The Manchester International Festival 2013 programme has just been announced, with tickets on sale to the general public from 10am on Friday 1 March. There are a host of new commissions to choose from – with a number of returning faces too. Our pick of the crop includes DFA Records / LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy performing with 2manydjs on Despacio, a bespoke disco set-up in the atmospheric New Century Hall (used for Amadou & Mariam in 2011), the return of radical director Robert Wilson (who directed The Life and Death of Marina Abramovich at MIF 2011) in new work based on Daniil Kharm’s novel, The Old Woman, and starring Willem Dafoe. Manchester Art Gallery is once again home to an innovative programme of live and interactive art as part of a new show called Do It, which runs throughout the festival and features work by the likes of Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas, while MIF art-performer favourites Tino Sehgal and Matthew Barney both make return visits. Sehgal will programme an immersive environment in Mayfield Depot (the long-abandoned train station next to Piccadilly) while Barney will showcase exerpts of his latest film River of Fundament and host a discussion at the Pavilion Theatre. The north’s favourite actress Maxine Peake teams up with Sarah Frankcom (director of the Royal Exchange) for a play at the Albert Hall (see our photo story about this venue) inspired by the Peterloo Massacre of 1816, while others to book for include Mogwai performing a live soundtrack to award-winning arthouse epic Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait plus Manchester Wire favourites Money playing their much-anticipated debut album at the Pavilion in the Albert Square. These newly announced shows join other events including Macbeth starring Kenneth Branagh and a festival-long residency by The xx. Click here for more.
Tickets on sale 10am, Fri 1 Mar via www.mif.co.uk and on 0844 375 2013.
- Words:
- Ruth Allan
- Published on:
- Thu 28 Feb 2013
