MIF Originals

The final episode of MIF Originals explores if (and how) poetry and dance can combine to create something original. Isaiah Hull, our host for this series, was one of four poets that co-wrote the production Alphabus. Working with three dancers from the New York company Flexn and three dancers from Manchester they created a new show for MIF19 that combined poetry and movement to tell the story of a child rebelling against his father, based on the myth of Icarus and Daedalus. Enlisting the help of Billie Meredith, a fellow poet and Yandass Ndlovu, a dancer in the show, Isaiah breaks down some of the processes that they used and questions - were they successful at creating something original? Hosted by Isaiah Hull Music by Vicky Clarke and Epic B Produced by Rebecca Gaskell A Reduced Listening and Manchester International Festival production

Can you imagine a world in which animals of all kinds, including humans, live together as equals? For the final weekend of Manchester International Festival, a team of artists worked together with local children to create a zone of interspecies equality in Whitworth Park. Led by the child ambassadors, this podcast explores how we can live better alongside other animals and asks - what can we learn from them? This is a podcast for ALL animals. Featuring lead artist Sibylle Peters of Hamburg’s Theatre of Research and curator Lois Keidan from the Live Art Development Agency, plus contributions from artists Angela Bartram and Katharina Duve.  This podcast could not have been made without the children and animals of Manchester - a big thank you to Jonas, Amar, Abdullah, Kitty, Willem, Tabrez, Awais, Mustafa, Grace, Emmett, Martha and Dexter, Dolly, George and Diane, Archie and Sami, Carly and Tricia, Petal the cow and Cheeseburger the budgie. Music by Martin Rach and Vicky Clarke.   Hosted by Isaiah Hull. Produced by Katie Callin.  A Reduced Listening and Manchester International Festival production. 

Welcome to your first day at the School of Integration. This episode is all about sharing knowledge across cultural divides. When people arrive in a new country they are usually expected to learn the customs and languages of the host culture, but what if the tables were turned? Cuban artist Tania Bruguera acknowledges that integration is a two-way street and gives us the chance to learn from people who have moved to Manchester and made it their home. On the curriculum are lessons by the Congolese drummer and community leader Pat Mackela, who asks is marriage a topic for the 21st Century? Mei Yuk Wong, an artist from Hong Kong discusses the art of protest, and Iranian writer Shahireh Sharif shares the forward thinking insights of Shahnameh, an epic Persian poem written over a thousand years ago. Don’t forget your homework! Hosted by Isaiah Hull. Music by Vicky Clarke. Produced by Rebecca Gaskell. A Reduced Listening and Manchester International Festival production.

What would you ask your hero?  Phelim McDermott, director and co-founder of Improbable Theatre, is making a stage show with Philip Glass - his long-term hero and creative inspiration. After years of following Glass from afar Phelim now has the chance to meet him, and to ask whatever he wants. The only problem is that Phelim has no idea what to ask.   In search of the perfect question, Phelim explores his dreams, dredges up memories and speaks to those who know him best, going to the very core of where ideas come from.  Including contributions from Matilda McDermott, Ridley McDermott and co-director Kirsty Housley.   Music by Philip Glass and Vicky Clarke.   Hosted by Isaiah Hull. Produced by Eliza Lomas. A Reduced Listening and Manchester International Festival production.  Tickets are still available for Tao of Glass, open at the Royal Exchange Theatre until Saturday 20 July. 

As long as he's been a novelist, Adam Thirlwell has been thinking about translation. In Episode 1 of MIF Originals, a new podcast series from Manchester International Festival, Adam looks for answers to some of the questions that have troubled him. Is it possible for literature to be truly international? Who and where is your best reader? How much is endangered and risked when language is translated? What is the original, and what is the copy? And how could radio be made multilingual? We strongly recommend that you listen to this episode in headphones. Contributors include writer Alejandro Zambra and international lawyer Philippe Sands. With music from Vicky Clarke and Mira Calix. Hosted by Isaiah Hull. Produced by Jack Howson. A Reduced Listening and Manchester International Festival production.

Is it still possible to be original?  MIF Originals is a new podcast series where we invite artists developing new work for Manchester International Festival 2019 to design their own audio adventure, investigating what it means to be original. Hosted by the poet Isaiah Hull, MIF Originals kicks off on Wednesday 3 July with award-winning author Adam Thirlwell, exploring the creativity of translation. With a new episode released every Wednesday throughout July, join us each week to hear from Tania Bruguera, Phelim McDermott, Hardeep Pandhal and the artists behind Animals of Manchester (including HUMANZ). Commissioned by Manchester International Festival. Produced by Reduced Listening and Manchester International Festival.   Music: Vicky Clarke, Ariel