2 min readThe historic building, a disused trading exchange, was taken over by artists in 1976. Today it’s an award-winning cultural charity that produces new theatre in-the-round, in communities, on the road and online.
The Exchange’s unique auditorium is powerfully democratic, a space where audiences and performers meet as equals, entering and exiting through the same doors. It invites everyone to understand the past, engage in today’s big questions, collectively imagine a better future and lose themselves in the moment of a great night out.
Inside the West Side Story Rehearsal Room
When the Royal Exchange Theatre staged WEST SIDE STORY in 2019 – it was one of the fastest-selling and most successful shows they had ever staged. So for the first time in their history, it was decided to bring a show back - and it was scheduled for Spring 2020. On just the second day of rehearsals the theatre was forced to close – but WEST SIDE STORY will definitely be returning to the Royal Exchange stage in the future. Here’s a glimpse inside the rehearsal room, and a little taste of things to come!
Stand on the Royal Exchange Stage!
Follow in the footsteps of Don Warrington, Maxine Peake, Helen Mirren and countless others to take your place on the Royal Exchange stage!
Suspended from four of the Hall’s enormous columns, only the ground-floor seating and stage area rest on the floor in this seven sided 150 tonne module. A 360° performance space means every audience member sees the performance from their own perspective, and with no seat further than nine metres from the stage, even epic productions are an intimate experience.
Check out the tour here.
