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Light Falls, Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester
Missed opportunity to shed light on complex northern realities
In meltdown: David Moorst as Steven in Light Falls

SIMON STEPHENS’S new play marks the last production from the Royal Exchange’s artistic director Sarah Frankcom before she takes over the reins at LAMDA drama school.

One of the country’s finest directors, she has reshaped the Exchange into a theatre with international renown and over the past decade her innovative work, especially wonderful collaborations with Maxine Peake, have thrilled audiences.

That’s not necessarily the case with Light Falls, inspired by a road trip she took in 2016 with Stephens across the north of England, visiting Warrington, Blackpool, Ulverston, Doncaster and Durham.

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