Manchester Rain is a micro-opera that explores how a moment of kindness can be a catalyst for change. In this work three characters are encountering Manchester's infamous rain with each one having a very different relationship to the city's weather. Dr Rose Autumn, a shy and solitary individual, is clinging to an heirloom umbrella, which, despite the rain pouring harder she does not want to use in order to preserve her dead mother's memory. A business person is frustrated by how the weather ruins his expensive suits, but also how it makes everyone in the city so miserable; all he wants is to make a connection and exchange a smile with passersby. A brolly seller is, of course, revelling in the weather: rain equals cold hard cash. As rain turns to thunder and lightning, we witness a moment in which Rose's umbrella is about to become a lightning rod, surely killing her. She is saved by the business person who strides off into the distance leaving Rose in shock. Comforted by the brolly seller, who saw the whole encounter, they remind Rose not to put all their emotional energy into an object like an umbrella. They gift Rose a transparent 'I heart Manchester' umbrella and tell her that, whilst we shouldn'tput our emotional energy into objects, at least you can see what's ahead of you when your umbrella is see-through! Manchester Rain can be performed with as few as three people (ie each one of the characters mentioned above) or can be performed by a chorus with groups divided equally into three and each group collectively playing a role. The action and movmement could be provided by individual performers with the rest of the chorus singing, or all performers could provide the action/movement at the discretion of the creative team. Spoken lines could be performed by a single voice if amplified or the performer can project satisfactorily. Use of umbrellas (and umbrella choreography) is highly encouraged! Manchester Rain was written in collaboration with people who use Cornerstone Day Centre's services across six sessions as part of Streetwise Opera's Re:sound project, commissioning nine co-created micro-operas across the three cities they work in. It was performed in March 2023 in each of these three cities alongside the eight other operas.