Pioneering immersive theatre producers DARKFIELD return to Greater Manchester for first time in seven years from 10 - 21 September
Exciting collaboration across three venues featuring three critically acclaimed immersive experiences: ARCADE at Lowry, FLIGHT at Aviva Studios, and SÉANCE at HOME Manchester
DARKFIELD - pioneering producers of innovative, immersive experiences at the forefront of technology - announce their first shows in Greater Manchester for seven years. In an exciting collaboration between three iconic venues across the region - Lowry, Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, and HOME Manchester - DARKFIELD will present their three most critically acclaimed experiences from Wednesday 10 - Sunday 21 September.
Renowned for their trademark shipping containers popping up across the UK and internationally, bringing mysterious and exciting experiences across the country - DARKFIELD bring three of their most highly acclaimed productions to Greater Manchester this September. Audiences can find themselves immersed in the supernatural, boarding a new airline, or navigating a war torn world, across SÉANCE, FLIGHT and ARCADE.
Fresh from sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, BFI London Film Festival, and an extended residency at Shoreditch Town Hall, DARKFIELD present their newest experience, ARCADE, at Lowry in Salford.
Using the nostalgic aesthetic of 1980’s video games, ARCADE’s interactive narrative explores the evolving relationship between players and avatars. Over 30 minutes, in the darkness of one of DARKFIELD’s trademark shipping containers, audiences will choose their own path through the story whilst experiencing DARKFIELD’s signature 360-degree binaural sound and sensory effects for a fully immersive experience.
Each at their own individual arcade machine, players will guide their avatar through a world ravaged by endless war: you can choose a side, win or lose the war, search for a peaceful route, or join a cult promising a better version of reality. Players will address deep, existential questions about free will and consciousness, as they navigate a world where some will win and others will lose. No two journeys through the experience will be the same.
Lowry Co-Head of Theatres, Matthew Eames, said: “DARKFIELD create such exciting, unique and special immersive experiences. It's brilliant to be working with our friends at HOME and Factory International so that our audiences can experience 3 of these amazing experiences over a 2 week period.”
Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, will host one of DARKFIELD’s most popular and critically-acclaimed experiences, FLIGHT. Over 30 minutes in total darkness, FLIGHT explores the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics, taking audience members through two worlds, two realities and two possible outcomes to their journey.
FLIGHT premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018 and has since received rave reviews from immersive and traditional theatre critics alike.
Factory International Artistic Director and Chief Executive, John McGrath, commented: “Collaboration is at the heart of Factory International; and we have a long history of working with other arts organisations across Manchester through our biennial Manchester International Festival, which returns this summer. We're thrilled to be joining forces with our neighbours at HOME and Lowry to offer audiences the opportunity to experience a trio of unique immersive Darkfield experiences running across the city.”
At HOME Manchester, DARKFIELD present their first shipping container experience, SÉANCE. The interior of a 24ft container is transformed into a Victorian séance room, and asks audiences to believe not only what is happening inside the container, but also in what might be conjured up into the room with them.
SÉANCE premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and has since toured to acclaim both nationally and internationally, reaching 250,000 audience members across the world. SÉANCE returns to Manchester for the first time since 2018.
HOME Manchester CEO, Karen O’Neill, commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome DARKFIELD to HOME and to be a part of this bold collaboration with Lowry and Factory International. These unique experiences challenge the boundaries of storytelling and remind us just how powerful immersive experiences can be.”
DARKFIELD return to Greater Manchester for the first time in seven years, thanks to touring fund support from Arts Council England. ARCADE at Lowry, FLIGHT at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, and SÉANCE at HOME Manchester, will all be performing multiple times a day from Wednesday 10 - Sunday 21 September.
DARKFIELD commented: “We are delighted to be returning to Greater Manchester to present our shows in collaboration with three incredible venues in HOME Manchester, Lowry (Salford), and Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences across the region to experience the strange worlds we’ve created.”
Praise for DARKFIELD
‘harnesses the very uncertainty of pretending… properly exhilarating..’ - Exeunt Magazine
‘If you’ve never experienced one of DARKFIELD’s shows, absolutely go’ - The Independent
★★★★ - Broadway Baby ★★★★ - Broadway World ★★★★ - Edinburgh Festivals Magazine ★★★★ - Fest Mag ★★★★ - The Guardian ★★★★ - The Scotsman
★★★★ - The Skinny ★★★★ - The Stage ★★★★ - Time Out