THREAD – a performance 50 years in the making

To celebrate the 50 years since the opening of the Royal Exchange Theatre, 50 people from previous Royal Exchange community projects co-created and performed THREAD, an evening of theatre combining movement, conversation, stories, and a sharing of food.

It’s such a vulnerable thing to get up there and give everyone a piece of your heart and I think everyone did that so beautifully”
– Hope, THREAD Community Cast

Acting as a response to the 50^th Anniversary Costume Exhibition, Mythic Reinvention, THREAD weaved together the performers’ personal testimonies with the history of the Royal Exchange both as a theatre as well as its former life as a trading exchange.

Each of THREAD’s three acts represented a period in the history of the theatre; Past, Present and Future, divided by an interval in which the audience were invited to break bread (sausage rolls!) and share their experiences, memories and hopes for the future, both for the theatre and for themselves. As well as bringing the stories of the full ensemble to life, Director Katie Greenall worked with a core company of 20 in a co-creation process which generated ideas and material for the performance, including a collection of reflective, poignant and witty personal monologues.

Movement Director Yandass Ndlovu’s choreography weaved the performers’ stories together and created a dynamic ensemble performance which oscillated and wound around the audience, while Misha Duncan-Barry worked with the cast to bring their experiences and words to life, creating a distinct voice which echoed around the vast performance space, encouraging audiences to Follow the thread…

“This place has been such a constant in my life and all of our lives and all of our personal histories”
– Willem, THREAD Community Cast

Tom Sutcliffe’s lighting design worked to create both the feeling of an intimate dinner party, with lanterns illuminating the audience’s dining tables, whilst also drawing focus all across the vast and extraordinary Grand Hall space, lighting performers on stairs, platforms, balconies, the café and even the top of theatre module. Liv Walters’ set and costume design, supported by Costumer Supervisor Zoey Barnes, created a cream, calico canvas for the dining tables and performers. Red thread was sewn and weaved across tables and costumes, seamlessly tying the performance to the theatre module and the entirety of the Great Hall.

 “I’ve grown so much through this experience, I’ll carry what I’ve learned with me forever. There are things that have changed me, perhaps in ways I didn’t even realise at the time, certainly for the better.”
– Tracy, THREAD Community Cast

The Royal Exchange Theatre has heard thousands of voices throughout the years, from actors and directors, audiences, café-goers and those just passing through. All of which were brought to life by Sound Designer Patch Middleton with a recorded chorus voice, projected all around the Hall, becoming all those voices and the voice of the theatre itself.  

We’d found the room we were supposed to be in.

“It has been such a joy to spend the last 10 weeks with this wonderful group of 50 artists, sharing stories, histories and discovering what the Royal Exchange Theatre means to each of them. I’ve been so moved by the honesty, warmth and generosity with which they’ve shared their personal histories and the place this theatre holds in their lives. It’s been a real privilege to help bring these stories to life, and I felt incredibly lucky to have been able to collaborate with them, and our brilliant Creative Team, on THREAD.”
– Katie Greenall, THREAD Director and Associate Director (Head of Creative Exchange) for the Royal Exchange Theatre Company

COMMUNITY CAST 
Aaron Watts
Abosede Sanusi-Shoga
Andrea Anthony
Ann Sarge
Brendan Delphinius-Lopez
Catherine Fyfe
Christine Ovens
Colin Blackledge
Daisy Langston
Duncan Cowen
Edie Gravestock
Eira Short
Emmy Qualls
Esther Kimani
Evan Cunliffe
Eve Njoroge
Finch Hamill
Freddie Rimmer
Gemma Barrington
Harriet Eaton
Harry Spooner
Hope Somma
Jacquie Long
Jayran Oskoei-Lear
Joanne Lowndes
Katie Haigh
Kieran Chambers
Laila Khan
Lorraine Reynolds
Maralyn Tohill
Maya Minocha
Mel Broughton
Milly Doregos
Paul Foster
Paula Simbu-Lutete
River Kerr
Rob Caudwell
Sam Jamil
Shakira Samms-Alcott
Steve Bassam
Steven Szoltysek
Tabitha Reid
Tracy Royle
Willem Babrovskie
Yuan McCabe

CREATIVE TEAM
Director: Katie Greenall
Dramaturg/Co-Creator: Misha Duncan-Barry
Set and Costume Designer: Liv Walters
Movement Director: Yandass Ndlovu
Assistant Director: Sara Abanur
Sound Designer: Patch Middleton
Lighting Designer: Tom Sutcliffe
Costume Supervisor: Zoey Barnes
Production Manager Helen Hall
Rehearsal Stage Manager: Phil Clack
Performance Stage Manager: Helen Finn
Producer: Molly Taylor
Creative Exchange Coordinator: Stephen Hall

WITH THANKS TO

This project is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Noël Coward Foundation, The Baring Foundation and Granada Foundation. Additional thanks to HM Pasties Ltd.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.