Factory International

MIF25

Germaine Kruip: A Possibility

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A theater stage with a dramatic, modern design is shown, featuring black framing and a stark white, illuminated backdrop. The contrast between the dark seating area and the bright stage creates a striking visual effect. A theater stage with a dramatic, modern design is shown, featuring black framing and a stark white, illuminated backdrop. The contrast between the dark seating area and the bright stage creates a striking visual effect.
Date
17 - 20 Jul 2025
Venue
RNCM, 124 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9RD
Tickets
Standard £24
Affordable:
Concessions £12
Aviva £10 Tickets
A booking fee of £1.50 applies to all tickets.

Thursday 17 July: 7.30pm

Friday 18 July: 7.30pm

Saturday 19 July: 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Sunday 20 July: 2.30pm

We are working with a venue partner on this event. To book access tickets, including wheelchair spaces and essential companion tickets, please contact the RNCM Box Office by emailing box.office@rncm.ac.uk or phoning 0161 907 5555 (booking line open Mondays and Thursdays 2-5pm).

We’re putting art in the heart of Manchester, within reach of everyone; and have affordable ticket options including £10 tickets on most shows for those who need them.

For information about Aviva £10 Tickets and concessions visit our Affordable Ticketing FAQs page.

Book tickets – members only Become a member for priority booking

Suitable for all ages - Under 14s with an adult 18+
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Accessibility features available for this event: Audio Description Wheelchair Access Assistive Hearing

Germaine Kruip transforms the theatre space into a world of wonder – merging illusion, sound and performance to create infinite possibilities

A Possibility is a new artwork for the theatre by Dutch artist Germaine Kruip exploring the possibilities of perception, sound and performance. Performed at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), the piece features new compositions by British composer Emily Howard and American composer Hahn Rowe.

Originally trained as a scenographer, Germaine Kruip’s unique practice connects the worlds of visual arts, architecture and performance into immersive experiences. Like much of Kruip’s work, A Possibility hands over the power of interpretation to the audience – becoming a meditation on how we see, perceive and shape our experience, both individually and collectively.

Set in two parts, the first act distills the essence of Kruip’s 2014 performance A Possibility of an Abstraction, and has light as its principal actor. Reimagined for MIF25, the stage becomes a blank canvas for a play of perception, where light interacts with shadows, reflections and the exposed architecture of the theatre to cast them as characters in a live performance.

In the new second act, Kruip introduces bodies: enter percussionists Youjin Lee, Akane Tominaga, Victor Lodeon, and Gil Hyoungkwon as performers. Brass sculptures, developed by Kruip in collaboration with renowned German manufacturer Thein Brass, become both the set and the instruments for a musical ritual. The score by Emily Howard blends strings with percussion to create a seamless dialogue with Hahn Rowe’s compositions.

Rowe, a three-time Bessie Award-winning composer and producer, is known for collaborations with icons like Yoko Ono, R.E.M. and Anohni, while Howard, no stranger to the festival, composed the score for MIF19’s The Anvil: An Elegy for Peterloo.

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Tickets

Factory International members on sale: Tuesday 11 March, 12.30pm

General tickets on sale: Wednesday 19 March, 10am

We have a range of affordable tickets, including options from £10 for those who may need them. You can find out more about our Affordable Ticketing Policy here.

For ticketing and box office related enquiries, please contact tickets@factoryinternational.org or call 0333 322 8679 (phone lines are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm).

For more information please visit Ticketing and Sale of Goods Terms & Conditions – Factory International

Credits

A Possibility 

an artwork for the theatre by Germaine Kruip

with new compositions by Emily Howard and Hahn Rowe


Director Germaine Kruip

Musical Director Hahn Rowe

Composers Emily Howard and Hahn Rowe

Dramaturg Bart Van Den Eynde

Lighting Designer Germaine Kruip and Rob Halliday

Assistant Director Maxime Fauconnier

Percussionists Youjin Lee, Akane Tominaga, Victor Lodeon, Gil Hyoungkwon

Strings Michaela Jones, Audrey Doyle, Bruno Robalo, Jasmine Blackshaw-Britton (Heartwood Quartet, Royal Northern College of Music)


We would like to thank Royal Northern College of Music for their generous support on the project with the Heartwood Quartet for Emily Howard’s composition.

Commissioning

Commissioned by Factory International and Holland Festival. Produced by Factory International. 

