Manchester International Festival’s (MIF) free online programme – MIF LIVE – continues on 1 May with a piece from director Ivo van Hove. Titled Re:Creating Europe, the work was originally performed at the festival in 2019.
Described as, “an exploration of Europe through the words that have defined its history”, the cast includes Juliet Stevenson, Adjoa Andoh, Christopher Eccleston, Lemn Sissay, and Michael Morpurgo. MIF will stream Re:Creating Europe on its YouTube channel at 7.30pm.
“I have lived my life in the shadow and aftermath of great European wars, and in the hope and expectation of a new Europe that was rising out of the ashes of war and suffering,” said children’s writer Morpurgo, as he reflected on his experience in Re:Creating Europe.
“I belong to a family of nations learning to work together, trade together, to be together, a family determined to turn swords into ploughshares, suspicion and hate into understanding and goodwill. To have been part of MIF’s Re:Creating Europe means a great deal to me, as a Belgian, as an Englishman, as a European.”
In addition, the MIF LIVE programme includes talks and discussions. Tonight (Thursday 30 April) Mary Robinson – former President of Ireland and UN high commissioner for human rights – will discuss the theme “How Do We Reclaim Our Planet” with human rights lawyer Tessa Khan and moderator Zing Tsjeng.
The MIF LIVE programme also features a new version of its micro-festival series, Festival in My House. A different festival will be shared every Wednesday as artists, “create and present their own micro-international festivals in their homes – and then stream them online, live and for free.”
More details can be found via MIF’s website.