Royal Exchange Theatre

A unique theatre in the round in a grand historic building
There is literally nothing quite like the Royal Exchange Theatre. There are other theatres in the round and there are other converted historic industrial spaces but the Exchange is an amazing experience, a spaceship plonked inside one of the grandest spaces of the early twentieth century.
As a theatre, the eyelines are great, with my recommendation to try to get a front row banquette seat on the day, where you’ll be thrown into the thick of the action, splattered with blood or mud or spit, depending on the production!
I won’t recommend any particular play as it’ll likely be gone by the time you get to it, but what has worked spectacularly well for me have been Renaissance and Early Modern plays translated to the round and the uniquely open centre-​stage of the Exchange theatre, designed against their usual type and made contemporary and thrilling for it. Modern productions also work in the space with its flexible staging and lighting and the sheer closeness of the audience to the action.
And the rest of the programme is also great: small performances and studio plays, art and craft exhibitions, music, a café and a restaurant, talks and readings. There’s sure to be something for you in this lovely Mancunian institution.

The Royal Exchange Theatre is definitely one of my top three favourite places in Manchester. It’s a beautiful space, right in the middle of the hustle bustle of Manchester city centre. The theatre retains its beautiful interior which house a seven-​sided round theatre right in the middle. The plays here are excellent quality and always directed to make use of the 360 degree view of the stage, which is usually on ground level in the middle, and the three levels of seating available. Best thing? Other than the fact that tea and coffee is the most popular choice if refreshments served during the interval, it’s really good value for money. If you book early, you can get tickets as cheap as £16. And if you’re under 26, you can get £6 tickets on Friday nights! If you’re feeling spontaneous, you can get a banquette seat (at the front on ground level) for only £10! Or if you are organised and trust that they will always put in s good show, you could ring up and book 4 shows you get 20% off (or 5 shows with 25% off).

What an amazing space.
We were popping up to the city for a weekend away and wanted to go to the theatre. We only booked with The Royal Exchange Theatre as the Crucible was on and as drama graduates we thought even if it was awful it would be amusing. I was even pretty flummoxed when booking the tickets as the theatres in the round so where do you book?!
Each seat is a goodun and the space is just amazing. A little modern round inside a wonderful historic building, with creative and quirky craft shop, café and bars around.
A magical space and what was a great show.
When I go back I’ll certainly book myself into something else.

A really excellent space with great productions.
With an octagonal stage there isn’t a bad seat in the house. I’ve been to some really good plays here and they’re not afraid to put on something a bit more challenging eg The Skriker that’s currently on which I highly recommend. They’ll also show crowd pleasers like a Noël Coward romp or Shakespeare.
There’s a second smaller stage but I’ve never seen anything there.
There’s 2 bars as well as tea, coffee and snacks available for the interval. The café runs during the day too. Plus a shop with expensive jewellery and knick knacks.
Prices vary but check out the special offers for students and the under 26’s. Also anyone can queue on the day for a front row banquette seat for £10. If it’s not wildly popular (like Maxine Peake in Hamlet) you can also phone the box office for these. Box office opens at 10.

I would like to rate this as 2 places, a coffee shop/​bar and a theatre.
During the day this is a hidden gem if you are looking to have a social coffee with a friend and just want a quiet chat, its a beautiful environment with plenty of space to relax.
That aside, the Royal Exchange is a multiplex of culture, from the quirky couture gift shop to the upper art gallery. The multiple areas for entertainment and the Round restaurant. Basically, if you were so inclined, this place can be your all in cultural day out in the city.
The main attraction is obviously the shows, which are chosen to perfection and the primary shows are performed in one of the most intimate and imaginative staging areas ‘The round’. I have seen so many amazing actors grace this stage and bring a lack of walls to life.
Don’t wait for a play you think you will enjoy, just go to any or all of them, I have yet to see a poorly executed show here.
For me personally, I am currently awaiting the next Noël Coward.

I love this theatre. It is the best in Manchester and even go so far as to say, one of the best in the country.
Have paid all sorts of types of visits over the years. Most visits have been to plays (where I have sat on all levels) and have never come away feeling disappointed. It always amazes me how it is so open and really lays the actors’ talents bare. I feel like such a grown up when I watch a play here. Because of the way the theatre is laid out, the main hall with the bar/​café is shut during performances.
I’ve also been on several occasions to the Special FX free entertainment on a Friday night. There’s comedy, singers, musicians, all sorts and it’s free. It’s also pretty unique, as far as I am aware, in theatres. On some occasions, I have bought last minute tickets for the plays, on others I have come with pre-​booked tickets as a place to meet prior to the main event and last, but not least, I have also sometimes come purely for the entertainment — It’s a great, and slightly different, way to start a weekend off.
My third kind of visit is to the café. You can visit the café without a ticket to a show, which is nice. The cakes are nice as is the tea, which is reasonably priced.
The architecture is amazing. I like that some of the old features, such as the price board back from the days of its’ original use, are still there. But with an incredibly modern theatre in the middle.
If you haven’t been here then what are you waiting for — there is something for everyone of all walks of life, ages and budgets.

