2 – 19 July 2015
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official partners
public sector funders
media partners
official providers
Cover image: Gerhard Richter, Ashes (2015) Ashes is a new work made for Richter / Pärt, 9 – 19 July, see page 8
Welcome to Manchester International Festival manchester international festival remains dedicated to presenting new works by leading artists and innovators of our time, drawn from across the broadest range of human creativity. For MIF15, my last Festival, I’m delighted to welcome back a number of artists with whom my team and I have built rich relationships at previous Festivals, along with many artists making their MIF debuts. Over the last decade, MIF has helped enable artists to foster connections between different art forms. The new works they’ve produced have evolved out of the desire and necessity to realise a new artistic idea. The best of these works have shown the interdependence between creative disciplines that may not, on the surface, seem to have much in common, but that share a deep-rooted artistic compatibility.
Photograph by Jonny Donovan
The Festival has always believed in the power of arts and culture to transform people’s lives. Since 2009, our MIF Creative team has worked with members of our community, collaborating with leading artists from a variety of fields. Of course, this transformational power also applies to audiences, which is why we’ve tried to bring the Festival to the widest possible public. Thanks to the support of our public partners, Manchester
City Council and Arts Council England, this year 10% of tickets across the whole programme are just £12 for residents of Greater Manchester on or below the living wage, and there are free events with capacity for more than 100,000 people. In 2005, I had the good fortune to be invited to set up what became Manchester International Festival. The subsequent ten years have been the best of my professional life, but now seems a good time to move on. I am sincerely grateful to all the artists and collaborators with whom I’ve had the privilege to work; to Christine Cort, MIF’s Managing Director, and our remarkable team; to all our loyal partners and sponsors; to Peter Saville, a key figure in the Festival since its inception; to Tom Bloxham, the Chairman of MIF, and the members of our board; Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein, respectively the Leader and the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council; and, most of all, to the people of Manchester, who have embraced MIF with such enthusiasm over the last decade. Alex Poots CEO & Artistic Director
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We would like to thank all our MIF Members and those who have kindly donated online or given anonymously.
Contents 04 wonder.land
40
Festival Square
06
FKA twigs Soundtrack 7
44
Who we are
08
Richter / Pärt
46
MIF15 co-commissioning partners
10
Tree of Codes
47
MIF15 team
12
FlexN Manchester
60
Booking information
14
Neck of the Woods
61
Plan your visit
16 Björk
62
MIF15 event planner
18
Arca & Jesse Kanda
66
MIF15 venue information
20
The Skriker
67 Map
22
Performance Capture
68
MIF15 calendar
24 Interdependence 26
Arvo Pärt / Manchester Camerata
28
The Immortal / Requiem
30 10x10 32
The Age of Starlight
34
The Tale of Mr Tumble
36
High Tea in Wonderland
38
The Invisible Dot Ltd presents
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wonder.land a new musical
music by
book and lyrics by
directed by
Damon Albarn
Moira Buffini
Rufus Norris
wonder.land is a new musical inspired by Lewis Carroll’s iconic Alice in Wonderland, with music by Damon Albarn and book and lyrics by Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe, Handbagged). Directed by the National Theatre’s incoming Director, Rufus Norris.
As hard as Aly tries to keep them apart, real life and wonder.land begin to collide in ever more curious and dangerous ways.
dates 29 June — 1 July (Previews) 2 — 12 July
Welcome to wonder.land, where you can be exactly who you want to be. Aly, 12, loves this extraordinary virtual world. Bullied at school and unhappy at home, wonder.land lets her escape from her parents, from teachers, from herself. Online, Aly becomes Alice: brave, beautiful and in control. But some of the people she meets — the weird Dum and Dee, the creepy Cheshire Cat, the terrifying Red Queen — seem strangely familiar.
wonder.land is designed by Rae Smith, with projections by 59 Productions and lighting by Paule Constable, the design team behind War Horse. set designer
choreographer
Rae Smith
Javier De Frutos
projections
music director
59 Productions
David Shrubsole
costume Designer
music associate
Katrina Lindsay
Mike Smith
lighting designer
associate director
Paule Constable
James Bonas
tickets £19.25 — £46.25 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Palace Theatre For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
sound designer
Paul Arditti
A Manchester International Festival/National Theatre co-production. Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, National Theatre and the Théâtre du Châtelet. 5
FKA twigs Soundtrack 7
MIF is delighted to present FKA twigs, one of the most exciting artists of the last ten years, in residence at Old Granada Studios. The restless digital hymns of debut album LP1 have drawn universal praise from critics, with Dazed magazine describing her as ‘the avantpop auteur rewriting the sound of modern music’.
dates 9 — 15 July tickets Free / Ticket required Audiences will be admitted in small groups, throughout the day
FKA twigs and collaborators will create seven short films over this sevenday residency. Audiences in small groups will be invited into the studio during the day to encounter and observe the process as it unfolds.
venue Old Granada Studios
The Space is supporting the digital development of this commission.
For venue details see page 66
For full information see page 62
book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival and The Space. Produced by Manchester International Festival.
Photography by Dominic Sheldon
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Richter / Pärt This extraordinary project, several years in the planning, brings together two of the world’s most influential and enduring cultural figures. In early autumn 2013, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Poots introduced artist Gerhard Richter and composer Arvo Pärt for the first time. As a result of that meeting in Dresden, both men made work inspired by and dedicated to the other. The work that has developed from this remarkable creative partnership will be premiéred at MIF15 in a significant new show. A suite of four new works by Richter, Ashes (2015) and his Doppelgrau (2014), will be presented with Pärt’s Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima in the newly renovated landscape gallery of the Whitworth.
dates 9 — 19 July tickets Free / No ticket required For choir performance times visit mif.co.uk For full information see page 62 venue The Whitworth For venue details see page 66
Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima will be performed live throughout the day from Thu 9 to Sat 11 July by celebrated Estonian choir Vox Clamantis and thereafter by local choirs. see also page 26
Arvo Pärt / Manchester Camerata 12 July, The Bridgewater Hall
Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival and the Whitworth. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Poots. 8
Photography by Alex Poots
Tree of Codes A contemporary ballet Wayne McGregor
Olafur Eliasson
Jamie xx
director and choreographer
visual concept
composer
Paris Opera Ballet
Company Wayne McGregor
Marie-Agnès Gillot, Julien Meyzindi, Aurélie Dupont, Jérémie Bélingard, Eve Grinsztajn, Sébastien Bertaud
Manchester International Festival is bringing together choreographer Wayne McGregor, visual artist Olafur Eliasson and Mercury Prize-winning producer/composer Jamie xx to create a contemporary ballet inspired by the book Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer. Soloists and dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet and dancers from Company Wayne McGregor will form the company, who will perform in an environment created by Eliasson to a score composed by Jamie xx.
inspired by tree of codes by
Jonathan Safran Foer
Catarina Carvalho, Travis Clausen-Knight, Alvaro Dule, Michael-John Harper, Louis McMiller, Daniela Neugebauer, Anna Nowak, James Pett, Fukiko Takase, Jessica Wright
Safran Foer’s novel is literally carved from the text of Bruno Schulz’ Street of Crocodiles; words and phrases are cut from the pages to produce an entirely different story. The creative team has worked together over the last two years to make a contemporary ballet that responds to this remarkable and beautiful artwork. sound designer
Nick Sagar lighting realisation
Rob Halliday
dates 2 July (Preview) 3 — 10 July tickets £19.25 — £46.25 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Opera House For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Park Avenue Armory, FAENA ART, Paris Opera Ballet and Sadler’s Wells. Produced by Manchester International Festival, Paris Opera Ballet and Studio Wayne McGregor. Supported by the PRS Foundation for Music and MIF Commissioning Circle.
