Manchester International Festival (MIF) kicks off in the city this Thursday with a huge two-week program showcasing the best new art, theatre, music and film across a number of venues in Manchester.
Running from 1-18 July, the festival is able to safely continue with social distancing, despite England not reaching stage 4 in the unlocking roadmap. Organisers have also included some online events for those unable to come down in person this year.
The first major event to return to Manchester since the pandemic hit, MIF 2021 brings a series of important artworks into open public spaces as part of a big new focus on outdoor events.
From the premiere of a new film starring Cillian Murphy to a theatrical performance of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay about grief, there are some real stand-out works forming part of the city’s annual international festival.
Our City Our Festival day takes place on Saturday 3rd July / Image: ameliahall_art
What’s on at MIF 2021?
Things will kick off with a huge flash mob-style dance performance on Deansgate this Thursday, featuring hundreds of dancers and over 150 local people from Manchester.
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The creation of French choreographer Boris Charmatz, the huge outdoor dance performance will fill the central street with a throng of professional and non-professional dancers.
Elsewhere, an anti-consumerist grocery store, EART, will open as a fully-functioning Manchester shop selling generic, locally-sourced and unbranded produce as part of a project from leading Pakistani artist Rashid Rana.
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And artwork from Christine Sun Kim will cover the city centre, ‘captioning the world that surrounds us’ with descriptions scrawled onto buildings and a plane flying a banner through the sky above.
The free music stage at Festival Square, this year on Cathedral Gardens / Image: thrimage
Over in Piccadilly Gardens, a thought-provoking sculpture of Big Ben is currently being erected (on its side) according to the specifications of artist Marta Minujín. At 42 metres long, the iconic London landmark is being re-built from 20,000 copies of books that have shaped British politics over the years.
And at Manchester Central Library, a book of love letters told by over a hundred Greater Manchester residents is set to appear upstairs in the historic building’s grand Reading Room – rewritten in the words of a team of writers and poets.
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Hanging in Manchester Arndale will be 100 portraits of Black British people, created by photographer and “56 Black Men” campaigner Cephas Williams to highlight the contribution of Black people living in the UK and challenge negative stereotypes.
In what will be the inaugural event for The Factory, MIF’s new dedicated arts centre, a field of starry, luminous tents will house a murmuring soundscape of poetry inspired by the natural world as part of Arcadia: a unique new light and sound installation created by opera and theatre director Deborah Warner.
For one weekend only (10-11 July), they will whisper the immortal words of nature poets ranging from WB Yeats and William Blake to Sappho, read by a cast including the likes of Brian Cox, Jane Horrocks and David Thewlis.
An immersive exhibition using fragmented moving image, reflection & performance to dismantle Western notions of knowing in relation to feminine spirituality in North Africa / Image: p21_gallery
Further out of town at the Whitworth, exhibit Cloud Studies explores how state power reshapes the very air we breathe: shining a light on the environmental racism in Louisiana’s so-called ‘Cancer Alley’ – an area along the Mississippi River where majority-Black communities are exposed to the most toxic air in the US.
Curated by Forensic Architecture, a research agency of architects, artists, filmmakers, journalists, lawyers, scientists and software developers, it will examine how even air can be weaponised; from the air pollution that targets the marginalised to chemical weapons that eviscerate entire neighbourhoods.
Whilst in Cheetham Hill, a new commission by Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost will open the newly refurbished Manchester Jewish Museum. It will include a new film inspired by the museum’s history as a former Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, that has been shot inside the museum and the surrounding Cheetham Hill area.
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On top of all this, there’s a huge free music program going on at Festival Square – to be found this year at a new home on Cathedral Gardens, and online channel MIF LIVE will stream a mix of performance, live music, exclusive interviews, and a range of commentary and talks for those unable to attend in person.
How do I get tickets?
So far, three events have sold out – music performances from Arlo Parks and Damon Albarn, as well as outdoor Deansgate dance performance Sea Change – at the time of writing but the majority are still open and ready to book.
For the full list of events and tickets to all the exhibits, theatre performances, poetry, music shows and more, head to the MIF website.
ENB’s Romeo & Juliet at Palace Theatre Manchester – the world’s most famous story expertly reimagined | Review
Emily Sergeant
Every now and then you experience a bit of a full circle moment… and for me, this was one of them.
Back in 2011, when I was a dance-obsessed 14-year-old, taking and assisting classes countless times a week, I became enamoured by a BBC documentary series called Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet. As one of the country’s premier ballet companies – celebrating its 60th anniversary at the time of the documentary – ENB allowed cameras behind the scenes, from the rehearsal room to backstage, giving audiences a previously unseen inside look on what it takes to stage some of the most spectacular productions your eyes will ever meet.
