Event type: Comedy

How did Liverpool react to the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin? What do we know about the Liverpool people who took part? The researchers who devised this exhibition, together with archivist Helena Smart, will talk about their work and what they have discovered about this forgotten chapter of local history, providing a fascinating insight into the library itself, its resources, and local history.

Told through documents, photographs and articles in an exhibition of materials ordinarily held by the Liverpool Record Office and Central Library, with additional material from the Liverpool 1916 Commemoration Committee these stories are revealed.

exhibit takes place on the third Floor, Liverpool Central Library

Since The Divine Comedy’s inception in 1989, Neil Hannon has repeatedly proven himself to be one of the UK’s best and most original songwriters.

New album Foreverland exemplifies this, with references ranging from Catherine the Great to the French Foreign Legion. Neil says of the new record, ‘it’s about meeting your soul mate and living happily ever after… and then what comes after happily ever after. Get ready for the most historically inaccurate hit of the summer’.

While not releasing a record since 2010’s Bang Goes The Knighthood, Neil Hannon has certainly kept himself busy. He co-wrote a second album for acclaimed cricket-themed project The Duckworth Lewis Method; composed a choral work for the ,em>Royal Festival Hall’s newly renovated organ entitled To Our Fathers in Distress, and oversaw the transfer of his musical, Swallows and Amazons, to the West End stage. The support act is Lisa O’Neill

An original production, which aims to celebrate the little known story of the men and women from Liverpool who helped to change the course of Irish history, remembering their contribution to the formation of an independent Irish republic, through drama, dance and music.

The story begins in Liverpool in January 1916 and follows the exploits of a group of volunteers who travel to Dublin to take part in the Easter Rising in April 1916. Written by Peter King, descendent of the King Brothers, who themselves engaged in the Easter Rising making the crossing in support of the action

Tickets are £5 from St Michael’s Irish Centre or online (+booking fee)

This award-winning ensemble from Galway combines Irish old-time and bluegrass music and song to reveal the banjo’s rich legacy and roots.

The Irish Times describes them as ‘absolutely virtuosic’ and LiveIreland are calling them ‘a new force in Irish music’. Of their debut CD, ,em>UkFolkMusic.co.uk said ‘[it] will hopefully one day be considered on a par (in folk music terms) with, say, the first time you heard Steeleye Span or Fairport Convention’.

We Banjo 3’s musicians have been at the forefront of Irish banjo and fiddle for two decades. Their competitive success is unrivalled, with Martin Howley holding seven All Ireland titles, Enda Scahill with four and Fergal Scahill and David Howley holding All Ireland titles for banjo, fiddle, bodhrán and guitar

£16 from the Liverpool Philharmonic (+ booking fees)

Free, no booking required
Mikey Kenney hosts fortnightly Tuesday gigs here at The Caledonia. Mikey was a founding member of local group The Saltcutters and has strong ties to tradition Irish music, a genre in which he excels. His performances are kept fresh by regular visits to the Emerald Isle and collaborations with his peers. Tonight he will be joined by friends to perform two sets of original and traditional music

Mon-Sat we are partnering with our friends at Everyman to provide a social space for festival visitors to drop-in, hold small discussion groups and seisiúns (sessions).

Drawing on conviviality we welcome you to enjoy the fully accessible space; free wifi; drinks and food menus and get talking to one another on one of the most historic streets in the city. Here you will find a small materials library in which you can delve in to news, literature and contemporary zines, so draw up a chair and ponder! Straddling space between the Catholic and Protestant cathedrals, Everyman is the ideal cultural hot spot to enjoy a festival brochure, pick up a bite to eat or enjoy some of the ad hoc and experimental performances we will pepper the time with. Come on! Join us!

Social seisiún platlist PDF available.