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FlexN Manchester director and choreographer
Reggie ‘Roc’ Gray MIF Creative has invited Brooklyn-based Flex dance pioneer Reggie ‘Roc’ Gray and a specially assembled team of Flex dancers to MIF15 for their first European performances. In the run up to the Festival, the Flex team will make a series of trips to Manchester seeking out like-minded Manchester dancers and crews to work on a very special performance for MIF15. This unique transatlantic collaboration will reveal the best of street dance from Brooklyn and Manchester and support creative exchange between the Flexers and talented Manchester-based dancers. Virtuosic and visually arresting, Flexing features an extraordinary range of styles — pausing, gliding, hat tricks, connecting, bone-breaking and get low. FlexN began with a group of young dancers who appeared on a local cable TV show called FlexN Brooklyn, showcasing their skill and creativity to gain respect on the local streets, telling their stories through their own unique dance style.
dates 11 & 12 July tickets £12 For full information see page 62 venue Old Granada Studios For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
These remarkable shows will build on their work with legendary director Peter Sellars at New York's Park Avenue Armory, originally commissioned by MIF/Armory Artistic Director Alex Poots, and Flexer Banks' subsequent scene-stealing appearances at London’s ENO.
Commissioned by MIF Creative. Produced by Manchester International Festival. Supported by MIF Creative Circle.
Photography by Antony Crook
Charlotte Rampling, Hélène Grimaud
Neck of the Woods directed by
Douglas Gordon MIF has invited Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon (Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno) and celebrated pianist Hélène Grimaud to create Neck of the Woods, a portrait of the wolf brought to life in a startling collision of visual art, music and theatre. On the stage of HOME’s intimate new theatre, legendary actor Charlotte Rampling (The Night Porter, Broadchurch) will recite and perform the story of the wolf as never before.
In a new partnership to support their ongoing creative development, the Sacred Sounds Women’s Choir, first formed for MIF13, will perform as part of the soundscape to the production. writer
Veronica Gonzalez Peña lighting designer
Brian H Scott
Grimaud will curate and perform a series of works for piano, while Gordon will create the visual world. They have collaborated with Rampling and New Yorkbased novelist and playwright Veronica Gonzalez Peña, weaving together stories, music, motifs, phrases and fragments to build this lyrical and beguiling work.
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, HOME, Bergen International Festival/KODE, FAENA ART and MIF Creative. Produced by Manchester International Festival. Supported by the Foyle Foundation and MIF Creative Circle. 14
dates 10 — 18 July tickets £35 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue HOME For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 homemcr.org 0161 200 1500
Image by Douglas Gordon Photo of Hélène Grimaud by Mat Hennek Photo of Charlotte Rampling by Peppe Tortora
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Björk
Plus guests
date 5 July tickets £45 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
Four years on from her ground-breaking Biophilia residency, Björk is back at MIF for a spectacular one-off gig at Manchester's Castlefield Arena. This will be Björk's first European show since the release of her acclaimed new album Vulnicura.
For full information see page 62 venue Castlefield Arena For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Produced by Manchester International Festival. 16
Image credit: Copyright Inez and Vinoodh 2015. Image courtesy of Wellhart Ltd / One Little Indian
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Arca & Jesse Kanda Live at MIF
Arca, one of the most innovative and inspired musical voices of his generation, comes to MIF for a very special live show. The 24-year old Venezuelan artist Alejandro Ghersi began turning heads in 2012 with his Baron Libre, Stretch 1 and Stretch 2 EPs and the blistering &&&&& mixtape the following year. His work with other artists includes co-producing duties on Björk’s Vulnicura. Arca’s debut album Xen was released in 2014, a record of uncompromising electronic music distinguished by a palpably organic feel. Working with his long-time collaborator, visual artist Jesse Kanda, this show will see Arca building on his handful of live appearances to date to create something that reflects the all-encompassing artistic vision expressed in his recorded work.
Produced by Manchester International Festival.
date 4 July tickets £20 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Hallé St Peter’s For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Image by Jesse Kanda
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Maxine Peake
The Skriker by
Caryl Churchill
Sarah Frankcom music by Nico Muhly and Antony directed by
…long before that, long before England was an idea, a country of snow and wolves where trees sang and birds talked and people knew we mattered… In a broken world, two sisters meet an extraordinary creature. The Skriker can be an old woman, a child, a shapeshifter, a death portent. She is a faerie come from the Underworld to pursue and entrap them, through time and space, through this world and her own. One of MIF13’s most electrifying moments was Maxine Peake and Sarah Frankcom’s presentation of Shelley’s Peterloo memorial, The Masque of Anarchy, performed just yards from the site of the massacre. MIF invites this remarkable team back to present The Skriker, a landmark revival of Caryl Churchill’s extraordinary collision of ancient fairy story and portrait of a fractured England. Maxine Peake will take the title role in this new version, which features specially commissioned music by Nico Muhly and Antony (Antony and the Johnsons).
Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival and the Royal Exchange Theatre. 20
designer
Lizzie Clachan choreographer
Imogen Knight lighting designer
Jack Knowles sound designer
David McSeveney
dates 1 — 3 July (Previews) 4 — 18 July Continues at the Royal Exchange Theatre, 20 July — 1 Aug tickets £15 — £45 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Royal Exchange Theatre For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 royalexchange.co.uk 0161 833 9833
Maxine Peake: photography by Jonty Wilde
Ed Atkins
Performance Capture
For MIF15, artist Ed Atkins is drawing back the digital curtain with Performance Capture. Performance Capture will be an exhibition, a studio and a singular document of MIF15. Taking place at Manchester Art Gallery over the course of the Festival, the exhibition will provide a unique and reflexive insight into the production of a computer-generated moving image work. Performance Capture takes its name from a process that records, maps and renders the movements of a performer on to a computer-generated figure, an avatar who performs as the digital double for the performer — in this case, performers of every stripe from the MIF15 programme. The exhibition, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Poots, will be laid out as stages of a production process, leading from one to another across three rooms at the gallery.
Performances by MIF artists are captured onto computer, digitally modelled, cut and soundtracked, and then screened in a perpetual cinema of the everaccumulating rushes of the footage. Each part of the process will be open to visitors both as behind-thescenes exposition and exhibition; an examination and ambivalent exemplar of contemporary image production.
dates 4 — 19 July tickets Free / No ticket required For full information see page 62 venue Manchester Art Gallery For venue details see page 66
Over four Festivals, MIF has established a commitment to presenting work from artists at the leading edge of performance art — from Il Tempo del Postino (MIF07) to Marina Abramović Presents (MIF09) to 11 Rooms (MIF11) and Mayfield Depot (MIF13). Performance Capture takes this engagement forward into the digital realm. Ed Atkins in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist 11 July, 2pm, Manchester Art Gallery To book a free ticket, see page 62 or visit mif.co.uk
Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival and Manchester Art Gallery. Supported by MIF Commissioning Circle. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Poots.
Image: Ed Atkins and Adam Sinclair
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Interdependence
Interdependence is a unique two-day event of discussion, debate and inspiring thinking, a chance to join some of the world’s leading artists, performers, scientists, writers and technologists in Manchester.
Olafur Eliasson Artist
Interdependence takes place at a pivotal moment for Manchester. A record amount of investment is flowing into the city to support innovation across artistic and scientific endeavours. But how do you define innovation? Can you teach creativity? What do great artists and scientists need to not just survive but flourish?
