After over a decade of planning and two years of construction, the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot will be welcoming customers next month.
On Friday, May 27, the main contractor for the project, Kier Construction, Knowsley Council and Shakespeare North Playhouse formally marked the end of building work on site, heralding the start of a new era for the venue and for the town of Prescot. A fit-out period will now take place up to July when the Playhouse opens its doors to the public.
Shakespeare North Playhouse is set to open its doors with a weekend of festivities for everyone to enjoy on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17. The new venue is anticipated to attract more than 140,000 visitors a year to the region.
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Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, which invested £10.5m into Shakespeare North Playhouse said: "This is a really exciting day for our area, as we add yet another world class attraction. The Liverpool City Region is the UK’s cultural capital – home to a thriving arts and creative scene that has been entertaining the masses for decades, and where some of our country’s greatest performers perfected their trade.
"The Shakespeare Playhouse will be the jewel in that crown, a spectacular statement of the enormous cultural contribution that our region has gifted to the world. The theatre promises to be in incredible new asset, not only for Knowsley, but for the entire North West, attracting more jobs, more investment, and offering a brilliant resource for the local communities."
Construction of Shakespeare North Playhouse started early 2020 and was built entirely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project has received funding of £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.
More than another £1m has come from private and philanthropic donations including the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation, which supported the funding of the performance garden, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Foyle Foundation. A further £8m has been provided by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to improve local transport infrastructure.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council added: "It is a really special milestone today and one that will forever stay in my memory as a very proud and important moment for Knowsley. We have held a strong belief in our vision to create a world class venue in Knowsley and despite challenges such as the pandemic, Knowsley Council has remained 100% committed to this project and doing whatever we can to make this dream a reality for our communities.
"The impact the Playhouse is set to have is remarkable and the ‘promise’ of Shakespeare North Playhouse has already attracted significant new funding and new businesses into Prescot. This day marks the end of the construction of Shakespeare North Playhouse and the final period of fit out before opening to the public, and it really does feel very special."