A place to meet and explore a wealth of Irish and Liverpool traditional songs. All musicians of all ages are welcome at this weekly session attended by locals, house musician, bar staff and strangers each Tuesday. Under 18s welcome

After forty years as a singer, actress and cabaret diva, Bev has seen it all and had nothing. She is backstage at the Kirkby Boilermakers and Shipbuilders social club which is the kind of place that you only play twice, once on the way up and once on the way down. This is her return gig.

As she prepares to get her slap on and step into a wobbly spotlight, she is waiting for a phone call. If all goes well then tonight will be her final ever gig and you are all invited to join her backstage.

Bev tells us the story of her showbiz life. From her brush with The Taffia (Llandudno branch of the mafia), to almost starring in the movies, sort of singing with a chart-topping mega-star and kind of breaking the European film market. Along the way she is joined by lecherous managers, dodgy photographers, and a whole realm of people who promise that they can help to make her a star. But she’ll show them all. Tonight, she’ll show them.

Making It! began as a homegrown one woman show in 2018 called Our Bev’s Christmas Cracker, winning a Liverpool Echo Theatre Award, and played to sell-out crowds. This time, writing duo Stephen Fletcher and Cath Rice have developed the show for the Royal Court main stage and are proud to present this exciting comedy two-hander, also starring the brilliant Andrew Schofield. 

“A lot of heart, soul and Merseyside wit, you’ll be glad you popped down to see Bev” Liverpool Echo

Starring Cath Rice and Andrew Schofield
Written by Cath Rice and Stephen Fletcher with additional material from Andrew Schofield

Directed by Stephen Fletcher
Designed by Katie Scott

8pm shows Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm matinees on selected weekdays and all Saturdays.

Matinee tickets now available with a bowl of scouse for £10

Performance Information Stalls tickets are available with a meal (served at your table before the show) for an extra £14 for one course at evening shows Click here to see our menu or an extra £10 at matinees (scouse or blind scouse only). If you are eating with us please arrive at least an hour before the performance. Tickets are available for the show alone in stalls, circle and balcony. BSL performance is on Tuesday 13 May (interpreter Kate Labno). Audio Described performance is on Wednesday 14 May (describer Anne Hornsby). To book please contact Box Office on 0151 709 4321 or email lauren@royalcourtliverpool.com. Circle and balcony will open at 7.15pm. There are bars in both areas for pre-show and interval drinks. Stalls will be open from 6:15pm. If you are bringing a large group, every tenth ticket is free. This ticket will be automatically added to your basket on purchase. Meals and building levy must still be paid on your free ticket. NO BOOKING FEES ON THIS SHOW Please note – the bar will close 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
£2 from every ticket bought will be donated to The Royal Court Liverpool Trust. For more details go to www.royalcourttrust.org 
Please contact Box Office to book if you are a wheelchair user.

Dave Derby and Debbie Day are happily married. Well, they’re not married really. And they’re not that happy on Derby day because Dave’s a die-hard red and Debbie’s a proper blue. Even their cat’s got two names. What sort of cat answers to Divock and Duncan? 

Their daughter Chloe is back from London with a new fella in tow and he’s got a deep, dark secret. One that could cause more chaos in the Derby-Day family than Wayne Clarke and Gary McAllister combined.

With her parents acting like kids, Chloe is fuming and this might be the final straw. Will they stop kicking off before the big game?

Ian Salmon (Girls Don’t Play Guitars, The Comeback Special) has written a brand new comedy about a subject close to his heart. If you are a red, or a blue or just someone who likes to watch families raging at each other, then come and join us for a great night out.

View the full programme for free

Performance Information

Confirmed Cast: Dominic Carter, Sarah White, Elliott Kingsley, Ellie Clayton

Written by Ian Salmon

Stalls tickets are available with a meal (served at your table before the show) for an extra £14 for one course and £20 for two courses at evening shows Click here to see our menu or an extra £10 at matinees (scouse or blind scouse only). If you are eating with us please arrive at least an hour before the performance. 

Tickets are available for the show alone in stalls, circle and balcony. 

