HOME Manchester has announced a resumption of live indoor theatre – albeit with much reduced capacity – from October. The theatre’s cinema, bars and restaurant will reopen first, from September 4.
Live theatre will return from October 13 with a special one-off show, Working from Home, presented by resident company Young Identity – a collection of poems looking back over their work over HOME’s first five years.
From October 21-24, Fringe First award-winning trio RashDash will present the world premiere of Don’t Go Back To Sleep, a musical collaboration about life in lockdown.
More shows are scheduled for a reasonably full winter season up to January (see the full schedule here).
HOME last presented live theatre in March, before the forced closure due to COVID-19. Since then the compex has presented a series of online works and events.
From October for the forseeable future the main auditorium will have its 500-seat capacity reduced to 120 to allow for social distance. To lure fans back, ticket prices will be only £10.
HOME director and CEO Dave Moutrey said, “Much has changed since we closed in March, but we must do all we can to bridge the potential growth in social inequality as a result of the pandemic. This is why we will make every ticket available for no more than £10.
"We will also give equal weight to delivering work online, to ensure audiences who can’t return just yet can still engage with new work.
“The international social and political fabric has been ripped apart since March, and it is more important than ever that we provide a platform to reflect this. We are proud to be presenting every one of these works, old and new. “
Tickets for this year’s shows will go on sale to the general public on September 18, though friends, members, NHS staff and key workers will get priority booking. More info here.