Royal Exchange Theatre goers turn up to find 'lights off' after show cancelled

Theatre goers say they turned up at the Royal Exchange Theatre to find it 'locked up' with the 'lights off' after a run of shows was cancelled.

This autumn's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is no longer going ahead following an injury to a cast member and 'ongoing technical' issues. The 'electrifying adaptation' of the Shakespeare classic was scheduled to run at the Royal Exchange until October 12.

However, the theatre informed customers of the cancellation just hours before its evening performance on Tuesday (September 10) was set to begin. The theatre issued a new statement on Saturday (September 14) confirming the whole run of shows was cancelled.

READ MORE: It was the 'electrifying' show that would celebrate the city - now there's a month-long gap in the diary

In an email to ticketholders, the Royal Exchange Theatre said that there had been a 'number of issues' with the production. The theatre apologised to customers in the email, saying 'every effort was made to get the show on, and promised to issue 'immediate refunds'.

But some customers claim they did not receive an email and only found out the show was off when they arrived. One ticketholder, who asked not to be identified, told the Manchester Evening News that one couple had travelled all the way from Wales for the show.

He said: "A number of audience members (myself included) arrived at the Royal Exchange to find it locked up, lights off, no staff, no sign on the door, no email received to explain the situation."

Responding to a post by the Royal Exchange Theatre on Facebook, other customers made the same complaint about previous performances. Samantha Turner wrote: "I arrived last night, was told logistical problems, unfortunately I hadn’t received