HOME has announced it will be recommencing live theatre performances in Manchester from October and an exciting schedule of productions is already lining up.
Live theatre is coming HOME in just a few weeks time.
The last live theatre piece was presented at HOME in March just before the country was placed into lockdown amid the coronavirus COVID-19, and it was recently announced that it the First Street venue would be reopening doors on 4th September, with its five cinemas, bar and restaurant the first to come back.
Announcing in a statement via its website, HOME said it is “delighted” to be returning with a full programme of productions in October.
These are set to including World Premieres from RashDash, David Hoyle and Robin Richards, and Clara Casian, along with the return of critically-acclaimed artists Javaad Alipoor, Sh!t Theatre and Le Gateau Chocolat, among many others.
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Due to necessary social distancing measures, it’s been confirmed that HOME’s 500-seat Theatre 1 has been reduced to a capacity of just 120 to allow space, but despite this, tickets will be priced at just £10 to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to return to the theatre.
HOME / Visit Manchester
Dave Moutrey – HOME’s Director and CEO – believes it is more important than ever for theatre to be both accessible and risk-taking. He said: “Following the incredible response to our opening weekend announcement, I’m pleased to be able to unveil a theatre season starting in October that includes brand new work, boundary-pushing ideas and some of our favourite artists.
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“Much has changed since we closed in March, but we must do all we can to bridge the potential growth in social inequality as a result to this pandemic.
This is why, despite limited capacity due to social distancing, we will make every ticket available for no more than £10 [and] in addition, we will give equal weight to delivering work online, to ensure that audiences who cannot return just yet can still engage with new, relevant work.”
He continued: “The international social and political fabric has been ripped apart in the period since we closed, and it is more important than ever that we provide a platform for great art to reflect this.
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“We are proud to be presenting every one of these works, old and new.”
HOME Manchester / Paul Karalius
During the period of closure during lockdown though, HOME did continue to work online by presenting new artist commissions in theatre and visual art, hosting film streams and director Q&As, and supporting artists through digital workshops.
The good news is, for those who do not feel ready to return to a live theatre environment just yet, this digital service is set to continue and the line-up is no less impressive.
The people of Manchester can also expect screenings of new releases, 4k restorations, titles the HOME film team loved, but which missed their opportunity to be seen on the big screen due to lockdown, a series of digital book launch events, and an announcement on the Autumn exhibition in HOME’s gallery – which is set to follow in the next few weeks.
HOME’s annual PUSH Festival will also return in January 2021 and will be extended to run for a month from late January and into February (Monday 18th January – Saturday 6th February).
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You can find more information about the commencing of live theatre via the HOME website here.
Full information on social distancing and the COVID-safe measures which will be in place at HOME upon reopening next month can also be found here.
What's On
Manchester’s iconic inflatable monsters are set to invade the city centre again this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of huge inflatable monsters are set to invade Manchester next month, as Halloween returns to the city for 2024.
Yes, it’s that time of year yet again… the monsters are back.
After several years of looming over Manchester‘s most-notable rooftops and lurking around famous city centre sites, it’s been revealed that the iconic MCR Monsters will be returning for another year of spooky celebrations next month, along with loads of other terrifying tricks and treats – with something for the whole family to get involved with.
Organisers CityCo and Manchester BID are gearing up to “roll out the blood-red carpet” for its legendary and monstrous guests in a couple of weeks time.
This year’s annual Halloween in the City celebrations will kick off with a week-long colourful invasion of the MCR Monsters, before being followed by a two-day family festival across the city’s popular shopping destinations.
Halloween is returning to the city for loads of spooky celebrations next month / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Crawling their way back into the city from Friday 25 October through to Halloween itself on Thursday 31 October, the epic MCR Monsters inflatable art trail – which is created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas – will be taking over leading locations like Manchester Arndale, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Corn Exchange, and New Century, with many more sites set to be announced soon.
A brand-new monster called ‘The Leech’ will be heading to town to join to celebrations this year, alongside some other spookily-similar faces from years’ past.
Buildings across the city will also be turning a ghoulish green once the night falls, while you can also expect to see thousands of little pumpkin lanterns adorning the city’s streets once again.
There’ll be something for all the family to / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Some of the other fan-favourite events on the jam-packed Halloween in the City lineup confirmed to be returning this year are the ‘Monsters Rock! Music Festival’, with spooky live bands and DJs, as well as gruesome games and competitions, the popular ‘Team Trick v Team Treat’ fancy dress challenge, and the hair-raising monster procession ‘Rock! Party Procession’ – which will feature giant puppet monsters, stilt walkers, and a live band marching their way through Manchester Arndale and on Market Street.
