Where were you on 15 June 1996?
Following the sold-out Angel Meadow in 2014 (winner of Best Production & Best Ensemble, Manchester Theatre Awards 2015), ANU and HOME join forces again for another exhilarating experience.
2016 marks the twentieth anniversary of the bombing of Manchester by the Provisional IRA. The bomb, the largest ever detonated in mainland Britain, devastated the city centre, and injured 212 people. On Corporation Street, shaped by testimonies from the people of Manchester, responds to this seismic event, a pivotal moment that transformed the shape of the city.
Experience a series of fearless and personal encounters in this immersive, promenade production. Past, present and future collide, propelling us through landscapes inspired by the memories and myths of Saturday 15 June 1996. Prepare to uncover secrets, surrender your senses and share fragments of the event and its aftermath.
On Corporation Street is the second in a triptych of productions by ANU marking the centenary of Ireland’s Easter Rising.
★★★★ “Performances of riveting intensity… Stunningly acted, absorbing and crammed with vivid human detail. Piercing, compassionate.” – The Times (behind paywall)
“A valuable and poignant look back in wonder at a barbarous moment we shouldn’t let slip from our collective memory.” – The Telegraph
“We are in proximity to the characters. Some are clearly upset; they directly elicit our engagement… [An] emotional blast.” – The Observer
★★★★ “This fascinating new work… When Sonia Hughes explains the banal bureaucracy of the city’s long recovery, in a waiting room that tapers into a galaxy of floating keys for lost homes and businesses, the scene is so surreal, yet so real, that you feel her frustration and despair hot on your cheeks.” – Irish Times
“A promenade piece that gets us up close and personal… ANU have a gorgeous sensibility; an eye for the poetry and the banality of this event.” – What’s On Stage
“There are memorable flashes of verbal and visual wit.” – The Stage
★★★★ “The process and locations bring a feeling of dislocation and dependency to the proceedings. Clearly appropriate in this case… The emotional connection between audience and performer was stark… Impressive.” – Manchester Confidential
★★★★ “Thoughtful and deeply engaging… A powerful theatrical work of art. It all serves to create a fully immersive and interactive environment, unsure of who we will encounter next.” – Upstaged Manchester
“Claustrophobic and tinged with the surreal, the sense is of encroaching on other people’s horror.” – Morning Star
“Director Louise Lowe has created another strong and unworldly production with On Corporation Street.” – Now Then Manchester
“There is some remarkable scenic design (Owen Boss) in the various locations backstage at Home and the coordination of all of the elements of Louise Lowe’s production is extremely impressive.” – British Theatre Guide
“Powerful, moving and intimate.” – The Reviews Hub
“I heard one audience member wondering aloud why ‘all theatre can’t be this immersive and thrilling.’… I know what they mean.” – Manchester Theatre Awards
“Perhaps because that’s what theatre is supposed to do, is required to do: to pick at the seam of your soul, to send you out into the night feeling more alive, even if that comes at a cost. If that’s right, ANU is a theatre company in the truest sense. A moving and thought-provoking night at the theatre… You should go and see On Corporation Street.” – Northern Soul
“[It’s] quite a challenge to set a play based on events twenty years ago in a building barely one year old. But they pretty well pull it off… On Corporation Street [is] all about the emotional response to the place and the people of Manchester. You have to buy into the production, but it can be deeply moving.” – Quiet Man Dave
“Each performer shines in both delivery and characterisation… Another fascinating piece with strong performances and a creative detail that captures a moment in time.” – North West End
“HOME is a centre for visual arts, theatre and film, and On Corporation Street employs all three to make its impact… The sense of claustrophobia is achieved by taking us to the backstage areas of HOME, we would normally never see.” – Weekend Notes
“It was freaking brilliant… An altogether memorable show.” – Within My Locket
“[There] are moments of brilliance and moments of candid reflection that make this an absorbing reaction to a defining event in the city.” – The Fiction Stroker
“A thoroughly thought-provoking experience with convincing performances throughout… A kind of theatre which demands to be seen.” – The Nubian Times
Not sure if On Corporation Street is for you? Have a look and listen at what people have been saying about the show so far…