Community Post Type: News

Shakespeare North Playhouse announces a vibrant new programme of shows, film  screenings, community activities and special events now on sale for Spring 2026. From bold new theatre productions to food experiences, guided tours and family activities, there’s  something for everyone to enjoy.

A Northern Classic Returns

Kicking off the new line-up is Jim Cartwright’s TWO. Set in a northern pub where two actors  embody 14 characters over the course of one night, the play offers a funny, moving and  sharply observed portrait of working-class life. Audiences encounter a cross-section of pub goers: from flirty couples and squabbling husbands and wives to lonely drinkers and lost  souls – each carrying their own stories of hope, humour and heartbreak. 

At its core, TWO is about resilience, connection and the hidden struggles we carry. As  laughter collides with grief, and small talk masks deeper pain, Cartwright shines a light on  the joy and fragility of ordinary lives. 

Lisa Allen, CEO & Creative Director of Shakespeare North Playhouse will be directing the  play. She said: “TWO is a play rooted in northern life and storytelling. It’s funny, moving and deeply relatable  – exactly the kind of theatre we want our audiences to experience here.”

More Theatre Highlights

Other highlights now on sale include Puck: A Fairy’s Tale, a magical reimagining of  Shakespeare’s mischievous sprite, direct from Riverside Studios London; The Silence of  Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton, Mark Farrelly’s award-winning solo show; and Justin  Moorhouse: The Greatest Performance of My Life, a brand-new comedy show from the  northern favourite.

Local voices take the spotlight in Our Public House, a funny and heart warming new play with music by best-selling novelist and playwright Barney Norris, inspired  by real voices from across the nation. Music fans can look forward to a special performance  from Paul Young on the Cockpit Theatre stage as part of Knowsley Music Festival 2025 in  November. 

Big Screen In Prescot 

Also new, Shakespeare North Playhouse introduces a 6-month programme of film  screenings curated by Imagine Futures CiC. Each month features two special screenings:

• Wee Film Club – Saturday morning screenings for children, complete with free arts  and crafts activities. 
• IF Cinema Fridays – evening screenings for adults, from must-see new releases to  restored classics, each paired with a short by a local filmmaker. 

Tickets are £3 for children’s screenings (Wee Film Club) and £5 for adults, making a family  day out or an evening at the cinema possible for everyone. Local filmmakers can submit  their short films for free at imaginefutures.uk for the chance to be featured. Supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film  Audience Network, this pilot programme is delivered by Imagine Futures CiC. 

A Place To Connect

Alongside theatre and film, Shakespeare North Playhouse offers a wide range of  opportunities to connect, learn and discover. Community favourites such as Baby Bards,  Chatty Café, Shared Reading, Life Drawing, and Itch Spoken Word Nights sit alongside the  brand-new Shakespeare North Young Company and special events like Supper Clubs, while  Heritage and Tech Tours invite audiences behind the scenes. 

Whether you’re seeking unforgettable theatre, film, delicious food, or opportunities for  families and communities to get creative, this latest programme invites everyone to make  memories at Shakespeare North Playhouse. 

Priority booking for supporters opens 10th September. 

Support starts from just £5 per month. 

Explore the full programme and join as a supporter today at shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk.

 

A new photographic exhibition in Liverpool is set to tell the story of Toxteth’s Black musicians of the 1950s and 1960s, whose influence reached The Beatles and beyond.

This autumn, the University of Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery & Museum (VG&M) presents Toxteth: The Harlem of Europe. Running from 11 October 2025 to 26 April 2026, the free exhibition features portraits by Liverpool photographer Ean Flanders. Alongside striking new images of musicians from that era, Flanders also captures portraits of their descendants.

Presented in partnership with local charity Mandela8, arts development organisation Northern Roots, and the VG&M, the exhibition draws on the knowledge and memories of community figures such as singer Ramon “Sugar” Deen  and Carol Phillips – daughter of Harold “Lord Woodbine” Phillips, and elders who were active in the area during this era.

Toxteth: The Harlem of Europe celebrates Toxteth’s Black musicians from across two decades, telling the story of a generation whose talent and innovation helped shape the sound of modern British music.

Legends from Liverpool’s music scene feature, including: Chris Amoo and Dave Smith from The Real Thing, Garry Christian from The Christians, Ramon “Sugar” Deen from The Harlems, Joe Ankrah and Alan Harding from The Chants, female harmony group Distinction, and reggae artist Ramon Judah, who continues to champion Liverpool 8’s rich musical tradition today.

The exhibition will examine how out of the racial inequality of 1950s and 60s Liverpool emerged a rich, dynamic music scene centred on the vibrant nightlife of Toxteth in L8. Clubs such as the Whitehouse, the Palm Cove, and Dutch Eddies became hubs of creativity and musical excellence. Complementing Flanders’ portraits will be a selection of archival images, bringing to life this time in L8’s history.

