HOME (Manchester)


HOME is a centre for international contemporary art, theatre and film in Manchester, England, that opened in 2015.
HOME was formed by the merger of two Manchester-based arts organisations, Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company.
The project was funded by Manchester City Council and the Garfield Weston Foundation. Arts Council England HOME operates under a service contract with Manchester City Council to provide social benefit to the community.
In 2014, filmmaker Danny Boyle became a patron, along with actress and comedian Meera Syal, director Nicholas Hytner, novelist and poet Jackie Kay, filmmaker Asif Kapadia, actress Suranne Jones, artist Phil Collins and visual artist Rosa Barba.

History

In April 2012, Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company announced they were to merge. The project has been overseen by Dave Moutrey, former Director and Chief Executive of Cornerhouse, with Sarah Perks as Artistic Director for Visual Arts, Jason Wood 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. From 2014 it began operating as part of HOME before moving into the arts centre in May 2015.

Buildings

HOME occupies a site in First Street, Manchester. HOME has 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. 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.

Programme

HOME will commission, produce and present a programme of contemporary theatre, film, and visual art. The programme will feature new commissions, international collaborations, off-site and interdisciplinary productions, with an emphasis on innovative visual storytelling and cross-art form collaboration.