Professor Sir Konstantin (Kostya) Novoselov FRS Nobel laureate and graphene scientist at the University of Manchester
Using the Festival as an experimental testing ground, we have invited some of the groundbreaking artists who make MIF, plus some very special invited guests from around the world, to explore the networks that enable them to do what they do, what challenges they see ahead, and to put forward a plan for what they would do if they were in charge.
participants include:
Veronica Gonzalez PeĂąa Author and founder of the Rockypoint Press
Jeremy Deller Artist Alex Poots CEO & Artistic Director of Manchester International Festival
Building on previous MIF commissions Manchester Futures, the Manchester Report and Are We Powerless?, the event will be part art school, part science experiment and part laboratory for ideas. Commissioned by Manchester International Festival and Guardian Live. Produced by Manchester International Festival. With special thanks to Steve Morrison.
dates 4 & 5 July tickets Full programme announced and tickets available in May. Visit mif.co.uk for more information.
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Arvo Pärt Manchester Camerata Gábor Takács-Nagy Arvo Pärt’s music, at once ancient and modern, seeks to communicate what the composer has described as “love for every note”. His music is utterly unique and of huge appeal with audiences internationally; today, Pärt is the most performed living composer in the world. Arvo Pärt, Manchester Camerata’s Music Director Gábor Takács-Nagy and MIF have curated a special evening of orchestral and choral works that perfectly demonstrates the overwhelmingly spiritual quality of his music. This one-off concert celebrates Pärt’s first visit to Manchester and the extraordinary project that brings together the work of Gerhard Richter and Arvo Pärt at the Whitworth as part of MIF15.
Arvo Pärt Fratres Stabat Mater Como cierva Sedienta Da Pacem Domine Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima
date 12 July tickets £16 — £36 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62
music director
Gábor Takács-Nagy choir
Vox Clamantis choir artistic director
Jaan-Eik Tulve
venue The Bridgewater Hall For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 bridgewater-hall.co.uk 0161 907 9000
“I love his music, and I love the fact that he is such a brave, talented man... He’s completely out of step with the zeitgeist and yet he’s enormously popular, which is so inspiring. His music fulfills a deep human need that has nothing to do with fashion.” steve reich on arvo pärt
Produced by Manchester International Festival. 26
Photography by Kaupo Kikkas
Image credit: Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France / Archives Charmet / Bridgeman Images
Mark Simpson
Mozart
The Immortal
Requiem
An oratorio
BBC Philharmonic
Manchester International Festival presents the world première of The Immortal, a new work for orchestra and chorus by one of Britain’s brightest young composers, Mark Simpson.
conductor
Inspired by John Gray’s book The Immortalization Commission, Simpson’s work explores the obsession with death that lies at the heart of the human experience.
director
Drawing on the so-called ‘Cross Correspondences’, the extraordinary scripts of a series of séances undertaken in the first decades of the 20th century, this oratorio portrays the crisis of faith experienced by Frederick Myers, president of the Society of Psychical Research. Myers’ attempt to prove the existence of an afterlife was made more poignant by his own desperate hope of reuniting with the love of his life, whose untimely death haunted both his life and his work. Mark Simpson has worked with librettist Melanie Challenger to create The Immortal, which will be performed by the BBC Philharmonic, EXAUDI and Manchester Chamber Choir with solo baritone Mark Stone. The Immortal will be complemented by a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, the composer’s poignant and prescient anticipation of his own death.
Juanjo Mena EXAUDI James Weeks Manchester Chamber Choir
Requiem soprano
Ruby Hughes mezzo soprano
Clara Mouriz tenor
Steve Davislim
chorus master
bass baritone
Justin Doyle
Jochen Kupfer
The Immortal librettist
Melanie Challenger baritone
date 4 July tickets £16 — £36 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue The Bridgewater Hall For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 bridgewater-hall.co.uk 0161 907 9000
Mark Stone
Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival. Supported by MIF Commissioning Circle and Sky Academy Arts Scholarship. 29
10x10 2005 to 2015, celebrating a decade in Manchester. From young pretenders to regular fixtures, two special nights of live music and DJs to mark ten years in the city for Manchester International Festival and The Warehouse Project.
dates 17 & 18 July tickets ÂŁ25 ÂŁ12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Mayfield Depot For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival and The Warehouse Project. 30
The Age of Starlight Professor Brian Cox, Kevin Macdonald Magic Leap, Framestore, Peter Saville
“The Age of Starlight will invite us to face the biggest questions about our existence, our place within the universe, and the origin of our universe itself, using new technology to create an experience beyond anything that has been possible before.” professor brian cox
In summer 2015, MIF and creators of The Age of Starlight will discuss the ideas and technology developments behind what will be a truly breakthrough project. creative team Written by Professor Brian Cox Directed by Kevin Macdonald Technology created by Magic Leap Computer-generated imagery created by Framestore Creative consultancy by Peter Saville Co-created by Rony Abovitz
“MIF has assembled a remarkable group of people to tell a complex and beautiful story about where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going — in a completely new way. Over the last two years we have dreamed up a genuinely radical and truly experimental project, at the very limits of what is possible. It’s a risk, but it’s one worth taking.” alex poots, ceo & artistic director, manchester international festival
Visit mif.co.uk for more information.
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival and Culture Shed. The film for The Age of Starlight is produced by Manchester International Festival and DNA. Supported by The Granada Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. 32
Image concept by Peter Saville & Hemisphere. Spiral galaxy NGC613 image: ESO/P.D. Barthel.
Justin Fletcher
The Tale of Mr Tumble dates 11 — 19 July Schools 15 & 16 July tickets £13.25 — £26.25 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Opera House For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Manchester International Festival has invited Justin Fletcher, known to millions through the CBeebies show Something Special, to bring The Tale of Mr Tumble, a very special new show for children and their families, to the glorious and intimate surroundings of Manchester’s Opera House. This funny, engaging and visually exciting show will give children the chance to see Mr Tumble live and up close as he and his family share some of their fondest memories. Audiences will find out how he became the joyful entertainer familiar to so many, following his journey from bouncing baby Tumble (with his bright red nose already in place), through his singing and dancing school years, right up to the present day.
Mr Tumble will be joined by his friends and family, including Grandpa Tumble and introducing Tootsie. Featuring songs new and old and a choir of Makaton signing stars, there will be plenty of opportunities for audience participation in this high-energy event. Written by Will Brenton, The Tale of Mr Tumble will be a real opportunity to step inside the colourful world of one of our most cherished TV characters. director
Will Brenton designer
Hayley Grindle
Commissioned by MIF Creative. Produced by Manchester International Festival. Supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust and MIF Creative Circle. In association with CBeebies. 34
Photography: Jonty Wilde
High Tea in Wonderland
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the new musical wonder.land (see page 4), MIF has commissioned acclaimed chef Mary-Ellen McTague (Aumbry, Great British Menu) to create a magical food event at the Manchester Museum. Audiences will be led behind the scenes of the museum, where an edible wonderland awaits them. Each room will provide a new culinary adventure — sight, sound, touch, smell and especially taste will be engaged on this most delicious trip.
dates 5, 12 & 19 July tickets £30 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Manchester Museum The University of Manchester For venue details see page 66
High Tea in Wonderland will recall past meals and treasured flavours while creating new memories, providing an experience that is at once immediate and momentary but also has longevity in the mind and is satisfying on many levels, encouraging discussion and thought — and above all creating joy.
book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival.
