Plans have now been confirmed for the Library Theatre Company’s new home and we are delighted to announce our brilliant and exciting new opportunity.
From 2014 a brand new building situated at the top of First Street*, will be The Library Theatre’s permanent base.
And it won’t just be a theatre. Cornerhouse are looking for a new home too and our two organisations will be working in partnership in this new world-class arts facility.
The building will boast a 500 seat-theatre, up to five cinemas, 600 sq m of contemporary gallery space, an education space and informal and outdoor performance spaces as well as an impressive café and state-of-the-art back of house facilities. It will enable LTC and Cornerhouse to work collaboratively, creating a major cross-artform production centre and ‘arts factory’.
Investigations into the refurbishment of the Theatre Royal, (the original proposal for the LTC’s relocation), and further architectural work have proved that it would not be possible for the building to match the ambitions of the company.
The relocation to the new cultural facility will allow The Library Theatre Company to enrich the theatre programme and extend and broaden the community and education offer.
Chris Honer, Artistic Director of the Library Theatre Company, said: “This is terrific news for Manchester audiences and the Library Theatre Company. It will enable the company to develop and expand its work and achieve its aspirations. The artistic potential of the collaboration with Cornerhouse is immense.”
Dave Moutrey, director and chief executive of Cornerhouse, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to create a unique, audience-focused centre for the arts and we are thrilled to be at the heart of it. We’re looking forward to collaborating with the Library Theatre Company to make the best use of our skills and resources to develop a financially sustainable artistic and social hub, that secures Manchester’s position as a leading destination on the UK’s cultural map.”
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure for Manchester City Council said “These are extraordinarily exciting proposals which will create a world-class new cultural attraction. Combining the undoubted strengths and growing audiences of the Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company will allow the two companies to expand and flourish.”
* First Street site – near the junction of Albion Street and Whitworth Street West, through the railway arch opposite the old Hacienda site.