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The Everyman Theatre stands at the north end of Hope Street in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
,
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
, England. It was founded in 1964, in Hope Hall (once a chapel, then a cinema), in an area of Liverpool noted for its bohemian environment and political edge, and quickly built a reputation for ground-breaking work. The Everyman was completely rebuilt between 2011 and 2014.


History

The building was constructed as Hope Hall, a dissenters' chapel built in 1837. In 1841 it became a church dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist. This became a public concert hall in 1853. In 1912 the hall was turned into Hope Hall Cinema, which continued serving this purpose until it closed in 1963. Prior to its closure the hall had become a meeting place for local artists, poets, folk musicians, and sculptors, including Arthur Dooley, Roger McGough, and Adrian Henri, forming what became known as the Liverpool Scene. This group decided that the building would be suitable for use as a theatre and in September 1964 the Everyman Theatre was opened by Martin Jenkins, Peter James , Michael Freeman and Terry Hands. In 1975 the theatre closed and was rebuilt, its work being continued as a touring company until it re-opened in September 1977. During the 1970s and the 1980s, led by Director Alan Dossor works of Liverpool playwrights, Alan Dossor, Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale, received debuts in the theatre: these included '' Shirley Valentine'' and '' John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert''. In addition to plays, the theatre has produced musicals, concerts, and an annual rock-n-roll panto each Christmas. During its time the theatre has been involved with the careers of Dame Julie Walters, Stephen Graham, Bernard Hill,
Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...
, Alan Scarfe, Pete Postlethwaite, Antony Sher, Bill Nighy,
Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...
, Matthew Kelly, and Cathy Tyson. The theatre is managed together with
Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actre ...
by Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust since 2004. The two theatres have worked to an integrated programme run by their artistic director and their executive director. Together they are registered as a charity known as Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust Limited.


Closure and rebuilding

In July 2011 the theatre closed to be completely rebuilt. The last major production was ''
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'', starring David Morrissey and Julia Ford, which closed on 11 June. This was followed by performances from Roger McGough and Brian Patten, and by the local pop band Deaf School. The final closure event took place on 2 July. From 28 July contents of the theatre, including seats and benches from the theatre, and pillars from the original Hope Hall, were available for purchase by auction. The Everyman reopened in February 2014. In October 2014, the
Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The ...
from the
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
for the best British building of the year was awarded to Haworth Tompkins for their work on the new Everyman. File:Liverpool Everyman Theatre at dusk.jpg , January 2006 File:Everyman Theatre Liverpool.jpg , November 2009 File:Liverpool Medical Institute and the 'everyman' 2009 - geograph.org.uk - 4208350.jpg , December 2009 File:Liverpool's Everyman Theatre 2014 (2) - geograph.org.uk - 4214591.jpg , October 2014


Bistro

In 1970, Paddy Byrne and Dave Scott established a restaurant in the basement of the theatre known as the Liverpool Everyman Bistro, which became a popular dining venue in the city. After the Everyman closed for rebuilding in 2011, they retired temporarily and then opened a new restaurant, The Pen Factory, next door in Hope Street. There were plans to create a similar restaurant to be associated with the new theatre but run under different management. However, by 2019 the basement space was in use for events rather than as a bistro. There is a Street Cafe at ground level.


See also

* Rejects Revenge Theatre Company * The Tiger Who Came To Tea.


References

Citations Sources *


External links


Everyman and Playhouse TheatresGuardian article about the closure
{{Liverpool B&S 1964 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Liverpool Cinemas in Merseyside Theatres completed in 2014 Theatres in Liverpool Tourist attractions in Liverpool Hope Street, Liverpool