LipService Theatre was created by comedy duo Sue Ryding and the late Maggie Fox. During a 40 year career together they created 22 original comedies for the theatre, won multiple awards, plus a series on Radio 4 and many TV appearances. Thanks to a grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund we have created a new digital archive. Read more about the award here
So dive straight in and explore the shows
The Laurel and Hardy of literary deconstruction
The Guardian
In terms of comic inventiveness they are an unstoppable force
Time Out
Funny Stuff Exhibition
Manchester Central Library
Jan 7th - end of Feb 2026
Exhibition Film
Take your own personal tour of the Funny Stuff Exhibition in the comfort of your own home. Get up close and personal with some of the whacky props and costumes made for LipService by hugely talented puppeteers and designers
Watch here
BSL version
Captioned version
Audio Described version
Funny Stuff Symposium Thursday 19th Feb 2-5pm Manchester Central Library
(with BSL interpreter Emma Jane Mansfield)
We’re delighted to be taking part in a special symposium hosted by Manchester Libraries, celebrating 40 years of LipService Theatre.
Expect retrospective footage, silly props, thoughtful discussion - and yes, cake!
LipService was part of the Manchester Fringe Forum, a loose collective of 1980s artists whose work reached all four corners of the globe. A panel of original members will come together to explore:
why there was such an explosion of creativity in Manchester at that time; how that spirit shaped LipService and its peers; what we can learn from that moment now.It promises to be a relaxed, reflective and celebratory afternoon! FREE ADMISSION
To celebrate our 40th anniversary we’d love you to send in your memories. It may be you were in a community choir for Desperate to be Doris, or you were a virgin sacrifice in Hector’s House or you just had a good night out with some mates, we want to hear from you!
Oral History Collection
So where did LipService come from? Well, we launched in 1985, one of over 20 companies who formed part of the Manchester Fringe Forum. Three of those original companies had a 40 year career, including LipService, the Whalley Range All Stars and Avanti Display. The work created by these companies reached all parts of the globe. We employed 5 contemporary emerging artists to interview 1980’s artists and the result is incredible. A highlights reel is coming your way soon but the full collection of over 30 interviews will be housed at Archives+ at Manchester Central Library
Maggie Fox & Sue Ryding in Coming On Late 1985
Theatre maker and oral history intern Jonny Cordingley with director Rikki Tarascas, original Fringe Forum member, director of Fusion
LipService is awarded a grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund
“LipService is thrilled to announce an award of £46,197 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund for a new heritage project, Funny Stuff. A full press release with details of the award and the project can be read here.
These are the headlines. The grant supports the wraparound exhibition that accompanies the Funny Stuff show tour, a digital archive with show recordings, scripts, reviews, fan mail to be launched in early autumn, a physical archive of props, costumes, bespoke items to be housed at Manchester Central Library in the space that was the Library Theatre, a film of the exhibition with full access for Deaf and disabled audiences, and a symposium at the end of the project. We are looking for volunteers to help box list archival material so please email info@lip-service.net if you’d like to be involved. Full training provided, plus cake and conversation. Basically, lots of fun sorting through the funny stuff! Sue Ryding, LipService Artistic Director said "I’m so thrilled to be creating a lasting legacy for the company and for Maggie, and I’m grateful for the support of the National Heritage Lottery Fund, made possible by players of the National Lottery".