BSL performance is on Tuesday 30 September (interpreter Karl Llorca). Audio Described performance is on Wednesday 1 October (describer Anne Hornsby). To book please contact Box Office on 0151 709 4321 or email lauren@royalcourtliverpool.com. 

Captioning will be available for performances from 7-11 October. Please contact Box Office for more details. 

Circle and balcony will open at 6.45pm. There are bars in both areas for pre-show and interval drinks. Stalls will be open from 6:00pm. 

If you are bringing a large group, every tenth ticket is free. This ticket will be automatically added to your basket on purchase. Meals and building levy must still be paid on your free ticket. 

NO BOOKING FEES ON THIS SHOW 

Please note – the bar will close 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
£2 from every ticket bought will be donated to The Royal Court Liverpool Trust. For more details go to www.royalcourttrust.org 

Please contact Box Office to book if you are a wheelchair user.

Helen Serafinowicz (Motherland, Amandaland, Nova Jones) has created the ultimate scouse sword and sorcery tale that is packed with magic, romance, original songs and stupid gags. Based on a half-true rumour, this story of myth and missus will have you laughing your axe off all night long. 

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Liverpool, there lived a mighty warrior. Ever since he was a boy he was fast and strong and incredibly handsome. He could outrun any man or horse (and he had great buns). His name was WAYNE. 

The Legend Of Rooney’s Ring – it’s like our Christmas Show but the weather’s better. 

Join us in the far-flung, mystical land of Liverpool where you will meet our hero. He is on a dangerous quest of heroic deeds and has vowed to fight evil through sheer force of will while his great buns are clad in a fetching pair of furry undies. He doesn’t care about all that fighting though, he just wants his C’leen back. 

C’leen was a humble bricklayer’s daughter from Crocky but, with her shiny caramel hair, she was the most beautiful woman in the whole kingdom. They fell deeply in love, making the sunshine, the flowers grow and the birds sing as tunefully as Posh Spice after the autotune’s been turned right up. All was right with the world, until Wayne got distracted by some lovely ladies and C’leen biffed his ring out of the window over the hill and far far away. 

Venture into the night or a matinee for a great night out (or afternoon with easy travel links back home so you can get in early without rushing to Central for the last train) with silliness, songs and laughs.

Read the show programme for free here

Age advisory 14+

Confirmed Cast: Emma Grace Arends, Lindzi Germain, Jess Smith, John May, Adam McCoy, Terry Mynott, Keddy Sutton and Liam Tobin.

Written by Helen Serafinowicz

Directed by Stephen Fletcher

Designed by Olivia Du Monceau

Original artwork by Gary Frank and colourist Brad Anderson

8pm shows Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm matinees on selected Thursdays and all Saturdays.

Matinee tickets now available with a bowl of scouse for £10.

Performance Information 

Stalls tickets are available with a meal (served at your table before the show) for an extra £14 for one course at evening shows Click here to see our menu or an extra £10 at matinees (scouse or blind scouse only). If you are eating with us please arrive at least an hour before the performance. 

Tickets are available for the show alone in stalls, circle and balcony. 

BSL performance is on Tuesday 5 August (interpreter Karl Llorca). Audio Described performance is on Wednesday 6 August (describer Anne Hornsby). To book please contact Box Office on 0151 709 4321 or email lauren@royalcourtliverpool.com. 

Captioning will be available for performances from 19-23 August. Please contact Box Office for more details.

Circle and balcony will open at 7.15pm. There are bars in both areas for pre-show and interval drinks. Stalls will be open from 6:15pm. 

If you are bringing a large group, every tenth ticket is free. This ticket will be automatically added to your basket on purchase. Meals and building levy must still be paid on your free ticket. 

NO BOOKING FEES ON THIS SHOW 

Please note – the bar will close 15 minutes before the advertised start time. 

£2 from every ticket bought will be donated to The Royal Court Liverpool Trust. For more details go to www.royalcourttrust.org 

Please contact Box Office to book if you are a wheelchair user.