Rochdale’s former fire station to become theatre venue – for one night only!

Rochdale’s former fire station in Maclure Road

Rochdale’s former fire station is set to become a theatre venue for one night only as The Royal Exchange bring their latest show to the historic building.

In this part fairground ‘ghost house’ and part house party experience, the red doors of the building will close behind the audience and, as the lights go out, it will become theirs to explore as stories will unfold and happenings will occur.

Located on the approach to Rochdale Station, the building and its drill tower stand as a proud local landmark and retains many original features.

The former fire station building has been in use as a storage facility since fire fighters left for a new community fire station earlier in the year.

One of the first fully automated stations when it was built in 1933, it still houses the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in a former workshop on the site.

Alex Summers from The Royal Exchange Theatre, said: “Having the permission of Greater Manchester Fire Service to use the old fire station is a fantastic opportunity, not only for the audience to experience theatre in such a unique space, but for the creative team and our young participants.

“It’s a space that’s known to everyone in the town, with places to hide and history within its walls, but the aim is to take the audience elsewhere, to use storytelling and performance to remind adults what it is to be young, and to have young audiences reflect on their own experiences.”

The performance entitled ‘At Night’ looks at how young people find danger and excitement go hand-in-hand and what risk really means to a close group of friends when they are bored with nowhere to go.

At Night is part of the national Truth About Youth partnership, supported by the Co-operative Foundation, designed to challenge and change negative perceptions of young people across the UK.

The performance will take place on Wednesday 10 December.

http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/28859/events-in-rochdale/the-royal-exchange-presents-at-night