The production will be directed by the theatre’s artistic director Chris Honer, and is accompanied by a number of off-stage events to mark the enterprise of Annie Horniman who established the first repertory theatre in the country, and the Manchester playwrights, known as the ‘Manchester School’, she championed so vigorously.

Set in the fictional city of Salchester (an amalgamation of Salford and Manchester) at the time it was written in 1909, Independent Means tells the story of Edgar Forsyth, the public school- educated son of wealthy northern gent John Forsyth, and Edgar’s young wife, Sidney, who return from their overseas honeymoon to discover that his father’s business interests have hit serious problems.

Can the conservative and traditional Forsyth family adapt to changing times? And will the young marriage of Edgar and Sidney survive the belt-tightening strain?

The cast includes Ruth Gibson, who last performed at the theatre in 2006 and has recently attracted rave reviews for performances in Scarborough, and Geoff Breton, Caroline Quentin’s son in ITV’s Blue Murder, and Ben Trotter in the BBCs adaptation of The Rotters’ Club.

Independent Means is on from Friday, October 24 until Saturday, November 22. Phone the box office on 0161 236 7110.