Invisible Cities

59 Productions and Rambert

Tue 2 July, 2019

Sun 14 July, 2019

  • About the show
  • Touring
  • Reviews
  • Creative team

Zenobia, a city of joy. Beersheba, a celestial city of gold. Isadora, a city of promise, seduction and desire. City by unseen city, the young explorer conjures from the ether a vast and spectacular empire – all for the benefit of its emperor, his master, who may never get to see it for himself...

Leo Warner, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Lolita Chakrabarti, 59 Productions and Rambert bring to life a series of fantastical places in this world-premiere production. Centred on the edgy relationship between Kublai Khan, the volatile head of a vast empire, and explorer Marco Polo, who must transcend a language barrier to describe it for him, this spellbinding mix of theatre, choreography, music, architectural design and projection mapping imagines a succession of alternative worlds – and reimagines what is possible in live performance.

​Produced by Manchester International Festival, Rambert, 59 Productions and Karl Sydow.

Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Rambert, Brisbane Festival, Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival, Sadler’s Wells, SMG Live, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Cultural Centre (JACC) and Karl Sydow.

Image Credit: Jason Bell

Stones of Venice VR film

This new, digital extrapolation of Invisible Cities was created to overcome the current impossibility of international touring and to reimagine the production for a new VR and online audience.

Stones of Venice was created by 59 Productions – collaborating with Lolita Chakrabarti on the screenplay, Rambert on the staging, Gareth Fry on the sound design and A Winged Victory For The Sullen on the score.

Please note that although it is possible to watch this at a computer, the experience is much better using a VR headset and headphones. If you do not have a headset, we would recommend watching on a mobile with headphones.

Conceived and Created by 59 Productions in collaboration with Jeffrey Shaw and City University of Hong Kong.
Commissioned by New Vision Arts Festival.

Behind the scenes

GALLERY

Image Credit: Tristram Kenton

Touring

Brisbane
Tue 24 September, 2019 -
Sat 28 September, 2019
Brisbane Festival

Brunel meets Dante in this spellbinding spectacle

The Telegraph

The design for @MIFestival’s Invisible Cities is next level. I mean, ASTONISHING.

@claire_roses

Magnificent

The Times

A flawless and immersive piece of theatre

Manchester Evening News

Invisible Cities @MIFestival tonight simply stunning on ever level!

@StevieSorrell

Stage and video design trailblazers

The Times

Leo Warner – Director

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – Co-Director & Choreographer

Lolita Chakrabarti – Adaptor

59 Productions – Concept & Design

Rambert – Dance

Danny Sapani – Kublai Khan

Matthew Leonhart – Marco Polo

 

Dancers

Miguel Altunaga, Adél Bálint, Soojin Choi, Simone Damberg Würtz, Daniel Davidson, Max Day, Edit Domoszlai, Liam Francis, Juan Gil, Brenda Lee Grech, Hua Han, Conor Kerrigan, Nancy Nerantzi, Salomé Pressac, Guillaume Quéau, Aishwarya Raut, Hannah Rudd, Antonello Sangirardi, Joaquim de Santana, Kym Sojourna, Alex Soulliere, Jacob Wye.

 

Dustin O’Halloran & Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie of A Winged Victory for the Sullen – Composers

Jenny Melville – Set Designer

Nicol Scott – Video Designer

Laura Hopkins – Costume Designer

Fabiana Piccioli – Lighting Designer

Gareth Fry – Sound Designer

Sam Jones CDG – Casting Director

Benoit Swan Pouffer – Creative Advisor

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