Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet (March) marks a departure for a much-loved and acclaimed author as she too takes on historical fiction. Devastating,” says Kamila Shamsie of the novel, which was inspired by the family tragedy of Shakespeare’s son, who died aged 11. Also eagerly awaited is the debut novel by US nonfiction author Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Water Dancer merges historical and fantasy fiction in a slavery story that Oprah Winfrey says is one of the best books she has read in her life. Rory Alexander Weise and Bryony Shanahan photographed at the Manchester Royal Exchange by Gary Calton for the Observer. It’s often said that change in British theatre will only come about when you change who’s in charge. And a new trend in 2019 has proved quietly progressive: job shares.
The artistic directorship of Manchester Royal Exchange is now split between two rising directing talents: Bryony Shanahan and Roy Alexander Weise. They join other recent appointments – Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner at Paines Plough Debbie Hannan and Gareth Nicholls at the Traverse – in opening up possibilities for more collaborative arts leadership. “Who we are and what we look like and the point at which we are in our careers is maybe a bit different,” Shanahan says.
