Factory International has confirmed its ambitious 2027 programme as the venue prepares to celebrate 20 years of era-defining work. To mark two decades of commissioning, producing and presenting ambitious boundary-pushing work from some of the world's leading artists, there will be nine UK and world premieres, and the return of Manchester International Festival (MIF).
An Ark: World's First Mixed Reality Play
The wide-ranging programme includes An Ark, the world's first mixed reality play featuring Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene and Rosie Sheehy from Stockport-born writer Simon Stevens; a radical new show by director, choreographer and performance artist Florentina Holzinger combining music, theatre, art and excess; and a groundbreaking dance opera from award-winning choreographer Gregory Maqoma with a libretto by Karthika Nair, that explores Black liberation.
Bolton's very own Hetain Patel will also collaborate with over 250 people from across Greater Manchester as Come As You Really Are reaches its conclusion with one of its largest presentations yet. Featuring makers, modifiers, enthusiasts and collectors from every borough, aged five to 90 years old, it will bring together thousands of objects to tell their stories in a free, interactive, family-friendly exhibition.
Manchester International Festival Dates Announced
Today, the dates for the Manchester International Festival were also announced. The long-running event will take over the city from 1 to 18 July, 2027. The full programme of extraordinary world premieres and special events will be revealed in March.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Factory International said: “Culture has always been a driving force in Manchester - shaping the city, challenging it to reinvent itself and helping to define its place on the world stage. Twenty years ago, the Manchester International Festival put the city at the centre of the international cultural conversation, asking what the art of tomorrow could be.
“Over the past two decades, we have invited some of the world’s biggest artists to Manchester to create work that has shifted the artistic goalposts - work that could not have been created anywhere else. Equally importantly, the voices of our communities have rung out through our work, creating opportunities, jobs and joy with and for the people of the region.
“As we mark our 20th anniversary and unveil our 2027 season, we continue to build on this remarkable legacy: championing creative ambition, welcoming pioneering, fearless artists from near and far to our shapeshifting home, Aviva Studios, and making work that changes how people see the world and how the world sees our city, bringing people together, and, ultimately, changing lives.”
Anniversary Season Highlights
The anniversary season marks two decades since the organisation’s beginnings with the inaugural Manchester International Festival in 2007 - the first major arts festivals dedicated solely to commissioning and producing ambitious new work of scale. Now, with its own year-round venue, Aviva Studios, Factory International enters its third decade having commissioned more than 200 new artworks, shared with almost two million people worldwide.
Next year will also see a timely new theatrical work from Javaad Alipoor and Chris Thorpe where cult film, the Iranian revolution and social apocalypse collide, as well as a powerful and intense visual performance by Bashar Murkus which tests the limits of the human body.
As previously confirmed, 2027 will mark the arrival of an electrifying dance production of Russell T Davies’ It’s A Sin from leading contemporary dance company Rambert; and Phelim McDermott and Philip Glass’s latest collaboration, the world premiere of a major new production of Einstein on the Beach, which has been co-produced with the English National Opera (ENO), as it continues to further its commitment with arts in the North.
Meanwhile, audiences will also be able to watch a new genre-bending festive show from Darren Pritchard called Party In The Sky. Co-directed by Vicki Amedume, it blends circus, dance, drag, theatre, aerial performance and music, and will be shown in two versions with a family edition, and a late-night club incarnation.
Aviva Studios and Future Events
Factory International has played an integral role in Manchester’s cultural and physical regeneration over the past two decades. In 2023 the opening of Factory International’s landmark home Aviva Studios - a purpose-built, uniquely versatile space, designed to transform around the ideas and ambitions of artists - cemented Manchester’s reputation as the key destinations for the world’s leading artists to create innovative work of unprecedented scale and ambition.
Alongside its cutting-edge arts programme, Aviva Studios will host an eclectic range of music performances including two-night residencies from electronic pioneer Bonobo in February, and Mercury-winning jazz visionaries Ezra Collective in March. There will also be the world premiere of Nubya Garcia’s first cello concerto, commissioned by Factory International and written especially for Manchester Camerata’s Hannah Roberts.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Culture and the arts are critical to making Manchester the place it is today - a city where people want to live and work, and where world-class art is produced and performed.
"We have never accepted standing still in Manchester, instead taking the initiative and forging our own path. Manchester International Festival and its beginnings back in 2007 is a perfect example of our Mancunian 'can do' spirit and together with Factory International has been a key part of Manchester's success story over the last 20 years - putting culture at the heart of our growth as a city, and world-class performances, jobs, training, and opportunities on the doorsteps of local people.
"We're now globally recognised as a place where ground-breaking art of all genres is both made - going out from Manchester to the world - and also performed.
"Manchester's journey is far from over and Manchester International Festival and Factory International will continue to be central to our ambitions to create a dynamic and thriving city that is also fairer and more inclusive."
The full 2027 programme includes Come As You Really Are (13-20 February, The North Warehouse), It's A Sin (16-27 February, The Hall), An Ark (27 March-10 April, The Hall), Einstein on the Beach (29 May-12 June, The Warehouse), Deadlift (5-6 June, The Hall), MIF 27 (1-18 July), Cinema Tehran (5-10 October, The North Warehouse), A Year Without Summer (14-16 October, The Warehouse), Genesis: The Beginning and End of Time (22-24 October), and Party in the Sky (coming soon, Winter 2027).
