Major new Manchester arts venue opens with Danny Boyle Matrix inspired spectacular
Video by ITV Granada Reports Correspondent Rob Smith
A major new arts venue in Manchester on the site of the former Granada Television Studios opened with a spectacular show from Oscar winning director Danny Boyle.
The world premiere of Free Your Mind, sees the iconic 1999 film The Matrix reimagined as a live show.
Danny Boyle's Matrix-inspired show to open Manchester's Factory International in 2023
Bury born Boyle has created the piece with choreographer Kenrick "H2O" Sandy, composer Michael "Mikey J" Asante, set designer Es Devlin and writer Sabrina Mahfouz.
Danny Boyle and Mikey J Asante at the Aviva Studios chatting on Granada Reports
The show features 50 professional dancers and marks the start of the venue's first season as home of Factory International, the organisation that runs Manchester International Festival (MIF), who will operate and programme the venue.
The £240 million project is being billed as one of the most important cultural developments in Europe and is the biggest new arts destination to open in the UK for years.
At 13,350 square metres in size, the building has huge, flexible spaces that can be configured by moving walls to fit any size of performance.
Manchester arts venue to be named Aviva Studios following company's multimillion-pound investment
Following Free Your Mind, Aviva Studios will host The Welcome, a nine-day programme of music, circus, art and fashion developed by Greater Manchester residents to allow people to celebrate the new cultural space in November.
In December, Manchester music legend Johnny Marr will star in a two night show with an orchestra made up of northern musicians.
Timelapse footage shows the construction of the studio space which began in 2019. Credit: Aviva Studios
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International, said: “I’m so excited and proud to be welcoming audiences to the official opening of our magnificent new home.
"At every stage in imagining and building this extraordinary space, we have focused on creating new possibilities–for artists to let their imaginations fly, for citizens of Manchester and the world to meet and dream, and for people of all ages and backgrounds to build skills and gain experience.
"Our official opening production, the Matrix-inspired Free Your Mind has been created especially for this moment by an incredible team, alongside an extraordinary mix of dancers, creatives and local participants, and is uniquely designed to showcase the versatility and ambition of the space.
"We can’t wait to welcome you all to experience it!”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said:“Today is a landmark moment for culture not just in Manchester but the North of England and indeed the UK as a whole.
"This internationally-important venue, extraordinary in its scale and ambition, will open up a world of possibilities for people in this city–inspiring creativity and nurturing careers in the arts.
"As a major new visitor destination, Aviva Studios will also create and support a great many jobs and add to the vibrancy which makes Manchester such an exciting city."
It is estimated the new venue will support up to 1500 new jobs and bring a billion pound uplift to the city's economy in its first decade.
£10 tickets will be available for all shows as part of an affordable pricing strategy that will see discounted tickets for Manchester communities.
More than 230,000 people have already visited the venue since it opened in Summer 2023.
Want more on the issues affecting the North? Our podcast, From the North answers the questions that matter to our region.