The Lowry has revealed its reasons for rejecting the proposed options for its future made in conjunction with the plan to create a Royal Opera House (ROH) for the North at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. Rod Aldridge, Chairman of The Lowry’s Trustees, sparked a well-publicised row by dismissing the current proposal as unviable, saying that it would cause “unacceptable damage to existing arts provision”. The Lowry is raising objections to three options put forward in an initial evaluation report by consultant Graham Marchant (AP190), commissioned by Arts Council England. The first option, that the Lowry should host more musicals, has been thwarted by the impending sale of the Palace Theatre by Live Nation. It is likely that musicals would transfer to the Manchester Opera House, also owned by Live Nation. The second, for the Lowry to produce or co-produce more new work, would be too expensive and “too risky to be a viable alternative”. The third, that it should become a dance house, would be compromised by the migration of the Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) to the new facility. The Lowry favours a ‘dual-house’ system whereby it would concentrate on dance, with both the BRB and the Royal Ballet performing there, while the ROH concentrates on opera and music at the Palace Theatre. The Lowry will shortly release a summary of its research, while Graham Marchant’s final report on the scheme is due to be submitted shortly.
