HOME welcomes you to a double-bill performance from two of Manchester’s most exciting theatre companies, exploring our city and its people.
This Is Where We Are, Not Where We Always Have To Be
By Take Back Theatre
We’re in Piccadilly Gardens, It’s a hot day, People sit, People wait, People walk, People drink lattes, People beg, Children play, They run in and around the fountains. It’s about midday, By 1.15pm, their world will change forever.
Award winning theatre collective Take Back invite you to a new play, This Is Where We Are (longlisted in the top 40 for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2017) about an incident in Piccadilly Gardens.
This is a play for our city.
The Manchester Project
By Monkeywood Theatre
Oh Manchester, is wonderful…
Being Mancunian has always been a huge part of Monkeywood’s identity. Now they are trying to find out what that means…
Monkeywood have commissioned 19 astounding Mancunian writers to write 19 tiny but titanic new plays exploring Manchester and its people. The plays take us from Moss Side to Middleton, Flixton to Failsworth, Droylsden to Didsbury and ask, when we push the clichés aside, what does it really mean to be part of this city?
The award winning Monkeywood Theatre bring this tapestry of Manchester and Mancunians back to HOME after its sell-out premiere in January 2018 and ahead of its performances on the National Theatre’s River Stage in July.
“Martin Gibbons’ production is spare and simple, wisely letting the words paint the locations.” – The Guardian
★★★★½ “It’s a cross between a between a map of Manchester and a beehive, attempting to unite the various areas of the city together… Despite a contrast of writers and voices, all the plays connect well together.” – The Reviews Hub (The Manchester Project)
★★★★½ “An inspired double-bill… Powered by a thrilling sense of place and immediacy… Overflowing with love of Manchester and, crucially, love of the people who live and work here… It’s rather perfect that it should take place at HOME.” – Manchester Theatre Awards
“A play with great meaning… Leaves the spectator questioning their own judgements within life and what roles people play… A play for our city, a heartfelt, northern, real spectacular.” – Reviewer Number 9 (This Is Where We Are, Not Where We Always Have To Be)
“Productions such as this are part of the rich tapestry that makes Manchester’s theatre a vibrant and celebrated landscape… A double bill of shows that celebrates what it is to be Mancunian, telling stories that look at the social and political consequences on communities in Manchester… HOME Manchester deserve credit for supporting the local scene.” – Caught in the Act
★★★★ “Accessible and inclusive… Thought-provoking and powerful, simply presented but hard hitting… Driven by strong writing and compelling acting.” – North West End
★★★★ “A pleasurable and fast 50 minutes” – Northern Soul
“Director Martin Gibbons has done a great job in ensuring variety of style and pace, mixing serious pieces with humour.” – British Theatre Guide
★★★★ “I loved it… This isn’t just a show about the people that have written it, it is about you and me.” – Caught in the Act
“A warm tribute to the city and those who live and work there and in the surrounding area.” – Manchester Theatre Awards
“A heartfelt and funny look at Manchester’s ever-changing landscape of footie, music, marvellous Mancs, and newcomers to the city… Has a quiet intensity due to the wonderful writing and terrific turns.” – I Love Manchester
“Glorious. Like the honey from a bee it is a sticky, messy, sweet and golden stream that glues us together as Mancunians.” – Live Art Alive
“Manchester-based, Manchester-proud Monkeywood Theatre’s theatrical ode to their city… an interesting and quirky idea.” – The Manchester Salon
“Honest and authentic… Thoroughly engaging and entertaining… Terrific.” – Unrestricted Views
Schedule:
- This Is Where We Are, Not Where We Always Have To Be, by Take Back Theatre
- The Manchester Project, by Monkeywood Theatre Company.