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Royal Exchange, Manchester

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Royal Exchange, Manchester

The Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange, Manchester is located in Greater Manchester
Location within Greater Manchester
General information
Architectural style Classical style. Baroque turret at north-west corner.
Town or city Manchester
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates 53°28′57″N 2°14′40″W / 53.4825°N 2.2444°W / 53.4825; -2.2444
Construction started 1914
Completed 1921
Technical details
Structural system it uses 4 steel pillers to hold it up
Design and construction
Architect Bradshaw, Gass and Hope

The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed[1] Victorian building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Royal Exchange shopping centre.

The Royal Exchange was heavily damaged in the Manchester Blitz and in the 1996 Manchester bombing. The current building is the last of several buildings on the site used for commodities exchange, primarily but not exclusively of cotton and textiles.

Contents

[edit] History

The first exchange was built near the present site in 1792, replaced by a second, larger exchange constructed between 1806 and 1809, and enlarged between 1847 and 1849. The second exchange was replaced, by a third exchange by Mills & Murgatroyd, constructed between 1867 and 1874.[2] The building was extended and modified by Bradshaw Gass & Hope between 1914 and 1931 to form the largest trading room in England.[2][3]

[edit] The Manchester Blitz

The building was seriously damaged during World War II when it took a direct hit from a bomb during a German air raid in the Manchester Blitz at Christmas in 1940. The interior was rebuilt with a smaller trading area.[2][4] The top stages of the clock tower, which had been destroyed, were replaced in a simpler form. Trading ceased in 1968, and the building was threatened with demolition.[2][5]

[edit] The theatre

The building remained empty until 1973 when it was used to temporarily house a theatre company. The Royal Exchange Theatre was founded in 1976 by artistic directors — Michael Elliott, Caspar Wrede, Richard Negri, James Maxwell and Braham Murray — a group whose origins lay in the 59 and later 69 Theatre Companies whose work had an impact first in London and then Manchester. It was opened by Lord Olivier on 15 September 1976.[6] In 1979, the artistic directorship was augmented by the appointment of Gregory Hersov. Of the original group, Hersov and Braham Murray remain active.

[edit] IRA bombing

The building was damaged on 15 June 1996 when the 1996 IRA bomb exploded less than 50 yards away in Corporation Street. The blast caused the dome to move, although the main structure was undamaged.[7] That the adjacent St Ann's Church survived almost unscathed is probably due to the sheltering effect of the stone-built exchange.

Repairs took over two years and cost £32 million, a sum provided by the National Lottery. Whilst its home was being rebuilt, the theatre company performed in a mobile theatre, which was set up in an indoor market building in Castlefield. The reconstruction programme repaired the theatre and provided a second performance space in the Studio, a bookshop, craft shop, restaurant, bars and rooms for corporate hospitality. The theatre's workshops, costume department and rehearsal rooms were moved to a second site on Swan Street.

The refurbished theatre was re-opened on 30 November 1998 by Prince Edward. The opening production was Stanley Houghton's Hindle Wakes. This was the play that originally should have opened the day the bomb was exploded.[citation needed]

In 1999, the Royal Exchange was awarded 'Theatre of the Year' in the Barclays Theatre Awards, in recognition of its successful refurbishment and ambitious re-opening season.[citation needed]

[edit] The theatre

[edit] Main performance space

The theatre features a seven-sided steel and glass module that squats within the building's Great Hall. It is a pure theatre in the round in which the stage area is surrounded on all sides, and above, by seating.[2]

The theatre's unique design was conceived by Richard Negri of the Wimbledon School of Art, and was intended to create an unusually vivid and immediate relationship between actors and audiences. As the floor of the Exchange was unable to take the weight of the theatre and its audience, the module is suspended from the four columns that carry the hall's central dome. Only the stage area and ground-level seating rest on the floor of the hall.[citation needed]

The theatre can seat up to 700 people on three levels, making it the largest theatre in the round in Britain. There are 400 seats at ground level in a raked configuration, above which are two galleries, each with 150 seats set in two rows.[citation needed]

[edit] The Studio

The Studio is a 100 seat studio theatre with no fixed stage area and moveable seats, allowing for a variety of production styles (in the round, thrust etc.) It acts as host to a programme of visiting touring theatre companies, stand-up comedians and performances for young people.

[edit] Theatre programme

The Royal Exchange gives an average of 350 performances a year of nine professional theatre productions. Performances by the theatre company are occasionally given in London or from a 400 seat mobile theatre.[citation needed]

The company performs a varied programme including classic theatre and revivals, contemporary drama and original new writing. Shakespeare, Ibsen and Chekhov have been the mainstay of its repertoire but the theatre has also staged classics from other areas of the canon including the British premieres of La Ronde and The Prince Of Homburg and revivals of The Lower Depths, Don Carlos and The Dybbuk. American work has also been important - Tennessee Williams, O'Neill, Miller, August Wilson - as has new writing, with the world premieres of The Dresser, Amongst Barbarians, A Wholly Healthy Glasgow and Port to its name.

In addition to its own productions the Royal Exchange also presents visiting theatre companies in the Studio; folk, jazz and rock concerts; and discussions, readings and literary events. The Royal Exchange Theatre engages children of all ages in drama activities and groups and regularly has performances including these children and teens. Performances include The Freedom Bird and The Boy Who Ran from the Sea.

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Directors

The company has been run by a group of Artistic Directors since its inception. According to Braham Murray: -”Although the names have changed we have remained a team of like-minded individuals sharing a common vision of the purpose and potency of theatre.” [8] These individuals include[9][10]

Associate Artistic Directors include:-

Nicholas Hytner (1985–1989), Ian McDiarmid (1986–1988) and Phyllida Lloyd (1990–1991).

