Royal Exchange Manchester - All Seasons

Fairly full, only a handful of empty seats. But since it was a Saturday matinee perhaps not so surprising.

Most notably for West Side Story:
"the piece marks the first professional UK production not to use Jerome Robbins' choreography."

REFLECTIONS OF A CITY - ROYAL EXCHANGE SPRING/SUMMER SEASON 2019
Our cities are growing, constantly shifting and redefining themselves for our fast-paced world. Yet what remains below the surface is a resilient history of the people who have shaped and influenced that growth and change. Their hidden stories define and reveal the truth behind urban-landscapes. This Spring/Summer the Royal Exchange Theatre have created a season of work that reflects the complexity of a 21st Century city, from stories of industry and productivity to rivalry, family and community obligations. In April Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom directs one of the greatest stories of a city ever told in her new version of WEST SIDE STORY with choreography from Aletta Collins. Inua Ellams’ BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES kicks off its UK tour and writers Tanika Gupta and James Yeatman reimagine key moments in Manchester’s unique journey in HOBSON’S CHOICE and THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT: SCENES FROM THE LUDDITE REBELLION.
• Following two sold out runs at the National Theatre, acclaimed performances at Leeds Playhouse and a hugely successful international tour, Inua Ellams’ BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES begins an extensive UK tour in Manchester, presented by the Royal Exchange Theatre and Contact. Playing a key role in the city, providing a space to talk, share and exchange there is nowhere quite like the Barber’s chair. This co-production between Fuel, The National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse is directed by Bijan Sheibani. It runs in the Theatre from 7 – 23 March.
• One of the world’s most famous musicals Leonard Bernstein’s WEST SIDE STORY is reimagined by Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom in a brand-new production for the Royal Exchange’s unique in-the-round theatre. Re-choreographed by Aletta Collins, who returns to the Exchange following SWEET CHARITY, and re-orchestrated by Jason Carr this fast-paced, passionate and heart-breaking classic can be seen in the Theatre from 6 April – 25 May.
• In 1972 Idi Amin expelled Uganda’s Asian minority. Those families were forced to build new lives, in new countries with little more than they could carry. Award-winning writer Tanika Gupta and director Pooja Ghai recreate Gupta’s own 2003 adaptation of HOBSON’S CHOICE placing Hari Hobson’s tailor’s shop in the warehouse district of Manchester’s 1980s Northern Quarter. This new adaptation explores family relationships and patriarchy versus a young woman's determination to change the status quo. It is set in a city with a complex history of cotton and a striking feminist past. A comedy full of wit and humour HOBSON’S CHOICE plays in the Theatre from 31 May – 6 July.
• Luddite has become a derogatory term implying resistance to change. In Lauren Mooney and James Yeatman’s new play THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT: SCENES FROM THE LUDDITE REBELLION we meet a working-class population facing radical social and political change, married with unprecedented technological developments. This new play tells the story of coming together, of collective action, the beginning of the modern-labour movement and the galvanising mythology of Ned Ludd. No clogs, no costume-drama, just actors, artefacts and the technology of 2019. The production runs in the Theatre from 25 July – 10 August
• In The Studio original new work continues to be developed by Royal Exchange supported artists, its resident Young Company & Elders Company. Cultural partners from across Manchester and visiting companies from across the UK also present and make work in the Studio space.
Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom said …
“As we strive to make our city bigger, brighter and streamlined for the future we often forget the hidden history that lies beneath its pavements. Yet it’s these stories of a city’s sense of community and its people, of their hopes and struggles that can reveal a city’s heart. This season we challenge ourselves, and the artists we are working with to rediscover these stories and reflect the complex nature of the global city. We look forward to sharing with our audiences stories of Manchester’s working-class movement, of the migrant experience, family loyalty, cultural pressure, generational divides, gang-culture and what it is to fall in love.
I am thrilled to be collaborating with such an exciting creative team on WEST SIDE STORY. Together we’ll reimagine this iconic work of art for our unique in-the-round theatre space and reinterpret it for new audiences in our city at this moment in time.”

The Royal Exchange Theatre and Contact present a co-production between Fuel, The National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse
BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES
By Inua Ellams
Directed by Bijan Sheibani
7 – 23 March
Press Night: Monday 11 March, 7.30pm The Theatre
Found on the streets of cities across the world the Barber shop is a newsroom, political platform, local hot-spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. The runaway success of Inua Ellams’ highly acclaimed play BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES continues with a UK tour which begins at the Royal Exchange this spring. This dynamic play journeys from a barber shop in London, to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling. The UK tour will be supported by a grant from Arts Council England which will help the production attract new, young and diverse audiences. The show is a co-production between Fuel, the National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse and is directed by Bijan Sheibani. It runs in the Theatre from 7 – 23 March.
Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is a cross-art-form practitioner, a poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist, designer and founder of the Midnight Run – a nocturnal urban excursion. He is a Complete Works poet alumni and a designer at White Space Creative Agency. His previous plays at the National Theatre include THE 14TH TALE (Fringe First Award) and BLACK T-SHIRT COLLECTION. Other plays include THE RIDDLER (Theatre503), KNIGHT WATCH (Greenwich + Docklands Festival), MOSTLY LIKE BLUE (Islington Community Theatre); CAPE (The Unicorn), THE LONG SONG GOODBYE (Battersea Arts Centre) and TURNED (Trafalgar Studios), among others.
Bijan Sheibani is a theatre and opera director. His work at the National Theatre includes OUR CLASS, THE KITCHEN, EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES, A TASTE OF HONEY and ROMEO AND JULIET. Other theatre productions include GIVING (Hampstead); THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA (The Almeida), MOONLIGHT (The Donmar Warehouse); EURYDICE & THE BROTHERS SIZE (The Young Vic & ATC) and GONE TOO FAR! (The Royal Court, Hackney Empire, Albany and ATC). He won an Olivier Award for GONE TOO FAR!, and was nominated for an Olivier Award for OUR CLASS and THE BROTHERS SIZE. He was artistic director of ATC from 2007 to 2010 and an Associate Director of the National Theatre from 2010 to 2015.