Key figures included The Chants – backed at times by The Beatles – The Harlems, The In Crowd, “The Godfather” Odie Taylor, Derry Wilkie, and Lord Woodbine (Harold Phillips), a Trinidadian calypsonian who first sampled Liverpool nightlife whilst serving in the RAF during WW2 before returning to the UK on the Windrush. Woodbine, known affectionately as “Woody”, formed the Royal Caribbean Steel Band, mentored The Beatles, promoted them at his New Colony Club, and helped drive them to Hamburg for their first major break.

In 1964, when The Beatles refused to play for segregated audiences in the US, Paul McCartney said: “It wasn’t a political decision – we’re from Liverpool – all the bands, Black, white, we all just played together.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by an events programme including a performance from KOF + Jazz Gittens at the Tung Auditorium on Wednesday 29 October 2025 (1-1.50pm).

Lister Steps at The Old Library will be hosting Liverpool Irish Festival and Arts Groupie on Friday October 10th from 1pm for a FREE Irish famine talk.

Head along and join them, they look forward to seeing you!

Visit the Lister Steps at The Old Library website here

Coming soon: Next Up, our annual graduate exhibition of work from the MA in Socially Engaged Photography course a joint programme Open Eye Gallery has run with the University of Salford since 2018.

This year, we feature work by three early-career photographers and creative producers from our 2024 graduates (in our upstairs Gallery 3 space), from 26 September – 16 November.

Isabel Walker’s photography focuses on social connections found through subcultures in the electronic music industry. Her project, Hold Tight, highlights the strength of the community and the challenges some people face around access and inclusion to these specific music environments.

Eleni Karypidou showcases her project, Breaking the Silence; a participatory art project between Eleni, fellow student Isabel Walker and women from HMP Styal. Together, the group explored ideas of freedom of expression through music and dance and questioned our ideas of open and flexible conversation in often inflexible environments. Eleni also worked as a co-curator on the design of the Gallery 3 show.

Anna Wijnhoven presents Embracing the Inevitable, an ongoing collaborative photography project which navigates the real lived experiences of six assisted death advocates who support the actions of the charity Dignity in Dying to legalise assisted death for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live.

For more details, visit the Open Eye Gallery website here

Just Announced at Liverpool Philharmonic!

The legendary and defining funk, soul & disco band Earth, Wind & Fire will be celebrated live on stage in a show created by their iconic guitarist Al McKay.

The Earth, Wind & Fire Experience reincarnates the spirit of the original band, powerfully delivering hit after hit of the supergroup’s iconic songs with their authentic feel. Audiences will be treated to a show packed with Earth, Wind & Fire’s most iconic hits including After The Love Has Gone, Let’s Groove, Can’t Let Go, September, and more.

Follow the link here to get your tickets 🎫

Get ready, Knowsley! 🎬 The Made on Merseyside 2 exhibition launches at Kirkby Gallery on Monday, 15 Sept!

They’re celebrating the incredible creative talent that has emerged from their borough, from the cult classic film Letter to Brezhnev to the legendary music of Amazon Studios.

Don’t miss this deep dive into their cultural legacy.

Find out more at Culture Knowsley

This autumn, the University of Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery & Museum (VG&M) is set to illuminate with the opening of Lightbulb moments, an exhibition that explores the origins of some of Liverpool’s greatest ideas.

Opening on Thursday 11 September 2025 and running through to autumn 2027, the exciting free exhibition will be held in the Tate Hall Museum—located within the VG&M —as it reopens after 5 years closure due to roof restoration and the pandemic.

Great ideas can occur in many places—on a walk, in the shower, or even in bed —and many of them come from Liverpool. This exhibition explores the origins of some of the city’s most remarkable discoveries, innovations, and insights, and invites visitors to reflect on what makes ideas possible in the first place.

Drawing from the rich collections of the University of Liverpool and The National Archives, Lightbulb moments displays 150 objects – from archaeological finds and scientific tools to puzzles and literature. Highlights include teaching materials for Esperanto, the universal language invented by L. Zamenhof in 1887 to promote international peace; a pair of wooden globes – terrestrial (1833) and celestial (1799) – that chart explorers’ routes and mythic constellations while prompting reflection on Britain’s role in global history; and a re-creation of Bagatelle Nouvelle, an 1847 indoor game revived by local primary school children using original trade designs from The National Archives.

Researchers from across the University of Liverpool also play a key role in the exhibition, sharing their own moments of discovery. From history, music, and archaeology to chemistry and medical science, every faculty at the University brings its own lightbulb moment to the story. Highlights include Professor Andrew Weeks‘ creation of the Postpartum Haemorrhage Butterfly—first prototyped at home using a potato masher and LEGO and now a medical device that could save many lives worldwide. Also, Dr Ariel Camp’s breakthrough in biomechanics is also celebrated, which revealed how fish bend their spines and heads upward, reshaping our understanding of animal evolution and influencing robotics.

More than a traditional display, Lightbulb moments is a vibrant celebration of curiosity and creativity—inviting visitors to explore how great ideas take shape and inspiring them to discover their own.