Mary-Ellen McTague and friends: Photography by The Mancorialist & Hemisphere
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The Invisible Dot Ltd presents
The Crocodile, Adam Buxton & Friends, The Invisible Dot Cabaret A programme of intrepid and original works from industrious comedy innovators The Invisible Dot Ltd. the crocodile Written by Tom Basden and directed by Ned Bennett, The Crocodile is based on the short story of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Ivan and Zack’s afternoon at the zoo is disturbed when Ivan is eaten by a crocodile. A fiercely funny new play from The Invisible Dot’s most trusted troupe.
“You should certainly check out anything The Invisible Dot is putting on. A visionary; everything it does has integrity and style.” the guardian
“The rather secretive but always wonderful Invisible Dot.” the independent
adam buxton & friends Cult geek, award-winning radio host and tech guru Adam Buxton premières his latest material and introduces his funniest friends. the invisible dot cabaret A late night line-up from The Invisible Dot’s most celebrated jokers, including James Acaster, Tom Basden, Natasia Demetriou & Ellie White, Mae Martin, Nick Mohammed, Sheeps and Liam Williams. Commissioned by Manchester International Festival. Produced by Manchester International Festival and The Invisible Dot Ltd. 38
dates 3 — 18 July tickets £15 — £20 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage For full information see page 62 venue Pavilion Theatre, Festival Square For venue details see page 66 book tickets mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Festival Square
Relax Architects BDP and local design agency Ferrious are working with MIF to make Festival Square more stylish and comfortable than ever.
For the 18 days of the Festival, Albert Square becomes Festival Square, the home of MIF.
Students from Manchester School of Art, MMU, will once again be testing their skills on the Pavilion interior and roof terrace furniture, with fabrics supplied by Lancashire based Panaz. Following the Festival, the furniture will be placed permanently in the new Whitworth Park.
Everyone is welcome at Festival Square: you don’t need a ticket and you can drop in at any time to enjoy MIF for free. Image: Rob Martin
Free music & DJs The acoustic stage returns to Festival Square each day. Line-ups and times will be announced via social media and mif.co.uk nearer the time. Our hand-picked selection of DJs will be spinning tunes in our Pavilion bar, everyday, 9pm til late. DJs include Mary Anne Hobbs, Dave Haslam, Will Tramp, Gregling, Disco Mums, Chris Massey, John Loveless, Justine Alderman and Hattie Pearson. Image: Monika Lukasik
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Image: Monika Lukasik
Bars and restaurants
Image: Pete Sheppard
Celebrated local chef Paul Heathcote, Heathcote & Co, serves Lancashire picnics, Sunday roasts and tasty late night snacks; Blackburn’s finest brewers Thwaites pull pints of Festival Ale, craft beer and old faithful Wainwright; local wine merchants Boutinot supply red, white, rosé and fizz.
Image: Sue Langford
Festival information and tickets Visit our Box Office on Festival Square to find out more about the Festival and buy tickets to all MIF events. Image: Paul Heathcote ©The Mancorialist
Glorious street food A hand-picked selection of traders are on the square daily, including Honest Crust Pizza’s wood-fired oven on wheels, local ice cream expert Ginger's Comfort Emporium, Hungry Gecko’s vegetarian delights and Leeds-based fish and chip legend Fish&. Image: Karen Hewitt
Festival Square and the Box Office are open from 3 – 19 July, midday until late. We also have a packed programme of ticketed events across the site – see the following pages for details. 41
Two big club nights open and close MIF We Only Happen At Night: two of Manchester’s greatest club nights in one sensational package. Drunk At Vogue and Cha Cha Boudoir combine DJs, dancing and drag. Expect dancefloor action and on-stage performances. Yellow: the traditional MIF finale. Guest DJ Erik Rug (Silencio, Paris) joins Dave Haslam for a soul-stirring night of classic funk and house. Yellow always sells out, so get your tickets early. Image: Rob Martin
Image: Rob Martin
Festival Roundtables
Festival Square events Join us for clubs, comedy, theatre, walks, talks and more in MIF’s own Pavilion Theatre and across the site.
Artists, performers and guests from MIF and beyond, join Dave Haslam for onstage chat and audience discussion.
The Invisible Dot Ltd
For more details and tickets to these events, go to mif.co.uk or visit the Festival Box Office, open from 3 July. 42
The UK’s hottest comedy team curate eleven nights of theatre and comedy in the Pavilion Theatre — see page 38 for full details. Image: Rob Martin
BBC at the Festival
we only happen at night Fri 3 July, £10
Throughout MIF15, the BBC will broadcast live from a purpose-built studio on Festival Square. Shows include The Early Music Show and The Verb on BBC Radio 3, Radio 4’s Front Row, Phil Williams on Radio 5 live, coverage on 6 Music from Radcliffe and Maconie and Mary Anne Hobbs — as well as Radio Manchester’s Becky Want and Sam Walker — broadcasting live to the nation right in the heart of the city with special performances and guest stars.
yellow Sat 18 July, £10
Kids are very welcome: join us on Saturday lunchtimes to see some of your favourite CBeebies characters live.
a manchester walking tour Leaving from the Albert Memorial, Festival Square every Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (Starting Fri 3rd July), £10 the invisible dot ltd See page 38 For full information see page 62 festival roundtables and bbc at the festival Visit mif.co.uk for more information Image: Mary Anne Hobbs © BBC
A Manchester Walking Tour: Radicals, Pioneers and Rabbit Holes Blue Badge guide Jonathan Schofield has produced a one-off city walking tour for MIF15. Over 90 minutes, walkers will explore some of the themes of the Festival, visiting the city’s finest sites and hidden places.
Image: Dave Haslam © Rob Martin
Image: Jonathan Schofield
43
Who we are Manchester International Festival is the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events taking place biennially, in Manchester, UK. It launched in 2007 as an artist-led, commissioning festival presenting new works from across the spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture.
Marina Abramović and Willem Dafoe, The Life and Death of Marina Abramović. Image: Lucie Jansch
Abida Parveen © Jon Super
Steve McQueen, Queen and Country © David Parry
Some highlights of the first four festivals include premières of Steve McQueen’s commemoration of fallen British soldiers, Queen and Country; Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and Chen Shi-Zheng's Chinese opera Monkey: Journey to the West; group art event Il Tempo del Postino featuring work by Matthew Barney and Tacita Dean; Zaha Hadid Architects’ new space for the music of Bach; legendary Pakistani singer Abida Parveen; director Robert Wilson’s The Life and Death of Marina Abramović, starring Abramović, Willem Dafoe and Antony; The xx performing in a hidden city centre space for audiences of just 60, and Kenneth Branagh’s Macbeth.
Macbeth © Johan Perrson
MIF Creative
MIF Creative 2015
Each Festival, MIF Creative commissions a series of leading artists and thinkers to create ambitious new work in partnership with local people.
flexn manchester Dancers from Greater Manchester and New York innovate and experiment in a creative exchange, culminating in performances at MIF15, (see page 12).
These commissions sit at the heart of the Festival and share MIF’s principles of innovation, originality and internationalism, whilst offering unique opportunities for residents to engage with MIF in different ways.
sacred sounds women’s choir This wonderful choir (first formed for MIF13) continue their creative development with a partnership that sees them provide a new soundscape and chorus to Neck of the Woods, (see page 14). Sacred Sound Women's Choir, MIF Creative 2013 © Michela De Rossi
Past projects Previous MIF Creative projects have seen artists as diverse as John Tavener, Victoria Wood, Björk, Jeremy Deller and Amadou & Mariam working with equally diverse Mancunians — from faith groups to school children via ramblers and refugee and asylum-seeker musicians. A key aim is to develop once-in-a-lifetime experiences, underpinned by structures to support longer-term legacy and lasting local impact.
