Manchester Literature Festival Presents An Evening with Patrick Radden Keefe

  • Spoken Word

When

Mon 12 Oct 2026, 7.30pm

Price

£10 – £12

Where

RNCM Theatre

Promoter

Manchester Literature Festival

The end time for this event is tbc. More details will be published nearer to the event.

About

A gripping evening with Patrick Radden Keefe, bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing. Patrick joins us to discuss his new work London Falling – a riveting true story of wealth, lies and the dark currents running beneath modern London. When teenager Zac Brettler dies after falling from a luxury riverside apartment, his parents uncover a shocking secret life connected to the world of Russian oligarchs and hidden influence.

Combining meticulous reporting with the tension of a crime thriller, Patrick Radden Keefe delivers a devastating investigation into power, corruption and illusion. Join us for a thrilling conversation with one of the most acclaimed narrative non-fiction authors working today. Hosted by Ed Caesar.

‘One of those authors I will always read, no matter what the subject matter . . . a masterclass in compelling narrative non-fiction’ – The Guardian on Empire of Pain

Patrick Radden Keefe is a staff writer at The New Yorker and an award-winning author of bestsellers Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction) and Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks.

Ed Caesar is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of The Moth and the Mountain and Two Hours. His new book, The Comet, will be published in Spring 2027. He lives in Manchester.

Tickets

If you have step-free accessible seating requirements or require a wheelchair position, please contact the RNCM Box Office by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0161 907 5555. Emails are monitored throughout the week. RNCM phone lines are open on Mondays and Thursdays between 2pm and 5pm. Please note this excludes bank holidays.

This week

Each one brings something distinctive, a quality that sets them apart from the rest. This is especially true of the Inspirational Artists we’ve invited to perform at the RNCM.

Things to know before your visit

At the RNCM, the safety of our students, staff, and audiences is our highest priority. To improve safety for our visitors, we have enhanced our security provision. If you bring a bag with you, this may be searched on entry to the building. For a list of prohibited items and other security information, please visit our Security page.

Unless otherwise stated on the event listing page, our Front of House team will permit latecomers into a performance at a suitable opportunity.

We do not operate a cloakroom at our venue. Please do not bring large bags with you, as these are not permitted in the auditoria. Coat rails may be available, and for some family events, we may provide a dedicated buggy park area. Please note that these items are not monitored by staff and are left at the owner’s risk.

We are an all-ages venue but recommend that under 14s are accompanied by an adult. Some performances may have a discretionary age advisory or minimum age limit, which will be listed on the event listing page.

Ticket refund protection allows you to protect your order from the unexpected should you be unable to attend. It is available to purchase on selected events from Secure My Booking, a leading third-party refund protection provider to arts and entertainment venues. Protection must be purchased alongside your ticket order and allows you to apply to Secure My Booking for a full refund under the protection’s qualifying terms and conditions: Ticket Refund Protection – UK – Secure My Booking.

If you have accessible seating requirements or need to bring an Essential Companion to assist you, please contact [email protected] or phone 0161 907 5555. You can also visit our Access page for full details about our building’s accessibility to help you plan your visit.

Events will sometimes list a ‘doors’ time for the venue to open and customers to begin taking their seats. Performances usually begin 30 minutes after an advertised ‘doors’ time, but this can vary depending on the event. Our venue curfew is 11pm. More precise timings for live events are often confirmed close to the performance date. If we have this information, it will be added to the event listing page.

About the RNCM Theatre

Venue

The RNCM Theatre is one of Manchester’s most distinctive performance spaces, combining tiered seating for up to 650 people with one of the city’s largest black box stages to create an immersive experience for audiences and performers alike.

Access

The Theatre can be reached via either set of venue doors by using two flights of 16 steps, with handrails on both sides, or via the passenger lift. Inside the auditorium, step-free seating is available in Row T, with dedicated wheelchair spaces in Row S of the centre block.

