Step beyond golden haystacks into a fantastical patchwork of joyous tales, painful rituals and bizarre superstitions. Imaginarium Theatre spins yarns form days of yore – a magical village tale and a fight for survival against the coming of enclosures and the industrial age.

Get the family together for this delightful production that will leave you smiling long after you leave.

Written by

ROB BRANNEN

Directed by

GAYNOR LA ROCCA

Performances at 2pm and 6pm

Where are the Girlbands are a Liverpool-based organisation that support and celebrate women creatives on the local music scene.

Friends and bandmates since school, Girlbands was co-founded Ella Fradgley and Eve Machin who, struggling to find their place as women musicians in the city, started the project to reach out to a cohesive community who could support one another creatively. The project is a space for discussion, collaboration, and networking, with regular concerts, panels and other events that challenge the idea of gender issues in the music industry, safe spaces at gigs and the need for celebrating women in music.

The event at the Playhouse is themed around A Midsummer Night’s Dream and will showcase local musicians whose sound we believe fits that theme. With a view of a ‘synching’ model, the event aims to sustain creative relationships between the theatre and the creative community.

Check them out on Youtube.

Writing on the Wall is thrilled to be hosting a Poetry Slam and to have on board acclaimed Liverpool spoken word artist ‘Blue Saint’ hosting this event at the Shakespeare North Playhouse.

Blue Saint (Daniel Sebuyange) is a Congolese and British rapper, singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, actor, producer and designer. The Writing on the Wall Young Writers alumni and winner of Merseyrail Sound Station 2014, writes lyrics that incorporate a range of political, social, philosophical and cultural references with themes usually centred around social injustices.

Shakespeare was all about wordplay, and this is your chance to show off your skills in the new iconic Shakespeare North Playhouse as part of its opening season. If you are a spoken word artist or poet who wishes to take part, apply, and enter by emailing info@writingonthewall.org.uk with your name and brief bio.

Musician, stand-up comedian, radio and television producer, playwright, and poet Lemn Sissay will bring a chaotic cacophony of literature for your Friday night entertainment. Reading a selection of his poetry and prose and followed by a Q&A session to explore why words, absurd or otherwise, really matter.

Programmed in association with WoW.

Part of the Serious Nonsense Festival.

Multiple award-winning screen writer, novelist and local lad Frank Cottrell-Boyce will read from his latest book ‘Noah’s Gold’. Best known for his bestselling children’ s fiction such as ‘Millions’ and ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the Magical Car’, Frank is also widely known as the writer of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. This is a wonderful opportunity for all the family to hear from and talk to Frank in the intimate setting of the Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden.

Programmed in association with WoW.

Part of the Serious Nonsense Festival.

Shaparak (formerly known at Shappi) established herself as one of the country’s finest comedians with her sell out Edinburgh show, ‘Asylum Speaker’. This show led to the publication of her childhood memoirs, ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English’, her best-selling literary debut.

Actress Pauline is hailed as one of Merseyside’s favourite theatrical daughters. In 2022 she returns to the stage with her hotly anticipated new show ‘Get me before the crematorium does’.

Join Shaparak and Pauline for a night of comedy and conversation.

Programmed in association with WoW.

Part of the Serious Nonsense Festival.

Slapstick Picnic invite you to its summer tea party in Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, where marvellous feats of performance and culinary capers await.

Over tea and cucumber sandwiches, prepare to witness the impossible – the entirety of Oscar Wilde’s classic play of manners, affairs and handbags being performed by just two, rather dashing, entertainers.

From the creators of The HandleBards comes a fantastically wild(e) new production, ripping up the recipe book and celebrating silliness.

With Slapstick Picnic, you can have your cake and eat it!

Written by

OSCAR WILDE

Director

NEL CROUCH

Designer

CONNIE WATSON

Choreographer

ALICE ROOTS

Performances at 2pm and 7pm

Slapstick Picnic invite you to its summer tea party in Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, where marvellous feats of performance and culinary capers await.

Over tea and cucumber sandwiches, prepare to witness the impossible – the entirety of Oscar Wilde’s classic play of manners, affairs and handbags being performed by just two, rather dashing, entertainers.

From the creators of The HandleBards comes a fantastically wild(e) new production, ripping up the recipe book and celebrating silliness.

With Slapstick Picnic, you can have your cake and eat it!

Written by

OSCAR WILDE

Director

NEL CROUCH

Designer

CONNIE WATSON

Choreographer

ALICE ROOTS

Performances at 2pm and 7pm

Grab a drink, and let Unseemly Women transport you on a wild journey of whispers, banter, plots and schemes.

The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, with his followers Benedick and Claudio.  Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero, and their marriage is agreed. But Don John has other, malicious plans.

Beatrice and Benedick despise love and they’re not sure they even like each other. But the others plot to make them fall in love… will they succeed?

Following their highly successful All Female ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 2021, Unseemly Shakespeare bring their fourth annual production here to Shakespeare North Playhouse. This is Shakespeare’s Much Ado, but with an Unseemly twist.

Directed by

KAYLEIGH HAWKINS

Grab a drink, and let Unseemly Women transport you on a wild journey of whispers, banter, plots and schemes.

