UOM Students shadow Rimini Protokoll

This summer German theatre-makers Rimini Protokoll will take audiences on a journey across Manchester, searching for Utopia and University of Manchester students have been on some of the creative journey with them.

Several students from University of Manchester Drama courses have had the opportunity to shadow Rimini Protokoll directors during their visits to Manchester, ahead of MIF19 commission, Utopolis Manchester. They’ve be speaking to local businesses and venue hosts, looking at venue access and researching how to script content for the varied spaces.

When I heard about this project, I thought this is going to be impossible – I’ve got to do it! Grainne Flynn - University of Manchester Drama student

A cohort of Electronic Engineering students and apprentices from the University of Manchester also worked with the Rimini Protokoll Directors to assemble bespoke equipment designed specifically for this project, programming the devices working with timing triggers, looping systems and remote volume control and participating in large-scale audio tests for the project.

We have the freedom to try and be as helpful as possible; we’re not just being told what to do. The artists are eclectic, curious and creative. Being part of a festival, to meet people working so hard to put this together, is inspirational. Ollie Church - University of Manchester Engineering student

Our students, who gained this remarkable opportunity through a competitive process, have said that this is one of the best things that has happened to them while they've been at the University. Rimini Protokoll have a unique working method and aesthetic and we are very excited to see how our students learn from being able to participate in this professional practice and how they find ways of mapping their learning back onto their own degree work and in their future careers. Professor Jenny Hughes - Head of Drama at University of Manchester

Utopolis Manchester is a visionary site-specific work that uses intricate tapestries of sound and voices to transform our view of the city. Gathering in dozens of small groups at multiple locations, we’ll head out to explore the people and places that shape Manchester’s daily life – and discover the many ways in which citizens build communities, society and democracy.

As our assembly reaches critical mass, a question emerges. Can a group of disparate individuals come together to forge a utopian state? And how large can this system grow before it falls apart?

Utopolis Manchester takes place in multiple locations around the city from 10 to 13 July this summer. Join your fellow citizens for an extraordinary journey through Manchester and book your tickets here.