A Royal Exchange Theatre production
WEST SIDE STORY
Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Sarah Frankcom
6 April – 25 May
Press Night: Thursday 11 April 7.30pm – The Theatre
Sarah Frankcom, Royal Exchange Artistic Director, creates a brand-new version of Broadway's biggest musical WEST SIDE STORY for the Theatre’s unique in-the-round stage. Celebrated for her reinterpretations of American classics, A STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE, DEATH OF A SALESMAN and her award-winning production OUR TOWN, she brings a new focus to the gang culture of the iconic Sharks and Jets with new choreography from Aletta Collins and orchestration by Jason Carr. Leonard Bernstein's legendary musical is an incredible blend of music, dance, lyricism and performance, with a matchless songbook – MARIA, AMERICA, SOMEWHERE, TONIGHT – which makes WEST SIDE STORY one of the most powerful pieces of modern theatre ever created. The production runs in the Theatre from 6 April – 25 May.
Sarah Frankcom is the Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre. Her recent productions include: DEATH OF A SALESMAN, OUR TOWN (UK Theatre award for Best Director); THE LAST TESTAMENT OF LILLIAN BILOCCA (Hull City of Culture); HAPPY DAYS, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, THE SKRIKER (co-commission with MIF15) and HAMLET (all with Maxine Peake), BLINDSIDED, THAT DAY WE SANG and the Royal Exchange and MIF13 co-production THE MASQUE OF ANARCHY.
Aletta Collins returns to the Exchange following her work on the acclaimed SWEET CHARITY. She studied at the London Contemporary Dance School, was a dancer and choreographer for London Contemporary Dance Theatre and is a former Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House. Her choreographic work includes: THE TWILIGHT ZONE (Almeida); WIND IN THE WILLOWS – THE MUSICAL (UK Tour and West End); THE HAIRY APE (Old Vic/Park Avenue Armory, New York); BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (Phoenix Theatre); MADE IN DAGENHAM (Adelphi Theatre) and ANNA NICOLE (Royal Opera House and Brooklyn Academy of Music).
Jason Carr was associate composer at Chichester Festival Theatre, writing the musicals BORN AGAIN, THE WATER BABIES, SIX PICTURES OF LEE MILLER, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. He orchestrated the Menier Chocolate Factory productions of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (all also Broadway, winning the Drama Desk Award and two Tony nominations for Best Orchestrations).
The creative team also includes Designer Anna Fleischle, a multi-award-winning stage and costume designer whose credits include HANGMEN for which she won an Olivier Award (Apollo Theatre) and the smash-hit EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE (Phoenix Theatre). Lighting Designer Lee Curran returns to the Exchange following his work on JUBILEE.

