Now Booking For 2026!
[Image above Karen McBride©]
NEW DAWN FADES 2026 TOUR!
New Dawn Fades — the funny, moving and powerful story of Ian Curtis and the rise of Joy Division returns in a re-energised production touring the UK in Autumn 2026. Set against the backdrop of the post-punk explosion in 1970s Manchester, the play follows four ordinary young men who came together to form one of the most influential bands of all time: Joy Division. Blending humour, drama and music, New Dawn Fades charts the band’s rapid rise from Manchester clubs to the brink of international success, with Ian Curtis at the centre of it all — a young man grappling with fame, creativity and personal turmoil. Following Curtis’ tragic death in 1980, the remaining members would go on to achieve worldwide success as New Order.
Upcoming Shows
- Sep01 Perth - LAST FEW Perth Concert Hall, Perth Tickets
- Sep02 Inverness - Scotland One Touch Theatre - Eden Court - Inverness Tickets
- Sep03 Aberdeen, Scotland The Tivoli Theatre, Tickets
- Sep04 Paisley Town Hall - Paisley Sold out!
- Sep05 Blackpool - Lancashire Grand Theatre - Blackpool Tickets
- Sep06 Heywood, Rochdale Heywood Civic Tickets
- Sep08 Malvern Malvern Theatres, Malvern Tickets
- Sep09 Malvern Malvern Theatres, Malvern Tickets
- Sep10 Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Crewe Tickets
- Sep11 Hornchurch Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch Tickets
- Sep12 Peterborough New Theatre - Peterborough Tickets
- Sep16 Middlesbrough Town Hall, Middlesbrough Tickets
- Sep17 Bradford, W Yorks St George's Hall - Bradford Tickets
- Sep18 Ulverston The Coro - Ulverston Tickets
- Sep19 Doncaster Cast - Doncaster Tickets
- Sep20 Doncaster Cast - Doncaster Tickets
- Sep23 Grimsby, Lincolnshire Grimsby Auditorium - Grimsby Tickets
- Sep25 Lowestoft - Suffolk Marina Theatre - Lowestoft Tickets
- Sep26 Hull Hull City Hall Tickets
- Sep30 Northampton Royal & Derngate - Northampton Tickets
- Oct01 Kidderminster Town Hall, Kidderminster Tickets
- Oct08 Swansea Taliesin Arts Centre - Swansea Sold out!
- Oct09 Shrewsbury Theatre Severn. Shrewsbury Tickets
- Oct10 Shrewsbury Theatre Severn. Shrewsbury Tickets
- Oct10 Shrewsbury - Matinée Theatre Severn. Shrewsbury Tickets
- Oct11 Darwen Library Theatre - Darwen Tickets
- Oct12 Darwen Library Theatre - Darwen Tickets
- Oct16 Yeovil, Somerset Westlands, Yeovil Tickets
- Oct17 Barnstaple, Devon Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple Tickets
- Oct20 Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham Sold out!
- Oct21 Scunthorpe The Plowright Theatre - Scunthorpe Tickets
- Oct22 London - The Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Tickets
- Oct23 London - The Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Tickets
- Oct24 Harpenden Eric Morecambe Centre - Harpenden Tickets
- Oct26 Macclesfield - Cinemac Cinemac Tickets
- Oct27 Macclesfield - Cinemac Cinemac Tickets
- Oct28 Macclesfield - Cinemac Cinemac Tickets
- Oct29 Basingstoke Last Few The Haymarket, Basingstoke Tickets
- Oct30 Basingstoke, Hants The Haymarket, Basingstoke Tickets
“The standout moment where it dawns on you exactly why Josh Lonsdale was cast as the lead of Ian Curtis is nothing short of electrifying!”
“Essential viewing for anyone even remotely interested in Joy Division, Factory Records, or Manchester’s creative legacy.”
“A beautiful crafted and emotional homage to a hugely influential and talented band.”
“If you care about music history and the story behind creative people, then this production is well worth your time.”
“The relationship of Ian Curtis and his teenage bride Debbie Curtis (Lauren Greenwood) was presented with gravity and sympathy.”
“the closest I’ll ever get to seeing Joy Division, which is why I could not recommend this musical play more highly.”
“A history-packed treat for Joy Division fans… New Dawn Fades is sure to tick all your boxes.”
“This play shows what has been possible. The task now is to create the conditions for what comes next. Not through invitation, but through our insistence that we belong in the story.”
New Dawn Fades – A Play About Joy Division and Manchester
A funny, moving and powerful story of Ian Curtis and the rise of Joy Division
New Dawn Fades is a powerful stage play exploring the rise of Joy Division and the life of Ian Curtis, set against the backdrop of a changing Manchester. As the band moves from obscurity to the brink of international success, the production follows Curtis at the centre of it all — a young man navigating fame, expectation and his own inner struggles.
Blending live vocal performance with a dynamic musical soundscape, New Dawn Fades captures the energy of the music alongside a raw and deeply human story about creativity, identity and the cost of brilliance.
(Photo: ©Karen McBride)
For 2026, New Dawn Fades reunites the creative team behind its acclaimed 2025 tour, with producers Nigel Carr and Tony Davidson. Tony was the owner of the renowned T.J. Davidson studios in Manchester — a key part of the city’s music scene, where artists including Joy Division, Mick Hucknall, Buzzcocks and The Fall rehearsed — and the location for the iconic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ video. Nigel Carr is a partner in the celebrated online magazine and radio station Louder Than War.
Originally developed at the Manchester Fringe Festival in 2013, New Dawn Fades has evolved into a powerful touring production, blending live vocal performance with a dynamic musical soundscape style, that continues to resonate with audiences across the UK.
Written by award-winning playwright Brian Gorman, who has received widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, the production blends live vocal performance with a dynamic musical soundscape. Directed by Lauren Greenwood, New Dawn Fades is a powerful and deeply human story about creativity, identity and the cost of brilliance.
At its heart, New Dawn Fades is a story about mental health, identity and the pressures of success.
What people say about New Dawn Fades:
“Highly entertaining, poignant, and often very funny. Brian Gorman played an uncanny version of the late great Tony Wilson”
– Will Sergeant (Echo & The Bunnymen)
“The play is a beautiful crafted and emotional homage to a hugely influential and talented band.”
– Tony Clarke (Louder Than War)
“It’s certainly the closest I’ll ever get to seeing Joy Division… I could not recommend this musical play more highly.”
– The Punk Site
“So fascinating, and (Josh Lonsdale) who played Ian Curtis was brilliant!”
– Jayne Middlemiss (Virgin Radio)
“Josh Lonsdale’s delivery of Ian Curtis is particularly impressive”
– Serena Murphy (Mancunian Matters)
“Tony Wilson (is) admirably played by Brian Gorman. You can’t help but admire the gusto with which the production barrels along”
– Peter Wild (The Manchester Review)
“ridiculously good – the cast successfully captured the style and energy of the real Joy Division”
– Julia (Glos.info)
“a story about ordinary people responding to extraordinary times—and that those times still echo through every note, every word, every flicker of light onstage.”
– Ken Foster (Plus One)