The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, with his followers Benedick and Claudio.  Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero, and their marriage is agreed. But Don John has other, malicious plans.

Beatrice and Benedick despise love and they’re not sure they even like each other. But the others plot to make them fall in love… will they succeed?

Following their highly successful All Female ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 2021, Unseemly Shakespeare bring their fourth annual production here to Shakespeare North Playhouse. This is Shakespeare’s Much Ado, but with an Unseemly twist.

Directed by

KAYLEIGH HAWKINS

Grab a drink, and let Unseemly Women transport you on a wild journey of whispers, banter, plots and schemes.

The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, with his followers Benedick and Claudio.  Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero, and their marriage is agreed. But Don John has other, malicious plans.

Beatrice and Benedick despise love and they’re not sure they even like each other. But the others plot to make them fall in love… will they succeed?

Following their highly successful All Female ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 2021, Unseemly Shakespeare bring their fourth annual production here to Shakespeare North Playhouse. This is Shakespeare’s Much Ado, but with an Unseemly twist.

Directed by

KAYLEIGH HAWKINS

Grab a drink, and let Unseemly Women transport you on a wild journey of whispers, banter, plots and schemes.

The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, with his followers Benedick and Claudio.  Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero, and their marriage is agreed. But Don John has other, malicious plans.

Beatrice and Benedick despise love and they’re not sure they even like each other. But the others plot to make them fall in love… will they succeed?

Following their highly successful All Female ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 2021, Unseemly Shakespeare bring their fourth annual production here to Shakespeare North Playhouse. This is Shakespeare’s Much Ado, but with an Unseemly twist.

Directed by

KAYLEIGH HAWKINS

Grab a drink, and let Unseemly Women transport you on a wild journey of whispers, banter, plots and schemes.

The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, with his followers Benedick and Claudio.  Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero, and their marriage is agreed. But Don John has other, malicious plans.

Beatrice and Benedick despise love and they’re not sure they even like each other. But the others plot to make them fall in love… will they succeed?

Following their highly successful All Female ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 2021, Unseemly Shakespeare bring their fourth annual production here to Shakespeare North Playhouse. This is Shakespeare’s Much Ado, but with an Unseemly twist.

Directed by

KAYLEIGH HAWKINS

Performances at 2pm and 7pm

Grab a drink, and let Unseemly Women transport you on a wild journey of whispers, banter, plots and schemes.

The war is over. Pedro Prince of Aragon visits Leonato, Duke of Messina, with his followers Benedick and Claudio.  Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero, and their marriage is agreed. But Don John has other, malicious plans.

Beatrice and Benedick despise love and they’re not sure they even like each other. But the others plot to make them fall in love… will they succeed?

Following their highly successful All Female ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 2021, Unseemly Shakespeare bring their fourth annual production here to Shakespeare North Playhouse. This is Shakespeare’s Much Ado, but with an Unseemly twist.

Directed by

KAYLEIGH HAWKINS

Performances at 2pm and 7pm

William Shakespeare is “unwell” – and he hasn’t finished his new play for King James!

Now, it’s up to his trusty scribe, Benjamin, to save the day. With the help of the audience, Ben and his makeshift troupe must finish the show – or it’s off with their heads!

This is a completely improvised Shakespeare play with your chance to take part. Interactive, family-friendly, and suitable for all ages.

Performances at 3pm and 6pm.

William Shakespeare is “unwell” – and he hasn’t finished his new play for King James!

Now, it’s up to his trusty scribe, Benjamin, to save the day. With the help of the audience, Ben and his makeshift troupe must finish the show – or it’s off with their heads!

This is a completely improvised Shakespeare play with your chance to take part. Interactive, family-friendly, and suitable for all ages.

Performances at 1pm and 3pm.

Three actors were cooped up together during lockdown. Fuelled by cabin fever and with a bookshelf full of Shakespeare, they did what they do best and created an unhinged and bonkers, laugh-out-loud version of Romeo and Juliet.

With music, mayhem and more costume changes than you can shake a spear at, expect the HandleBards usual charming, hilarious bicycle-powered style to come bursting into Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Performance Garden.

Forget the tears and tragedy, and get ready for some live and wired Shakespeare as you’ve never seen it before.

Written by

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Director

NEL CROUCH

Designer

NIK CORRALL

Additional Design

LUCY GREEN

Musical Director

GUY HUGHES

Three actors were cooped up together during lockdown. Fuelled by cabin fever and with a bookshelf full of Shakespeare, they did what they do best and created an unhinged and bonkers, laugh-out-loud version of Romeo and Juliet.

With music, mayhem and more costume changes than you can shake a spear at, expect the HandleBards usual charming, hilarious bicycle-powered style to come bursting into Shakespeare North Playhouse’s Performance Garden.

Forget the tears and tragedy, and get ready for some live and wired Shakespeare as you’ve never seen it before.

Written by

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Director

NEL CROUCH

Designer

NIK CORRALL

Additional Design

LUCY GREEN

Musical Director

GUY HUGHES

Performances at 2pm and 7pm