Manchester

===Performing arts===
[[File:Opera House (Manchester).jpg|thumb|upright|The Opera House, one of Manchester's largest theatre venues]]
Manchester has a thriving theatre, opera and dance scene, with a number of large performance venues, including [[Manchester Opera House]], which feature large-scale touring shows and West End productions; the [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Palace Theatre]]; and the [[Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester|Royal Exchange Theatre]] in Manchester's former cotton exchange, which is the largest [[theatre in the round]] in the UK.

Smaller venues include the [[Contact Theatre]] and Z-arts in Hulme. The [[Dancehouse]] on Oxford Road is dedicated to dance productions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thedancehouse.co.uk/about_us/the_dancehouse_theatre.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217073935/http://thedancehouse.co.uk/about_us/the_dancehouse_theatre.asp |archive-date=17 February 2009 |title=The Dancehouse Theatre |access-date=7 February 2009 |publisher=thedancehouse.co.uk}}</ref> In 2014, [[HOME (Manchester)|HOME]], a new custom-built arts complex opened. Housing two theatre spaces, five cinemas and an art exhibition space, it replaced the [[Cornerhouse]] and The [[Library Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Linton |first=Deborah |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/new-home-for-cornerhouse-and-library-theatre-903674 |title=New home for Cornerhouse and Library Theatre in £19m arts centre plan |work=Manchester Evening News |date=24 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203021952/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/new-home-for-cornerhouse-and-library-theatre-903674 |archive-date=3 February 2016}}</ref>

Since 2007, the city has hosted the [[Manchester International Festival]], a biennial international [[arts festival]] with a focus on original work, which has included major new commissions by artists, including [[Bjork]]. In 2023, the festival, operated by [[Factory International]], was given a permanent home in Aviva Studios, a purpose-built multi-million pound venue designed by Rem Koolhaas from the [[Office for Metropolitan Architecture]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About |url=https://factoryinternational.org/about/ |website=Factory International |access-date=12 January 2024}}</ref>