The grand corridors of the John Rylands Library are spectacular. But seeing them after the sun sets means something special is in store.
The iconic neo-Gothic building is the setting for They, an afterhours reading of a recently rediscovered dystopian novel. This powerful performance is a perfect representation of Manchester International Festival - an opportunity to experience the beautiful buildings the city boasts, witness new works of art especially commissioned for the 20-day festival and, of course, see Maxine Peake in action.
The Westhoughton woman, who has become one of Britain's best actors, is no stranger to the biennial festival. Working with Sarah Frankcom and Imogen Knight, she has brought The Masque of Anarchy, The Skriker and The Nico Project to the bill in years gone by.
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Their latest collaboration sees a 1977 novel which went out of print for decades brought back to life in one of the Manchester's most striking buildings. The story by Kay Dick is about a world where books are confiscated, art is destroyed and its creators are persecuted.
The late-Victorian library where the performance takes place is brightly lit when the audience arrives and the summer's evening glow seeps through the stained glass windows of the reading room. Anticipation builds as the clock strikes 10pm and minutes pass with no more than murmurs before Peake appears, walking down the aisle that divides the audience, and the room descends into darkness.
Dressed in blue, her face is as white as the winter day she describes when she starts reading from the papers placed by her seat. As the performance proceeds, she paces up and down the room, dropping each sheet delicately on the floor when she finishes with it.
But at the climax, she needs no notes. The paperless part of the performance is the most passionate, when terror totally takes over.
However, this terrifying tale ends with a glimmer of hope and angelic voices echoing around the vast space before Peake disappears. This retelling of a forgotten dystopian masterpiece which makes the case for creativity is a typical triumph for the festival favourites.
But like the book it is based on, this piece of work could have passed the world by too. The programme for the festival had already been signed off by the time the trio pitched the idea to Factory International's artistic director and chief executive John McGrath.
Moved by the message of the novel, McGrath made sure its urgent questions could be asked by commissioning it for the festival. And what better place to mount a defence of the arts through this manifesto for creativity than Manchester International Festival itself?
