After a 10-month hiatus live theatre will return to Manchester’s arts and theatre complex HOME in September.
The venue has announced shows featuring over 120 regional, national and international artists in more than 30 shows and digital commissions. Several shows will have a mix of socially distanced and full-capacity performances, and the venue’s second theatre space will also see its first performances since the start of the pandemic.
The productions include Rhum and Clay’s The War of the Worlds, The Lemon Table, starring Ian McDiarmid, and a new adaptation of Christie Watson’s NHS memoir, The Language of Kindness. The season also includes festivals of new work and digital commissions, the latter on a specially-commissioned online platform, Homescreen.
The season also includes shows that Covid denied a chance to appear at HOME, new commissions and the return of some HOME favourites, including Bourgeois and Maurice, Le Gateau Chocolat and Hofesh Shechter.
Priority ticket booking will be available for HOME Friends from July 30, and members from August 2. Tickets will go on general sale from August 3. Several shows will have a mix of socially distanced and full capacity performances, to provide post-pandemic options for the wary.
HOME CEO Dave Moutrey said: “I’m delighted to announce the return of live theatre to our building. We were absolutely determined to give artists whose work had been cancelled or postponed the chance to bring their shows to the stage, and many of the works this season are among those we were planning to host last year. Our programming team has also found great new work.”
Some coronavirus safety measures, including additional cleaning, hand sanitiser stations and queue management, will stretch into the autumn, and while most shows will play at full capacity, some performances will be socially distanced for audiences who want more space around them.
See the full season here