At the Manchester International Festival, Alexander Vlahos talks about playing Malcolm in Macbeth, a production that sees Kenneth Branagh return to the stage in the title role opposite Alex Kingston as Lady Macbeth, directed by Rob Ashford and performed in a deconsecrated church at a secret location in Manchester.

Also, Hadley Fraser talks about playing chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in The Machine by Matt Charman directed by Donmar Warehouse artistic director Josie Rourke who, despite being Salford-born, has never directed in Manchester before.

The 2013 Manchester International Festival runs from 4 to 21 July. For information about all MIF productions and other events, see www.mif.co.uk.