HOME to Kick Off Re:play Festival 2015 in January

HOME, the organisation formed by the merger of Manchester's Library Theatre Company and Cornerhouse, presents Re:play Festival 2015, from Monday 12 - Saturday 24 January 2015, at Number One First Street. Now in its ninth year, the annual festival gives audiences a second chance to see the best, the most innovative, and the most talked-about productions from Manchester and Salford's thriving fringe scene.

Established in the city's theatrical calendar as one of the primary showcases for new theatre, Re:play will be an exciting conclusion to HOME's critically acclaimed site-specific season, which started with Angel Meadow in June, before moving on to a spectacular production of Romeo & Juliet in the city's historic Victoria Baths, in September.

The festival will be staged in a specially built pop-up theatre space at Number One First Street, which was the location for three great sell-out touring productions in the season - BEST of BE FESTIVAL, ATC's award-winning The Events, and Riotous Company's Insomnia.

This year's Re:play productions are:

- JB Shorts, four 15-minute short plays written, performed, and directed by some of the city's leading writers, actors, and directors

- War Stories, a unique collaboration by two writers from opposite sides of the world, set during the First World War, presented by 24:7 Theatre Arts in association with Benedict Power

- The Dumb Waiter, a new version of the classic Harold Pinter play presented by Ransack Theatre. In a basement room, Ben and Gus sit and wait for another 'job', but soon realise that this one is unlike any other

- Spur of the Moment, a drama by Anya Reiss about a 12-year-old girl on the verge of womanhood growing up in a dysfunctional family, presented by ALRA (North) and Deaf Dog

- Colder Than Here, where nobody can ignore that Myra is dying, but in the meantime life goes on. A tragicomedy presented by What A Little Bird Told Me Theatre

- Tuesday at Tesco's, in which the central character, Pauline, used to be Paul, and as far as her father is concerned she still is, presented by Tangled Web

- An Evening of Filth and Despair, a one-woman comedy show by Jenny May Morgan. Erotica author Pamela DeMenthe invites an audience to hear her story and present her latest 'masterpiece' Sticky Digits

- The Tongue Twister, a show for all the family about a land where rhyming is banned. Recommended for anyone aged seven upwards, presented by Tangled Web

Re:play has always featured comedy in its programme, and this year we're delighted that one of Manchester's favourite stand-ups, Justin Moorhouse, will host the Re:play Breakthrough Comedian of the Year, featuring five emerging fringe comedians. The festival also includes a work-in-progress rehearsed reading of Two Spirits, last year's Pitch Party winner, which traces the journey of three Sioux warriors whose journey to Salford to take part in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1887 has entered local legend. Writer Chris Hoyle will follow the reading with the screening of a short documentary he made about his trip to South Dakota to research the play.

Tickets for each production are on sale from Monday 24 November, and cost £10 (£8 concessions), except The Tongue Twister £7 (under-16s £5). In addition, you can buy a ticket for one show and get another half-price (excludes The Tongue Twister). Tickets for the rehearsed reading of Two Spirits are free. Box office 0161 200 1500 - http://homemcr.org/production/replay-2015.

All the productions will be presented on the Second Floor, Number One First Street, Manchester M15 4FN. The pop-up theatre features an informal social space, including a bar.

ABOUT HOME - HOME, the new home for the company formed by the merger of Manchester's Library Theatre Company and Cornerhouse, will open as a new multi-art form venue in spring 2015 in the city centre. HOME will commission, produce and present an ambitious programme of provocative contemporary theatre, film, and visual art. It will be a HOME for all, introducing audiences to new and extraordinary experiences and outstanding art while unlocking the creative potential of the city and providing development opportunities for local communities.

HOME theatre is international, interdisciplinary and provocative, centred on a bold vision that encourages risk and collaborative working that explores new ways of making theatre for a contemporary audience.

HOME will include a 500-seat theatre and a 150-seat flexible studio space. It will collaborate and co-produce with international partners. It will also have a 500m2, 4m high gallery space; five cinema screens; digital production and broadcast facilities; a cafe? bar and restaurants.

The new purpose-built centre, designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo and built by Wates Construction, will provide a cultural hub and social space for

Manchester, as well as being a 'making place', producing new and innovative work, with an emphasis on exploration and experimentation. HOME will be the cultural heart of First Street North, a landmark development that marks the latest stage in the hugely successful regeneration of Manchester city centre.

Photo Credit: Graeme Cooper

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