HOME, Manchester, has this morning announced its exciting new theatre programme for September 2018 to February 2019, celebrating international artists and emerging talent, as well as developing original work across two theatre spaces.
The season will open with the HOME and Lyric Hammersmith co-production of OthelloMacbeth, running in Theatre 1 from 14 to 29 September 2018.
Directed by Jude Christian, OthelloMacbeth is audacious condensed staging of two of Shakespeare’s most brutal and poetic tales of fear, jealousy, power and revenge. Two stories in which powerful men are manipulated into destroying their societies, their households, their loved ones and themselves.
The bold and dynamic new ensemble productions will be performed together by an exciting company of actors examining escalating cycles of violence; abuses of power and the role and nature of the ‘tragic hero’.
OthelloMacbeth is followed by Future Bodies, a newly developed HOME & Unlimited Theatre co-production, in collaboration with RashDash, which runs in the intimate Theatre 2 space from 26 September to 13 October 2018.
Future Bodies is a thrilling exploration of the impact of science on human development and will also be featured as a trailblazer performance at Manchester Science Festival 2018.
Future Bodies is created by Clare Duffy, Helen Goalen, Abbi Greenland, Jon Spooner and Becky Wilkie, written by Clare Duffy and Abbi Greenland, and directed by Helen Goalen and Abbi Greenland.
Directed by Lily Sykes, and presented from a translation by Martin Crimp, HOME will present a fresh new spin on Jean Genet’s radical, subversive and playful modern classic, The Maids, in Theatre 1 from 16 November to 1 December.
Two sisters, Clare and Solange live and work as maids in a grand house in a French city. When the mistress is out, they play an obsessive game of role play. Acting out the power structures which define their lives with great theatricality, the sisters expose a complex relationship of violence, submission, tenderness and erotic tension. As the line between make believe and reality becomes increasingly distorted, it becomes clear that the aim of the game is to murder their mistress.
Alongside Genet’s groundbreaking play, HOME will present France Now, a series of three contrasting performances from the French contemporary theatre scene in Theatre 2 from 27 November to 1 December 2018.
All three plays highlight the charms and challenges of life in France: from a witty and honest play about a young girl afraid to start secondary school, J’ai trop peur (I’m So Scared), to an explosive night of hip hop dance, Ballet Bar, and a dark, dystopian tale from one of the country’s best-selling novelists, Submission.
Following a sold-out run at HOME back in February, Hofesh Shechter Company will return with their brand-new production, SHOW, which runs in Theatre 1 from 31 October to 3 November 2018.
Produced in association with HOME and Lyric Hammersmith, SHOW is a wild and wicked three-act performance revolving around a group of anarchic performers as they play their parts in a macabre circus of comedy, murder and desire.
This Christmas, HOME will host Amsterdam Artist Management‘s award-winning mix of virtuoso live music and energetic physical comedy, Släpstick, in Theatre 1 from 13 to 22 December 2018.
An ode to the timeless comedy of Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and Laurel & Hardy, Släpstick is a perfect blend of dazzling musicianship, lung-bursting physical comedy and heartfelt nostalgia in the true ‘slapstick’ tradition.
Alongside Släpstick, the intimate Theatre 2 will play host to Catherine Wheels‘ playful and highly visual show, White, from 13 to 23 December 2018.
Welcome to the beautifully strange world of White. Full of birdsong and birdhouses, it gleams and dazzles and shines in the night. Two friends look after the birds and make sure the eggs stay safe. We watch, we help. The world is bright, ordered and white.
But high up in the trees, something’s different – everything isn’t white. Colour appears. First red… then yellow… then blue…
Created by Andy Manley, White is a magical show designed for 2 – 4 year olds as a perfect first-time theatre experience.
Following the success of Golem, multi award-winning theatre company 1927 will return to HOME with their landmark production, The Animals and Children Took to the Streets, running in Theatre 1 from 6 to 16 February 2019.
Welcome to the Bayou, a part of the city feared and loathed wherein lies the infamous Bayou Mansions; a sprawling stinking tenement block, where curtain- twitchers and peeping-toms live side by side, and the wolf… is always at the door. When Agnes Eaves and her daughter arrive late one night, does it signal hope in this hopeless place, or has the real horror only just begun?
The Animals and Children Took to the Streets is a dazzlingly innovating work seamlessly synchronising live music, performance and storytelling with stunning films and animation.
Finally, Box of Tricks will present David Judge‘s acclaimed new play, SparkPlug, in Theatre 2 from 13 to 23 February 2019.
An exploration of family, race, identity and love, SparkPlug is the story of a white man who becomes the adoptive father, mother and best friend of a mixed-race child, David.
Manchester, 1982. Dave loves Rod Stewart, Julie and his Ford Capri. He’s all set for a new start. Only Julie’s about to have someone else’s baby. Is Dave ready to become a Dad even though he’s not the father?
Inspired by autobiographical events, SparkPlug is a poetic, energetic one-man show that examines what family means in today’s society.
Alongside its bold, international programme, HOME also continues its ongoing commitment to support and showcase emerging theatre makers and artists.
This includes the return of PUSH Festival, Orbit 2018 and a brand-new talent development programme covering all art-forms – designed to expand the diversity of participants.
Artistic Director Walter Meierjohann said:
“We want theatre at HOME to be as rich, engaging and diverse as the city we live in. My team works tirelessly to provide a programme that mixes innovative artists with timeless stories, across two theatre spaces and many vibrant festivals. Key to this are the exceptional directors and collaborators, and I’m delighted to have two of the best working with us. Jude Christian (OthelloMacbeth) and Lily Sykes (The Maids) are theatre- makers exploding the sexual politics and social hierarchies in these classic plays.”
For more information on the full season, and to book tickets, please Click Here.
