Factory International has unveiled its autumn-winter programme, headlined by a new immersive 360-degree show featuring rare footage of David Bowie. Titled David Bowie: You're Not Alone, the experience will run from December to January at Aviva Studios' Warehouse space, offering audiences a unique glimpse into the creative mind and performances of the legendary Starman.
David Bowie: You're Not Alone
The show brings together a wealth of visual material from diverse sources, including rare performance footage, photography, drawings, lyrics, personal notes, and audio recordings. It will feature Bowie's landmark performances that redefined popular culture, using iconic, rarely seen, and never-before-exhibited material selected from thousands of hours of film in the David Bowie Archive. David Bowie serves as the sole voice of the experience.
Other Programme Highlights
Alongside the Bowie show, Factory International's autumn-winter programme includes several other notable events. Palestinian theatre maker Ahmed Masoud presents Application 39, a bold black comedy imagining Gaza as host of the 2048 Olympics, exactly 100 years after the Nakba. The play, running on October 9 and 10, is a surreal journey through occupation, bureaucracy, and reconstruction, rooted in hope and real-life testimonies.
Artist and activist Cephas Williams brings Portrait of Black Britain, an exhibition of photographic portraits interrogating Black identity in the UK. Originally commissioned for Manchester International Festival 2021 and shown at the Arndale Centre, the exhibition will run at Aviva Studios from October 1 as part of Black History Month.
Ticket Information
Tickets go on sale for Factory International members on Tuesday, June 16, followed by public sale on Thursday, June 18. Prices start from £10 across all shows.
Additional Events
The programme also includes the return of Black Creative Trailblazers on September 4, a black-tie celebration of Black excellence through fashion, music, art, and poetry. Talks feature chef Yotam Ottolenghi with his cookbook Simple Too (September 6), The Rest is Politics: US host Anthony Scaramucci in conversation with Matt Forde (September 16), and bestselling author Jon Ronson with Enter The Castle (September 20).
Other highlights include the world premiere of a dance piece inspired by Channel 4's It's a Sin, presented by Rambert and Factory International, running from February 16 to 27, 2027. The autumn-winter season also features the 6th edition of Factory International's Artist Takeover, supporting local Manchester talent.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International, said: "This autumn's programme includes work by extraordinary artists exploring key issues of our time, as well as a joyous treat celebrating the world of David Bowie. Every season we have the privilege of hosting some of the UK's most exciting musicians, artists, and writers."