Image: Marcus Ginns 

Access information

The full address of the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD and the what3words are spray.wing.bliss.

There are accessible toilets located on every level of the building:

  • One off the main Reception area (turn left as you enter the building from Booth Street West)
  • One directly opposite Concert Hall Lower Hall 2 door
  • One outside the Concert Hall Upper Hall doors, behind the passenger lift
  • One on the Upper Concourse, close to the Theatre doors.

All accessible toilets require a RADAR key for entry. If you do not have one of your own, please ask a member of the Front of House Usher team. You can also ask at Reception to borrow a RADAR key.

Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the building. If you are bringing your assistance dog to the concert with you, please advise the RNCM team of this when booking tickets so they can recommend appropriate seating. You can contact the RNCM access team at access@rncm.ac.uk or call Reception on 0161 907 5300.

To book access tickets, including wheelchair spaces and essential companion tickets, please contact the RNCM Box Office by emailing box.office@rncm.ac.uk or phoning 0161 907 5555 (booking line open Mondays and Thursdays 2–5pm).

In the Theatre, fixed seats are removed to accommodate a wheelchair user remaining in their wheelchair (Row S of the Theatre). Row T (seats 1-10 and 29-36) is step-free. Wheelchair spaces are found in the centre block, Row S (seats 11-14 and 25-28).

There is an audio-described performance of A Possibility on Sunday 20 July at 2.30pm, delivered by Anne Hornsby.

Please note A Possibility features extreme dark black outs and flashing lights.

The RNCM Concert Hall and RNCM Theatre are all equipped with Sennheiser infra-red hearing assistance systems.

Two types of receivers are available: a necklace style receiver to be used in conjunction with a hearing aid (switched to‘T’ position); or a stethoscope style receiver for those without hearing aids.

If you wish to use one of these devices during your visit, or have any other questions about hearing assistance, please speak to a member of the RNCM Front of House usher team.

This show contains intense flashing lights, intense blackouts and loud sound effects.
There is no readmittance during this performance.

We will be producing a What To Expect Guide for this event. It will be available from 5 June.

RNCM Access information →

Travel information

The nearest tram stop is St Peter’s Square (0.8 miles). From there you can walk to the RNCM in 15 minutes or catch a southbound bus down Oxford Road.

The nearest train station is Manchester Oxford Road (0.5 miles). From there you can walk to the RNCM in 13 minutes or catch a southbound bus down Oxford Road.

Other train stations include:

  • Manchester Piccadilly (0.8 miles/20 minute walk)
  • Deansgate (0.9 miles/21 minute walk)
  • Manchester Victoria (1.5 miles/33 minute walk)

There are frequent bus services from Manchester City Centre (Piccadilly Gardens) to Oxford Road and Booth Street West. These bus stops are all within a five-minute walk to the RNCM:

Aquatics Centre (Southbound):

  • Bus Numbers 15, 18, 41 CrossCity, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 111, 142, 142N, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1 Vantage, V2 Vantage, V4
  • Cavendish Street (Northbound), Higher Cambridge St/Boundary St West (Southbound):
  • Bus Numbers 101, 102, 103


Royal Northern College of Music (both directions):

  • Bus Numbers 53 Orbits, 85, 85A, 86, 250, 263 Sapphire

University Shopping (Northbound):

  • Bus Numbers 15, 18, 41 CrossCity, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 111, 142, 142N, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1 Vantage, V2 Vantage, V4

A public bike rack can be found in the RNCM surface car park located on Rosamond Street West, next to the entrance doors.

There is also a cycle hire bank on the corner of Rosamond Street West and Oxford Road, next to the RNCM. Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.

There are a number of limited blue badge spaces within the RNCM surface car park that can be pre-booked by customers at carparking@rncm.ac.uk (these are subject to availability).

There is also limited on-street provision for disabled parking on Rosamond Street West, adjacent to the main car park entrance. 

The two closest public car parks to the RNCM are:

  • University of Manchester Booth Street West Car Park, Booth Street West, M15 6AR (access via Higher Cambridge Street) – Further information
  • Manchester Aquatics Centre Car Park (NCP), Booth Street East, M13 9SS –Further information

The Royal Northern College of Music is 1.4 miles from Aviva Studios. There are a number of bus routes you can take between the venues, including V1, V2 and 50 from Bridge Street.

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