HOME in the city

As a 500-seater main house venue offering cutting edge new work, the pressing question is what impact HOME might have on the north of England’s most substantially funded theatre, the Royal Exchange. In programming terms, Meierjohann is already in regular consultation with the Exchange’s Sarah Frankcom.

However, even if the programming between the two is sympathetic and complementary, the question of whether this medium-sized city can support two major producing houses remains to be answered. Much may hang not just on the balance and quality of the work, but on the level of consideration the new venue shows to its paying customers.

Not one of Manchester’s existing theatres (and the city is not alone in this) offers seating to match the comfort on offer in any small town multiplex cinema. Opened in 2000, The Lowry’s Lyric Theatre comes closest but, though its seats are okay, the acoustic is so dead as to swallow even operatic voices for any patron seated off-centre. The seating in The Lowry’s smaller venue, the Quays Theatre, is a joke, especially in the side galleries (sheep pens) which offer better views of the audience than of the stage.

Irrespective of refurbishments, it seems likely that audiences at the Opera House and the Palace will continue to endure that authentic Victorian experience: minimal leg room, creaking floorboards and, in the upper circle and gallery, rakes better suited to abseiling than spectating. (I know, much of the West End is pitiably worse but, even so…)

Walter Meierjohann wants to broaden the age group of customers for his new company and establish a bond of trust such that audiences will be willing to take a chance with his ground-breaking, genre-bending new works. If his new HOME gives us somewhere bearable to sit, watch and listen, he may have a chance.

The old Library Theatre, whilst never quite an ugly duckling, had certainly become quite a dowdy one by the time it relocated temporarily to The Lowry. Clearly with Meierjohann’s bold vision for future programming and the announcement of new patrons (Danny Boyle, Nicholas Hytner, filmmaker Asif Kapadia, visual artist Phil Collins and writer Jackie Kay) the new company is hoping to emerge from its winter of dislocation, fully fledged as an internationally-admired swan.

There’s a lot riding on the new artistic director’s shoulders. It is to be hoped that his charm and enthusiasm, combined with what he’s learned at the Dresden State Theatre, Residenz Theatre, Munich and London’s Young Vic will be sufficient to get this new company off the ground. If it is, the £25 million project that is HOME Manchester could prove to be a very fine swan, indeed.

  • Angel Meadow runs from 10 to 29 June 2014.
  • Romeo and Juliet from 10 September to 4 October.
  • The Events from 22 to 25 October.

The HOME web site is now up and running for ticket sales.