Join the team for a celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday (23 April) with Lights On / Lights Off. 4 performances in the Cockpit Theatre over the birthday weekend.
2 shows performed by candlelight, 2 performed in ‘daylight’.
36 Shakespeare scenes (9 scenes per performance) with 1 ensemble of actors from the Liverpool City Region.
This event is an opportunity to watch the ensemble, led by Shakespeare North Playhouse’s associate artist Ben Crystal, live in our Cockpit Theatre.
The company will successfully ‘quick-raise’ a scene from every Shakespeare play in the First Folio.
Each show will have 9 different scenes, none will be repeated, so if you want to see a scene from every play you’ll have to join them for all 4 shows! This event is the culmination of 5-days working together and promises to be electric.
Sat 22 Apr @ 2:30pm
Sat 22 Apr @ 7pm
Sun 23 Apr @ 1:30pm
Sun 23 Apr @ 6pm
If you’ve ever fancied seeing a professional rehearsal, well this could be for you! There will be Open Rehearsals for this event open to the public between Mon 17 – Fri 21 April for pre-booked groups and tours.
There will be Open Rehearsals in the Cockpit with no booking required during these times:
Sat 22 April
11am-1pm
5.30-6.30pm
Sun 23 April
11am-1pm (from the Upper Gallery only)
4.30-5.30pm
Artwork photography by Aslam Husain
It’s Friday morning. We meet Pierre in his office, filling in some paperwork. In walks Katherine… their eyes lock and instantly it’s pure passion and sexual chemistry. After work, they find themselves in bed with one another…
Built around the musical playlist of Katy Perry, they find themselves tackling genuine relationship problems. “Katherine and Pierre” thrills through a physically and tightly choreographed heightened drag world.
The two performers, Bobbie Twaddle and Ellie Begley are amazing in all aspects, whether it’s spinning wildly on office chairs, lip-syncing well known classics, or performing precise choreography blindfolded… you won’t be able to help but ditch your seat and start partying with the performers!
Through energetic movement, intricate sound design and “Mime Dancing”, Talk Small’s Liverpool Debut promises to deliver a queer, passionate and enjoyable experience for all who attend.
Running time – 60 mins
Age guidance – 15+
St Helens audiences are guaranteed a fantastic Easter treat when Beauty and the Beast sweeps into the Theatre Royal next month.
The lavish fairytale production from Regal Entertainments is packed with stunning and colourful costumes, laugh out loud comedy and a fantastic soundtrack of songs to sing and dance along to.
Belle is a beautiful young woman who falls in love with the most unexpected of princes, one who has been cursed to live as a hideous beast. Will the Beast learn how to love and be loved in return – and will the spell be broken in time for a happily ever after?
There are also evening performances on select days, see here for full listings.
Are you ready for a unique experience like never before? Two beatboxers and one actress will take you on a journey with powerful beats and haunting rhythms, leaving you mesmerised and captivated.
Sophie and her mum don’t seem to connect like they used to. When new boyfriend Eric moves in to take the role of ‘Stepdad’, Sophie feels pushed out more than ever.
Now endless partying has become screaming and shouting and Sophie must choose… Get the hell out or save her mum.
Producers Kitchen Sink Live are a Northern based not-for-profit Professional Theatre and Film company, created to improve young people’s mental health through arts and culture.
They provide OPEN platforms to EMPOWER young people to tell REAL stories to CHALLENGE current perceptions.
Running time: 45 mins
Q&A: 15-20 mins
Suitable for age 13+
Content warning: Discusses experiences of domestic violence, flashing lights and loud sounds.
Written by Abby Melia Directed by Abby Melia & Bradley Thompson
In partnership with Unity Theatre, Everton in the Community, Merseyside Domestic Violence Service & Arts Council England. Originally supported by Unity Theatre and 20 Stories High.
Ladyfriends is a high-octane romp through love letters, third dates, and lesbian period dramas – via the (probably) true stories of Annie Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst. Rammed with live music and film, it digs up real-life queer history to ask the age-old question: “are we dating, or are we just really good friends?”