This venue certainly has the wow factor. I walked in expecting a typical old & majestic theatre building, which it is BUT it also has a huge modern twist, with a scaffolding type looking auditorium in the middle. It took me a while to like this, being the traditionalist that I am, but once the musical (Little Shop of Horrors) was in full swing I fully appreciated the set up they had going on, with the audience sitting in a round and the stage in the centre. The acoustics were absolutely fantastic and the space created a really intimate feel.
My only gripe is that the seats really are packed in, I felt quite claustrophobic and if I had needed to leave for any reason during the show at least three other people would had to leave their seats and move into the aisle so that I could pass. I will just need to bare this in mind next time I book…

Me and my good friend of ten years went to see this
amazing show in this wonderful theatre
to watch little shop of horrors.
what a marvelous funny entertaining show this was!
i would never have thought i would watch just a amazing show
in this unusal theatre as am so used to watching shows in the palace
theatre and opera house were your all sat facing the stage waiting
for the red curtains to go up.
inside this wonderful theatre you are sat in a circle and you would
think that the person across from you would distract you from the show
but actual you are so engrossed in what going on that you dont notice
any one else in the room.
The stage is only small but the way they produced the whole show
was done so well on very little staging moving props and setting
went un noticed and all very well timed.
you can get hot drinks inside this place as they have coffee shops
and bars although you might struggle to find seating.
we both started of with lattes that were £2.10p each
when they had a small interval we got soft drinks and a large
muffin that came to just over £9 for the both of us
overall a very enjoyable show in a nice theatre
were just looking out now for our next show here!

Whenever I return to the Royal Exchange, I vow to go more often and really step up my cultural doings in the city — however, food and alcohol totally gets in the way, and I end up making the same vow numerous times throughout the year.
Luckily for me, my mum is the epitome of cultured, so Christmas and birthdays always bring a wealth of tickets, along with various suggestions of performances throughout the year!
I was fortunate enough to be able to see Maxine Peake in Hamlet at the beginning of October, and being off work at the time allowed me to take advantage of the special £10 on the day offer. Get there early to avoid disappointment, but otherwise it’s the perfect weekday activity in Manchester if you’re visiting and unsure of how to fill your time.
More recently we have been to see Little Shop of Horrors — a play almost written perfectly to be played in the round, and an amazing performance from start to finish. I am biased, yes, as it’s my favourite musical anyway, but I was very impressed with the use of staging, space and props. Audrey 2 was a sight to behold!
Something the Royal Exchange do really well is incorporate the play of the moment into the space outside of the physical theatre. For example, they have a small display of Little Shop of Horrors inspired plants and decorations which have been made by a local school. Not only is it a great little area to visit whilst stretching your legs during the intermission, but a great example of how connected the building is to its community.
Keep an eye on the website and social media channels for open days, where you can learn all about the different departments of the theatre, and for the upcoming performances.

I watched the matinée show of Around the World in 80 Days. I have never laughed so much in ages. What a delightful show. From start to finish the production was funny, great costumes, quirky moments, energetic, innovative and the cast was very engaging and talented as the eight cast members had numerous roles and costume changes. Passepartout was an audience pleaser who stole the show and Mr Fix was a great villain. Great show and the cast never stopped moving! The story itself was wonderful and entertaining and had the audience enthralled.
The cast made use of all their surroundings. They used the first floor to point out where Fogg was on his journey by sticking a marker on the map and stayed in character when doing so. On the ground floor the cast enter though all the doors and have strategically placed props. Surrounding the theatre, you can see the props on display.
A show for kids and adults of all ages, not to be missed.
The venue itself is original, colourful and they were still making improvements. There is a craft shop and display cabinets surrounding the whole place. I also like the fact that they have recycling bins as well.

This is an awesome little theatre nestled inside the old (I believe) Manchester cotton exchange. It’s a fairly impressive sight to enter through this historic building and be greeted by the modern glass and steel surrounding this amphitheatre like stage.
It sounds like it shouldn’t work aesthetically, but somehow it does, like a curious spaceship ploughed through the ceiling.
The stage, as it is, surrounded by tall tiered seating on all sides, makes for an intimate and more interesting experience than your typical Victorian theatre. The cast work harder to incorporate the uniqueness of the layout, and the multiple entrances give them plenty to work with.
The seating was a less uncomfortable, but I’m yet to find a theatre outside of Las Vegas where I’d want to sit for any more than an hour or two, so it’d be unfair to criticise too much for this. I also wondered how comfortable it would be for those in the top galleries as they seemed to have to be leaning over the railing to see for most of the night.
The downsides to this place were the catering (or lack of), and their inability to accept card payments. The offerings were pretty limited to a couple of soft drink options and the usual bland alcohol choices. Snacks were seriously lacking, although our decisions proved to be worthless anyway as we were told it was cash only.
Overall though, a great night in a really impressive theatre (we went to see Little Shop of Horrors, which I’d definitely recommend).