Three-day festival comes to Prescot on 19, 20, and 21 August 2022
Shakespeare North Playhouse and Prescot Town Centre will be packed with nonsense for this massive three-day adventure celebrating Edward Lear’s connection to Knowsley.
Lear lived at Knowsley Hall and wrote his world-famous poem The Owl and the Pussycat there. To celebrate his love of all things nonsense and the fact that Knowsley is the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture in 2022, the Serious Nonsense festival is coming to Prescot.
Experience Prescot as never before…
Flock to a giant birdcage where a tap dancing canary is being chased by two feisty acrobatic cats. Explore the belly of a 50 ft sperm whale, mop the brow of a giant Hippochondriac Hippopotamus as he stumbles through the town centre nursing a toothache or book into the smallest Hotel in the world featuring trumpeting bell boys and acrobatic chambermaids.
You can even watch a real-life owl and pussycat tell tales of the sea in their own pea green boat!
There will be live music and comedy and a very special programme of readings, performances and talks curated in association with Writing on the Wall, featuring favourite authors such as Frank Cottrell Boyce, John Dougherty, Sarah Asuquo, Michael Rosen and Lemn Sissay. This is a weekend not to be missed – for all ages!
Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods said:
“I was really excited when I saw the line-up and programme for the Serious Nonsense Festival. There are some really well-known authors coming along and also some wild and interesting acts and performances across the entire weekend.
What a great way to celebrate Lear’s connections to Knowsley and also, in the process, enable more people to experience all that Prescot and the new Shakespeare North Playhouse has to offer! I can’t wait to come along – its certainly going to be fun.”
Festival highlights include Storytime with Frank Cottrell Boyce, stand up comedy with Shappi Khorsandi and a conversation with Brookside favourite Eithne Brown who will be considering the similarities between Shakespeare and soap!
Tickets for the Festival Highlights will be on sale soon, but all other acts across the weekend are FREE to enjoy and no booking is required.
You can view the full programme here.
The Serious Nonsense Festival is part of Knowsley’s year as the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture and is delivered in partnership with Shakespeare North Playhouse, Writing on the Wall and Milapfest.