Procession, MIF Creative 2009 © Susan Latham
the tale of mr tumble Children from Manchester’s Special Educational Needs and mainstream primary schools join forces to learn and share their Makaton songs on stage alongside Mr Tumble, (see page 34). See mif.co.uk/mif-creative for more information as these projects develop and to find out more about other MIF Learning opportunities.
That Day We Sang, MIF Creative 2011 © Joel Chester Fildes
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MIF15 co-commissioning partners The Festival works with co-commissioning partners around the world to create and present new productions and partnerships, which not only help make these new commissions possible but also extend the audiences and lifespan of the shows. Twenty eight MIF commissions have gone on to have a life outside the Festival.
46
MIF15 team festival board
festival team & acknowledgements Alex Poots CEO & Artistic Director Christine Cort Managing Director Jim Forrester Executive Director Tracy Longdin PA to CEO & Artistic Director and Executive Director Gemma Saunders Assistant to Managing Director Paul Clay Executive Producer * Jo Paton Executive Producer Christine Gettins Executive Producer Tracey Low Executive Producer Kate Mackonochie Senior Producer Katie Vine Touring Producer David Lawrence Producer * Pollyanna Clayton-Stamm Producer * Conrad Lynch Producer * Jude Jagger Festival Square Producer * Anna Moutrey Producer * Phoebe Greenwood Producer * Tricia Coleman Assistant Producer Sophie Ignatieff Assistant Producer Holly Aston Clore Leadership Placement Jack Thompson Technical Director Helen Gorton Technical Co-ordinator * Tom Besford Head of Artist Liaison Rachel Down Deputy Head of Artist Liaison Chloe Foy Artist Liaison Assistant (Internship) Sarah Rowland Festival Square Co-ordinator * Jackie Thompson Head of Guest Liaison Michelle Binieda Guest Liaison Co-ordinator Francesca Ribolini Guest Liaison Assistant (Internship)
Vanda Hagan Head of Finance David Fox Administration & IT Manager Nadia Balfe Finance Officer Hannah Clapham-Clark London Office Administrator Marney Guy Administration Assistant Fiona Cariss Volunteer Co-ordinator ** Ella Walker Assistant Volunteer Co-ordinator Jennifer Cleary Creative Learning Director Sarah Hiscock Creative Learning Manager Kate Reynolds Producer, MIF Creative* Kate Houlton Assistant Producer, MIF Creative Rachel Green Development Director Jane Reynolds Development Manager Andrea Lowe Development Co-ordinator Emma Shiel Development Account Manager Emily Ross Development Account Manager Nadja Coyne Press & PR Director Jamie-Leigh Hargreaves Press Officer Janina Mundy Head of Marketing Cathy Gallagher Marketing Consultant Billy Partridge Ticketing Manager Ben Williams Marketing Officer Eleanor Scott Digital Content Producer Tom Emery Marketing Assistant Sarah Eastaff Ticketing Assistant (Internship) Cathryn Ellis Designer * Will Fulford-Jones Editor * *
Consultant
**
Secondment
Tom Bloxham MBE Cllr Rosa Battle Keith Black Jeremy Deller Steve Downes Joyce Hytner OBE Sir Brian McMaster CBE Chris Oglesby Richard Paver Nancy Rothwell Peter Salmon Andrew Stokes Kully Thiarai Edward Pysden (Board Associate) Anna Hassan (Board Observer)
artistic advisors Michael Morris Hans Ulrich Obrist Peter Saville Thank you to our dedicated and talented volunteers, whose contribution helps to make the Festival a success. Brochure published by Manchester International Festival, March 2015. All information correct at time of going to press. MIF reserves the right to change performance details in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Brochure design by Hemisphere. Brochure printed in Greater Manchester on FSC certified stock using vegetable inks. MIF is a registered charity no. 1113902. Registered office: Blackfriars House, Parsonage, Manchester M3 2JA.
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We PRIDE ourselves on injecting a little MAGIC into everyday life through INNOVATIVE and IMAGINATIVE products. We believe that Manchester International Festival represents the same spirit. We are PROUD of our PARTNERSHIP with MIF.
“I have recommended to lots of people they should volunteer next time — it really was a privilege to be part of the Festival.” CLAIRE — MIF13 VOLUNTEER
Manchester International Festival Volunteers Supported by PZ Cussons, MIF13 recruited 405 volunteers in 15 roles across technical, marketing, artist liaison, front of house and press, who worked with integrity, enthusiasm and always with a smile.
They are, once again, the face of MIF at Festival Square, venues and various points around the city centre, providing attendees with practical information about the Festival and giving both locals and visitors a real Manchester welcome.
“It’s really changed my life, as clichéd as that sounds, so thank you very much for the opportunity!” SARAH — MIF13 VOLUNTEER
For more information on the Volunteer Programme, please visit mif.co.uk/volunteer
“The prize has established itself as the UK’s most significant playwriting prize and is becoming one of the country’s best springboards for emerging talent.” The Times
Bruntwood’s goal as a commercial property company is to create the right places for people and businesses to succed. As well as being a founding supporter of MIF, Bruntwood has established the UK’s premier playwriting prize as one of its long-standing commitments to the cultural life of its communities. RIGHT: Dan Parr and Francesca Zoutewelle in Gareth Farr’s Britannia Waves The Rules, a 2011 Bruntwood Prize winner. Photo: Jonathan Keenan.
For more information visit: bruntwood.co.uk /makingadifference 50
Park, save & enjoy Get a seat close to the action when you pre-book your festival parking.
NCP car parks 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Manchester Central Manchester Great Northern Manchester Oxford Street Manchester Palace Manchester Piccadilly Plaza Manchester Spinningfields Salford New Bailey Manchester Arndale
MIF locations A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H.
Pre-book at ncp.co.uk/MIF15 with code FESTIVAL15 Terms and conditions apply. You can amend or refund your booking up to 24 hours before arrival.
The Bridgewater Hall Festival Square Opera House Palace Theatre Old Granada Studios HOME Manchester Art Gallery Royal Exchange Theatre
Official airport parking
BOOK DIRECT
Choose from a range of parking products, from low cost parking at JetParks, to the ultimate convenience of Meet & Greet parking
Convenient 3 Secure 3 Hassle-free 3
From only
Pre-book now at manchesterairport.co.uk
18.49*
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EAT, DRINK & RELAX Enjoy COMPLIMENTARY food & drink, FREE WiFi & a selection of newspapers & magazines, whilst escaping the crowds
Book at manchesterairport.co.uk/escape or call 0871 310 3300
*Subject to availability.
All the talk about Northern Powerhouses brings you to the Manchester International Festival – a creative powerhouse which the BBC is proud to support once again. Previously we have collaborated together with Doctor Who, BBC Children’s, The Philharmonic Orchestra, master documentary-maker Adam Curtis and Victoria Wood’s joyful That Day We Sang, the recent BBC Two film that started life with MIF. This year our collective centre-piece stars the marvellous Mr Tumble, CBeebies’ legend Justin Fletcher. We are celebrating our fourth year at BBC North, working across this vibrant region from our new home at MediaCityUK. Drama TV hits Happy Valley, In The Club, Remember Me, In The Flesh and Last Tango in Halifax; new comedies from the likes of Peter Kay and Vic and Bob; great sport from Match of the Day to FA Cup coverage; Radio 6 Music’s expert talent from Mary Anne Hobbs to Marc Riley; BBC Breakfast – our daily network BBC One show – and the Radio 5 live network have all helped us get closer to our audiences here. Whether you work in the creative industries in Manchester or simply love the great stuff made here, it’s hard not to be conscious of a special buzz and energy in the city right now with a sense of creative ambition that spreads throughout the North. The BBC is proud to play a part in this exciting phase of Manchester’s cultural and creative transformation, much of it at the cutting edge of digital media.
