Manchester 2016

19 Oct - 22 Oct 2016

B!RTH began as an international festival developed by the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Oglesby Charitable Trust to provoke debate on a global scale and question one of the key issues of our time: the vast inequality in healthcare across the world.

The project was launched as an exciting programme of events at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester in October 2016. At the heart of the festival were performances of 7 B!RTH plays and interactive debates with experts from science, art, academia and politics.

The four day festival also included exhibitions of art works and materials about the history of birth practice, stalls run by charities and organisations who work within the themes raised by the plays, and workshops with artists and practitioners. The playwrights were flown in from across the world to attend rehearsals, sit on public panels and be a active part in the festival.