music producer Yussuf Maleem, and visual artist and photographer Audrey Albert.

The Friday show is followed by a free discussion event with the creative team exploring themes of adult diagnosis, male mental health, creativity and the ADHD brain.

The Saturday show is followed by a post-show party for all ticket-holders featuring live DJ sets from Hypes & Reece Williams.

Commissioned by SICK! Productions & Contact 
Early development supported by STUN (Sustained Theatre Up North) & Contact 
Funded by DYCP & NLPG Awards from Arts Council England

Photography credit: Audrey Albert