The new £186m Factory International arts centre will open to the public in June 2023 - and highlights of the opening programme will include a huge arts event based on The Matrix films directed by Oscar-winning Danny Boyle. The vast new building will create a "landmark cultural space" for the city at the edge of the Old Granada Studios.
At a media event on Thursday, details of the first events were unveiled, and the opening date confirmed for the first time. The giant futuristic building will first open to the public from June 2023, when it will form the centrepiece of the 2023 Manchester International Festival from June 29-July 16.
But the official opening production for the building will come later in the year in October - with a large-scale immersive performance based on The Matrix films "presented across the building's ultra-flexible spaces". It is set to be a "dramatic retelling" of the movie which starred Keanu Reeves through "dance, music and visual effects".
