Thank you for joining us this last 18 days and for making the festival a success. Scroll back to remember some of the higlights of MIF 2017 and see you in 2019!
Manchester International Festival ran from 29 June and 16 July 2017
Talk to us @mifestival on twitter & mcrintfestival on Facebook
6 Music with Mark Radcliffe
From 1pm Mark Radcliffe talks to our very own Simon Stephens and Scott Graham - creators of the brilliantly moving Fatherland, external. Expect insight, great tunes and hot tips - all live from Festival Square.
Everything you need to know about...
Name: Simon Stephens
Special skill: Writing excellent plays that are more ‘European’ in flavour than many British playwrights. He also rides a bicycle in London, which is bascially a superpower.
Born: Stockport, 1971
What do I need to know?Local lad Stephens is an acclaimed playwright, Artistic Associate of the Lyric Hammersmith theatre in West London, and once wrote a play called Pornography. Along with Dennis Kelly (who wrote Matilda) and Martin Crimp (who wrote The Treatment), he is one of the most-performed English-language writers in Germany, and is quite possibly the busiest man in theatre. He also collaborates regularly with directors, writers and performers from across Europe, most notably Ivo Van Hove (whose company is based in Amsterdam) and German director Sebastian Nübling, and has written more than 30 plays in the past 20 years.
He wrote the adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play. He’s also a qualified teacher, but quit to become a playwright full-time, and used to play in Scottish punk band the Country Teasers.
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What does he say about his work?“The function of art is to unsettled and trouble, to provoke and excite, to alarm and inspire.” From The Guardian, external.
“All of my plays have failed in some way, but failure means I’ve got to try again. If I ever write a play where I think I’ve nailed it, I’d quit.” From The Independent, external.
And about the world today?“There is an entire generation of young artists that simply can’t afford to live in London any more. And they are moving, in their handfuls, to Manchester.” From The Guardian, external.
“Britain’s theatre culture can be hermetically sealed at times. The danger of our island mentality it that we can spend too much of our energies looking inwards on our own strengths, and imagining that the rest of the world is looking at us, too. If travel alters artists’ perspective on that which we imagine we know, then international collaboration allows us to interrogate the assumptions that sit underneath our work.” From The Guardian, external.
What to say at a dinner party:“Of course, state subsidy for the arts in Germany vastly exceeds that of the UK, allowing theatre to flourish and experiment..."
“Stephens doesn’t deal in Good and Evil; all of his characters are far too complex to allow such easy distinctions.”
My brain is full! What next?Find out more about Fatherland, external, which Stephens worked on with Frantic Assembly's Scott Graham and Underworld’s Karl Hyde.
BBC 6 Music
Matthew Herbert on a piece of music he has created, inspired by the sounds of Manchester.
Matthew Herbert spoke to 6 Music's Mary Anne Hobbs over the weekend about a piece of music he has created, inspired by the sounds of the northern industrial powerhouse.
The piece, entitled Machines That Our Buildings Used To Hear, was put together for the Music For A Busy City project as part of Manchester International Festival, external.
Matthew has previously worked on albums, film scores and art installations, and has collaborated with everyone from chef Heston Blumenthal to Björk.
Listen above.
Max & Ivan
We have some of the most amazing UK comedy talent descending on the festival, external this coming weekend - take a sneak peek at one of our favourites, double-act Max And Ivan, as they smash Melbourne Festival:
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BambinO
Image source, MIFQuote MessageIt is inspiring to create a new opera for what is possibly the most discerning - and important - audience there is. We all know that babies respond to music and we want to nurture and stimulate that relationship through their very first opera.
Phelim McDermott, Director of BambinO
Colourful, imaginative and utterly unique, the world premiere of BambinO hits our festival tomorrow. Learn a bit more about the show, external, as well as the brilliant team and inspiration behind it.
Music For A Busy City
Image source, MIFWe have three different routes you can take to check out all of our Music For A Busy City, external installations - which one will you choose, external?
The World Was Once All Miracle
Quote MessageI still have this image of him as a composer who wrote books, which is exactly what he considered himself to be.
Raymond Yu, Composer, The World Was Once All Miracle
Manchester International Festival catches up with composer Raymond Yiu
MIF Live
This page isn't just about pithy commentary and excellent news, you know.
We wanted to create a digital footprint for the festival, a place where those who aren't in Manchester can experience the shows as authentically as possible.
With that in mind, here are the shows you can catch up on in full, right here online. You lucky devils.
What Is The City But The People?
Our opening spectacular, where thousands flooded the streets of Manchester to celebrate its most precious commodity: its residents.
Manchester International Festival 17 opening event.
