Whatever you love the most about coming to the Royal Exchange Theatre you can pass it on with a gift in your will.
What could a gift in your Will do?
This is your chance to share how live theatre makes you feel – the way it can change how you think, see into other lives, and open up the world.
Let someone see live theatre for the first time.
You can give the experience of live theatre to people who might never otherwise have the chance to see it, because of cost or feeling it’s only for others. You can make eyes widen, hearts thump and new worlds open up.
A gift of any size can make a difference
£1,000 in your Will could enable us to invite 10 community groups here for free, to see live theatre for the first time.
Support the creation of new stories and voices
Your gift could help commission new work that draws in new audiences. It could train new directors from different backgrounds so that we always have a rich mix of interesting viewpoints.
£500 could support a place in our Young Company, to bring more local young people into theatre as a potential career.
£5,000 in your Will could give a promising new theatre-maker the support they need for 12 months to develop an idea.
£10,000 could commission a writer to create a new play or adaptation.
Make your mark on our stage
Your gift could be used to create a jaw-dropping experience on stage.
£2,000 in your Will could pay for some scene-stealing costumes.
£5,000 could help build a surprising set that gets everyone talking.
£200,000 could put your name on a full-scale production on our main stage.
We’d like to show our appreciation
If you decide this is for you, we do hope you’ll let us know. We would love to say thank you in person (if you’d like that). We can also discuss how you might like your love for the Theatre to be marked when we eventually receive your gift… a plaque; your name in a programme; a credit in a production / a bursary; or perhaps free tickets for family and friends – whoever you’d like to come and raise a glass while they share in something that matters to you. We’re always open to ideas.
Choose the kind of gift that works best for you
You can arrange a gift in your Will to to the Royal Exchange Theatre in different ways and it is easy to do.
Residuary Gift
When all the gifts in your Will of fixed sums of money and specific items have been made, anything left over is called the ‘residue’. You can leave a percentage – such as 10% – of this residue as a gift to the Theatre. The useful thing about residuary gifts is that you don’t have to worry about the value of your estate declining and not being able to afford it. If your estate reduces, perhaps because you need some care later on or you decide to give some money to your children during your lifetime, a gift of 10% of whatever is left over will be just that – 10% of the new, reduced value.
Here’s some wording for your solicitor: “I give free of all taxes payable on or by reasons of my death all/or [please state] of the residue of my estate to the Royal Exchange Theatre Company (Charity Registration Number 255424) of St. Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7DH, absolutely.”
Pecuniary Gift
This is a gift of a fixed sum or money. And here is some wording for your solicitor: “I give free of all taxes payable on or by reasons of my death to the Royal Exchange Theatre Company (Charity Registration Number 255424) of St. Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7DH, the sum of [£ ] absolutely.”
Specific Gift
This is when you leave an ‘item’ in your Will. It can include among other things: shares, a house (perhaps after a surviving partner has used it for the rest of their lifetime), a car, work of art or jewellery. When you leave an item to the Royal Exchange Theatre, it will normally be sold so the money can be used for making theatre. If you’re thinking of leaving an item to the Theatre, please have a chat with us first.
Our Promise to You
If you let us know that you’re considering a gift in your Will to the Royal Exchange Theatre, or that you’ve already gone ahead and done such a lovely thing, we promise that:
- We will understand completely that for most people family comes first
- We will never put any pressure on you
- We won’t bombard you with phone calls and emails!
- We will ask you what kind of relationship with the Theatre you would like
- We will follow your lead – however much or little you wish to tell us is up to you
- We will treat anything you tell us in the strictest confidence
- You are free to change your mind any time you like – you don’t even have to tell us
Have a chat
If you have any questions about putting a gift in your Will to the Royal Exchange Theatre, what that gift could do one day, or how it could be marked here, do get in touch with our Development Officer, Rosie Bingham.
