A landmark £38m theatre is set to open in Merseyside this summer and a new board of trustees has now been appointed.
The new Shakespeare North Playhouse, home to the only 17th-century ‘Cockpit” theatre outside London, is set to open its doors in Prescot with a weekend of festivities on July 15-17. A new board of trustees have joined the board of the Shakespeare North Trust ahead the opening of the new venue, which is expected to attract over 140,000 visitors a year to the region.
Former Liverpool ECHO editor Alastair Machray MBE, chair of Liverpool Bluecoat and Chester Storyhouse Peter Mearns and ACC Liverpool managing director Faye Dyer, are among those to have joined the board. They are also joined by creative consultant and inclusion champion Saphena Aziz of charity Curious Minds, digital visionary Jon Corner, and Sheena Wrigley, venue director at The Factory - Manchester International Festival.
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The theatre has 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, with tickets set to go on general sale on May 4.
Shakespeare North Trust is chaired by business leader Max Steinberg CBE and former Liverpool Vision boss and chair, whose recent accolades include the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award presented at the 2022 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards. The new appointments complete a board now of 15 trustees, who together will support the vision for Shakespeare North Playhouse, as a catalyst for economic regeneration, community engagement, education and developing a new generation talent.
Chair of trustees at the Shakespeare North Trust, Max Steinberg CBE, said: “We are delighted to welcome our six new trustees, each one of them a leader and visionary in their field. Collectively they bring a vast amount of experience and expertise to support our vision.
“Their commitment to Shakespeare North Playhouse is a resounding endorsement of the venue’s power to help regenerate the regional economy, engage communities, and transform lives through the arts.”
Chief executive at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Melanie Lewis, said: "We are privileged to have such incredible leaders on the board. Their expertise in business, culture, tourism and the arts will help take the vision for Shakespeare North Playhouse to the next level.”
The six new trustees join the existing board made up of Max Steinberg, Chris Brown, Coral Cameron, Mike Harden, Leann Hearn, Ian McCarthy, Sue Platt, Julie Sanders, and Nicola Winn. Shakespeare North Playhouse is inspired by Prescot’s historic connections to William Shakespeare and a love of storytelling.
In addition to providing a world class attraction, the theatre's mission is to become an exciting new destination that the Prescot community can proudly call their own. Housed inside a modern new energy efficient building, the venue is home to the only traditional timber-built Cockpit style theatre outside London.
It also offers a fully accessible outdoor performance garden funded by the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation, exhibition gallery, 60-seater studio theatre, learning centre, exhibition and events spaces, and a café and bar with outdoor piazza.
