"Nothing could prepare us for what we saw. It was chilly, it was very very dirty and it was empty. But in only a few minutes, we knew. Here anything was possible" Michael Elliott, Founding Partner, 1971
In every stand-out production, there’s a moment where the lines between audience and actor, truth and fiction, past, present, and future disappear, and the transformative takes hold.
When they were first electrified by Courtenay, Routledge, and Maxwell in the 1976 performance of The Rivals — held in the round of Manchester’s new, seven-sided, tubular-steel theatre — all present experienced this sensation. 50 years later, and it’s still the pinnacle of experience we pursue at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
At the Exchange, we believe to be a part of a show — whether acting on stage, producing backstage, or witnessing in the round — is an act with courage. That’s why, five decades since Laurence Olivier first opened our doors, filled with raw and fearless experimentation, we’ve set our sights on the next 50 — renewing our commitment to a tradition of innovation, with a manifesto for the future and revitalised brand.
Our vision is to establish the Exchange as the preeminent National Theatre of the North — a world-class institution with artists at its heart, that authentically represents and enriches Mancunian cultural identity, audiences and communities. A crucible for world-class storytelling, where northern narratives get developed in collaboration with the city, shared with universal resonance. Embodying a boundary-pushing ethos that has defined us for half a century — and always will.
The architecture of our home on St Ann’s Square, underneath which ideas, imagination, heritage, stories, people, perspectives, and potential converge. Reverberating across the city. Nurturing the next generation of local talent. Fostering a creative connection that shapes Manchester, and beyond.
An Exchange charged with possibilities. That leaves none of us untransformed.
