As part of Physical Fest 2026, we are delighted to introduce Rachel Barry and Emma Hirons, the recipients of this year’s Female Bursary.

The bursary offers two female artists the opportunity to develop new work and share it with a live audience as part of the festival. On Wednesday 9 September at 8pm at Unity Theatre, audiences will be invited into the creative worlds of two very different, wonderfully curious works-in-progress: Rachel Barry’s The Mice That Chewed My Knickers and Emma Hirons’ The Conch.

Both pieces are at an exciting stage of development, offering audiences the chance to see new work as it takes shape, while experiencing the distinctive voices, physicality and imagination of two emerging artists.

What happens when three completely unexpected characters find themselves somewhere in the same story?

In The Mice That Chewed My Knickers, Rachel Barry brings a collection of larger-than-life characters to the stage in a work-in-progress that promises to be playful, strange and gloriously unpredictable.

Audiences can expect to meet Beans, a Scouse princess with a fear of jazz music; a taxi driver from Birmingham and his small, sickly dog; and a nervous system disguised as a waiter. Somehow, these three worlds will collide through an interweaving story that is still finding its final shape.

The piece embraces character, physicality, humour and audience interaction, with Rachel inviting audiences into the process as these new characters finally come to life.

Expect the unexpected, plenty of personality and a work that is very much discovering itself along the way.

As Rachel puts it: “Let’s strongly assume you’ll meet three big, sexy, juicy characters with some sort of interweaving storyline.”

Natural, delicate, strong yet breakable.

Beautiful on the outside, with soft pink edges folding inwards, The Conch asks a simple but mysterious question: what resides within?

Something strange? Ugly? Vulnerable? Absurd?

And what happens when the person inside the shell isn’t quite sure who they are themselves?

The Conch marks Emma Hirons’ first step into solo theatre-making and is currently in its embryonic stages of development. Through clown, movement, spoken word and interaction, Emma begins to explore identity, vulnerability and the strange relationship between what we present to the world and what might be hidden underneath.

The audience is invited to coax her out of her shell and into a world that is playful, physical, intimate and unpredictable.

This sharing offers a glimpse into the early development of a new solo work, giving audiences the opportunity to witness Emma’s creative process as The Conch begins to find its voice, body and form.

The Female Bursary is an important part of Physical Fest’s commitment to supporting artists and providing space for new physical theatre to develop.

On Wednesday 9 September, audiences at Unity Theatre will have the opportunity to experience two works at an early stage of their creative journeys — and to be part of the process as Rachel Barry and Emma Hirons bring their ideas, characters and worlds into the room.

Physical Fest 2026 Female Bursary Sharing
Wednesday 9 September | 8pm
Unity Theatre

Come and discover two new works before they’ve found their final form.

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Physical Fest is an International Theatre Festival is hosted by Tmesis Theatre in Liverpool and celebrates the rich variety of contemporary theatre.

Physical Fest 26 is supported by Arts Council England and Culture Liverpool