Plaque unveiling to commemorate an important part of Manchester's theatrical past Manchester City Council have unveiled a plaque at Central Library to commemorate the Library Theatre Company.
On Friday 30 September the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Donna Ludford, was joined by award-winning theatre director Roger Haines and representatives from the Library Theatre Company, HOME, Manchester Central Library Development Trust and the City Council to celebrate the occasion and unveil a plaque to mark the spot of The Library Theatre.
The Library Theatre and The Library Theatre Company, were Manchester City Council's jewel in the crown of its performing arts provision. The organisation was internationally renowned and produced high quality and much-loved works of drama.
The new plaque marks not just a treasured and fondly remembered theatre space, but also the city's unique role in providing something of great importance to Manchester people.
The Library Theatre occupied the basement of Central Library for over 60 years. The Library Theatre Company opened with a production of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ in 1954 and continued to put on brilliant shows for Mancunians to enjoy for decades until it’s closure in 2010.
The Theatre’s legacy now lives on through the plaque in Central Library and its innovative work now continues at HOME theatre and cinema. Visitors can see the plaque on the Lower Ground Floor of Central Library.
'Roger Haines, Ex-Associate Artistic Director of The Library Company, said:
“I look back with huge gratitude to the Library Theatre Company and the unfettered support it received from the Council – it was a wonderful family, and one that gave me opportunities that I would not have had elsewhere.
“The joy I got from working there, and learning there, was paramount. Without my relationship with the Library theatre my professional life would, I know, be very different.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman OBE, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said:
“Manchester has a great and diverse cultural history. Manchester is and always will be a city that champions culture and creativity and we embrace everything the arts have and have offered our city.
“The Library Theatre Company is an important part of our city’s rich cultural tapestry and now, with the installation of this plaque in Central Library it’s legacy will now live on.”
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure at Manchester City Council said:
“ The unveiling of this plaque is a great way to mark the space and remember the performances put on by the Library Theatre Company.
“Thanks to the plaque, past generations can now remember and future generations will learn how important the space is and how integral the Library Theatre Company was to the cultural scene in Manchester.”