Outburst Festival 2026: No Apologies

No Apologies is a radical, queer mis-remembering of Nirvana’s iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged concert, written and performed by multi award-winning theatre and TV writer Emma Frankland.

Urgent and politically sharp, this spectacular collision between theatre and grunge, autobiography and alternate history, weaves threads of pop culture with mythology and ritual, fuelled by the experience of coming-of- age in the nineties.Emma first shared the show as a work-in-progress at Outburst in 2019, returning now in 2026 after a critically acclaimed run of the solo show at Edinburgh Festivals, where it won the 2025 Bragi Award for creativity and artistic excellence and a Besties Award for new writing.Produced by the acclaimed queer-led Marlborough Productions, with spectacular direction from Harry Clayton Wright and featuring original music and an anarchic sound score by punk composer Keir Cooper, this will be an extra special performance at Outburst, with Emma presenting the work with a full band: Belfast punk favourites, Problem Patterns.A vigil full of grief, joy and wild abandon.

And hope.

This ruddy gorgeous show is a call to live your life on your own terms and to the very full, and whether you are trans or not, that’s a lifesaver in every way.

Lyn Gardner, The StageEvent informationDURATION: 90 mins, no interval.ACCESS: The Event will be captioned.

The space is wheelchair accessible and there will be wheelchair spaces available.

If you are a wheelchair user or have a requirement to ensure your comfort with another disability, please email us at least two days in advance of the show at [email protected] and we will plan your seating.There are gender neutral loos in the space.CONTENT INFORMATION: Show contains flashing lights, loud noises/music and themes including: non-graphic mentions of suicide, violence, drug addiction, transphobia and homophobia.

A freesheet with support services will be available from the artist’s website.There is a full bar in the space that will be closed while the show is on.This event is 18+