Images – from top, left to right: BBC Philharmonic Presents…, Mary Anne Hobbs, Happy Valley, Citizen Khan, That Day We Sang, Wolfblood, CBBC Live.
The Guardian, since Snowden The Leipzig Media Foundation Prize for the freedom and future of the media, The Liberty Human Rights Awards Independent voice of the year, The George Polk Awards Award for national security reporting, The Paul Foot Award Special investigation award, The Scripps Howard Awards Roy W Howard award for public service reporting, The Society for News Design Best of Digital Design Awards Gold medal for interactive feature, NSA Files: Decoded, The European Press Prize Special award, The Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards IRE medal, The Society of Editors UK Press Awards Newspaper of the year Digital award, The Online News Association Online Journalism Awards The Gannett Foundation award for investigative journalism, The Gannett Foundation award for watchdog journalism, The WAN-IFRA European Digital Media Awards Best news website, The Ortega y Gasset Awards Award for journalism, The Online Journalism Awards Best campaigning / investigative journalism, The Webby Awards The Web: Best Practices, for interactive feature NSA Files: Decoded, The 2014 Right Livelihood Award Alternative Nobel Prize for responsible journalism in the public interest, Emmy Awards News and Documentary award for interactive feature NSA Files: Decoded, British Journalism Awards Innovation of the Year award for interactive feature NSA Files: Decoded, World Digital Media Awards Best news website for coverage of the NSA story The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service The Pulitzer gold medal
The Guardian. Since 1821.
Proud sponsor of the Manchester International Festival
is proud to be a partner of the Manchester International Festival 2015 PRINT, iPAD, iPHONE AND ONLINE
Britain’s biggest regional news title
CITYLIFE
Your essential guide to what’s on in Manchester
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Proud to power Manchester International Festival
Curious about the digital world?
Curious about making things?
Curious about keeping people healthy?
Curious about being on the move?
Nurture your child’s curiosity
The Curiosity Project
Electricity North West is proud to power the North West. We’re delighted to be supporting Manchester International Festival, helping our city’s creative spark shine brightly.
electricitynorthwest.co.uk
The Curiosity Project is a three-year engagement programme aimed at young people, bringing science, technology, engineering and mathematics to life. Siemens aims to turn curiosity into opportunity and inspire the next generation.
Siemens supports MIF15
More info.
Downloads
e Granodtel H
Allied London and our businesses are proud providers of Manchester International Festival. Our own Manchester development premieres for 2015 include:
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VILLAGE 1 YARD HE TIMBER
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DESIGN AND INNOVATION STE R } { MAN C H E
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Š2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
WELCOME TO THE
Internet of Everything Cisco solutions and technology are building tomorrow today. cisco.co.uk/tomorrow
Booking information online
sending, collecting & reprinting tickets
ticket reselling
mif.co.uk
Tickets for events with reserved seating will be posted out in advance. Tickets purchased within seven days of the event can be collected from the venue box office.
At MIF, we believe that all customers should be given equal opportunity to purchase tickets at face value. We aim to stop the practice of reselling for profit and therefore any tickets bought to be resold — at a higher price — will be cancelled and made invalid with immediate effect. This includes tickets sold through eBay, Viagogo and other ticket reselling websites. Anyone found to be purchasing tickets for reselling for profit will be refused sale for any other MIF15 events. All of our events will have security checks where you will be asked to provide proof of purchase.
call 0844 871 7654
in person ATG Tickets Until Thu 2 July, Mon – Sat, 12pm – 6pm Palace Theatre 97 Oxford Street Manchester M1 6FT Festival Box Office From Fri 3 July, midday until late Festival Square (Albert Square) Manchester M2 5DB For full ticket information and how to book tickets, see page 62. ATG Tickets is the Festival’s official ticketing partner.
60
When collecting tickets, you will be asked to provide your booking confirmation and the card with which you paid. If the card-holder is not present, you should make MIF aware beforehand by emailing boxoffice@mif.co.uk If you have not received your tickets before the event or they are lost, please contact the vendor directly.
refunds & exchanges All tickets for MIF are sold through ATG Tickets and existing venue box offices. Please take care to read the vendor’s terms and conditions when buying tickets. Tickets booked directly from venues are strictly non-refundable. If available, ATG Tickets will facilitate exchanges between MIF events, subject to a fee. Should you be unable to attend an event due to extenuating circumstances, please email boxoffice@mif.co.uk; we will deal with refund/ exchange requests on a case-by-case basis.
Plan your visit getting here
by air
There are flights to Manchester Airport from more than 180 destinations worldwide, and you can reach the city centre by rail, Metrolink and taxi. For further information visit manchesterairport.co.uk
by train
Manchester has direct services running between London and Manchester every 20 minutes, and frequent services from many other major UK towns and cities. Visit nationalrail.co.uk or phone 08457 484 950.
by coach
National Express and Megabus run coaches from major cities in the UK to Manchester. For more information visit nationalexpress.com and uk.megabus.com
getting around Manchester is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. Over the next three years, the city is being redesigned to deliver the biggest infrastructure project since 1996, by expanding its transport network; building new homes, hotels and offices; and transforming the public spaces, in order to welcome more people to the city. While all this work takes place, it’s business as usual across the city but please allow a little more time for your journey and check the travel links to help plan your journey. To find out more about what’s going on, visit manchester.gov.uk/grow @mcrgrow #GrowingOurCity
The map on page 67 has been created to help you reach your destination once you have arrived in Manchester city centre.
on foot
by bus
car sharing
For bus service and timetable information visit tfgm.com
by metrolink
Metrolink is Manchester’s tram system, offering easy travel into the city centre. Trams run frequently, so you don’t need a timetable. During MIF there will be a number of improvement works impacting the Metrolink. For event attendees travelling into the city from the south by Metrolink, passengers will need to alight at DeansgateCastlefield. Festival goers entering from the north of the city are advised to alight at Market Street or Piccadilly Gardens. Visit metrolink.co.uk to find out more.
by metroshuttle
Free buses around the city centre link the main railway stations to the city centre. Please note: due to highway works, Metroshuttle services might be re-routed during the Festival. Check before you travel by visiting tfgm.com/metroshuttle to find out more.
Manchester city centre is easy to get around on foot. Please see the map on page 67. There are various schemes to support car sharing. Joining one could benefit the environment and save you money. carsharegm.com nationalcarshare.co.uk liftshare.com/uk
more information
Transport for Greater Manchester can help you plan your journey online and can also provide you with up-to-date travel information about local public transport and ticketing. Visit tfgm.com or phone Traveline 0871 200 22 33.
tourist information For a full guide to Manchester see visitmanchester.com
by car
For a wide choice of parking options, use the NCP car park finder tool at ncp.co.uk
by bike
There are dedicated cycle lanes on many of Manchester’s roads. Visit tfgm.com/cycling to plan your route.
