MIF25: A Single Man at Aviva Studios

For the first time ever, Manchester International Festival joins forces with The Royal Ballet to present A Single Man – a bold new dance adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s seminal novel, premiering at Aviva Studios as part of MIF25.

Directed and choreographed by Jonathan Watkins (Kes Reimagined, Sheffield Crucible; 1984, Northern Ballet), this world premiere blends ballet and contemporary movement to reimagine Isherwood’s poignant story of love, loss and identity. At its centre is George, a gay, middle-aged professor living in 1960s California, grieving the sudden death of his long-term partner, Jim. As George drifts through a single day, he is torn between despair and a longing to reconnect with friends, strangers, and ultimately himself.

Former Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson leads the cast, physically embodying George’s daily experience, while acclaimed singer-songwriter John Grant performs George’s emotional inner voice live on stage. Grant collaborates with composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman on a brand-new score, performed by the innovative Manchester Collective.

This ambitious production boasts an outstanding creative team too; Oscar-winning costume designer Holly Waddington (Poor Things), designer Chiara Stephenson (known for work with SZA and Björk), and lighting designer Simisola Majekodunmi. Together, they create an atmospheric world where memory and emotion blur with movement.

First published in 1964, Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man is widely recognised as a landmark of queer fiction. Adapted into an Oscar-nominated film by Tom Ford in 2009, the novel now finds bold new form through dance. In this fresh translation, George’s story is told from the inside and out — a powerful, quietly radical meditation on grief, identity and the enduring presence of love.

A groundbreaking collaboration between Factory International and The Royal Ballet, A Single Man weaves together dance, music and literature to offer a bold, emotionally charged reimagining of Isherwood’s timeless story – one of the must-see events of MIF25.