Royal Exchange Theatre...

Had a tour of Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre today. The Great Hall of the historic Victorian Cotton Exchange houses the unique seven-sided, glass-walled theatre. Looking more like a visiting spaceship than a 700-seater auditorium, the capsule is suspended from the ceiling and huge marble pillars. A circular stage offers views from all angles and productions are held 'in the round'. The building has survived being bombed in WWII in which considerable damage was sustained and again in 1996 when an IRA bomb, planted just 50 yards way, devastated central Manchester.