Know your theatre:
Aviva Studios is a landmark cultural space for Manchester built on a previous landmark - the former Granada TV studios and Coronation Street's iconic street set.
While built for Manchester, Aviva's influence stretches far beyond the city as it is theatre "home" of Factory International, organiser of the two-yearly Manchester International Festival, which attracts artists from around the world.
Aviva is a massive space, with a supermarket-sized internal floor area of 13,300 sq m (143,000 sq ft). Designed by world-leading practice Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) - its first major arts building in the UK - the building was not without controversy thanks to its massive cost (£186m) and building delays (partly due to the Covid pandemic).​
The ​multi-use space can adapt to any theatrical requirement, from intimate theatre shows and exhibitions to very large multimedia performances and warehouse-scale gigs.
The development was led by Manchester City Council, with backing from the Government and Arts Council England.
Address:
Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
Phone:
General inquiries 0161 843 8900; box office: 0333 322 8679 (10am-6pm Mon-Sat)
Email a general inquiry to info@factoryinternational.org, or a ticket inquiry to tickets@factoryinternational.org
Aviva Studios is massive and ultra modern, and pays full attention to modern access requirements (more info here). There are ample facilities for food, drink and souvenirs. Click the theatre name above our map for full info.
Facilities:
Parking:
Water Street car park is 350m away from the theatre, with NCP's Spinningfields car park slightly further away. There are Blue Badge spaces in Water Street and Quay Street. Check the council's car parking map for further spaces
Online box office:
Go here and follow the show links to buy tickets.
Pic: Marco Cappelletti/OMA/Factory International