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Sophie Willan

she/her Contact Patron

Sophie 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.”

A white woman with short red curly hair and a black top

Related items

  1. 14%: Q&A WITH KEISHA THOMPSON AND NATHAN POWELL

    15 September 2023
    We 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.
  2. Black and white portrait of Paul Olubayo. He is wearing a cap and smiling with a recording microphone next to him.

    In Conversation with our Trustee, Paul Olubayo

    18 March 2025
    I first walked into Contact, just over three years ago on the invite of then Chair of the Board Junior Akinola. Having no knowledge of the arts venue and theatre beforehand, there was so much that left me blown away on this initial visit.…
  3. Celebrating 20 Years of Manchester Literature Festival at Contact

    24 September 2025
    We’re thrilled to welcome Manchester Literature Festival back to Contact this October as they mark their 20th anniversary. Over the years, the Festival has become a cornerstone of the city’s cultural calendar, bringing together world-class…

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