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How to Get Here

Bus

There are frequent bus services from Manchester City Centre (Piccadilly Gardens) to Oxford Road and Booth Street West.

These bus stops are all within a five-minute walk to the RNCM:

Aquatics Centre (Southbound):
Bus Numbers 15, 18, 41 CrossCity, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 111, 142, 142N, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1 Vantage, V2 Vantage, V4

Cavendish Street (Northbound), Higher Cambridge St/Boundary St West (Southbound):
Bus Numbers 101, 102, 103

Royal Northern College of Music (both directions):
Bus Numbers 53 Orbits, 85, 85A, 86, 250, 263 Sapphire

University Shopping (Northbound):
Bus Numbers 15, 18, 41 CrossCity, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 111, 142, 142N, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1 Vantage, V2 Vantage, V4

Tram

The nearest tram stop is St Peter’s Square (0.8 miles). From there you can walk to the RNCM in 15 minutes or catch a southbound bus down Oxford Road.

Bike

A public bike rack can be found in the RNCM surface car park located on Rosamond Street West, next to the entrance doors – don’t forget to bring your bike lock!

There is also a Bee Network docking station on the corner of Rosamond Street West and Oxford Road, next to the RNCM.

Please note that e-bikes are not permitted at the RNCM.

Train

The nearest train station is Manchester Oxford Road (0.5 miles). From there you can walk to the RNCM in 13 minutes or catch a southbound bus down Oxford Road.

Other train stations include:
Manchester Piccadilly (0.8 miles/20 minute walk)
Deansgate (0.9 miles/21 minute walk)
Manchester Victoria (1.5 miles/33 minute walk)

Car and Parking Information

If you are travelling by car we recommend that you allow plenty of time for your journey. Please note that general traffic along Oxford Road is no longer permitted to use the route between 6am and 9pm, seven days a week. Visitors driving into and across the city centre will need to use alternative routes, such as Upper Brook Street and Princess Street, rather than Oxford Road.

Parking 

Please note that there is no public car parking available at the RNCM on weekdays and Saturdays before 5pm. Daytime visitors are advised to use nearby public car parks.

We have limited blue badge spaces within our surface car park that can be pre-booked by customers at [email protected] (these are subject to availability). There is also limited on street provision for disabled parking on Rosamond Street West, adjacent to the main car park entrance.

Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence Underground Car Park (evenings and all day on Sundays) Off Rosamond Street West

On weekdays and Saturdays between 5 – 11.30pm, and on Sundays between 6am – 11.30pm, visitor parking is available in the RNCM secure underground car park, located next to the College in the basement of Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence. This is a cashless car park.

The current charge per visit is £5 per car, payable by contactless or chip and pin only.*

Please note that the underground car park entrance/exit is 2.1 metres high and 2.3 metres wide. Customers who own larger vehicles may wish to consider using alternative car parks in order to reduce the risk of damage to vehicles.

Overnight parking in the Sir Charles Groves Hall car park is prohibited, and is subject to a fine of £50 per night.

The two closest public car parks to the RNCM are:

University of Manchester Booth Street West Car Park
Booth Street West
M15 6AR (access via Higher Cambridge Street)
Further information

Manchester Aquatics Centre Car Park (NCP)
Booth Street East
M13 9SS
Further information

Please note that travel and parking information has been given as a guide only, and may be subject to change. Car parks 2 and 3 are not managed by the RNCM. Visitors are advised to check travel plans ahead of your journey.

Air

Our nearest airport is Manchester Airport, located about 10 miles south of the city centre. There are regular train, bus and taxi connections to the city.

For more information please visit the Manchester Airport website.

Where to eat

Our fully accessible RNCM Café Bar serves freshly prepared breakfasts, lunches, and evening meals, as well as takeaway salads, sandwiches, wraps, cakes, and snacks. All our selections include vegan options, and we operate our service in a sustainable, environmentally responsible way.