A new theatre venue is due to open its doors in Prescot, with an opening programme of literary classics and audiences with TV stars.
Shakespeare North Playhouse is a new venue constructed during the pandemic with public funds and donations. It's revealed its opening programme, with highlights including Shakespearean comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, beloved Dickens tale A Christmas Carol, and audiences with comedian Johnny Vegas and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern.
The stunning new £30m theatre is home to the only 17th-century style timber theatre outside London and is expected to attract around 140,000 visitors a year. It will open its doors to the public with a weekend of free festivities from July 15-17.
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A key part of Knowsley’s Borough of Culture celebrations, the opening weekend consist of free performances of dance and drama alongside classical music, rap, DJs, crafts and tours. Beginning at 6pm on Friday, July 15, celebrations will include a ceremony of ‘local heroes’, including the builders who helped construct the venue, and Prescot Cables FC players.
Open Up performances will see events continue on July 16 and 17, curated by Prescot-born acclaimed playwright, actor and community champion Ashleigh Nugent, who was named Artist of the Year in the 2021 Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Awards. Open Up will offer the public the opportunity to tour the vast new 470-seat Cockpit Theatre, which was inspired by Inigo Jones’ historic 1629 Cockpit-In-Court London masterpiece.
The new, modern, energy efficient building also boasts a fully accessible outdoor performance garden, exhibition gallery, 60-seater studio theatre, learning centre, exhibition and events spaces. There's also a café and bar with outdoor piazza.
The Playhouse will also host comedy and music from a range of artists, with two local legends, Liverpool screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and St Helens comedian and actor Johnny Vegas booked for the first ticketed events inside the Cockpit Theatre - An Evening With Jimmy McGovern on July 23 and An Evening With Johnny Vegas on July 29.
The first plays to grace the Cockpit stage, from September 9-10, will be those written by the three young winners of the As You Write It national playwriting competition, run in conjunction with BBC’s The One Show, as part of the theatre’s mission to nurture new talent. The all-female trio of winners will appear on tonight’s (March 24) The One Show, with a feature about their plays.
The opening season at the theatre will include Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a co-production with Northern Stage and Not Too Tame, running from September 22 to October 22. Directed by Young Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe alum Matthew Dunster, the madcap tale of love, magic and mistaken identity will be given a dose of realism in this new version, setting the tale against the backdrop of teenagers on a raucous night out.
Headlining the autumn and winter season is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, recreated with a distinctly Knowsley feel, offering "a slightly bonkers, fast and furious retelling of the original text with some familiar local references and a sprinkling of pantomime fun". Written by Nick Lane, associate director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, the play is directed by Ellie Hurt, co-founder of Liverpool’s The B Collective and associate director of Hamlet at the National Theatre, as well as Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World which had a run at the Liverpool Playhouse. It runs from November 25 to January 7.
Tickets will go on sale for all Shakespeare North Playhouse shows at the end of April, with ticket prices from £3 to £35 with discounts for families, schools, groups, and other concessions throughout the season. Marking the Playhouse’s commitment to the local community and access to the arts, a proportion of tickets will be available on a ‘Pay What You Decide’ basis, with some reserved for Knowsley residents. Audiences are advised to check the venue website and social media channels for details.
The theatre aims to work in partnership with every school in Knowsley to offer children and young people inspirational arts and cultural experiences, through opportunities such as hip-hop workshops, drawing sessions, youth theatre activities and comedy projects. Staff are reaching out to schools and support services in the hopes of encouraging children to enjoy the venue, while sharing the message that it's "their theatre". The team are working closely with organisations supporting D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people to ensure opportunities are as open and inclusive as possible to all.
Laura Collier, creative director at Shakespeare North Playhouse who programmed the season, said: “We're thrilled to announce our opening season, which is very much a statement of intent in terms of our ambition for the venue and our engagement with the local community and audiences in the years ahead. We are balancing well-loved texts and new ideas, working with a variety of world class creatives, from innovative theatre makers such as Not Too Tame, Abigail Conway, Ashleigh Nugent and Slung Low, to our internationally renowned local heroes, Jimmy McGovern and Johnny Vegas.
“We want the building to be a beacon for creative excellence, as well as a supportive and nurturing playground for people to explore ideas and develop their own creative voice.”
Melanie Lewis, chief executive of the Shakespeare North Playhouse, said: “Our team has curated a wonderfully vibrant and enchanting mix of modern interpretations to bring alive both the venue and the written word, with performances to enthuse audiences of all ages whether they are new to Shakespeare, or seasoned theatregoers. Construction of the venue is nearing completion and it is looking absolutely wonderful.
"The unique architecture of the space provides the perfect environment for contemporary, dynamic theatre-making. We are excited to start sharing transformational experiences with people from across the North West and beyond. Everyone is invited to come along and join in the opening celebrations, and dive into a weekend of joyful moments, this place is yours - so please turn up and own it."
St Helens-born comedian and actor Johnny Vegas said: “On the architectural side, it’s absolutely stunning. Being in the round I’ve always loved that type of theatre. It feels accessible and for something that is Shakespearean based that’s the beauty of it.
“It feels intimate. It doesn’t feel like there’s a cheap seat in the house and that’s beautiful. You walk in there and you feel like we've taken culture back. Culture, art, creativity, theatre, everything is for all of us and that’s what that space does, it reminds us of that.
“I’m honoured to be one of the first acts in there. It is a major cultural icon coming to a most unexpected place - it's going to be monumental for us. Let's make it up north, let's do it up north, let’s have some faith in us up north. Creatively this can be that beacon for us to start coming together and proving for the rest of the world just what talent we have contained in this bit of the country. We breed talent here so let's celebrate it.”
Shakespeare North Playhouse was built entirely during the pandemic thanks to public funds and donations, including £12.2m from Knowsley Council, £10.5m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, £5m from the Treasury via Arts Council England, and £3m from the Government’s Covid-19 Cultural Recovery Fund.
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