The Royal Exchange Theatre has announced that it has entered into ‘redundancy consultation’ with staff members and may be forced to make up to 65% of permanent roles redundant.
The theatre, in the heart of Manchester city centre, has cited the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the uncertainty around when it may be able to once again reopen doors for live performances, as having a detrimental effect.
Theatre directors said “there is nothing on the table which gives us confidence or clarity to be able to restart any activities in the immediate future” and that they “simply can’t trade” at this moment in time, even with social distancing measures in place, as it is “just not financially viable within our current structure”.
A statement from the Royal Exchange Theatre >> rxtheat.re/RETJuly20
Announcing via a formal statement on its website yesterday evening, the Royal Exchange Theatre said that the impact of the pandemic has been “monumental” and they have been “working incredibly hard to ensure the survival and the future of our theatre”.
The statement continues: As a direct result of this, and the dramatic loss of income associated with it, we have no other choice than to scale back the organisation and reduce our overheads in order to survive. This means that we have been forced to make the incredibly hard decision to enter a period of redundancy consultation with our staff.”
“At the end of this period we may have to make up to 65% of permanent roles redundant.”
“We have explored all other possible options and this is the last resort in protecting the future of the Royal Exchange Theatre. The primary focus now is our duty of care to our staff [and] we have an incredible team of people who have shown enormous commitment and resilience.”
“This is a very sad and difficult time for everyone involved.”
“As a company, we remain committed to our vital role as a key cultural organisation for Greater Manchester, the North West and the national theatre ecology.”
“We will emerge from this period as a different organisation in a very different landscape, but we are determined to deliver the best cultural experiences for our audiences and communities once more, and we will do our utmost to bring our stages back to life as soon as it is safe and economically possible, opening our spaces, inviting communities and presenting bold and inventive work from vibrant and original voices”.
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Bryony Shanahan, Artistic Director, said “It’s been heart-breaking to come to the realisation that this is the action we have no choice but to take.”
“Our staff are dedicated, talented, loyal and they don’t deserve this – and neither do the thousands of people in our industry who are facing job loss and uncertainty. It is an awful time for us all, and it’s also hugely frustrating that government support simply hasn’t reached us in time, despite clear warning signals and cries for help.”
“Access to culture for all should not be a luxury but a right, and so we must value it as such as we heal and move forward from this time.”
Roy Alexander Weise, Artistic Director, said: “The only way through this tremendously difficult time is to have unwavering optimism; keeping our eyes firmly on the goal of building again a vibrant hub of creativity and connection for Greater Manchester.”
“This catastrophe sadly forces us to change drastically to brace the world’s uncertainty but we look further ahead with hope to becoming a theatre which benefits more people than ever before, brings our community relationships into sharper focus, and helps us to employ and sustain more talent in the future.”
“Theatre will survive because as human beings we crave stories to make sense of our existence and imagination will help us to create a future. Our Engagement work with community participants never stopped during lockdown, and we have been committed to people remaining connected with us and each other.”
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“We have learnt through this time that we can do and be so much more for the people of this great city. Theatre, arts and culture will be needed more than ever to support our collective recovery [and] when we eventually open our doors, we will be a pillar of strength, love and resilience for all.”
Steve Freeman, Executive Director, said: “The current economic landscape is desperate for theatres up and down the country, but we remain committed to being able to bring joy and entertainment to peoples’ lives once more. In the short-term, this means that we are having to take the most drastic and painful actions now.”
“However, we know that our role in providing people with the space to congregate for cultural experiences will be all the more important in the new world we are all facing.”
The Royal Exchange Theatre has started the #RXConnect hashtag on social media, which has seen much interaction and support from members of the public over the past few months since closing its doors back in March.
A week ago we couldn’t have imagined having to make so many incredibly tough calls in such a short space of time. We are closing our beaut theatre until Autumn. So hard but the right thing. Lots of amazing activity is still happening &being made though ?to all. #RXconnecthttps://t.co/0Y4TwA4zlz
Never imagined that we'd be hair-line deep – 5 months in – but I feel like with everyone's support I can imagine us getting through this!#RXconnecthttps://t.co/StpUIXBnv5
— Roy Alexander Weise MBE (@RAWeiseArtist) March 18, 2020
The Royal Exchange Theatre closed out its statement thanking everyone for their continued and invaluable support and vowed to “be back as soon as we can”.
