Lowry Highlights for 2024
Well, what a showstopping year we have had at Lowry!
From our smash-hit summer exhibition, to all the 998 performances we have hosted in our theatres to our amazing work within our local communities - 2024 has been one to remember!
Here, we take a look at some of our key highlights, with some our the team that brought it all to you.
Thrilling Theatre at Lowry
Steve Cowton, Head of Theatre Operations, and Matt Eames, Head of Theatres (Contemporary and Commissiong) reflect on what has been another great year in our theatres – with over 613,000 of you attending shows this year!
Ockhams Razor - Tess
Ocham's Razor have been regular visitors to the Lowry over they year's and we recently acknowledged them as one of our new partner companies. Tess was a show that was co-commissioned but the Lowry - and it represented a major step forward for the company - both in terms of scale and ambition. They presented an accessible and faithful retelling of the Classic Hardy novel using circus skills, projection and choreography. The show reached a whole new audience and represented an important moment in the development of Contemporary Circus in the UK. It was brilliant to see the Quays sold out for the week.
National Theatre - War Horse
After too many years away, we were delighted to welcome back the National Theatre with their stunning production of War Horse. This new version seemed more intense and powerful than ever before - with a real emotional impact. The show will always have a special place in our hearts as we were the first theatre in the UK outside of London to present it. The relationship with The National Theatre has never been stronger - we also took part in NT Connections and presented Jekyl and Hyde and My Beautiful Laundrette in the Quays as part of Theatre Nations Partnership.
42 Balloons
42 Balloons was a remarkable moment in the calendar and marked a special moment for everyone at Lowry. A brand new musical, with incredible music and a fantastic cast - born in our Quays Theatre. Audience and staff certainly took it to their hearts. Its composer Jack Godfrey was one of the Stage Debut artists of the year and it has been nominated for Best Regional Production in the Whatsonstage awards. And there will be more exciting news soon!
Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
We've had a busy year, co-producing and commissioning a host of brilliant shows. Charlie Cook was a real highlight, following on from our Julia & Axel exhibition last year. Families really loved the show in July here at Lowry and across the UK on a year-long tour. It's now enjoying a Christmas season in the West End!
Dante or Die: Kiss Marry Kill
Lowry has had a long relationship with this special company, who make immersive theatre rooted in human stories. This one, telling a tale of homophobia and acceptance in a prison was staged in the atmospheric surroundings of Halle St Peters. It thrilled audiences who had to remember to breathe at times.
Qudus Onikeku: REINCARNATION
For the first time we welcomed Nigeria’s celebrated QDANCE Company with the exuberant Re:INCARNATION. We all loved this explosion of Nigerian culture on the Lyric stage, scored with Afrobeats and traditional African music. A big thank you to our dance programmer, Eckhard Thiemann, who ensures Lowry remains the home of dance performance in the North.
Our work within the community
Working with children and with communities within Salford, our Learning & Engagement team have had a busy 2024! Head of Learning & Engagement, Aisling Serrant, walks us through some key highlights.
This year the Learning and Engagement team have been busy delivering creative projects and workshops for over 18,000 people, from toddlers to adults, and all ages in between!
In July we held ‘Our Space, Our Place’, a festival of creativity led by over 60 young people aged 11 – 25. Performances shared young people’s perspective on the world today, created by our groups for young carers, care-experienced young people and young people with neurodiversities and disabilities. Themes included the cost-of-living crisis, journeying from Ethiopia to Manchester as a young refugee, and experiences of being a teenager today.
As part of our Youth Employability & Skills Programme we hosted 22 young people who are not in education, employment or training on work placements across the building. Young people experienced the different roles available at Lowry; from welcoming visitors at the information desk, serving customers in the restaurant, supporting with creative workshops for families, and working in our galleries. The young people did a brilliant job, with one going on to join us as a member of staff after their placement ended.
Our Centre for Advanced Training Scheme (CAT) is a training course which supports young people from all backgrounds to access careers in dance. This year marked 15 years of CAT at Lowry. To celebrate we held an Alumni Event which welcomed graduates from the past 15 years, many of whom are now professional artists, back to the Lowry to reconnect, celebrate, and showcase performances. The evening was fulfilling and inspiring, as current students, families, other alumni and the wider CAT team witnessed the impact our programme offers.
Finally, this year our Creative Writing Challenge welcomed 23 children from across Greater Manchester to perform on our Quays Theatre stage. Children that have never performed before owned the stage sharing poems, short stories and scripts that they had written. Seeing the pride on their faces as they walked off stage was an absolute delight. We received over 600 entries to the challenge from primary school aged children from across Greater Manchester. As part of the programme 24 classes received over 200 hours of free Creative Writing workshops to inspire a love of literacy.
Looking ahead to our 25th year!
Whilst 2024 has been a fantastic year, 2025 will be a special one as we celebrate our 25th year.
Take a look at what's on at Lowry in the coming 12 months - we can't wait to see you here again next year!
In the meantime, we'd like to thank all our visitors for coming this year and wish you all a very happy 2025!
