Would an evening when sequins, burlesque and a room full of unapologetically brilliant women doimg something amazing, be enough to convince you to leave the house?
This August Bank Holiday, Ember & the Vixens will be all the above - and adding something more.
The five-star Manchester cabaret created by theatre-maker Selina Helliwell - whose own burlesque alter ego, Ember Travixen, presides over proceedings - is returning to The King’s Arms in Salford for a special fundraising performance on Sunday 30 August.
Every penny of profit from the evening will be donated to Independent Choices Greater Manchester, the charity behind the region’s confidential Domestic Abuse Helpline.
It is a fitting partnership. Selina’s work has never treated female empowerment as a fashionable phrase to be scattered across a publicity campaign. Across theatre, cabaret, music, spoken word and burlesque, she has created spaces in which women can be bold, complicated, vulnerable, funny, sensual and entirely in command of their own stories.
Ember & the Vixens is perhaps the most gloriously glitter-covered expression of that work.
The show has developed a loyal following by bringing together performers from different disciplines and allowing the mood to move between laughter, intimacy, spectacle and something altogether more defiant. MagNorth previously described it as “a very special evening of music, spoken word, burlesque and female empowerment” - and we stand by every word.
For the August special, the theatre above The King’s Arms will once again be transformed into Ember’s cabaret den, with a varied line-up of local performers and the glamour, theatricality and carefully constructed chaos for which the Vixens have become known.
This time, though, the freedom being celebrated onstage will be connected directly to the work of an organisation helping people whose freedom has been diminished - or removed altogether - behind closed doors.
Independent Choices established its confidential Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline in 1978. Today, the service supports people aged 16 and over experiencing domestic abuse in any form, while also advising concerned friends, relatives and professionals.
Its trained team provides emotional support and practical guidance covering safety planning, housing, legal options and access to refuge accommodation. The helpline is confidential, and callers do not have to give their name.
The fundraiser follows a summer dominated by the men’s football World Cup. The tournament itself will be finished by the time Ember and her Vixens take to the stage - but the need for specialist domestic-abuse services doesn't disappear when the final whistle blows.
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“This evening is about celebrating femininity, female empowerment and the ultimate freedom of expression,” says Ember.
“We wanted to channel the incredible energy and community spirit of cabaret into something that makes a tangible difference.
“Ember & the Vixens invites you to join us for an unforgettable evening of first-class entertainment - where just buying a ticket helps change a life.”
A cabaret built around agency, expression and women occupying space without apology to support people working to restore those same things to others: We're saying a huge YES to that.
It will be sparkly. It will almost certainly be irreverent. It will showcase some of the North’s excellent independent performance talent.
And, underneath all of that, it will do some genuine good.
Ember & the Vixens: An Evening of Cabaret in Aid of Independent Choices
Sunday 30 August 2026
The King’s Arms, 11 Bloom Street, Salford, M3 6AN
Doors: 7.15pm; performance: 7.45pm
Book tickets through The King’s Arms
The confidential Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline is available Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm, on 0800 254 0909. Further information is available from Independent Choices Greater Manchester
Header image: Ryan Morrison
