Light Falls at the Royal Exchange

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Light Falls at the Royal Exchange. Credit: Manuel Harlan
Image courtesy of Manuel Harlan.

Light Falls at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre 24 October — 16 November 2019 Tickets from £7.00 — Book now

Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom will say goodbye to the Royal Exchange with Light Falls, an extraordinary new play by Simon Stephens, featuring original music by Jarvis Cocker.

Described as ‘a powerful allegory to the North’, Frankcom and multi-award-winning writer, Stephens have taken a journey across the North of England to shape and develop their latest collaboration. This will be Frankcom’s final production at the Royal Exchange before she leaves for a new post as director of drama school LAMDA.

Image Manuel Harlan

Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University, Stephens is perhaps best known for his award-winning adaptation, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Stephens and Frankcom have previously collaborated on Blindsided, Punk Rock and On the Shore of the Wide World at the Royal Exchange.

Light Falls is an extraordinary new play by Simon Stephens, featuring original music by Jarvis Cocker.

In this powerful world premiere performance, a family is drawn back together following a single and unpredictable tragedy. With original music by Jarvis Cocker, Light Falls promises to be an intricate and perceptive study of people, places and all of those things which pull us closer together.

A woman wakes up next to a complete stranger. A married man flirts with two younger women. A student fights with his lover. A lone mother struggles to feed her baby.  And far away, one devastating event is about to change all their lives forever.

An intricate and perceptive study of people, places and all of those things which pull us closer together.

Connecting five relatives in five different English towns, from Blackpool to Durham, Light Falls is a play about life in the face of death. Exploring how our love survives us after we’ve gone – and about how family, community and kindness help us all pull through.

Light Falls at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre 24 October — 16 November 2019 Tickets from £7.00 Book now

What's on at Royal Exchange Theatre

Where to go near Light Falls at the Royal Exchange

food and drink
Restaurant
Belzan

Belzan is a modern bistro serving delicious food in a relaxed and friendly setting, in an unexpected location.

food and drink
Restaurant
NORD

A Scandi-inspired restaurants that celebrates Northern hospitality, with a seasonal menu made from locally-sourced ingredients.

food and drink
Liverpool
Restaurant
Mahoe Blue

Mahoe Blue is a bar and bistro that serves authentic Jamaican food in a cosy venue in South Liverpool.

music 2
City Centre
Music venue
Rough Trade

The largest of Rough Trade stores, it’s record shop, event space and concert venue in the heart of Liverpool, complete with its own gift shop

exhibition
Wirral
Gallery
Hamilton Vault Studios

A disused bank vault now conceals a unique gallery space and filming location, championing local creatives and their vision.

exhibition
Wirral
Gallery
Lake Gallery

Lake Gallery is an artist-run space in West Kirby, showcasing fine art and contemporary craft in regularly changing exhibitions.

literature
Library
Birkenhead Central Library

Birkenhead Central Library provides books and resources, and welcomes everyone to their community hub in a stunning, historic location.

library
Shop
The Reader, Calderstones Park

The Reader brings people together through a shared love of literature and their home is in the beautiful Calderstones Park in Liverpool.

bar
City Centre
Brewery
Ye Cracke

Hidden in the Georgian Quarter, Ye Cracke is a historic Liverpool pub, known for being John Lennon’s local in his student days

record shop
City Centre
Shop
81 Renshaw

81 Renshaw is a record store in Liverpool city centre, selling new and second-hand vinyl from a location with a long musical history

shop
Lark Lane
Shop
Larks

Larks is a vintage clothing and gift emporium in a bright pink shop where you’ll find a bit of everything, sprinkled with glitter.

What's on: Theatre

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Warm, intimate storytelling is the thread connecting our new picks, which include a number of brilliant folk artists.

A sculpture of a dark brown dog looks to the right, hanging out of its middle and the back are what appears to be its insides (in cream) spilling out.
Exhibitions in the North

From genre-defying art film to vibrant embroidery and Surrealist sculpture, check out the best winter exhibitions to see right now.

A man is dressed as an Elf in a decorated department store.
Cinema in the North

Get ready for animated classics, Muppet mayhem and a whole host of New York movies -- it's Christmas time in the cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

From contemporary dance to ballet classics, and cult rock ‘n’ roll musicals to new writing, our theatre guide spans the festive season and beyond.

Raver Tots at Escape to Freight Island
Family things to do in the North

As we move into festive season, Manchester and the North is packed with fun events and activities for families, both indoors and outdoors.