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MIF15 event planner book tickets
concessions
Online mif.co.uk Call 0844 871 7654
The Festival offers discounts to seniors (60+), children (under 16), full-time students, job seekers and people with a disability. These are limited and subject to availability.
In person ATG Tickets Until Thu 2 July, Mon – Sat, 12pm – 6pm Palace Theatre, 97 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6FT Festival Box Office From Fri 3 July, midday until late Festival Square (Albert Square), Manchester M2 5DB
booking and transaction fees All Festival ticket prices shown are inclusive of venue per-ticket charges and restoration levies. Your ticket will cost the same whether you buy it from MIF or from the venue — there are no additional per-ticket fees. There is a one-off transaction fee and this may vary from venue to venue, and depending on delivery method. ATG Tickets is the Festival’s official ticketing partner. Tickets for the following shows can also be booked at the relevant venues: the skriker royalexchange.co.uk / 0161 833 9833 arvo pärt / manchester camerata the immortal / requiem bridgewater-hall.co.uk / 0161 907 9000 neck of the woods homemcr.org / 0161 200 1500 62
mif £12 greater manchester residents For MIF13, Manchester International Festival launched a low-cost ticket scheme for local audiences with the aim to make more of the Festival more accessible to people on a lower wage. For MIF15, the Festival has increased the available tickets from 5% to 10%. Half of these tickets are available on a first-come, first-served honesty basis. With the remaining tickets, the Festival will also be working with existing networks in Greater Manchester to identify audiences who qualify for this scheme. Two £12 tickets can be booked per person, per show.
access information For detailed access information and bookings for the Royal Exchange Theatre, call 0161 833 9833; The Bridgewater Hall, call 0161 907 9000; for HOME, call 0161 200 1500 and for all other venues contact ATG Tickets on 0844 871 7677, email access@mif.co.uk or visit mif.co.uk/access AD Audio Described performance BSL Signed performance CAP Captioned performance REL Relaxed performance This brochure is available as a downloadable PDF from the Festival website. Large print format brochures are available on request from access@mif.co.uk
SEE PAGE 04
wonder.land 12+ recommended
tickets: £21.25 (Previews) £19.25, £24.25, £29.25, £34.25, £40.25, £46.25 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage venue: Palace Theatre june july Mon 29 Tue 30 Wed 1 Thu 2 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm preview preview preview
Fri 3 7.30pm
Sat 4 7.30pm
Sun 5 2.30pm
Mon 6
Tue 7 7.30pm
Wed 8 2.30pm 7.30pm cap
Thu 9 7.30pm bsl
Fri 10 7.30pm ad
Sat 11 2.30pm 7.30pm
Sun 12 2.30pm
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
Sun 19
FKA twigs Soundtrack 7
SEE PAGE 06
14+. Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult
tickets: Free / Ticket required. Audiences will be admitted in small groups, throughout the day. See mif.co.uk for details. venue: Old Granada Studios june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Mon 13 Times vary
Tue 14 Times vary
Wed 15 Times vary
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Thu 9 Fri 10 Times Times vary vary preview
Sat 11 Times vary
Sun 12 Times vary
Thu 16
Sat 18
Sun 19
Fri 17
SEE PAGE 08
Richter / Pärt Free / No ticket required
Live performances throughout the day on Thu 9 to Sat 11 July by Vox Clamantis and thereafter by local choirs. For choir performance times visit mif.co.uk
The Whitworth
SEE PAGE 12
FlexN Manchester
SEE PAGE 16
Björk 14+. Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult
£12 Concs £5 off
£45 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
Old Granada Studios
Castlefield Arena See mif.co.uk for full details
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5 Doors 6pm
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9 2pm – 9pm
Fri 10 10am – 9pm
Sat 11 10am – 9pm
Sun 12 10am – 5pm
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11 8pm
Sun 12 3pm 8pm
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 12
Mon 13 10am – 5pm
Tue 14 10am – 5pm
Wed 15 10am – 5pm
Thu 16 10am – 9pm
Fri 17 10am – 5pm
Sat 18 10am – 5pm
Sun 19 10am – 5pm
Mon 13
Tue 14 8pm
Wed 15 8pm
Thu 16 8pm
Thu 17 8pm
Sat 18 2.30pm 8pm
Sun 19
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
Sun 19
SEE PAGE 10
Tree of Codes
£15.25, £21.25, £28.25, £34.25, £41.25 (Preview) £19.25, £26.25, £33.25, £39.25, £46.25 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
SEE PAGE 14
Neck of the Woods
16+
£35 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
£20 £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage Concs £5 off
HOME
Opera House
SEE PAGE 18
Arca & Jesse Kanda
Hallé St Peter’s
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2 8pm
Fri 3 8pm
Sat 4 8pm
Sun 5 2.30pm
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8 8pm
Thu 9 8pm
Fri 10 8pm
Sat 11
Sun 12
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10 Sat 11 Sun 12 7.30pm 7.30pm 2.30pm
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
Sun 19
Mon 13 8pm
Tue 14 8pm
Wed 15 Thu 16 Fri 17 Sat 18 Sun 19 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm
Mon 29
Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4 Doors 8pm
Sun 5
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 12
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
Sun 19
63
SEE PAGE 20
The Skriker
tickets: £15 — £45 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage venue: Royal Exchange Theatre
SEE PAGE 24
Interdependence tickets: £5 venue: Old Granada Studios
tickets: £16, £21, £26, £30, £36 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage venue: The Bridgewater Hall
Continues until Tue 1 Aug
june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1 Thu 2 Fri 3 Sat 4 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 8pm preview preview preview
Sun 5
Mon 6 7.30pm
Tue 7 7.30pm
Wed 8 7.30pm
Thu 9 7.30pm
Fri 10 7.30pm
Sat 11 8pm
Mon 13
Tue 14 7.30pm
Wed 15 7.30pm
Thu 16 7.30pm cap
Fri 17 7.30pm bsl
Sat 18 2.30pm ad 8pm
Performance Capture
june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4 11am
Sun 5 11am
Sun 12 2.30pm
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 19
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
SEE PAGE 22
tickets: venue Free / No ticket required Manchester Art Gallery Ed Atkins in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist* Free / Ticket required Curator̕s tour with AD** / BSL Interpreted Tour*** Free / No ticket required june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Mon 6 10am – 5pm
Tue 7 10am – 5pm
Wed 8 10am – 5pm
Mon 13 10am – 5pm
Tue 14 10am – 5pm
Wed 15 10am – 5pm
64
Thu 2
Fri 3
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4 7.30pm
Sun 5
Sun 12
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 12
Sun 19
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
Sun 19
SEE PAGE 26
Arvo Pärt / Manchester Camerata
18+
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Sun 12 10am – 5pm & 3pm***
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 19 10am – 5pm
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
Thu 9 Fri 10 10am – 10am – 9pm & 5pm 10.30am**
Sat 11 10am – 5pm & 2pm*
Thu 16 10am – 9pm
Sat 18 10am – 5pm
SEE PAGE 30
10x10 tickets: £25 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
june Mon 29
Sun 5 10am – 5pm
Fri 17 10am – 5pm
june Mon 29
tickets: £16, £21, £26, £30, £36 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage venue: The Bridgewater Hall
Sat 4 10am – 5pm
SEE PAGE 28
The Immortal / Requiem
venue: Mayfield Depot See mif.co.uk for full details.
