MIF19: The Nico Project at The Stoller Hall

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Book now

The Nico Project at The Stoller Hall

The Stoller Hall, Manchester
10-21 July 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

MIF19 The Nico Project at The Stoller Hall Manchester International Festival
Photo: Jon Shard
Book now

From the release of her 1967 debut album with The Velvet Underground to her untimely death in 1988, Nico was an enigma of popular culture. Now in a world premiere performance at The Stoller Hall, Maxine Peake and Sarah Frankcom join their creative forces to shine a light on this visionary figure.

Singer. Songwriter. Musician. Model. Actress. The Nico Project probes and illuminates the life of Christa Päffgen, who is better known by her stage name, Nico. This performance promises to be a moving theatrical engagement into her identity, her sound and the world in which she fought to be heard.

Nico’s 1968 album The Marble Index, which was ignored on its original release but is now commonly regarded as a definitive masterpiece of 1960s counterculture, forms the inspiration for The Nico Project.

Written by award-winning playwright EV Crowe with music by the acclaimed composer Anna Clyne, The Nico Project is sure to bring us closer to the shadows that haunted Nico, and help us to understand the past and the part it played in shaping her. Created by four powerful female voices – Peake, Frankcom, Crowe and Clyne – in a clever parallel, The Nico Project will also resonate with the vigor of female creativity in theatre today.

Where to go near MIF19: The Nico Project at The Stoller Hall

Virgin Red Room
Manchester
Virgin Red Room

The Virgin Red Room is a new private members space located at Manchester’s AO Arena, with VIP access to some of the city’s biggest gigs.

Manchester
Restaurant
Chish & Fips

A special kind of Japanese-inspired fish and chip shop, from the team behind the incredible (and sadly-missed) Umezushi restaurant.

Manchester
Restaurant
Kitchen In An Arch

An offshoot from the much-loved Umezushi, this specialist deli is a one-stop-shop for all your sushi making needs, and also hosts occasional workshops to improve your culinary skills.

Chetham’s Library in Long Millgate in Manchester
Manchester
Library
Chetham’s Library

Chetham’s Library is one of the must-sees of any visit to Manchester. The library was founded in 1653, and is the oldest public library in the world – but the building dates back even further, to 1421.

Cathedral Quarter
Place of worship
Manchester Cathedral

A regular venue for gigs and one-off cultural events, Manchester Cathedral is nevertheless a working place of worship – open all year round.

Cathedral Quarter
Restaurant
Mamucium

High-class restaurant next to Victoria Station in Manchester, and attached to Hotel Indigo. Famed for steaks.

Cathedral Gardens
Cathedral Quarter
Park
Cathedral Gardens

Cathedral Gardens is a partially lawned public space in Manchester city centre, located between Manchester Cathedral and the National Football Museum.

Manchester
Event venue
Festa Italiana

The 2022 Festa Italiana was a roaring success, with great food options and captivating live music performances throughout the weekend.

The National Football Museum Manchester
Manchester
Museum
National Football Museum

The National Football Museum is now open to the public, ready to show off its impressive array of football-related exhibits and activities.

What's on:

Dan Coxon.
LiteratureLiverpool
Writing The Magic launch at Dead Ink Bookshop

Writing the Magic (Essays on Crafting Fantasy Fiction) is the fourth in Liverpool-based publisher Dead Ink Books’ award-winning series of guides, and this launch event hears from editor Dan Coxon.

From £5.00
LiteratureManchester
Manchester Poets at Chorlton Library

This autumn Manchester Poets returns to its usual home of Chorlton Library, following its exile to Withington while renovations took place at the Carnegie HQ.

Free entry
Mhaol x Snare Press Image
MusicBirkenhead
M(h)aol at Future Yard

Irish post-punk firebrands M(h)aol return to Liverpool this September, bringing their raw, rhythm-driven new album Something Soft to Future Yard.

From £15.68
MusicManchester
Skee Mask at The White Hotel

Skee Mask, the producer behind some of the most inspired electronic music of the past decade, returns to The White Hotel.

From £11.00

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

A host of Halloween horrors, experimental shorts, plus pioneering black British cinema make our October Cinema Guide.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

Exhibitions in the North

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

Wisp Press Image
Music in the North

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.