Royal Exchange Unveils New Season Two Years After Censorship Row

Selina Cartmell, artistic director of the Royal Exchange in Manchester, has unveiled her 2027-28 season. The announcement comes two years after a censorship row that deeply damaged the theatre.

The new programme includes a retelling of the Munich air disaster and a modern Stockport-set version of the ancient Greek myth Phaedra, written by Simon Stephens. The season marks a deliberate pivot toward new writing rooted in the region.

Cartmell promised to channel what she called the "pioneering spirit of Manchester" and to be "brave and fearless" in her programming choices. Her words carry weight given the institution's recent history. The censorship row, first reported by the Guardian in October 2026, cast a long shadow over the theatre and its leadership.

What does the season include?

The announced 2027-28 productions centre on two major new works:

• A retelling of the Munich air disaster, the 1958 tragedy that shaped Manchester's civic memory.
• A contemporary version of the Phaedra myth by Simon Stephens, relocated to Stockport.

Both productions ground classical or historical material in Greater Manchester. That choice signals Cartmell's intent to bind the theatre's artistic identity to its city.

What does this change for the Royal Exchange?

The question matters because the theatre has spent two years rebuilding trust. A season led by a playwright of Stephens's standing, paired with subject matter of local significance, positions the Royal Exchange to move past the controversy. The emphasis on bravery suggests programming that will not shy from difficult material — the very terrain on which the earlier row unfolded.

Cartmell's framing is explicit. She named Manchester's pioneering spirit as her guiding principle and pledged fearlessness in what the theatre stages. Those commitments, made publicly at the season launch, set a standard against which the 2027-28 productions will be judged.

The real test arrives when the work reaches the stage. If the new season delivers on its promise, the censorship row may come to look like a turning point rather than a scar.