Manchester International Festival
manchester international festival biennial international art festival specific focus original new work held english city manchester run factory international festival biennial event first taking place june–july subsequently recurring summer mif take place summer organisation based blackfriar house adjacent blackfriar bridge due move new £ million new home factory international festival promoted initiated three prefestival commission first took place november gorillaz performed live manchester opera house recording performance later released demon day live dvd second school festival song new piece ennio morricone nicholas royle sung strong school choir organised young voice took place december third art installation conjunction imperial war museum turner prizewinning artist steve mcqueen response iraq war tribute british service personnel killed conflict exhibited great hall manchester central library february july first edition festival ran june – july festival showpiece production monkey journey west reworking ancient chinese legend journey west damon albarn jamie hewlett collaborating first major project since gorillaz albarn wrote score hewlett designed set costume adapted directed chen shizheng whose credit range classical chinese opera meryl streep movie dark matter show also featured chinese circus acrobat shaolin monk chinese vocalist production designed created théâtre du châtelet cooperation manchester international festival berlin state opera performed palace theatre well monkey festival showcased two event first il tempo del postino visual art show curated han ulrich obrist philippe parreno produced conjunction théâtre du châtelet paris performed manchester opera house new stage adaptation pianist combining original word władysław szpilman spoken actor peter guinness music frédéric chopin performed leading pianist mikhail rudy directed neil bartlett museum science industry manchester finance mif festival made £m loss £m worth funding minus £m expenditure made council contingency made festival economic impact region £m manchester international festival took place – july october press release announced first three commission wereprima donna rufus wainwright debut opera everybody love winner new theatrical experience director neil bartlett unique environment within manchester art gallery solo piano violin cello j bach work called j bach chamber music hall created zaha hadid architect entire festival programme featuring commission announced march included kraftwerk steve reich commission performed manchester velodrome performance art marina abramović whitworth art gallery procession along deansgate organised jeremy deller collaboration elbow hallé orchestra manchester alternative rock band epiphany also appearing part procession festival also featured felt like kiss multimedia production created documentarymaker adam curtis damon albarn punchdrunk theatre company artist included de la soul lou reed laurie anderson antony johnson manchester camerata carlos acosta durutti column performing tribute late tony wilson finance mif festival made £m profit £m worth funding minus £m expenditure made £m deficit incurred festival economic impact region £m edition festival ran june july staged original project featuring artist performer björk damon albarn snoop dogg marina abramović victoria wood wu lyf drug air cav along punchdrunks doctor production crash elysium manchester international festival director alex poots stated important thing u make artistically culturally important festival highest quality abolition northwest regional development agency contributed £ festival resulted loss funding manchester international festival björk began mif live debut new album biophilia dave simpson guardian stating provided stunning visual display adding icelandic singer made typically eyepopping entrance huge platform shoe sporting blue white facepaint sinéad oconnor also performed festival earning favourable review damon albarn debuted opera doctor dee based life elizabethan scientist philosopher john dee palace theatre directed rufus norris production described mean opera conventional sense guardian alfred hickling described dr dee erudite affair giving four star finance mif festival made £m profit £m worth funding minus £m expenditure economic impact region £m festival returned ran july attracting estimated quarter million attendee generating £ million city manchester day festival included performance new commission special event included collaboration artist maxine peake kenneth branagh xx massive attack tino sehgal rob ashford kenneth branagh directed new adaptation macbeth church st peter ancoats branagh starred macbeth alongside alex kingston lady macbeth performance daily telegraph dominic cavendish described thrilling cinematically fluid production five star review production cocommissioned new york park avenue armory played rave review may june show run mif macbeth broadcast cinema around world national theatre live one main event massive attack v adam curtis collaborative performance massive attack robert del naja baftawinning filmmaker adam curtis took place mayfield depot robert wilson directed mikhail baryshnikov willem dafoe surrealist adaptation daniil kharms short story old woman palace theatre mif introduced member scheme granted people access priority booking highly anticipated event also new £ ticket scheme allowing greater manchester resident lower income access event festival organiser acknowledged ticket reach