Annie and Christabel are dating. Historians dispute this on the grounds of ‘inaccuracies’ and ‘lack of scholastic rigour’ and ‘the over-interpretation of the fact that women shared bedrooms’.
Expect confetti, PowerPoints, and power ballads.
Stephen Daldry’s multi award-winning National Theatre production of JB Priestley’s classic thriller returns.
Written at the end of the Second World War and set before the First, An Inspector Calls is a compelling and haunting thriller. The story begins when Inspector Goole arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home. Their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman. His startling revelations shake the very foundations of their lives and challenge us all to examine our consciences. More relevant now than ever, this is a must-see for a whole new generation.
Since 1992, Daldry’s production of An Inspector Calls has won a total of 19 major awards, including four Tony Awards and three Olivier Awards, and has played to more than 5 million theatergoers worldwide. An Inspector Calls is the most internationally-lauded production in the National Theatre’s history.
Performance Times:
Tue – Sat at 19:30
Wed, Thu, Sat at 14:30
Drawing from personal experience with contributions from participants from differing cultural backgrounds, the piece also explores how the migrant experience has influenced fathers and fathering across different generations.
The piece features three characters, each reflecting different experiences of fatherhood in their own individual performance language to create three interconnected narratives leading to a highly dynamic and original work.
Every performance of Fatherhood includes creative, integrated captions that will translate the spoken and signed languages and describe sounds for deaf and hard of hearing audiences. The sound design also reflects the experience of sound by the deaf character.
Fatherhood features a deaf character who uses his own home language, a version of sign language that individual families and communities develop, often where deaf and hearing people need to communicate. The show also features several different spoken languages, Turkish, Malayalam, Tamil and German.
1975. Millgarth Incident Room. The epicentre of the biggest manhunt in British history, for one of the most notorious serial killers: the Yorkshire Ripper.
With public and political pressure mounting, hundreds of officers must work around the clock to end one man’s reign of terror in this gripping retelling of true events.
Following on from the sell-out success of ‘Twelfth Night’ at Liverpool’s Royal Court, Old Fruit Jar Productions bring Olivia Hirst and David Byrne’s ‘beautifully crafted’ (The Guardian) play to the beating heart of Liverpool.
The Incident Room is a forensic investigation behind the scenes of the case that nearly broke the British police force. This meticulously researched play recalls the events of the five-year investigation from the eponymous Incident Room and presents the facts in a dynamic way – giving the audience a sense of the high-octane chase for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Based on the favourite stories by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved Tales from Acorn Wood stories are brought to life on stage for the first time in an enchanting lift-the-flap experience.
Poor old Fox has lost his socks! Are they in the kitchen or inside the clock? And Rat-a-tat-tat! Who’s that keeping tired Rabbit awake? You can also join in with Pig and Hen’s game of hide-and-seek and discover the special surprise Postman Bear is planning for his friends.
Packed full of toe-tapping songs, puppetry, and all the friends from Acorn Wood, this beautiful show from the team that brought you Dear Zoo Live and Dear Santa promises to be the perfect treat for children of all ages.
Presented by Norwell Lapley Productions
Tales from Acorn Wood © Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler 2000 and 2021 published by Macmillan Children’s Books
Protect your loved ains fae the claws o a beast
Under the buzzing lights of a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire in 1897, Mina Murray recounts her encounters with the most terrifying of beasts: Dracula. A throng of patients listen with bated breath as they are transported to a world where immortality and ultimate power is possible, even for women – but with terrible consequences…
Not for the faint- hearted, Morna Pearson’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic tale is filled with her trademark humour and taste for the strange and grotesque. This breathtaking gothic production transposes the action to Scotland amid the wild beauty of the landscapes of the northeast which originally inspired the novel. With an all-women and non-binary ensemble cast we witness the addiction, intoxication, and empowerment of Mina.
Miss this contemporary re-telling at your peril…
Age Recommendation:14+
Content warning: Contains scenes of violence, blood and frightening moments.
Presented by National Theatre of Scotland and Aberdeen Performing Arts in association with Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