Many other notable directors have worked at the Royal Exchange amongst them Lucy Bailey, Michael Buffong, Robert Delamere, Jacob Murray, Adrian Noble, Steven Pimlott and Richard Wilson.

The company is also renowned for its innovative designers, composers and choreographers. These include Lez Brotherston, Johanna Bryant, Chris Monks, Alan Price, Jeremy Sams, Rae Smith and Mark Thomas.

[edit] Actors

Throughout its history the theatre has attracted actors who have taken on many roles over the years. Actors particularly associated with the Exchange and who have appeared in several different productions include : -[9][10] Lorraine Ashbourne, Brenda Blethyn, Tom Courtenay, Amanda Donohoe, Gabrielle Drake, Lindsay Duncan, Ray Fearon, Michael Feast, Robert Glenister, Derek Griffiths, Dilys Hamlett, Claire Higgins, Paterson Joseph, Ben Keaton, Robert Lindsay, Ian McDiarmid, Tim McInnerny, Janet McTeer, Patrick O’Kane, Trevor Peacock, Pete Postlethwaite, Linus Roache, David Schofield, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen and David Threlfall.

Other actors have appeared at the theatre and these include Brian Cox, Albert Finney, Alex Jennings, Ben Kingsley, Leo McKern, Helen Mirren, David Morrissey, Vanessa Redgrave, John Thaw, Harriet Walter, Julie Walters and Sam West.

The company has had a reputation for spotting young actors before they became famous. Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, David Tennant and most recently Andrew Garfield all appeared at the Royal Exchange before starring in film and television.

[edit] Key productions

The company has produced a very wide range of plays from 31 Shakespeare revivals to over 100 premieres; from neglected European classics to adaptations of famous novels. The many critically acclaimed and award winning productions include.[9][10][11]

[edit] The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting

In 2005, the Royal Exchange Theatre launched the Bruntwood Playwriting Competition, with the aim of encouraging a new generation of playwrights. The competition is open to writers of all experience aged 16 and over from throughout the UK and Ireland. It uses an anonymous selection process, which allows both first-time and experienced to compete alongside each other under pseudonyms.

Initially, the competition had its roots in two regional competitions called WRITE. Together, these two regional competitions attracted over 400 entries. The first two competitions resulted in three festivals of new writing which showcased eight new writers. One of these eight writers, Nick Leather subsequently became writer in residence. The theatre produced his Pearson Award winning script, All the Ordinary Angels, in October 2005.[citation needed]

In November 2005, the Theatre and Bruntwood, a Manchester-based property company, joined forces, enabling the competition to go nationwide.

In 2006, 1,800 scripts were submitted for consideration. The winning entry was Ben Musgrave’s Pretend You Have Big Buildings. Musgrave received a prize of £15,000 and his play was performed on the main stage as part of the Manchester International Festival 2007. A second prize of £10,000 was awarded to Duncan Macmillan’s “Monster”, which was also performed during the Manchester International Festival in The Studio. A third prize of £5000 was awarded to Phil Porter’s The Cracks In My Skin, which was performed in The Studio in February 2008.

Other prizes awarded in 2006 were the Under 26 Prize - £5,000 - which went to Matt Hartley for his play Sixty Five Miles. Finally, The North West Prize went to Ian Kershaw with Candy Land.

2008 saw the Exchange and Bruntwood run the second competition. Judges this year included Brenda Blethyn, Michael Sheen, Roger Michell and actor/director Richard Wilson. The £40,000 prize fund was split equally between Vivienne Franzmann for Mogadishu (main house and Lyric Hammersmith 2011), Fiona Peek for Salt (The Studio 2010), Andrew Sheridan for Winterlong (The Studio, 2011) and Naylah Ahmed for Butcher Boys.

In 2011, the award became the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting and launched on 31st January, accepting entries until 6th June. Once again, the total prize fund on offer is £40,000.

[edit] Ghosts

The Royal Exchange building and the theatre itself are reputed to be haunted. One of the ghosts is reputed to be that of the actor and founding artistic director, James Maxwell. Another is that of a maternal Victorian lady, well dressed and with "a passion for drink".[citation needed]

In 2006, the building was the subject of a paranormal investigation by the Most Haunted programme on Living TV.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Former Royal Exchange, Images of England, http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=388116, retrieved 2008-12-10 
  2. ^ a b c d e Hartwell, p155.
  3. ^ Parkinson-Bailey p142.
  4. ^ Parkinson-Bailey, p169.
  5. ^ Parkinson-Bailey, p206
  6. ^ Programme for Happy Birthday, Sir Larry, 31 May 1987
  7. ^ Parkinson-Bailey, p257.
  8. ^ The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976–1998, p 62
  9. ^ a b c The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976–1998
  10. ^ a b c Braham Murray
  11. ^ The Royal Exchange
  12. ^ a b MEN Awards, [1], City Life,10 February 2011

[edit] Bibliography

  • Hartwell, Clare (2001). Pevsner Architectural Guides: Manchester. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071131-7. 
  • Murray, Braham (2007). The Worst It Can Be Is A Disaster. A & C Black. ISBN 978-0713484902. 
  • Parkinson-Bailey, John J (2000). Manchester: an Architectural History. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-5606-3. 
  • Scott, RDH (1976). The Biggest Room in the World: A Short History of the Royal Exchange. Royal Exchange Theatre Trust. ISBN 978-0859720335. 
  • The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976 – 1998. The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Limited. 1998. ISBN 0 9512017 1 9. 

[edit] External links

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