local resident lower wage manchester city council provided £ million funding festival boosted local economy £ million finance mif festival broke even £m worth funding minus £m expenditure economic impact region £m manchester international festival returned ran july november manchester international festival announced first three new commission mif tree code new contemporary ballet directed choreographed wayne mcgregor music composed jamie xx visual concept olafur eliasson performance took place – july manchester opera house inspired book tree code jonathan safran foer featured soloist dancer paris opera ballet tale mr tumble new theatre show young child family justin fletcher invited audience step inside colourful world one cherished tv character show took place manchester opera house – july manchester international festival announced full lineup spring january announced next mif commission would wonderland new musical music damon albarn book lyric moira buffini would directed rufus norris wonderland inspired alice wonderland lewis carroll coproduction national theatre performed palace theatre manchester th june july wonderland tour national theatre opening monday november running festival initially expected attract visitor however end figure finance mif festival broke even £m worth funding minus £m expenditure economic impact region £m november announced alex poots manchester international festival founding director would stepping role mif poots left take role chief executive culture shed new york may announced poots would succeeded john mcgrath artistic director national theatre wale festival announced coproduction giselle english national ballet sadlers well theatre directed akram khan performed palace theatre manchester september production go tour bristol hippodrome mayflower theatre southampton sadlers well theatre london later year manchester international festival took place june july first four commission announced autumn together creative community programme called festival festival opened parade disparate individual manchester runway piccadilly garden city people closed celebration installation statue friedrich engels tony wilson place outside home major production included fatherland created frantic assembly scott graham musician karl hyde playwright simon stephen jane horrocks cotton panic telling story cotton famine new order performing piece synthesiser ensemble royal northern college music show entitled σnoklgmif produced collaboration artist liam gillick performance commission event took place day record visitor count manchester international festival took place july opening event collaborative bellringing event created yoko ono production announced late include tree musical work south africa idris elba kwame kweiarmah dystopia skeptas vision future david lynch major presence festival exhibiting painting sculpture showing series film presenting three night show lynchinspired musician home maxine peake regular mif star show nico nico project custombuilt structure science industry museum house atmospheric memory performance piece portraying speech air artist appearing creating work festival include chimpom abida parveen ivo van hove philip glass tania bruguera laurie anderson july guardian published story describing torus allenmartin sarah henley removed work tree said questionable circumstance two writer worked project four year elba asked develop idea musical based album idris elba present mi mandela allenmartin also collaborated kweiarmah joined project may rewrote part material tree later billed created idris elba kwame kweiarmah allenmartin henley described creative input included research scriptwriting well play title threatened legal action went public story mif issued statement counter description event describing tree new work based original script kweiarmah entirely creation factory international £ million theatre art venue built former site granada studio st john quarter manchester manchester quay ltd mql development partnership allied london manchester city council permanent home manchester international festival name come factory record independent record label founded late tony wilson venue designed rem koolhaas office metropolitan architecture oma opened manchester international festival mif factory international used venue arcadia art installation design deborah warner even though construction work yet complete exhibition included recorded contribution simon russell beale roxxxan jane horrocks brian cox lioness david thewlis many others september factory international announced opening programme building included free mind immersive matrix filmsthemed dance music visual effect experience creative team including composer michael ‘mikey j’ asante mbe choreographer kenrick ‘ho’ sandy mbe founder boy blue artist e devlin playwright poet sabrina mahfouz director danny boyle programme announcement also included balloon world biggest ever show yayoi kusama welcome series special event performance curated people greater manchester note original timeline follows may – planning application submission january december – construction january june – commissioning facility test event july – opening ceremony reference note manchester city council july executive meeting factory manchester project delivery report manchester city council pp – retrieved august point pdf manchester international festival official website – including link press review manchester international festival twitter greater manchester fringe festival – run annually july