This weekend (Friday 15, Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 July), the much-anticipated Shakespeare North Playhouse will officially open its doors to the public!
After more than ten years of planning, YOU are invited to enjoy a weekend of fun, celebrations, performances, and joy.
The festivities will start on Prospero Place on Friday 15 July with the All The Joy That You Can Wish – a ceremony and performance that marks the start of the opening weekend. On Saturday 16 July the whole family can enjoy dancing, DJs, drama, drums, drawing, raves, rappers, talkers and stilt walkers. And finishing the spectacular weekend, on Sunday 17 July there will be tours, crafts and the chance to explore the new venue.
Cllr Graham Morgan Leader of Knowsley Council said: “This is a really proud moment for me and such an historic moment for Prescot, Knowsley and our wider communities.
“Delivering this amazing cultural venue has been a long-held ambition of the Council and to see the doors open this weekend will be really special.
“It will be an exciting weekend of celebrations and I hope as many people as possible will come along and join in, get involved or just take the opportunity to step inside the amazing building and take a look around. Everyone is welcome.”
Across the weekend you can be a part of…
- Cast your words inside a candle with Abigail Conway (Saturday only)
- Candle Burning Ceremony in the Cockpit Theatre (Sunday only)
- Assist Faith Bebbington to create a Syorax cloak using waste materials from the weekend.
- Capoeira on the Piazza (Saturday only)
- Drumming in the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden (Saturday only)
- Ruff Making with Tamasine Seibold
- Taking Flight Dance workshops with Movema (Saturday only)
- A Snapshot Tour of the building with team members from Shakespeare North Playhouse.
Some of the workshops and events can be booked in advance but the majority you can turn up and enjoy on the day.
Book your space
Open Up: Your words inside a candle
Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 July
Join artist Abigail Conway and help assemble and cast words inside a traditional beeswax candle for others to discover when melted. Participants are invited to cast their words inside a tapered candle. As a candle slowly burns, remnant messages left behind become glimmering beacons of hope, whispers, for others to discover and take home.
The sessions are FREE and open to all, however places need to be booked in advance. You can book your place here. The experience will last up to 45 mins. Any young person under the age of 18 who would like to participate will need to be accompanied by an adult with their own ticket for the same timeslot.
Open Up: Candle Burning Ceremony
Sunday 17 July, 6pm
The Open Up weekend culminates in The Candle Project Burning Ceremony. Artist, Abigail Conway, will light up the Cockpit Theatre with candles created across the weekend. As the candles slowly burn, remnant messages left behind become glimmering beacons of hope, whispers, for others to discover and take home…
Book your FREE place for this ceremony, 6pm on Sunday 17 July
Tour of the building: Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July
Join a member of the Shakespeare North Playhouse team for a tour of the beautiful new building. This is your opportunity to see the space through the eyes of the team, ask questions, explore and make yourself at home.
You will be guided to three key spaces within the building, The Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, the Learning Centre and at the heart of it all The Cockpit Theatre.
Tours are accessible to all and will run throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Your tour guides will be varied members of the Shakespeare North Playhouse team, from Front of House to Chief Executive.
The tour will last approximately 20 minutes and is suitable for all ages.
You can book your FREE space here.
Opening Times
Here are the opening times for the weekend:
Friday 15 July
Shakespeare North Playhouse will open its doors at 11am.
All The Joy That You Can Wish performance, Prospero Place 6-7pm (arrive from 5pm)
Saturday 16 July, 10am – 10.30pm
Sunday 17 July, 11am – 9.30pm
Finding Shakespeare North Playhouse
Shakespeare North Playhouse is located on the brand-new Prospero Place in Prescot (L34 3AB).
It’s easy to get to by car, train, bus, on foot or by bike.
The nearest car parks are on Mill St (use postcode L34 6HA for sat nav) and Prescot Deanes House NCP Car Park, Church St, Prescot (L34 3LA).
Open Up Weekend
The Shakespeare North Playhouse Open Up weekend has been co-curated by Ashleigh Nugent, a local lad who is now an award-winning author, playwright and rapper. Ashleigh works in prisons and in communities delivering authentic and cutting-edge arts programmes that change lives for the better.
It is a key part of Knowsley’s celebrations for its year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture.
