The Stage

Liverpool’s Everyman ‘owns its future’ after venue purchase

Published Tuesday 15 April 2008 at 14:35 by Lalayn Baluch

Liverpool Merseyside Theatres Trust has completed the purchase of the Everyman venue, paving the way for a multi-million pound redevelopment of the site.

The trust was launched in 1999 to operate both the Everyman and Playhouse theatres. Until now, it has rented the Everyman premises from the on-site restaurant, which purchased the building in 1993 when the theatre company then operating out of the venue went into voluntary liquidation.

It has now purchased the site outright for £1.7 million, following a donation of the same amount from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The restaurant will continue, but will now rent from the trust.

LMTT now owns and operates both the Everyman and the Playhouse theatres. This will allow it to carry out much needed modernisation work on both venues.

Deborah Aydon, executive director of the two Liverpool venues, told The Stage: “Purchasing the building is absolutely crucial for our plans to redevelop. The redevelopment of the Everyman and Playhouse is our big legacy project for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture. It’s a fantastic moment, and the Everyman owns its future again. It is a milestone in the history of the theatre.”

According to Aydon, the development plan will include creating dressing and rehearsal rooms, a studio theatre for small-scale new work and a dedicated space for education and outreach projects. The front-of-house, catering and bar facilities at both theatres will be improved and office and workshop spaces will be created. The Grade-II listed Playhouse will also undergo heritage restoration work.

LMTT has just completed a feasibility study and the building project has received £ 8 million from Arts Council England’s National Lottery capital programme.

The theatres will not be renovated at the same time, and work on the Everyman is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2010. Aydon was unable to confirm the final estimated cost of the project, but according to local reports it is thought to be around £35 million.