Manchester International Festival » News

Something in the Air on tour

mif — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:39:05 +0000

Following a critically acclaimed run at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009 Oily Cart and aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor will be reviving Something in the Air in April and May 2010. Something in the Air is an interactive aerial show specifically created for young people with complex disabilities or an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Comfortably seated in suspended nest-chairs six young people and their six carers will ‘fly’ amongst the aerial performers in a unique kinesthetic adventure.

Something in the Air will tour to Newbridge School, Oldham, The Unicorn Theatre, London, Trinity School, Dagenham and Galeri in Wales.

“We watch from flower-covered chairs that rise up into the air, swing, turn and bounce up and down. We feel as if we are flying, too, freed from the restraints of our bodies and gravity itself.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

Rufus Wainwright’s opera to be staged in London in April

mif — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:47:27 +0000

Following its hugely successful premiere at this year’s Festival, acclaimed singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright’s debut opera, Prima Donna, makes its London premiere at Sadler’s Wells. Tickets for the performances on 12, 14, 16, 17 April 2010 are on sale now from Sadler’s Wells website.

For these London performances, there is a new production directed by acclaimed British director Tim Albery, whose most recent works include The Flying Dutchman at the Royal Opera House, and Boris Godunov for ENO.

Sung in French with surtitles, the libretto is co-written by Rufus Wainwright and Bernadette Colomine.

It Felt Like A Kiss wins MEN Theatre Award

mif — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:03 +0000

It Felt Like A Kiss, a collaboration between film maker Adam Curtis and Punchdrunk’s Felix Barrett and the hot ticket of the 09 Festival, picked up the MEN Theatre Awards gong for Special Entertainment yesterday.

The ceremony was held at the Midland Hotel, where Punchdrunk senior producer Colin Nightingale was on hand to collect the award with Festival Director Alex Poots. ‘It’s special because It Felt Like A Kiss was the first time we’d worked outside London’, said Nightingale.

Other winners at the event included Punk Rock at the Royal Exchange, which took home four major prizes. Click here for a full list of the winners.

Image – left to right:
Colin Nightingale, Punchdrunk
Jason Manford, comedian and presenter of the Special Entertainment award
Alex Poots, Festival Director , Manchester International Festival

Monkey makes top 100 defining cultural moments of the noughties

mif — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:51:59 +0000

From pop to opera, television to art, The Telegraph critics have sifted through the past 10 years to find the moments that signalled a change in the cultural life of Britain and the rest of the world and Monkey: Journey to the West (MIF 07) is in the edit:

‘Monkey: Journey to the West’ premieres at first Manchester Festival: Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s enchanting Chinese opera inaugurates the Manchester International Festival.

Read full article here

The Difference Engine at MOSI

mif — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:48:17 +0000

After its brilliant premiere as part of The Great Indoors at MIF 09, The Difference Engine returns to Manchester for a 4 day run at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Date: Sat 21 – Sun 22 November (schools performances Thu 19 and Fri 20)

Time: 10.30am, 12.00noon, 2.00pm and 3.30pm

Duration: 55 mins approx

Cost: FREE

Booking: Via MOSI, 0161 833 0027 or email r.leese@mosi.org.uk (limited capacity, advance booking advisable)

Ages: 7 upwards, all children must be accompanied by an adult

Take a journey through the mind of Charles Babbage in this fun family show by Walk the Plank with Thingumajig Theatre.

Travel from past to future through a landscape of machines and ideas in this interactive journey. Help inventor and mathematician Charles Babbage find the clues to repair his Difference Engine; solve the spider’s riddles, hidden in the worldwide web; persuade the counting madman to open the gates to the Hall of Shadows and discover the secret workings of the steampunk arcade.

And after all that, you must help Charles Babbage in a quest to repair a gigantic mechanical calculating machine…

Maths, shadow play and steampunk storytelling combine in this site-specific performance designed for children aged 7 upwards.

The Difference Engine was co-commissioned by Manchester International Festival, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Centre for Urban Education. Created by Walk the Plank and Thingumajig Theatre.

End of the Road on tour

mif — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:09:02 +0000

END OF THE ROAD, the third production of the Road Trilogy premiered to international acclaim at Manchester International Festival this summer. If you missed it, catch the show now in the following countries:

8, 19, 20 Sept 2009
Rotterdamse Schouwburg (Netherlands)

23, 24, 25 Sept 2009
Vooruit, Ghent (Belgium)

21 April – 2 May 2010
St Ann’s Warehouse, New York (USA)

Manchester International Festival hailed a resounding success

mif — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:07:14 +0000

2009 Festival achieves economic impact of £35.7m and over 230,000 visitors

Manchester International Festival 2009 has been hailed as a success, with an initial report showing it attracted more than 230,000 local, national and international visitors, recruited over 300 volunteers and encouraged an increased level of local participation.