Steve Slack, Lightbulb moments’ curator said: “Throughout history, Liverpool has been a hub of innovation, and this exhibition celebrates the city’s role in fostering great ideas. By weaving together historical and contemporary contributions from Liverpool’s thinkers, creators and visionaries, Lightbulb moments aims to inspire the next generation of innovators. The exhibition reinforces that anyone—from scientists and artists to students and museum visitors—can experience a moment of insight that changes the world.

“As the Tate Hall Museum reopens its doors, Lightbulb moments invites visitors to step inside, be inspired and perhaps even experience their own flashes of brilliance. After all, there’s no better place to have a great idea than in a museum.”

Dr Matt Greenhall, Director of Libraries, Museums and Galleries, University of Liverpool, added: “The reopening of Tate Hall Museum is a momentous occasion. After five years of careful building restoration, it will be wonderful to see this historic space welcoming visitors once again. Lightbulb moments is the perfect exhibition to mark this new chapter, celebrating both the University and the city as a hub of innovation and great ideas.

“The exhibition features unique objects and documents from the University’s significant heritage and cultural collections, alongside the work of our academics, students and city partners.  As we developed the exhibition, we worked closely with our local community—and we’re excited to continue welcoming them into a space designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and conversation. We look forward to Tate Hall Museum being a space where great ideas are showcased, shared, and created!”

Steve Burgess, Head of Exhibitions at The National Archives: “I’m really excited to see Lightbulb moments and delighted that it was inspired by Spirit of Invention. We’re all happy here that we had a small part to play in your opening exhibition. I’m sure it will be very popular.”

VG&M and Lightbulb moments are free to visit, with an accompanying public programme of events and activities designed to engage and inspire visitors of all ages. Visit vgm.liverpool.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/lightbulb-moments

The streets of St Helens are being paved with entertainment gold this Christmas thanks to a fantastic cast which is ready to enchant Theatre Royal family audiences.

Regal Entertainments Ltd will present Dick Whittington – the first time in the company’s 25-year history.

The thrilling tale, which is packed with larger-than-life characters, dazzling costumes and scenery and a superb soundtrack, will run from Friday 28 November to Sunday 11 January 2026.

Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden has already been announced in the title role while the ever-popular Lewis Devine will play Idle Jack and Timothy Lucas, back by popular demand, is baddie King Rat.

And today it’s revealed they will be joined by a fantastic cast of talented St Helens favourites including Chantelle Morgan as Alice Fitzwarren, Rachael Wood as Fairy Bow Bells, Jenna Sian O’Hara as Dick’s cat Tommi and Richard Aucott who will play Felicity Fitzwarren.

The show is also set to feature incredible new, West End-inspired 3D technology which will take theatregoers young and old on an exhilarating underwater journey.

There are adventures aplenty when poor-but-ambitious young Dick Whittington leaves his Merseyside home to travel to London, where he’s heard the streets are paved with gold, accompanied only by his loyal cat Tommi.

There in the big city he is befriended by a magical fairy, falls for Alice the beautiful daughter of big-hearted businesswoman Felicity Fitzwarren, and does battle with the villainous King Rat. Will our hero find his fortune and live happily ever after with his true love? Or will the dastardly King Rat and his gang succeed in foiling his dreams?

Book in person at the Theatre Royal Box Office, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

Telephone ticket booking line 01744 756000, lines open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Book online at www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com

Get ready to rummage, re-imagine, and revel in fashion for a fantastic cause! Open Door, The Whitechapel Centre’s charity shops, announces the return of its hugely popular Fill A Bag event.

Calling all rummage enthusiasts, vintage and sustainable fashionistas! Dive into a sea of donated clothes from 3-5pm or 6-8pm (or both!). For just £15 per person, you’ll get a bag and two hours to score amazing finds among fantastic brands, wardrobe staples, items that require love or hidden gems. This is your chance to unearth unique pieces, breathe new life into pre-loved treasures, and all while supporting the fight against homelessness in Liverpool.

The thrill of the hunt is part of the fun!

For those attending both sessions – at One Fine Day – there is a fantastic selection of refreshments at the adjoining Little Leaf café.

Here’s the scoop:

• Dates: Monday 13^th October
• Time Slots: 3-5pm & 6-8pm (tickets purchased separately)
• Ticket Price: £15 per person
• Location: One Fine Day, Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9BS. Entrance via Little Leaf.

Update your wardrobe with unique and affordable finds while supporting The Whitechapel Centre’s vital work in tackling homelessness.

Have a blast rummaging through fashion treasures with fellow bargain hunters. Tickets are sold in advance and often sell out, so grab yours today!

Visit www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/fillabag  and choose your preferred session (or both!).

Who decides what stories are preserved and whose are silenced?

As part of Collective Encounters’ Radical Retrospectives Festival, they’re hosting an open space event exploring what creative approaches can bring to archiving practices.

They’ll ask how creativity and co-creation can challenge colonial, patriarchal and classist traditions in archiving, and instead build practices that represent communities on their own terms.

This is a participant-led space, with guest speakers offering provocations to spark discussion before we collectively shape the agenda.

📅 Tickets: £5 (limited bursary places available)
📍 Live transcription provided. BSL interpretation available on request (please contact them at least two weeks in advance).

Email: info@collective-encounters.org.uk