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| More detailed histories of both
theatres are currently being compiled, including an archive of past productions.
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 "This is a thrilling rebirth for an exciting theatre" Founded in 1964 in the appropriately named Hope Hall (once a chapel, then a cinema), in an area of Liverpool noted for its bohemian environment and political edge, the Everyman quickly built a reputation for ground-breaking work. A succession of visionary directors, exciting writers, and bold young acting companies kept the theatrical flame alive for decades, and the Everyman was the crucible for an astonishing range of theatrical talent. Julie Walters, Bernard Hill, Antony Sher, Bill Nighy, Alan Bleasdale, Willy Russell, Barbara Dickson, Matthew Kelly, Cathy Tyson, David Morrissey, several McGanns and the Liverpool Poets all considered the Everyman a formative home in their early years. The intimacy of the Everyman’s thrust space has wrapped itself around the reinterpretation of classics that characterised the sixties; the political drama and theatrical mischief that followed in the early seventies; the rich vein of new writing which bridged the transition to the eighties, and the ambitious theatricality which carried it into the nineties. Since January 2004, the Everyman has been a producing theatre once again, and the cornerstone of its programme is the living writer. Whether it is the debut of a new Liverpool playwright, a new version of a world classic, or the British prem ière of a major international play, the warmth and dynamism of the Everyman space embraces each of the stories that traverse its stage. For details of recent productions, please see our Archive. "The Everyman, like the Playhouse, is on the up" |
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Sunday Times, January 2004 Built in 1866 as the Star Music Hall, the Liverpool Playhouse became a full-time repertory theatre in 1911, and was the oldest repertory company in the country when it was sadly wound up in 1999. The Playhouse’s acting roster was among the finest in the country – including Robert Donat, Michael Redgrave, Rachel Kempson, John Thaw, Anthony Hopkins and many, many more – and the rich variety of the repertory programme formed many generations of committed theatregoers. It was here that Noel Coward first worked with Gertrude Lawrence, as child actors in 19**, and the Playhouse was the wartime home of the Old Vic company, who decamped, perhaps unwisely, to what was to be Britain’s second most bombarded city. The latter part of the twentieth century featured many high points, perhaps the most notorious being the tenure of the Gang of Four – Alan Bleasdale, Chris Bond, Bill Morrison and Willy Russell – a brief but dazzlingly creative period which spawned, among many others, Russell’s international smash hit, Blood Brothers.
Since January the Playhouse, like the Everyman, has been predominantly a producing theatre. Here, the emphasis is on creative interpretations of great plays. More stately than the Everyman, yet intimate in its own way, the Playhouse is the Liverpool home of classic drama, from ancient to modern, presented with the highest production values. For details of recent productions, please see our Archive.
"Inspiring stuff" |
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