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HOME (Manchester)

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Coordinates: 53°28′25″N 2°14′48″W / 53.4736°N 2.2467°W / 53.4736; -2.2467
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HOME
HOME seen from Tony Wilson Square
General information
Type
LocationFirst Street,
Manchester,
Greater Manchester,
England
Construction started2013
Completed24 April 2015
Inaugurated21 May 2015
Cost£25 million
Design and construction
Architect(s)Mecanoo
Website
homemcr.org

HOME is an arts centre, cinema and theatre complex in Manchester, England.[1] With five cinemas, two theatres and 500 m2 (5,400 sq ft) of gallery space, it is one of the few arts organisations to commission, produce and present work across film, theatre and visual art.[citation needed]

History

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Cornerhouse in September 2016

The centre was formed by the merger of two Manchester-based arts organisations, Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company.[2]

The project was funded by Manchester City Council, the Garfield Weston Foundation[3] and Arts Council England.[4][5] HOME operates under a service contract with Manchester City Council to provide social benefit to the community.[6]

The project was overseen by Dave Moutrey,[7] former director and chief executive of Cornerhouse, with Sarah Perks as artistic director for visual arts, Jason Wood[8] as artistic director for film and Walter Meierjohann as artistic director for theatre.

The Library Theatre occupied most of the basement of Manchester Central Library and was the home of the Library Theatre Company, a Manchester City Council service. The library was built in 1934 and the theatre was originally a lecture theatre that since 1952 had been used by the theatre company. From 2010, the Library Theatre Company began performing at The Lowry arts centre in Salford.[9] From 2014, it began operating as part of HOME before moving into the arts centre in May 2015.[10]

In 2014, filmmaker Danny Boyle became a patron,[11] along with actress and comedian Meera Syal,[12] director Nicholas Hytner, novelist and poet Jackie Kay, filmmaker Asif Kapadia, actress Suranne Jones, artist Phil Collins[13] and visual artist Rosa Barba.[14]

Buildings

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HOME occupies a site on First Street, Manchester. There are two performance venues - a 500-seat theatre and 150-seat flexible studio space - five cinema screens, gallery space to display contemporary art, café bar and restaurant.

Main theatre

The centre is part of the development of a creative quarter in the city. The arts centre was designed by Mecanoo Architects based in Delft, Netherlands.[15]

Operations

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HOME is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, registered as "Greater Manchester Arts Centre Limited" with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.[16]

In 2019, HOME was one of the most popular attractions in Manchester with c. 900,000 visits,[17] and Lonely Planet voted it one of the top 500 experiences in the UK ("one of Britain's best arts centres").[18] In 2021, HOME was named in the top 10 of TimeOut's 50 Best Cinemas in the UK and Ireland.[19]

HOME welcomes over 650,000 visits per year with an annual programme that typically features over 10,000 events including:[citation needed]

  • 6,500 cinema screenings
  • 350 theatre performances
  • 20 exhibitions
  • 3,500 sessions through engagement, participation and talent development

HOME works with international and UK artists to produce work including drama, dance, film and contemporary visual art with a strong focus on Manchester, international work, new commissions, education, informal learning and talent development.

HOME trains all staff to be carbon literacy champions,[20] as well as undertaking a range of activities to reduce environmental impacts, winning the award for 'Promotion of Environmental Sustainability' at the Manchester Culture Awards 2019.[21]

In April 2024, HOME cancelled, and then re-instated, an event entitled Voices of Resilience, featuring Palestinian writing and poetry and readings by Kingsley Ben-Adir, Maxine Peake, Kamila Shamsie and Shamshad Khan amongst others.[22] Citing "recent publicity and security concerns" as rationale for cancellation, over 300 artists and cultural workers wrote to demand HOME reconsider their stance. The event happened 22 April 2024 without incident.[23]

Foyer
Exterior

References

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  1. ^ "Home Manchester | Manchester Theatre | The Skinny". theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  2. ^ Helen Nugent and Helen Carter, "Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company in 25m arts merger", The Guardian, 1 May 2012.
  3. ^ HOME Frequently asked questions
  4. ^ Jennifer Williams, "The £5,5m grant that will bring arts back HOME to city centre", Manchester Evening News, 3 April 2013.
  5. ^ HOME Supporters
  6. ^ "The Guardian view of cultural cities", The Guardian, 16 February 2015.
  7. ^ Nancy Groves, "Arts head: Dave Moutrey, director and chief executive, Home", The Guardian , 2 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Jason Wood is latest appointment at Home", Arts Professional, 30 October 2014.
  9. ^ Library Theatre Company About Us
  10. ^ "Manchester arts hub HOME to open on 21 May 2015", The Skinny, 26 November 2014.
  11. ^ Stage New Manchester venue Home appoints Danny Boyle as patron
  12. ^ Glenn Meads, "Meera Syal new HOME Patron", What's on Stage, 13 August 2014.
  13. ^ Manchester Evening News: Suranne Jones to be patron of HOME
  14. ^ David Chadderton, "Suranne Jones and Rosa Barba", British Theatre Guide, 22 May 2014.
  15. ^ Nicola Merrifield, "New name for £19m merged Manchester arts organisation", The Stage, 28 September 2012.
  16. ^ "Greater Manchester Arts Centre Limited - Charity 514719". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  17. ^ "HOME Annual Review 2020/2021" (PDF). Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  18. ^ Heward, Emily (13 August 2019). "The top Manchester attractions in Lonely Planet's UK travel guide". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  19. ^ "The 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  20. ^ "HOME Manchester: Carbon Pioneers". Julie's Bicycle. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  21. ^ Black, Maya (14 November 2019). "The winners of the Manchester Culture Awards 2019 revealed". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  22. ^ "A statement on Voices of Resilience". HOME. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  23. ^ Siddique, Haroon (2 April 2024). "Artists call on Manchester venue to reinstate event celebrating Palestinian voices". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
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53°28′25″N 2°14′48″W / 53.4736°N 2.2467°W / 53.4736; -2.2467

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