Carmel ThomasonThe struggle of the Luddites against mechanisation fuelling the Industrial Revolution is often used to teach us, change is inevitable and resistance to it is futile. Both statements have their truths. But is there another truth we still often...
Brecht’s classic anti-capitalist tale of war is catapulted to the end of the 21st century in Anna Jordan’s raw, new adaptation, and its bleak nihilism given bursts of colour by director, Amy Hodge’s nod to 80s punk rebellion. Originally set in...
School’s out for summer. The school should be empty. A desolate prison. No more rules. But wait, what’s that on the CCTV? A person, a spirit, a mystical creation? Something strange is happening at Abraham Moss School. Rules are broken, souls are...
Growing up in a north east mining village I know all too well the part miners’ wives played in supporting the miner’s strike of 1984-85. Their protests were often ones of survival; sitting for hours on the cold city streets, raising awareness of the...
Making Maxine Peake an Associate Artist of the Royal Exchange has enabled a growing creative partnership with Artistic Director, Sarah Frankcom, in which both actor and director are given freedom to explore the boundaries of their disciplines. After...
At a time when Cold War rivalries are re-emerging, we could once again be facing a period of history where Russia appears a very different land. A new translation of Chekhov’s final play, The Cherry Orchard, by Rory Mullarkey promises to be truer to...
Mental illness, once hidden away, is now being talked of in the public sphere like never before. It therefore feels timely for the Royal Exchange to make it the topic of a new play, but with that comes a heavy weight. Despite the constant feed of...
The Royal Exchange likes to put a twist on the usual Christmas cheer with its festive production. So it is with its choice for this year, Sweet Charity, a musical whose innocent title belies a seedy world of lap dancing clubs, domestic violence and...
Sarah Waters’ Second World War tale, The Night Watch, has already won critical acclaim – first as a novel in 2006 (being shortlisted for the Man Booker and Orange prizes), and later as a BBC drama. Hattie Naylor’s stage adaptation...
It’s rare to see a spontaneous standing ovation at the Royal Exchange. I think this is partly because the intimacy of the space means the cast can see the audience clearly and those on the banquettes end up almost sharing the stage with the actors...