WOW Manchester: Brutally Honest – An Evening with Mel B
- Date
- 24 May 2024
- Venue
- The Hall, Aviva Studios
- Tickets
- £25.00 Standard Tickets, £12.50 Affordable Tickets, £10.00 Aviva Tickets
7.30pm start
We’re putting art in the heart of Manchester, within reach of everyone; and have affordable options including £10 tickets for those on limited incomes.
For information about who qualifies for £10 and affordable tickets, visit our Affordable Ticketing Policy page
* Affordable and Aviva £10 Tickets are limited per performance and subject to availability.
To book access tickets please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org
This event is suitable for ages 14+
Running time: 90 mins (no interval)
Accessibility features available for this event: Captioning BSL Interpreting Wheelchair Access
Mel B joins WOW Manchester for a frank, unfiltered discussion on her bestselling memoir
WOW Manchester presents a very special, bold and empowering evening with beloved artist and author, Melanie Brown.
Celebrating the launch of her critically acclaimed memoir Brutally Honest, Mel and journalist and co-author Louise Gannon join us for an unfiltered discussion on her journey from Spice Girl and global icon to Women's Aid patron and champion for survivors of abuse – plus everything in between.
Expect a frank and honest conversation with all the fun, infectious energy and personal insight Melanie is known for, in an event that promises to live up to its name.
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WOW Manchester
WOW is the world’s biggest, most comprehensive festival celebrating women, girls and non-binary people.
WOW Manchester takes place from Friday 24 May to Sunday 26 May.
Explore the programme
Purchase a signed copy of Mel B's book
Purchase a pre-signed paperback copy of Mel B's book Brutally Honest and collect it at Aviva Studios. Add to your basket when you book your ticket – limited availability!
About Brutally Honest
As a Spice Girl, TV talent show judge and Broadway star, Mel B a.k.a Scary Spice, has been a global icon since her twenties. But behind the glittering façade of fame, the struggles and pain of this working-class, mixed-race girl from Leeds are laid bare in her critically acclaimed best-selling memoir, Brutally Honest.
With deep personal insight, remarkable frankness and trademark Yorkshire humour, the book tells how she went from Girl Power to girl powerless during her ten-year emotionally abusive marriage. Tracing a path through the key moments in her life, she reflects on her childhood, rise to fame and her chilling downward spiral before she finally broke free.
In this expanded edition written with Louise Gannon, Mel brings her story up to date and tells the unfiltered story of piecing herself back together, dealing with trauma and new heartbreak whilst becoming a champion for survivors of abuse.
Tickets
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
WOW Manchester commissioned and produced by Factory International and The WOW Foundation.
WOW Festival was originally produced and presented by Southbank Centre.
Image: Malachi Banales
Access information
Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.
You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.
There is step-free access to all areas of the venue, with lift access to the Warehouse from the Social, and lift and escalator access to the Hall from the Social.
There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.
Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.
Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.
The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.
There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.
There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.
You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.
Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.
The entrance to the Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.
The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.
The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.
Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.
We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.
Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.
If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).
This event is suitable for ages 14+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult aged over 18. WOW events cover a variety of topics, some that may address sensitive or adult themes. We ask that parents/guardians use their discretion when attending with children under the age of 14.
The event will have BSL interpretation. The BSL interpreter will be located stage left.
This event will be captioned.
Travel information
Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).
Our closest stations are:
Salford Central station: 0.4 miles
Deansgate station and Deansgate-Castlefield tram: 0.6 miles
St Peter’s Square tram: 0.6 miles
Manchester Victoria station is approximately one mile from Aviva Studios
Manchester Piccadilly station is approximately 1.3 miles from Aviva Studios
Click on the links above to find detailed access information for each station.
By Bike
There are 40 bike parking spaces at Aviva Studios including space for two accessible bikes.
National Cycling Route 6 passes close to the venue and this TfGM webpage can help with route planning.
You can also hire bikes from on-street docking stations across the city centre. The closest docking stations to our venue are currently on Deansgate by Liverpool Road and (400m from the building) and by King Street (500m from the building). Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.
By Walking and Other Active Means
Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street via Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).
If you're coming from Quay Street, the safest route to avoid construction works is via the cut-through opposite Gartside Street and past Booking.com.
All footways in the surrounding area are well lit and there are appropriate crossings across all main roads.
Pedestrians with visual impairment are recommended to approach the building via Water Street, from Liverpool Road. This route has traditional carriageway and footway design with fixed street furniture which should help with navigation to the entrance.
A footbridge at Left Bank in Spinningfields provides an accessible link across the River Irwell to Salford Central station, and a further footbridge also links Aviva Studios with the Salford area of Middlewood Locks.
Free bus services stop at all city-centre stations, and near to Aviva Studios along Deansgate, Bridge St and Quay St. Buses on these free routes are wheelchair accessible. For full details of the free bus routes, please visit the TfGM website.
There is a car park approximately 0.6 miles from Aviva Studios at Water Street Car Park, New Elm Rd, Manchester, M3 4JH.
There is also a NCP car park (Manchester Spinningfields) approximately 0.5 miles away from Aviva Studios at Spinningfields, New Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3BE. It has 35 accessible bays.
There are a small number of Blue Badge spaces along Water St and Quay St. Otherwise head towards Liverpool Road, Great John St and Lower Byrom St – close to our neighbours, the Science and Industry Museum where there are a small number of additional Blue Badge spaces.
For a list of other parking bays available in the area, visit Manchester City Council website.
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