A full evaluation will be available in mid-October, but initial figures show the overall economic impact of the festival was worth £35.7m, which shows impressive growth from 2007’s figure of £28.8m.

The 2009 festival of original, new work created by major international artists also helped strengthen Manchester’s reputation as a leading cultural city, according to an initial performance report to Manchester City Council’s Executive Committee.

Local arts organisations were also more involved this year, with 12 local co-productions compared to two in 2007 and an overall 172 performances, involving 331 volunteers. And 231,455 people attended the festival, which was above the target of 210,000 and a 10% increase the inaugural festival figures.

More than a third of the 09 Festival programme was free, helping ensure that anyone, regardless of background or income, could enjoy the Manchester International Festival experience.

Independent analysis also shows that the festival, with the Pavillion in Albert Square as the vibrant hub, has established itself in the upper tier of European city arts festivals ranking alongside those in Edinburgh, Salzburg and Vienna.

The Festival courted national and international media coverage with praise from titles like Le Monde and the New York Times, which said: “Summer festivals often define predictability. Britain’s Manchester International Festival upsets the status quo by exclusively staging original work — and only letting in the very coolest of cool kids.”

As well as engaging with varied audiences, the Festival also worked with myriad arts organisations and schools through MIF Creative, with one theatre group creating a piece especially for children with complex learning difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders.

Headline figures for MIF 2009 include:

89% of overall tickets sold, compared to 78% in 2007
1,289 international visitors attended, compared to 860 in 2007
5,500 people attended the free Halle/Elbow live screening in Castlefield
12,500 children and families came to the Great Indoors weekend at the Town Hall
25,000 people watched Turner-prize winning Jeremy Deller’s Procession along Deansgate
673 educational sessions were held to help develop creative potential in local residents with 2,124 participants including local groups and schools
331 volunteers recruited
89,000 people attended the Pavillion throughout the two-week period to meet, eat, drink, listen to DJs and watch live performances
£19m worth of press coverage generated

Leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese said: “The Manchester International Festival was even more ambitious, original and ground-breaking than the first and built on the achievements of the inaugural festival while far exceeding its targets.

“This was a tremendous success and an exceptional Festival that attracted critical acclaim. We congratulate the Festival team on delivering an event that raised the profile of the city and made a significant economic and social contribution and look forward to another exciting Festival in 2011.”

Festival City Guide

mif — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:47:06 +0000

The appearance of the Festival Pavilion and Bright Stripes Café in Albert Square marks the arrival of this year’s Festival, and 18 days not only of extraordinary new work and special events, but also of fantastic eating, drinking and shopping opportunities throughout the city.

To keep track of what’s available to you throughout the Festival, pick up a Festival City Guide, or download one here.

Festival Banner Bags

mif — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:57:03 +0000

The Festival has teamed up with Banner Bags to recycle our street advertising banners that have been hanging all over the city centre and beyond to make these fantastic looking limited edition bags. Available in several different shapes and sizes, every bag is unique. Buy your own eye-catching and environmentally friendly piece of the Festival now – they won’t be around for long.

Plus: if you’re a Festival Friend, you’re entitled to a 10% discount on MIF banner bags.(To find out about becoming a Festival Friend, click here.)

To view the MIF range of bags online and to order, click here.
Bags are also available from the box office at the Festival Pavilion.

Turn your shoes into art

mif — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:55:12 +0000

Manchester International Festival and the Whitworth Gallery want your shoes!

Your unwanted shoes could be turned into a work of art this summer – 350 pairs of shoes are needed for a Manchester International Festival project. This celebrity-sized collection of footwear will feature in the exhibition Marina Abramović Presents… at the Whitworth Gallery from 3 – 19 July.
To meet with the gallery’s strict conservation standards, all donated shoes will first travel to Liverpool where they will be cleansed in a giant deep freeze at -30 degrees, before becoming the centrepiece of a unique live art performance.

All types of shoes in reasonable condition will be accepted and will not be harmed; following the exhibition all shoes will be passed to Oxfam to raise money for their work around the world. For information on Oxfam’s work please visit www.oxfam.co.uk

Shoes can be handed in at the following locations and times:

The Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road (opposite Manchester Royal Infirmary)
8th – 15th June
Gallery opening hours: 10am – 5pm, Monday to Saturday / 12 – 4pm Sunday

Manchester International Festival, 81 King Street
Now – 15th June
Office opening hours: 9.30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday

Tickets for Marina Abramović Presents… are free but must be booked in advance. Click here to visit the event’s page for more information and booking links.