New home for Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company

Cornerhouse has been at the heart of Manchester’s social and cultural life for the last 25 years, and the Library Theatre even longer. We’ve both built up great support from our audiences over this time and we have a strong reputation for innovation and collaboration that’s why this new development is so exciting for us. Being at the centre of a culture led regeneration project in the current climate is tremendously exciting. It will give us the space to grow our audiences for both contemporary visual art and cinema, to grow our role as a digitally connected producer, to achieve new levels of artistic excellence and deliver even more great audience experiences. The new centre will also house both organisations, which gives us a fantastic opportunity to work collaboratively. Bringing together two of Manchester’s most important arts organisations together in a new purpose built centre will create something unique in the UK and Europe – a major cross-artform production centre.

This would not happen without the visionary leadership we are so accustomed to seeing from Manchester City Council. It also benefits from real commitment and vision from commercial property developers Ask. But it is also important to note that neither Manchester City Council nor Ask are interested in vanity projects, they want something that delivers jobs and economic growth for the city and that is why this project is happening.

Clearly the arts do have real hard economic value and can make a very positive impact on people’s lives so it is a credit to Manchester that public and private sectors recognise this and are still prepared to act.

Dave Moutrey
Cornerhouse Chief Executive