Dream Space Live: Maxine Peake

Maxine Peake is back in the city on Wednesday 14 October, joining Gemma Cairney for a live recording of the Dream Space podcast at Selfridges in Exchange Square. It's a bit of a full-circle moment: Peake was the show's first-ever guest, and this is her first time back on the podcast in three years.

If you're not familiar with Dream Space, it's Cairney's podcast that looks at the dreams of some of the world's most interesting artists. The guests she's had on so far include Ai Weiwei, Marina Abramovic, Zawe Ashton, Max Porter and Nish Kumar, and the conversations take listeners through what they describe as an imaginary, limitless artistic utopia. This time, the recording happens on stage in front of an audience rather than behind closed doors.

Peake is a renowned actor, activist, writer and director, and she's got deep roots here — born and raised in Bolton, with a long-standing relationship with the Manchester International Festival. At MIF23 she performed an adaptation of Kay Dick's dystopian novel They to critical acclaim, and in 2024 she performed and co-created Robin/Red/Breast at Aviva Studios. This live episode brings her back to the city for a conversation about her work and the dreams that sit behind it.

The evening runs from 6.30 to 8pm, and it's broken down into three parts: 6.30 to 6.45pm is for arrival and welcome drinks, 6.45 to 7.45pm is the podcast recording itself, and 7.45 to 8pm is a short audience Q&A. Tickets are £10, which includes your arrival drink. It's at Selfridges, 1 Exchange Square, Manchester, M3 1BD.