An immersive circus show described as being “breathtakingly beautiful” is coming to Greater Manchester next week.
Set to take over a rarely-seen area of The Lowry building for what is expected to be an “unmissable event”, the all-female Chicago-based circus company, Aloft, will be bringing their critically-acclaimed Brave Spaceshow to Salford for the first time ever.
Known for being “a celebration of female strength and power”, Brave Space is now touring across Europe after it received five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year.
There’s only two UK tour dates in the calendar, and one of those is Salford.
Inspired by the idea of creating trusting communities in trying and dangerous times, Brave Space starts as a puddle of 250-yards of fabric on the floor, and then, with the help of the audience, grows into a massive blanket fort and a “world of hope” that includes everything from interdependent acts of aerial arts, and acrobatics, to juggling, balancing on eight-foot high poles, and more.
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A ‘breathtakingly beautiful’ immersive circus is taking over a rarely-seen area of The Lowry theatre / Credit: The Lowry
Audiences will get to go behind the scenes into a rarely-seen area of theatre building as they experience an innovative circus “like never before”.
Described as being a show that’s “impossible” to perform without an audience, as the audience itself becomes an active part of the show, each act in Brave Space is designed to physically draw spectators into the experience of “putting themselves on the line for the safety and wellbeing of at-risk members of a community”.
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Activities the audience is encouraged to get involved in include helping to raise the tent, holding ropes that keep trapeze artists aloft, and even sometimes standing so close to the performers that you can hear their hearts beating… apparently.
“Brave Space was created as an antidote to the horrors of daily news cycle,” explained Circus Artist and Director, Shayna Swanson.
“It’s not a “safe space,” but, an immersive performance that requires the audience and artists to show up as their best selves, encouraging them to care of themselves and those around them. I wanted to create a show that felt like the opposite of The Handmaid’s Tale – something empowering, and I wanted to create the world I want to live in, even if it only exists for an hour at a time.”
Brave Space will run at The Lowry from Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 July, and you can find out more information and grab tickets here.
Featured Image – The Lowry
Theatre
New stage adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House to arrive in Manchester this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
A brand-new stage adaptation of a bestselling horror novel and TV series is coming to Manchester this Halloween.
Following the critically acclaimed Netflix hit series that introduced a new generation to the eerie masterpiece, author Shirley Jackson’s famous The Haunting of Hill House is being turned into a brand-new stage adaptation later this year, and will be taking to one of Manchester’s most iconic stages at the spookiest season of all.
Written by Olivier and BAFTA award-winner Stef Smith, and directed by Martin Constantine, the new production is set to conjure the iconic supernatural thriller on stage.
It will be making its world premiere with a UK tour this autumn, stopping off in several major towns and cities along the way.
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, The Haunting of Hill House follows a group of daring investigators who take on the mystery of Hill House, before their curiosity quickly descends into fear.
A new stage adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House is coming to Manchester this Halloween / Credit: Supplied
“The Haunting of Hill House is one of the greatest supernatural novels of the last hundred years and to have the chance to adapt it for the stage is a true privilege,” explained writer Stef Smith, as the UK tour was announced this week.
“I find Shirley Jackson’s world intoxicating, thrilling and gut-wrenching.
“I believe there is something so deeply theatrical at the heart of Hill House. From the spooky, to the surreal, through heartache and hope. I hope that our cast of characters will take the audience along for a ride quite unlike anything else. Above all we will examine that the biggest horrors are usually human.”
The brand-new stage adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House will arrive in Manchester and take to the stage at Manchester Palace Theatre from Tuesday 27 October right through to Halloween itself (Saturday 31 October 2026).
The full cast and creative team for the new production is set to be announced shortly, so keep your eyes peeled.
Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow at 10am, before general sale begins on Friday (20 February), again at 10am, and you book your place here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Theatre
Multi award-winning musical Back to the Future returns to Manchester next summer
Emily Sergeant
Nearly six years after making its world premiere here in Manchester, Back to The Future The Musical is returning to our city next summer.
The multi award-winning musical – based off the beloved 1985 film of the same name – held its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House back 2020, but unfortunately, as you can probably guess, its run was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now, flash forward to 2027, the production is returning to ‘settle some unfinished business’.
Lead producer Colin Ingram, together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy, have announced that the musical will return to Manchester as part of its first-ever UK tour.
Directed by Tony Award-winning director John Rando, alongside a multi Tony and Olivier Award-winning design team, Back to the Future The Musical has a book by Bob Gale, and new music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard.
Multi award-winning musical Back to the Future is returning to Manchester / Credit: Supplied
Additional hit songs from the film, including ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’, are also included in the production, making it a real trip down memory lane for fans.
The show will run at Manchester Opera House from 13 July through to 21 August 2027, following its run in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre, where it’s currently in its fifth year, having broken box office records and being seen by more than 2.3 million people.
“Speaking for the entire creative team, we are beyond thrilled to be returning to the Manchester Opera House, which we consider the birthplace of Back to the Future The Musical and one of the UK’s best venues,” commented co-creator Bob Gale.
“No city has ever given us a better reception and the incredible audience response we received in 2020 helped shape the show creatively in myriad ways.”
Back to the Future The Musical will take to the Manchester Opera House stage from 13 July – 21 August 2027, and tickets officially go on general sale tomorrow (18 February) at 10am.
Emily Sergeant -
8th July 2024 
