We set out our artistic stall with a Bank Holiday weekend’s worth of theatre, art, film, music, premieres – and the unexpected. Susie Stubbs selects some highlights…
Manchester has had its fair share of cultural openings of late. Central Library last year, the Whitworth earlier this year. But for anyone concerned that such openings come but once a year, fear not. Come May, HOME marks its opening with five days’ worth of celebrations – staged over the May Bank Holiday weekend – that it is calling a HOMEwarming.
“It’s our first opportunity to bring all the artforms together in one programme, and to start to show what we can do as HOME,” says Director and Chief Executive, Dave Moutrey. With that in mind, here’s our run-down of some of the best that’s on between 21 and 25 May.
1) Exploring and discovering.
The number one priority for many will be to have a good look around the new building, its 500-seat theatre, five cinemas, galleries, shop and bar. It’s also a chance to look around what is, in effect, a new part of the city: the public square, bars, hotel and offices that make up First Street. The weekend thus kicks off with an outdoor focus – with a “funfair fanfare”, an after work, outdoor event that features Brazilian-inspired carnival arts troupe, Juba do Leão, a fire, light and pyrotechnic performance from the pa-Boom co-operative, and a guest appearance from HOME patron, the filmmaker Danny Boyle (21 May, 17.00-18.30). Backstage and building tours will also be on offer over the weekend.
2) Thinking about love, and art.
HOME’s first exhibition is all about love – or, more specifically, lost love and what it is to be in a relationship during turbulent, uncertain times. The heart is deceitful above all things opens on Friday 22 May. Take an evening to explore a show that includes both new and existing work from artists such as Jeremy Bailey and Douglas Coupland. There’s also a chance to see the premiere of Rosa Barba’s Subconscious Society, an artist’s film made in Manchester, or the latest film work from LA artist Stanya Kahn. Elsewhere, debate bubbles up with a series of daily panel talks; billed as “The Review Show meets Loose Women”, artists and special guests unpick love and heartbreak. Or get an insight into what makes the visual arts tick at HOME with Open House, a talk chaired by Northern Soul arts editor, Helen Nugent and including Artistic Director for Visual Arts, Sarah Perks and artist Jeremy Bailey.
3) Doing something unexpected.
The joy of HOME will be the nooks and crannies where artforms intersect – which brings us to some of its more unexpected happenings. Try the adaptation of 1962 film Carnival of Souls. Here, the film is played back via wireless headsets – there are no images, only sound – or try the world premiere of Lonesome, a 1928 black and white film accompanied by a new live score, created by musicians from RNCM and Dutch Uncles songwriter, Robin Richards. “Lonesome shows how we bring film and music together, working with the city’s most innovative musical talent to reimagine historic footage and put it into a contemporary context,” says Artistic Director for Film, Jason Wood. That theme continues with Celluloid History Songs, where singer-songwriter Josephine performs against a montage of archive films.
4) Getting theatrical.
There’s no denying that one of HOME’s biggest draws comes courtesy of its theatre – and the world premiere of The Funfair. This version of Ödön von Horváth’s hidden masterpiece Kasimir and Karoline has been written by the Olivier Award-winning playwright, Simon Stephens. His credits include National Theatre production, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; the play sets the theme for HOME’s opening programme. “We’re planning an eclectic mix of plays, commissioning new writing and new translations and adaptations,” says Artistic Director for Theatre, Walter Meierjohann. “Sitting so closely to the best of world cinema and visual arts, our theatre work will have strong visual ambitions.”
To find out more about what theatre means at HOME, try a backstage tour of the new theatres, an in conversation with Meierjohann and his theatre team or the theatre season launch, chaired by the ebullient writer, DJ and historian Dave Haslam.
5) Enjoying film.
There are some things that don’t change so much as get better. So it is with HOME’s opening film programme, which features a mix of documentary, such as Wim Wenders’ The Salt of the Earth, artist and foreign language films – try Ukrainian flick, The Tribe – and classics. There’s the premiere of John MacLean’s directorial debut Slow West (starring Michael Fassbender) with a live Q&A with the director and a series of films that riff on the theme of the funfair. Tod Browning’s Freaks is a great example, an uncompromising 1930s film that features a travelling circus, an attempted murder and a trapeze artist. Of course, no Manchester opening would be complete without a few local references. Those come in the form of two films – 24 Hour Party People and East is East. “Both signal the contribution Manchester has made to contemporary music and culture,” says Jason Wood, “and they signify in a wider sense our aim to represent the city on screen and to support British filmmakers.”
6) Taking the kids.
The new HOME looks set to be as much for young people as it will be for older cultural connoisseurs – as the First Street Party ably demonstrates. A family-focused day of art, music, food and theatre, it includes The Whale, a metal creature that swallows small people for a three-minute theatre performance (don’t worry, it spits them out again). Inside, another micro-performance comes in the shape of The Incredible Book Eating Boy – a piece of film-meets-puppetry performed for just two people (a parent and a child) at a time – while an interactive screening of 1980s classic, Big, brings the Tom Hanks-fronted comedy to life for a younger audience.
“Our HOMEwarming is about introducing both the building and our programme to the people of Manchester, and to all of our audiences, friends and neighbours,” says director Dave Moutrey – and whether it’s the whale or the appearance of Danny Boyle, the films, tales of love lost, theatre premiere or the fireworks that get you excited, you’ve got to admit – the HOMEwarming is some introduction.
The HOMEwarming Weekend takes place Thu 21 May – Mon 25 May 2015. Find more information and book tickets here.