The Matrix meets levelling up in Manchester as Danny Boyle’s ‘Free Your Mind’ is the show to mark the opening of Aviva Studios – the £242m new home of Factory International. It’s the biggest capital investment in live arts since the Sydney Opera House.

Frankly Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk in London can keep their ‘performance’ to discuss the future of AI, because the star performers were here in Manchester last night giving the audience a spectacular insight into the journey of computing, consumerism, social media and the rise of the Matrix as AI takes over.

I love Manchester so much and was in the honourable company of Catt Lyons, (one of Factory International‘s producers) and Robin Lyons (Artistic Director of Ergon Theatre and founder of Climate Leadership Training). We also had the treat of Danny Boyle passing by in front of us. This is a city with a beating heart, brimming with inspiration and ambition. HS2 falling short may appear to have weakened its dreams but the reality is that it is not transport that creates jobs and brings people joy, it is what a place is able to offer – and Manchester has this in abundance, now further boosted by this massive investment in the performing arts.

‘Free Your Mind’ has its last performance tomorrow but it has made my heart sing. I love The Matrix. And let’s be clear – the weaponisation of the red pill / blue pill metaphor by the far right couldn’t be further from what meaning it embodies. Created by the Wachowski sisters Lana and Lilly, the movies are now seen to act as a trans allegory. The Matrix to me speaks to the world I live in today. Until more recently I took the blue pill, remaining ignorant of the true reality and swallowing what the establishment fed me with its consumerism, airbrushed news and hidden agendas. Since I’ve taken the red pill I feel liberated, able to see past the illusion but equally grounded in the brutal realisation of how broken the reality of this virus of humanity is.

Alan Turing would have been proud to watch ‘Free Your Mind’ I’m sure and he features prominently from its outset. I feel like I’ve been part of an important moment in history seeing this show – reconnecting with The Matrix, with my love of Manchester, my love of Robin and Catt, the inspiration that comes from fellow red-pillers, and a strong sense that change for the better is still within our grasp.

#TheMatrix#FreeYourMind#Manchester#LevellingUp