Royal Exchange announces new season including Spend Spend Spend revival

The Royal Exchange Theatre has announced its autumn/winter season.

A new interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will open this September. Director Stef O’Driscoll will transform the play into a rave-like experience, featuring Mancunian DJ SALO as the Moon. It runs from 6 September to 12 October 2024.

Nathan Queeley-Dennis’ award-winning play Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz, directed by Dermot Daly, will take to the stage from 28 to 30 October 2024. The critically acclaimed piece, a love letter to Birmingham, explores Black masculinity through techno raves and the intimate relationship between a man and his barber. It follows a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in London.

The Royal Exchange has announced it will return to programming a big festive musical, which this year will be Spend Spend Spend, directed by Josh Seymour. Steve Brown and Justin Greene’s piece tells the true story of Viv Nicholson, who went from winning the football pools to losing it all.

Rachel Leskovac, Olivier Award-nominated for her role as Young Viv in the original production, stars as the older Viv. The show runs from 23 November 2024 to 11 January 2025.

Into next year, Sarah Frankcom will direct Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone/What If If Only, which will run from 7 February to 9 March 2025.

Celebrating ten years of the Elders programme, Eldersfest takes place from 28 September to 2 October 2024. while the Young Company will present Threshold, directed by Tian Glasgow, this August.

Returning to Greater Manchester, pop-up space the Den will be in Rochdale from 8 to 18 August 2024. Meanwhile, celebrating twenty years in 2025, submissions for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting will open this September, continuing to support and platform new playwrights.