On 29 September 2022, Manchester International Festival officially announced its plans for the opening of its new permanent performance venue, to be called Factory International, in the St John’s area of Manchester city centre.

BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to John E McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of both Manchester International Festival and Factory International, about what the new building would provide for Manchester and the international arts scene, as well as about the opening production, Free Your Mind, a stage adaptation of the film The Matrix directed by Danny Boyle with a script by Sabrina Mahfouz, music by Mikey J Asante, choreography by Kenrick Sandy and design by Es Devlin.

Following this, you can follow us on a tour of the building led by lead architect Ellen van Loon of OMA and Creative Director Low Kee Hong.

Free Your Mind will run from 18 October to 5 November 2023, and tickets are now on sale.

(Photo of John E McGrath at the Factory International Launch, credit: James Speakman / PA Wire)