A Royal Exchange Theatre production
HOBSON’S CHOICE
By Harold Brighouse
In a new adaptation by Tanika Gupta
Directed by Pooja Ghai
31 May – 6 July
Press Night: Wednesday 5 June 7.30pm – The Theatre
Multi-award-winning writer Tanika Gupta has reimagined her 2003 adaptation of HOBSON’S CHOICE for the Exchange. In this sharp and witty retelling of Harold Brighouse’s classic take on family loyalty, we meet Hari Hobson who has fled Uganda to make a new life for his family in Manchester’s ever-changing Northern Quarter of the 1980s. Unimpressed by her father’s old-fashioned patriarchy the ambitious Durga, a modern feminist living and dreaming in a city fuelled by innovation and revolution, refuses to let herself and her sisters be held back by her father’s stubbornness and out-dated ideals. Directed by Pooja Ghai this story cuts through generational divides reflecting the hopes, aspirations and disappointments of families everywhere who are trying to build a new life. HOBSON’S CHOICE runs in the Theatre from 31 May – 6 July.
Over the past 15 years Tanika Gupta has written over 20 stage plays that have been produced in major theatres across the UK and has written extensively for BBC Radio drama. Her play LIONS AND TIGERS (Globe Theatre) directed by Pooja Ghai received the James Tait Black Award for Drama 2018. Her other theatre credits include: MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Globe Theatre –Dramaturg); ANITA AND ME (Birmingham Rep); LOVE N STUFF (Theatre Royal Stratford East); THE EMPRESS (Royal Shakespeare Company), WAH! WAH! GIRLS - A BRITISH BOLLYWOOD MUSICAL (Sadler’s Wells); MINDWALKING (Bandbazi Theatre); GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Watford Palace Theatre/English Touring Theatre); MEET THE MUKHERJEES (Bolton Octagon Theatre); WHITE BOY (National Youth Theatre/Soho Theatre); SUGAR MUMMIES (Royal Court Theatre); GLADIATOR GAMES (Sheffield Crucible Theatre); HOBSON’S CHOICE (Young Vic); FRAGILE LAND (Hampstead Theatre); INSIDE OUT (Clean Break); SANCTUARY, BRECHT’S THE GOOD WOMAN OF SETZUAN and THE WAITING ROOM (National Theatre); SKELETON (Soho Theatre) and A RIVER SUTRA (Indoza).
Pooja Ghai was the Artistic Associate at Kali Theatre Company and Associate Director at Theatre Royal Stratford East (2015-2018). She was the winner of ACTA Award - Best Director for LIONS AND TIGERS by Tanika Gupta (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse). Her directing credits include APPROACHING EMPTY (Kiln Theatre, Live Theatre and tour) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Rose Bruford Theatre); BLUE STOCKINGS (Corbett Theatre); RAPUNZEL (Theatre Royal Stratford East); THE EMPRESS (Embassy Theatre); COUNTING STARS, THE HOUSE OF IN BETWEEN, HOME THEATRE, ANGELIC TALES (Theatre Royal Stratford East); TAMASHA 25, SHAKTI & SEVA, MOTHER INDIA (Rich Mix); AS YOU LIKE IT (Ellen Terry Theatre);13 (Corbett Theatre); THE ACCORDION SHOP (NT Connections); THE TUNE IS ALWAYS BETTER ON THE OUTSIDE, OYSTERS, MIRAD A BOY FROM BOSNIA (The Bedford); THE DIFFERENCE (Soho Theatre).
A Royal Exchange Theatre production in association with Kandinsky

THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT:
SCENES FROM THE LUDDITE REBELLION
Created by James Yeatman and Lauren Mooney
Directed by James Yeatman
Dramaturgy by Lauren Mooney
25 July – 10 August
Press Night: Monday 29 July, 7.30pm – The Theatre
In the early 1800s, Manchester was one of the most modern places in the world, with technological innovation driving up efficiency in factories across the city and craftsmanship increasingly side-lined for profit. In a sharp and startlingly relevant new play THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT: SCENES FROM THE LUDDITE REBELLION, James Yeatman and Lauren Mooney question contemporary misconceptions about the Luddite uprising, asking audiences to think again about the real cost of progress, then and now. Combining the mythological leadership of Ned Ludd with true stories of 19th century radical Lancashire and the technology of 2019, this new play examines ideas of collective action and the power of story-telling to create change, redefining Luddites for the 21st Century. This production crashes onto the Exchange stage from 25 July – 10 August.
Lauren Mooney is a writer, producer and dramaturg. She joined Kandinsky in 2015. Work with the company includes DOG SHOW (producer/dramaturg), STILL ILL (producer/co-writer), TRAP STREET (producer/co-writer) and forthcoming show DINOMANIA (producer/co-writer). She is a graduate of the Royal Court Playwriting course, has written about arts and culture for Exeunt, The Stage and The Guardian, and worked in the literary team at Clean Break Theatre Company, including as co-editor of their forthcoming monologue collection Rebel Voices (Methuen, 2019). She is currently the David Higham Scholar on the Creative Writing MA at University of East Anglia.
James Yeatman returns to the Royal Exchange following his work as Dramaturg/co-adaptor with Jeff James on PERSUASION. He co-founded Kandinsky and his work with them includes TRAP STREET (Director/Writer), STILL ILL (Director/Writer), DOG SHOW (Director) and LIMEHOUSE NIGHTS (Director/Writer). Director credits include: RADIO (Soho Studio / 59e59 Theatres New York). James is an associate artist with Complicite for whom he was the co-adapter/director on THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (Royal Court) and BEWARE OF PITY (Schaubuhne), the co-director on LIONBOY (tricycle and international) and the associate director on THE MASTER AND MARGARITA (Barbican and European Tour).

Priority booking for Members from Friday 2 November 10am
Season Tickets are on sale from Friday 9 November 10am
Tickets are on public sale from Tuesday 20 November 10am

I've heard a rumour.

It's a musical.

Any guesses?

They’re bringing back ‘That Day We Sang’?

I would love that

Maxine Peake cliams she can’t sing, which is a shame as, if she could, she’d probably be the fiercest Mama Rose ever!

Thats a shame, was hoping for the Bananarama jukebox musical.

I think I heard her telling Grahame Norton that she had a bit of singing in Mother Coursge and no, she can’t.

Anyway can we have a proper MT actress in this please? Those two are getting more than enough work at the REM.

I've never heard of this musical aha! Do you know when they'll be announcing the next season?

Well Jason Carr, who did the WSS arrangements has a La cage to his name. certainly not my favourite show I confess, but the exchange could reinvent it.