For more information, visit the Royal Exchange Theatre website here.
News
Manchester City dedicate derby win to late and beloved boxing blue, Ricky Hatton
Danny Jones
Manchester City players past and present, club members and fans alike have paid tribute to the late, great boxer, Ricky Hatton MBE, following his shock passing this weekend, honouring him with a fitting derby day win.
Safe to say there’ll be a blue moon all over Greater Manchester this week.
The tragic news about Ricky Hattonwas sadly announced just hours before the 197th Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 14 September, with the entire ground observing a ‘minute of appreciation’ before kick-off.
Manager Pep Guardiola looked visibly emotional when the camera panned to him applauding his memory in the crowd, and there were plenty of other tributes to ‘The Pride Hyde’ spotted both the home and away ends, with several famous City faces taking to social media after full-time to share their own.
Our pre match display funded as ever by you the fans. We’re planning a Ricky Hatton tribute for Burnley. pic.twitter.com/l67gyyjSTK
Perhaps one of the most moving tributes came from Guardiola himself, who has always immersed himself in local Manc culture beyond just football, so it was no surprise he felt the sorrow in the stands.
Speaking to the media in his post-match duties, the Catalan coach and former athlete himself said: “I’ve been here for ten years, [seen/heard] a lot of minute [silences/applauses], and I don’t remember one so, so intense like today.
“I want to say thank you so much to the Man United fans because they behaved and applauded. I know he was a World Champion in boxing. It was a special, special moment. There are no words that can contain the pain that the family can feel right now for this loss, but we are close.
“I know how much of an incredible Man City fan [he was]. He lived the bad moments and the good moments in the last 10/15 years. I know for the fans how close he was [held]. The moment of applause was unbelievable.
“It was an experience I will always remember because I felt in every applause of every person in the stadium the gratitude for what he has done professionally and being a massive, massive City fan.”
Once again, he wasn’t the only familiar sports personality, blue or otherwise, who made it known how much he was admired by those in and around the region of Greater Manchester.
Both Manchester United legend Roy Keane and ex-Man City defender Micah Richards joined the Sky Sports panel in discussing his legacy as a local sporting icon.
Rest in peace to a legend and a mental health hero.
Everyone involved paid tribute to Ricky Hatton as City claimed the win over United.
Such a sad day for combat sports. Sad day for Great Britain. Sad day for Manchester. I remember as a young boy staying up late to watch his legendary career. The original people’s champion, one of us. Rest in peace Ricky Hatton 💔 pic.twitter.com/2phiyCEneM
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot)/SamboD (via Flickr)/Man City via (X)
News
Warrington-born Adolescence star Owen Cooper becomes youngest ever male Emmy winner
Emily Sergeant
Owen Cooper has made history.
The Warrington-born actor who burst onto the scene as a newcomer in the Netflix smash-hit drama series Adolescence, starring alongside other big names like Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Ashley Walters, has become the youngest winner ever in any male acting category at last nights Emmy Awards 2025.
He took home the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series.
Youngest Emmy winner ever in any male acting category.
At just 15 years old, Cooper beat out his fellow co-star Ashley Walters for the award, as well as other renowned actors like Javier Bardem, Peter Sarsgaard, and Rob Delaney.
Adolescence, if you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, is a four-part limited series about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering one of his classmates – with each episode remarkably being filmed in one unflinching and continuous shot.
The truly gripping story unfolds in real time as the main characters search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy.
Who is actually responsible? Why did it happen? And could it have been prevented?
Adolescence gained universal critical acclaim when it debuted on Netflix earlier this year / Credit: Netflix
Cooper was a complete screen newcomer starring as the young boy Eddie Miller, accused of murder, and the show tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside because of it.
Taking to the stage to accept his award last night, Cooper – who began taking weekly acting lessons with The Drama Mob here in Manchester – said: “[The win] is just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind [at The Emmys].
“So I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
Elsewhere on the night, Adolescence cleaned up as a whole.
Co-creator and star of the show, Stephen Graham, took home the Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series award, as well as a Writing award alongside co-writer Jack Thorne, while Erin Doherty claimed the Best Supporting Actress accolade in the same category, and director Philip Barantini won the Best Director award.