Arts venue opens in Deansgate arches
IN Deansgate’s underground arches lies Manchester’s newest creative hub and arts venue.
53Two, funded by the Manchester Actors’ Platform, is a café, exhibition space, theatre and bar.
In the previously derelict Bauer Millet building on Albion Street, the new venue will provide a home for the Actors’ Platform and allow others to showcase their work.
Co-founder Simon Naylor had the vision for setting up the arts hub when he found there were no affordable services for actors in the North West.
Naylor, who trained at Italia Conti in London, told TheBusinessDesk: “I hope that we’ll be able to be the thriving and accessible arts hub that Manchester is crying out for.
“Customers, whether they be a hirer of the space or a patron and theatregoer, should leave feeling like they have spent some time in a part of Mancunian history and future.”
The charity will eventually offer bursaries for actors and musicians to train and develop their work at 53Two.
Naylor chose the location with his brother, Paul Morris, after taking more than two years to find a suitable venue.
The building was not originally set to open until 2017, but high demand has led them to open early and they have already been booked by two high-profile names.
Her, a lesbian dating app from the US, will host its first UK networking event at the venue, whilst theatre group JB Shorts will relocate from Joshua Brooks, the Manchester bar from which it took its name.
As the Manchester Food and Drink Festival opens on Thursday October 29, 53Two will also host two events in collaboration.
Real Junk Food Manchester’s ‘The Binner Party’, a dinner made using food from restaurants that would otherwise go to waste, will kick off the festival in its 10th year.
Before being taken over by Simon Naylor and Paul Morris, the building had stood empty for over two years, formally home to the Bauer Millett car showroom.
Competing against 24 other companies to lease the premises, Naylor described the historic building as “quintessentially Manc”, embracing the vibrancy of Manchester’s growing creative sector with its industrial roots.
