Royal Exchange Theatre

The Cotton Exchange was constructed in 1874 to the design of Mills & Murgatroyd and extended in the rear in 1922, to double its size. Bombed and seriously damaged during World War II, the exterior was subsequently simplified.

The Exchange forms a large block with giant columns and pilasters, with a round angle tower in the north-west corner. Inside the hall has giant demi-columns and three glass domes and this now forms the foyer for the theatre.

In order to create the theatre the architects devised a 'theatre module', 21m in diameter, suspended from four of the giant piers which support the central dome of the Exchange hall. The seven-sided theatre is constructed of steel and glass with seating rising all around a central acting area. This is an intimate space with a diameter of 70ft and a height of 45ft. It could well claim to be the best and most innovative theatre space created in Britain in the twentieth century.

The Royal Exchange Theatre was developed for the 69 Theatre Company which had previously performed in a tent. They looked for an unconventional approach to the design and the outcome is interesting as a striking example of a modern intervention within an historic building that deliberately contrasts with the original structure.

Seating up to 700 people on three levels, it is the largest theatre in-the-round in Britain. 400 seats are raked at ground level and above are two galleries, each with 150 seats set in two rows.

In June 1996 the Cotton Exchange was shifted several inches on its foundations by the force of an IRA bomb blast and although the building was immediately declared unsafe, amazingly the glass enclosed theatre was undamaged. This was because, for acoustic reasons, the module sat on individual shock absorbers.

A Lottery grant provided the impetus for a £14 million refit which introduced many subtle changes, the most significant of which is that the petals of the roof of the capsule now open to allow scenery to be flown in. In addition a new colour scheme for the hall has been achieved through an imaginative design by Amber Hiscott.
The rebuilt theatre is a delight, ascending the stairs to enter the auditorium capsule provides an exciting start to a theatre visit. Seating is on three levels with no seat further than 9m from the acting area. The fronts of the circles are pierced metal.

The Studio was created during the 1996 works. An intimate, flexible space with a capacity of 120, it has its own foyer and bar, and an automated flying system of 7 lines.