The Shakespeare North Playhouse in

Prescot, Merseyside Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civ ...

, in the north of England is a cultural and educational venue that opened in 2022. The development includes a 420-seat main auditorium, a modern studio space, outdoor performance garden, exhibition and visitor centre. The theatre opened on 15 July 2022.

Shakespeare North Trust

The Shakespeare North Trust was founded by Richard Wilson and

David Thacker David Thacker (born 21 December 1950) is an English theatre director. He is married to the actress Margot Leicester. Education Thacker studied at the University of York. Theatre Thacker was the artistic director at the Octagon Theatre Bolton unti ...

. Its patron is

Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby Edward Richard William Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby, (born 10 October 1962) is a British hereditary peer and landowner. He was a member of the House of Lords from 1994 to 1999. Activities Edward Stanley (informally "Teddy") otherwise Lord De ...

. In 2007 it submitted a £20 million National Lottery bid to fund the complex, but was unsuccessful.

Playhouse

In April 2016,

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in Merseyside and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, a ...

granted

planning permission Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

for the playhouse. Funding is being provided by the council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and a governmental contribution of £5 million was announced in the 2016 Budget, with other funding to be provided by private investors. The widow of comedian

Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A life ...

provided £700,000 in funding to the theatre to create an outdoor performance garden. The historical

Prescot Playhouse The Prescot Playhouse was an Elizabethan theatre in the town of Prescot, which was then in Lancashire. The playhouse was built before 1603, probably in the mid-1590s, and probably remained in theatrical use until 1609. It was one of the few free-s ...

, the inspiration behind the project, existed between the mid-1590s and 1609, probably on Eccleston Street. No architectural plans of that theatre survive, however. The new theatre's layout is based on the 1629 design by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

for the

Cockpit-in-Court The Cockpit-in-Court (also known as the Royal Cockpit) was an early theatre in London, located at the Palace of Whitehall, next to St. James's Park, now the site of 70 Whitehall, in Westminster. The structure was originally built by Henry VIII ...

theatre in the

Palace of Whitehall The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...

, London. The architects are Helm Architecture and Austin-Smith:Lord.The lead artist is Simon Watkinson.

Educational centre

Shakespeare North Playhouse will have an educational centre that will offer opportunities for life-long learning.

Location

The four-storey complex was built on the site of Mill Street car park, to the north of

Prescot Parish Church Prescot Parish Church, also known as St Mary's Church, is in the town of Prescot, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is an active Anglican parish churc ...

. Knowsley Council and the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end ...

provided land for the complex.

References

External links

* {{coord, 53.4291, -2.8057, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley Replica buildings Theatres completed in 2022 Theatres in Merseyside William Shakespeare