One of the ballets being staged in the year the BBC followed the company was Romeo & Juliet.
Based on a story known around the world and with an unmistakable score by Prokofiev, it’s a ballet I was already fond of prior to the documentary, but seeing the work that went into making the show a reality, up close like never before, it turned into one of my favourites.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to see several different dance stagings of Romeo & Juliet – but last night, at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, was the first time I got to sit in the audience and see English National Ballet’s production live with my own eyes.
And it was just as magical as I was hoping it would be.
ENB’s Romeo & Juliet is now on stage at Manchester Palace Theatre / Credit: Laurent Liotardo
Right off the bat, I’m just going to presume you already have somewhat of a grasp on the story of Romeo & Juliet, right? Given the fact it’s arguably Shakespeare’s most famous work and one of the most iconic plays of all time.
And you’ll be pleased to know, even if you’re not seasoned in watching ballet, that the story we all know and love remains largely intact for this production, therefore making it easy for audiences of all ages and interests to follow along and admire.
The two title characters, the star-crossed lovers themselves, were embodied expertly by Rentaro Nakaaki and Julia Conway as Romeo and Juliet, who had the audience captivated from the second they entered the stage – with undeniable chemistry and enviable technique.
Fabian Reimair took on the role of Tybalt with ease, Noam Durand was Mercutio, and Rodrigo Pinto was Benvolio, all while Elvis Nudo and Minju Kang stepped into the shoes of Paris and Rosaline.
But the lead roles are nothing without the wider cast of supporting dancers and character actors, who really help transport you to 14th century Verona and help bring the authenticity a production as epic as this requires.
The world’s most famous story has been expertly reimagined / Credit: Bill Cooper | Laurent Liotardo
Aside from the dancing, it would be remiss not to praise the expert sets and costuming here from Ezio Frigero and Franca Squarciapino.
And I suppose I should also give a shoutout to little-known name, Rudolf Nureyev, who choreographed this version of Romeo & Juliet all the way back in 1977. Something tells me he would’ve had a great career… I could be wrong, though.
Romeo & Juliet really is one of the most tragic love stories of all time, and the power of that is not lost through dance. It’s still as raw and heartbreaking in this production as it always is.
And that is truly a credit to every single person forming part of it – both on the stage and off.
ENB’s Romeo & Juliet is now on stage at Manchester Palace Theatre until Sunday 25 October, and you can book your last-minute tickets here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
What's On
Manchester’s smash-hit Pitbull 5km run is back in town this week
Daisy Jackson
A 5km running event where participants dress up as Pitbull is returning to Manchester this week.
Runners will be donning bald caps, drawing on goatees, and shrugging on their suit jackets as they hit the streets for a very silly run.
The Pitbull Party Run has been organised again this year by Slow Run Club, and Run the Street MCR, who’ll be spurring runners on with plenty of daftness inspired by the man himself.
It’s part of a series of shakeout events taking place all week before the 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness.
The 5km shake-out run will be soundtracked by non-stop Pitbull party anthems from warm-up all the way through the run to the cool-down.
Last year’s event proved to be a massive hit and had dozens of Pitbull look-a-likes running through the streets – so now they’re hoping to make it even bigger for this year.
Runners will meet outside The Tap House in Circle Square from 6.30pm for a warm-up, ready to run from 7pm.
And all participants will get a free Lucky Saint beer to celebrate finishing the race.
24-Hour Run founder Thomas Lewis said: “We’ve got a great programme of events lined up across Greater Manchester.
“These shakeout events are all about bringing local running communities together while spreading the word about the 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness in November.
“The Pitbull party run got a great reception last year, and we’re delighted to be teaming up with Run The Streets MCR and Slow Run Club to put on this event again.”
The Manchester 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness is a charity relay challenge that invites runners of all abilities to take part in a continuous 24-hour relay made up of a 5km loop repeated throughout the 24 hours.
Runners can join for as little or as much as they like, whether it’s one lap or 20. The event takes place from midday on Wednesday 11 November to midday Thursday 12 November.
The 24-Hour Run supports the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity’s A Bed Every Night scheme, and last year saw cumulative distance of over 16,000 km covered and raised over £70,000 for the charity.
Tickets for the Pitbull Party Run are £3, which all goes to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to support The Manchester 24 Hour Run’s goal of £100,000.
Georgina Pellant -
29th June 2021 
