Up until recently, the café at The Edge Theatre and Arts
Centre was a tea urn and a selection of chocolate and crisps balancing on a table
in the corner of their music room. Now, after knocking down a couple of walls
and lot of banging, The Edge has unveiled their fabulous new space, The
Dressing Room.
Chorlton obviously has a lot to offer Manchester’s food scene, but at The
Dressing Room they are doing something a little bit different. The café
operates as a training space for adults with learning disabilities. The aim is
to provide the trainees with qualifications and experience in the hospitality
industry that could lead them on to further employment. The ethos
of the theatre as a whole focuses on inclusivity and community involvement and
this project clearly highlights the spirit of The Edge.
On the surface the menu may seem simple, but it is simple
food executed with skill. Freshly prepared onsite, their menu is revamped each
day and it is always guaranteed to be delicious. They pride themselves on their fantastic
vegetarian offering and their fresh and healthy produce. The Dressing Room take
great steps to ensure their food is inventive and enticing, not content with a
generic theatre café menu. Although their sandwiches, soups and quiches are
definitely noteworthy, their cake selection is the real draw and the chocolate brownie
is my personal favourite.
The café has received great support from both the local community and the acting world. At The Dressing Room’s recent launch, the café was officially opened by patron, Julie Hesmondhalgh (known from her role as Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper). Julie’s genuine interest in the progress of the café’s trainees was clear to see and she is evidently a proud supporter of all that they are trying to accomplish at The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre.
After a welcome introduction from Julie and an enthusiastic performance from
the talented Expressive Edge Theatre Company, the theatre’s resident company for
actors with learning disabilities, The Dressing Room guests heard from theatre patron,
Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall’s Thomas Cromwell). Unable to attend on the day, due to
being incredibly busy being Mark Rylance, guests watched a short recorded film
from the comfort of the theatre. In the film, Mark was urging people to support
the important community work that drives The Edge and applauding the vision,
creativity and hard work of Artistic Director, Janine Waters. Mark’s emotive
video highlighted how powerful theatre is as a tool at engaging communities and
marginalised individuals. This reiterated the significant and positive change
that the hardworking team at The Edge are bringing to their local community.
Based in a former Sunday school in the grounds of Chorlton Methodist Church, The Edge is certainly one of Manchester’s hidden gems. Starting out in 2010, the family team took over the building and have been slowly transforming the venue into a functional arts space. With each burst of funding, the theatre continues to develop and transform and its reputation and popularity continues to increase. I can only hope that with the addition of The Dressing Room, Manchester will sit up and take note of this fantastic venue and everything it stands for.
