Sustainability & Cultural Regeneration at the Heart of Transformation Ambitions for the Playhouse
We’re looking to appoint a design practice to prepare a Capital Refurbishment Feasibility Study that will safeguard the future of the 156 year-old theatre for generations to come.
Mark Da Vanzo, CEO of the LMTT Trust which runs the Playhouse and the Everyman theatres said:
“The Liverpool Playhouse is a cultural gem of both local and national significance. Entertaining audiences since 1866, the theatre has played a vital role in the cultural lives of our communities for over 150 years. Our beloved Playhouse is now in need of a major refurbishment, to both ensure it survives for another century and is as environmentally sustainable as it can be. We hope that the refurbishment of the Playhouse will be an exemplar for similar age theatres across the world, demonstrating that you can improve the environmental credentials of a listed building while also acting as a catalyst for a cultural regeneration of its surrounding area. We are excited to be writing this next chapter in the proud history of the Liverpool Playhouse”.
In partnership with Liverpool City Council, Liverpool City Region and Liverpool Business Improvement District (BID), the LMTT Trust which runs both the Everyman and Playhouse, have been exploring the long-term future of the Playhouse and seeking to better understand the role it can and should play in the sector both locally and nationally. Working more widely in driving the future of Williamson Square, they hope to enhance links between the Playhouse and other cultural treasures such as St George’s Hall, the Bluecoat, together with the Royal Court and Liverpool Empire theatres.
The Trust are now looking for a suitably qualified and experienced multidisciplinary design practice, that can propose radical and original solutions to reimagine the Liverpool Playhouse for the future.
There will be a two-stage procurement process, to prepare a Theatre Feasibility Study and a Williamson Square Activation Study. Collaborative bids from design consortiums, particularly those that include emerging practices in Liverpool and widen representation within the project team, are encouraged.
