Culture in Exeter

Theatres, arts centres, museums, festivals, cinemas

It’s been found time and time again that the creation or regeneration of a single arts building raises the profile of the entire area around it. Exeter has numerous theatres, galleries and festivals, because the City Council supports Exeter’s own Arts Council, which provides funding for arts projects. So a wide diversity of arts flourishes here – and the whole city is the better for it. Here is a selection of places to visit:

Theatres in Exeter

Northcott Theatre

Address: Stocker Road.

Phone: 01392 493493

Website: www.northcott-theatre.co.uk

In 1962, Exeter’s Theatre Royal was demolished and there were no plans to replace it. It was G.V. Northcott who – practically single handed – made sure that Exeter would once again have a theatre of its own. He persuaded Exeter University to offer a site, and himself donated a small fortune; as a result in 1967 the new theatre was opened. Since then, plays have been performed there by writers as diverse as Shakespeare, Chekov, George Bernard Shaw, Terence Rattigan, Tom Stoppard, Aristophanes and A A Milne.
For more information:

Theatre Alibi

Website: www.theatrealibi.co.uk

In 1986, the Northcott invited the company known as Theatre Alibi to move into the Northcott’s Studio Theatre, and as a result the people of Exeter now have access to the wild and wacky humour that was previously available to lucky schoolkids during the Alibi’s tours of the area.
For more information: www.theatrealibi.co.uk

Barnfield Theatre

Address: Barnfield Road

Phone: 01392 271808

Email: mail@barnfieldtheatre.org.uk

Website: www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk

Exeter’s Other Theatre – a little gem of a black-box auditorium, right in the centre of the city. It’s run as a charity, and has performances by the Exeter Little Theatre Company and other companies, both amateur and professional.

Phoenix Art and Media

Address: Bradninch Place, Gandy Street.

Phone: 01392-667080

Website: www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Until Exeter university moved to its present campus in the 1950s this elegant period building was its home, but it is now the Phoenix that brings the bricks and mortar to life. Outside, a sweep of stone steps leads to an impressive doorway, and the interior of the building still retains its handsome original features.

A different event or performance is staged practically every day, the range varying from Greek tragedy via Germaine Greer to Japanese manga. There’s a media centre that runs film festivals, there’s an art gallery … but whatever’s on, be prepared for your mind to be thoroughly broadened!

Museums

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery

Address: Queen Street

Phone: 01392 665858.

Originally built as a memorial to Prince Albert, this was an institution that followed his love of cutting-edge development. It had not just a museum, library and art gallery, but also a school of science and school of art, all under one roof. True to its initial concept, it has moved with the times, and now offers a stimulating environment for its visitors – especially children, who can get really involved with its hands-on exhibits and activities – covering topics that range from fine glassware to fossil sea-urchins via African tribal crown jewels.

Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture

Address: University of Exeter, The Old Library, Prince of Wales Road

Phone: 01392 264321

Website: www.centres.ex.ac.uk/bill.douglas/what.html

Renowned British film maker Bill Douglas died in 1991, but during his lifetime he and his lifelong friend Peter Jewell amassed a comprehensive collection of books, artifacts and ephemera relating to cinema.
Peter donated the collection to Exeter University and in 1997 the Museum was opened. Since then, other relevant items have been donated and this centre has become a mecca for those interested in films and film-making.

Spacex

Address: 45 Preston Street.

Phone: 01392 431786

Email: mail@spacex.co.uk

Website: www.spacex.co.uk

This is a contemporary art gallery in the city centre, open Tuesday–Saturday 10-5, free entry. Also holds classes for young people after school on Thursdays, and on Saturdays.