New exhibition Queens begins its reign at The Lowry

What kind of Queen are you?’ That’s the question posed by a new exhibition at The Lowry.

The exhibition, which takes inspiration from the hit musical SIX, celebrates ‘everyday’ queens of every description.

“With Queens we want to celebrate not only SIX and its huge personality and sense of fun, but also its glorious inclusivity, attitude and creativity,” says The Lowry’s Director of Visual Arts Michael Simpson. “We know it’s going to be an exhibition like no other and is for everyone who loves SIX, but also for everyone who likes to have a good time.”

In SIX each of Henry VIII’s wives are turned into a pop star on stage and take to the mic to tell their own personal tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power.

Since its early days as a student production in a 100-seat room at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the show has fast become a global musical phenomenon.

In the exhibition the history of these Tudor Queens, as well as their contemporary music influences – from Adele to Beyoncé, blend with lots of opportunities for visitors to sing, dance, play games and quizzes and even take suitably regal selfies.

Queens starts with a celebration of the hit musical SIX featuring two of Gabriella Slade’s iconic costumes from the show: those of Catherine of Aragon and Katherine Howard – a first for the North West.

The costumes are displayed alongside a newly-commissioned model of the SIX stage set, designed by Emma Bailey, as well as scripts, film and memorabilia from Toby and Lucy.

“We are so, so excited that this SIX-inspired exhibition is being curated by The Lowry,” says Lucy Moss. “It has been such a wonderful home for our show for so many years, and it’s just so cool that it will be inviting the Queendom to engage with it, its history, and theatre in a different way”.

Toby agrees: “We can’t wait for everyone to come along and experience the magic the team have been cooking up – we hope it’ll be super inspiring!”

SIX first came to The Lowry at Christmas 2018, at the end of the show’s first ever UK tour, and the production has returned regularly ever since, with sold-out audiences every time. The free exhibition coincides with the shows next visit to the venue’s Lyric Theatre from Tuesday 13 August to Sunday 1 September.

Queens: The Exhibition is at The Lowry from 20 July to 3 November. Entry is free but time slots are required, which can be booked in advance on The Lowry website .