Manchester is culturally more confident than it's ever been and theatre has always been one of its great strengths. But is regional theatre bound by its geographical limits, or is its success crucially linked to a sense of local identity?

Poet and dramatist, Michael Symmons Roberts, takes us behind the scenes at Manchester's £25 million arts centre, HOME, and its latest production Uncle Vanya to ask what is theatre for? Michael meets Walter Meierjohann as he works with the cast in rehearsal, to examine what a 100 year old classic play can say to a modern audience. From there Michael goes to Hope Mill Theatre, an independent venue producing critically acclaimed musicals. He also talks to Richard Gregory one of the creative minds behind Quarantine Theatre company, and he's joined by the playwright Simon Stephens, actor Julie Hesmondhalgh and Kevin Bourke, a theatre critic and chair of the Manchester Theatre Awards, to discuss the notion of 'regional' to distinguish between theatres in London, and playhouses outside it.

Producer: Cecile Wright. Show less