Sophie Willan
she/her Contact PatronSophie Willan is a sharp, eccentric and provocative multi-award-winning writer, producer, comedian and actor from Bolton. Her BAFTA-showered BBC comedy Alma’s Not Normal draws on her history of care and escort work and has its own history with Contact’s rehearsal and performance spaces. Alma’s audition scene was filmed in Contact’s main theatre space and Sophie’s precursory show Branded (2017) was developed and performed there before taking the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by storm. In the formative years of her career, Sophie was a member of Contact Young Company and co-founder of Contact’s long-time friends, theatre/cabaret group Eggs Collective.
“Contact is more than an arts venue. It’s a home and a community where new artists and young people are listened to, nurtured and expertly developed in a way that no other venue does. I learnt so much about myself and my practice growing up in that building throughout my twenties. And I’m so excited to now be a patron, who will have the privilege and joy of watching and supporting the next generation of voices at Contact as they become leaders, activists and creative spearheads.”
Related items

Our Spring 2023 Season is Here!
27 April 2023Spring is shaping up to be a spectacular season at Contact! Spring has SPRUNG! Okay, maybe not quite, but we can’t wait to welcome you to our spectacular Spring 2023 season. From dance, theatre and comedy to an afro-futurist space…
Contact announces stellar line up of its first Patrons
23 June 2023Contact in Manchester is celebrating the arrival of ten, newly appointed Patrons for the first time in its 50-year history. Ranging from past members of Contact Young Company, actors, artists, and filmmakers to a previous mayor of…
14%: Q&A WITH KEISHA THOMPSON AND NATHAN POWELL
15 September 2023We sat down with Keisha Thompson, writer of 14%, and the show’s director Nathan Powell, to find out more about the work, its inspirations and what you, the audience, will experience.