Thousands of families are expected to come into the city centre dressed in their scariest costumes over Halloween weekend on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October.
Jane Sharrocks, who is the Chair of Manchester BID, said Manchester is set to transform into the “ultimate Halloween playground” this year, and that organisers are planning 2024 to be the “most thrilling year yet”.
“As the first UK city to host these incredible creatures, Manchester has become the ultimate Halloween destination,” Jane added.
Halloween in the City officially returns to Manchester on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, with the monsters descending from Friday 25 October and the pumpkins potentially even earlier, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – CityCo (via Supplied)
What's On
Cultplex’s annual horror film festival returns to GRUB next month
Danny Jones
A much-loved staple of Manchester’s spooky season is returning this autumn as the STAB Season film festival lands back at Cultplex next month.
Part of GRUB over at Red Bank, Cultplex is one of the best small-screen cinemas and hidden gems full stop to be found in the city centre; as the name would suggest, they celebrate fan favourite films, video games, cool nerd stuff and all things culty.
And don’t worry, by culty we mean the stuff people are obsessed with – there’s no risk of stumbling across old people donning hooded cloaks like in Hot Fuzz or anything, we promise.
However, that film is a very good example of the kind of fandom this Manchester ‘mini-cini’ champions, and this October it will once again be taken over by a whole host of horror movies and more as part of the month-long festival.
Promising to deliver “a month of sinister cinema that isn’t for the faint of heart” and be “the biggest yet”, the 2024 STAB Film Season over at Cultplex kicks off on Wednesday, 2 October and doesn’t stop until the start of November.
With this year’s lineup featuring sci-fi and supernatural classics such as The Exorcist (1973) and Alien (1979) – and that’s just the double-bill they’ve booked in for Halloween night – as well as full-on movie marathons, special spooky one-offs and other events.
We’re talking quizzes, Q&A and binging of TV box sets just to name a few. Basically, it’s going to be equal parts terrifying and terrific.
Kicking off the city’s longest-lasting horror movie festival with their annual airing of 1974’s locally-shot-yet-criminally-underseen The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (now THAT is what you call a cult film), before swinging headlong into Wes Craven’s hit slasher franchise Scream and Korean zombie hit Train to Busan (2016), this thing is going to move at a mile a minute.
It’ll be Halloween before you know it. You can find the full STAB Film Season 2024 line-up below:
Date
What’s on at STAB Film Season – Cultplex @ GRUB
Wednesday, 2 October
19:30 – The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)
Thursday, 3 October
20:30 – Sprechen: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari + live score
13:30 – The Addams Family (1991) 16:00 – The Blob (1988) 19:00 – Zombie All-Nighter ft. Train to Busan (2016), Return of the Living Dead (1985), REC (2007) and Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
Sunday, 13 October
16:00 – Interview With The Vampire (1994)
Wednesday, 16 October
19:30 – Halloween Quiz Show
Friday, 18 October
18:00 – Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004 — and our pick of the bunch*)
Sunday, 20 October
13:00 – TRASHFEST with Andrew Leovald Q&A 16:00 – CULT CLUB: The Mummy (1999)
Wednesday, 23 October
19:30 – GASP: Suspiria (1977)
Thursday, 24 October
19:30 – MAGHOUL (amateur video game night – but scary)
13:00 – A Lovely Time: The Simpsons ‘Treehouse of Horror’ Quiz 13:30 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 16:00 – In The Mouth of Madness (1994) + Nick Helm Podcast 20:00 – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) for Freddy K’s 40th B-Day Party
Sunday, 27 October
13:00 – Movie Church: Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 16:00 – Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout (1990) 19:00 – Tetsuo The Iron Man (1989)
Wednesday, 30 October
19:30 – Arrow Film Club: Ju-on The Grudge (2002)
Thursday, 31 October – HALLOWEEN!
19:30 – Double-bill: The Exorcist (1973) + Alien (1979)
Halloween and horror fans won’t need convincing on this one, you already know the drill.
You can expect all this and loads more surprises we wouldn’t dare spoil for you when STAB Film Season kicks off at Cultplex next month.
And the best part is, you’re already at GRUB, so proper good food and drink is right on your doorstep. Just try not to throw it all in the air when the jumpscares start.
Full-season listings can be found HERE with tickets for all events available to book now – if you’re brave enough. It’s not the only thing fright fans can look forward to this year either…
Emily Sergeant -
27th August 2020 