Interdependence: We Need To Talk About Power
Part of our Interdependence series, external (all of which will be live streamed right here), this rousing, inspirational debate includes insights from Home1947 creator Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Turner nominated Lubaina Himid and gorgeous live poetry from Deanna Rodger
Themed session of provocative conversation and new ideas.
Lost Memories Dot Net
Our first ever specially commissioned game comes courtesy of one of the most innovative and individual video game designers working today - Nina Freeman. And you can play it for yourself, external, right here.
Lostmemories.net: a new game commission for #mif17 from Nina Freeman
Music For A Busy City
Though yes, of course, ideally you'd want to listen to these specially created pieces in the locations they were designed for - sometimes that's just not possible! With that in mind, you can listen to all of the gorgeous compositions on the official website, external - close your eyes and sink in...
Matthew Herbert talks about his commission for #mif17
One Of Two Stories, Or Both
Samson Young's brand new 5 part radio series (streamed and performed live) is a surreal, delicate and powerful look at journeys, travel and a search for home. You can listen to Parts 1 and 2 right here, and check back each day for more.
Samson Young's five-part radio series, performed by a cast of actors, artists & musicians.
More are being added every day, so check back soon, and dive into our festival, free of charge.
We're just getting warmed up
Well, that's your lot for the first chunk of this year's festival. But we've got so much ahead of us.
Our dynamic, anticipated Fatherland, external swings into action at the Royal Exchange, migration promenade piece The Welcoming Party, external beckons everyone in, The World Was Once All Miracle, external promises to make our souls soar, What If Women Ruled The World?, external will shock us back to our political senses, and Returning To Reims , externalwill take us all on a journey back home.
And that's just for starters. Keep your eye on this page, because we'll be bringing you everything you need to know - from intimate gigs to concert spectaculars, it's all right here.
See you tomorrow, Monday's never looked so bright.
The UK's finest acts come to Manchester
Tim Key, Sara Pascoe, Mark Watson, Tony Law, Max & Ivan - the list goes on and on...
Quick, learn more here, external, before everyone else realises...
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Music For A Busy City
Quote MessageIn music, the relationship between dance/electronic music and its geographic origins, from Detroit to Chicago to Berlin, has always been critical to our reading of the landscape of the music itself. Many even call it machine music. Ironically, our modern machines don’t make any sound themselves: they are just brains that send signals to other devices to speakers to transmit sound.
Matthew Herbert, Composer, Music For A Busy City
Matthew Herbert is all over MIF17 – he’s part of Music for a Busy City and he’s written music for Fatherland.
His Music for a Busy City piece is called ‘the machines our buildings used to hear’, and explores the sounds of non-electronic machines to create looping electronic music.
You can hear it at the Great Northern Warehouse, Manchester M3 4EN, at 10 past each hour, 8am-8pm daily during the festival.
Matthew Herbert discuss his project which incorporates the sounds of industrial revolution
New Order
3 New Order gigs to go - are you ready smash music apart and put it back together again?
Quote MessageThe problem, that makes life interesting, is that if you include 12 synthesizer players - and there are 5 band members - you're suddenly a 17 piece
New Order
Watch New Order at this year's festival
One Of Two Stories Or Both
For those who have listened to the live broadcast of our 5 part radio series, here's what it looks like inside the studio...
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#creative50
Tara Collette
MIF17 Creative 50
Visual artist Tara Collette today focuses on our specially commissioned game Lost Memories Dot Net - see all of her beautiful MIF GIFs on her website, external
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For those who like their rock with an electro edge
Leeds-based rock 5-some will be at the still-sunny (fingers crossed) Pavilion Theatre in Albert square in half an hour - for those who can't make it down, why not check out their stuff right here:
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Streaming live, listen in to part 3 of Samson Young's radio series
Image source, MIFYou can listen here live from 6:30pm,, external and catch up with the entire series in the links above.
Shots of our opening party
Ready to slay? Proud to showcase glamorous festival realness...
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Image source, MIFNo End To Enderby
Clockwork Orange fans, this one's for you. An exhibition that pays homage to the other work of Anthony Burgess, No End To Enderby showcases the adaptations of Burgess's Enderby series, with original sets, visuals and a healthy slab of the surreal.
No End to Enderby explores issues of artistry, authenticity and posterity
Home1947
Some reactions from the first couple of days of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's glorious exhibition:
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Intrigued? Learn more about Home1947, external.
BambinO
These gloriously colourful shots are from a world premiere - BambinO - an opera created especially for babies. Don't say we don't bring you a range of events.
During this imaginative, beautiful and genuinely unique event, babies will be free to crawl around during the performance, interacting with singers, musicians and each other. Even the grownups might learn something.
Opening on Tuesday, external, it's an event made for any little ones in your life
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