june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5
Sun 12 7.30pm
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 12
Sun 19
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17 7pm – 1am
Sat 18 2pm – 2am
Sun 19
The Tale of Mr Tumble
SEE PAGE 34
tickets: Adults £18.25, £23.25, £26.25, Children £13.25 Concs £5 off (Adult tickets only) * Schools £8.50 / Teachers are free £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage venue: Opera House
*
14+. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult
**
16+
tickets: Adam Buxton & Friends £17, The Invisible Dot Cabaret £15, The Crocodile £20 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11 Sun 12 10.30am 10.30am 2pm 2pm
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15 Thu 16 Fri 17 Sat 18 10.30am* 10.30am* 10.30am 10.30am bsl rel 2pm 2pm 2pm
High Tea in Wonderland
SEE PAGE 38
Invisible Dot Ltd presents…
Sun 5
Sun 19 10.30am rel 2pm
SEE PAGE 36
venue: Pavilion Theatre, Festival Square
june Mon 29
july Tue 30
Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3 adam buxton & friends 7.30pm*
Sat 4 adam buxton & friends 7.30pm*
Sun 5 adam buxton & friends 7.30pm*
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9 cabaret 10pm**
Fri 10 cabaret 10pm**
Sat 11 cabaret 10pm**
Sun 12
Mon 13
Tue 14 crocodile 7.30pm*
Wed 15 crocodile 7.30pm* cabaret 10pm**
Thu 16 crocodile 7.30pm* cabaret 10pm**
Fri 17 crocodile 7.30pm* cabaret 10pm**
Sat 18 crocodile 7.30pm*
Sun 19
Festival Square club nights
SEE PAGE 43
SEE PAGE 43
A Manchester Walking Tour
14+. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult
18+
12+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult
tickets £30 Concs £5 off £12 for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage
tickets: £10 Conc £5 off venue: Pavilion Theatre, Festival Square
tickets: £10 venue: Leaving from the Albert Memorial, Festival Square
venue: Manchester Museum times: Performance days at 11.30am, 12.20pm, 1.10pm, 2pm, 2.50pm and 3.40pm
june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5 Times above
june Mon 29
Tue 30
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3 Sat 4 we only happen at night 11pm
Sun 5
june Mon 29
Tue 30
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18
july Wed 1
Thu 2
Fri 3 3pm
Sat 4 3pm
Sun 5 12.30pm 3pm
Sun 12 Times above
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8
Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11
Sun 12
Mon 6
Tue 7
Wed 8 3pm
Thu 9 3pm
Fri 10 3pm
Sat 11 3pm
Sun 12 12.30pm 3pm
Sun 19 Times above
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15
Thu 16
Fri 17
Sat 18 yellow 11pm
Sun 19
Mon 13
Tue 14
Wed 15 3pm
Thu 16 3pm
Fri 17 3pm
Sat 18 3pm
Sun 19 12.30pm 3pm
65
MIF15 venue information For full information about getting around Manchester during the Festival, see page 61. Manchester is currently undergoing a major redesign to improve the infrastructure and welcome people into the city. During the Festival, journeys on the Metrolink and Metroshuttle could be affected. For more information, or to check before you travel, visit tfgm.com
1
Albert Square Manchester M2 5DB mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 2
3
5
6
7
palace theatre
11
old granada studios
12
royal exchange theatre
opera house
home
13
2 Tony Wilson Place First Street Manchester M15 4FN homemcr.org 0161 200 1500
3 Quay Street Manchester M3 3HP mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 9
castlefield arena 101 Liverpool Road Manchester M3 4JN mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
66
hallÉ st peter’s
40 Blossom Street Manchester M4 6BF halle.co.uk/halle-st-peters 0844 871 7654
mayfield depot
Fairfield Street Manchester M1 2QF mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
Quay Street Manchester M3 4PR mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654 oldgranadastudios.com 8
4
10
97 Oxford Street Manchester M1 6FT mif.co.uk 0844 871 7654
St Ann’s Square Manchester M2 7DH royalexchange.co.uk 0161 833 9833
For access information, please contact each venue directly or email access@mif.co.uk
the bridgewater hall Lower Mosley Street Manchester M2 3WS bridgewater-hall.co.uk 0161 907 9000
manchester art gallery Mosley Street Manchester M2 3JL manchestergalleries.org 0161 235 8888
Manchester city centre is easy to get around on foot and all MIF venues are all within walking distance from Festival Square.
access information
festival square / festival box office / pavilion theatre
manchester museum
The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL museum.manchester.ac.uk 0161 275 2648
the whitworth
The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M15 6ER whitworth.manchester.ac.uk 0161 275 7450
To Victoria Station
St. Peter’s Sq. stop closed
KEY
Walking Guide Metrolink
To the Whitworth and Manchester Museum
1
Venues NCP Car Parks 15 mins 10 mins 5 mins
67
MIF15 calendar
AD Audio Described performance BSL Signed performance CAP Captioned performance REL Relaxed performance
mif.co.uk
Mcrintfestival
@MIFestival June
Event
wonder.land
The Skriker
Tree of Codes
A Manchester Walking Tour The Invisible Dot Ltd presents… Adam Buxton & Friends We Only Happen At Night
Arca & Jesse Kanda
@MIFestival July
Pg Mon 29 Tue 30 Wed 1 Thu 2 19.30
19.30
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5 Mon 6 Tue 7 Wed 8 Thu 9
Fri 10
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
14.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
20.00
The Immortal / Requiem
Bj örk 68
19.30
Sat 11 Sun 12 Mon 13 Tue 14 Wed 15 Thu 16 Fri 17 Sat 18 Sun 19
19.30
14.30 19.30
19.30
19.30 14.30 14.30 19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
4
20.00 14.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
20
14.30 20.00
20.00 20.00 20.00 14.30
20.00 20.00 20.00
10 15.00
15.00
12.30 15.00
19.30
19.30
19.30
43
38 23.00 43
18
20.00 11.00
Interdependence
Free Events
#MIF15
11.00
24 19.30 28
16
18.00
15.00
15.00
15.00
15.00
12.30 15.00
15.00
15.00
15.00
15.00
12.30 15.00
June Event
July
Pg Mon 29 Tue 30 Wed 1 Thu 2
High Tea in Wonderland manchester museum
36
Neck of the Woods home
14
FlexN Manchester old granada studios
12
The Invisible Dot Cabaret pavilion theatre
38
The Tale of Mr Tumble opera house
34
Fri 3
Sat 4
Sun 5 Mon 6 Tue 7 Wed 8 Thu 9
Fri 10
Sat 11 Sun 12 Mon 13 Tue 14 Wed 15 Thu 16 Fri 17 Sat 18 Sun 19
Times vary
Times vary 19.30
19.30
Times vary
14.30
19.30 19.30
20.00 15.00 20.00
19.30
20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 14.30 20.00
22.00 22.00 22.00
22.00 22.00 22.00
10.30 10.30 14.00 14.00
Arvo Pärt / Manchester Camerata 26 the bridgewater hall The Invisible Dot Ltd presents... the crocodile 38 pavilion theatre
19.30
10.30 10.30 10.30 10.30 10.30 rel rel 14.00 14.00 bsl 14.00 14.00
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.30
19.00 14.00
10x10 mayfield depot
30
Yellow pavilion theatre
43
FKA twigs Soundtrack 7 old granada studios
6
Performance Capture manchester art gallery
22
10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑21.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑21.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00
Richter / Pärt the whitworth
8
14.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 ‑21.00 ‑21.00 ‑21.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑21.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00 ‑17.00
Festival Square albert square
40
23.00
Times Times Times Times Times Times Times vary vary vary vary vary vary vary
preview
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late
12.00 -late 69
70