The List

Shakespeare North Playhouse

Shakespeare North Playhouse brings people together to participate in a unique programme of performance, activities and conversations, inspired by Shakespeare but relevant to all of us. At its heart, a traditional 470 seat timber framed Shakespearian theatre, that will host a mix of vibrant new performances. Theatre, music, comedy, workshops, events and activities will spill out into the exhibition gallery, Studio and the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, creating an accessible space full of joy and creativity, where everyone is welcome. Inspired by Prescot’s historic connections to William Shakespeare and a real love of story-telling, Shakespeare North Playhouse will play a key role in the ongoing regeneration of Knowsley; a place full of brilliant people with a story to tell. Working together with audiences, artists and its local communities the creative programme, learning opportunities and social spaces will help to open doors, invite debate and inspire a love of learning that will reach far beyond the walls of Shakespeare North Playhouse.

What's On @ Shakespeare North Playhouse

Viggo Venn: British Comedian

Viggo Venn: British Comedian

3 Jun 2025 - 3 Aug 2025

Norwegian clown Viggo Venn moved to this country with one dream: to be a British comedian. The rest, you already know about. After blowing away the competition in an explosion of hi-vis jackets, balloons, and joyous idiocy, Viggo became the most talked-about new entertainer in the country by winning Britain's Got Talent in June 2023.
Shaparak Khorsandi: Scatterbrain

Shaparak Khorsandi: Scatterbrain

22 May 2025 - 10 Aug 2025

Having reassessed her life through the prism of an ADHD diagnosis in last year's funny and moving memoir, one of Britain's most beloved and most scatterbrained stand-ups lets you back into her mind (warning: it's cluttered in there). Among other things, this show will be a love-letter to letter-writing, a trip back through her early years as a comic and woman-about-town, and a whirlwind tour of a chaotic, hilarious brain. “She has plenty to say, and says it with pointedness and potency” Guardian “I laughed all the way through and left inspired” Funny Women
Third Class: a Titanic Story

Third Class: a Titanic Story

21 Jun 2025 - 2 Jul 2025

“The White Star Line merged itself out of existence. Those clever little educated boys. ” A one-man theatre show based on the life of Titanic survivor, Edward Dorking. Edward was gay. Openly gay, and on Wednesday, April 10th, 1912, he set sail for NYC on a ticket bought for him by his parents in the hope his American family could put him 'right' THIRD CLASS charts Edward's journey from boarding the Titanic to swimming for 30 minutes towards an already full collapsible lifeboat and how he, upon arriving in New York, would tour the Vaudeville circuit, recreating the stories for a fact-hungry public. But Edward didn't want fame; he wanted revenge. When everyone was talking about the deaths of millionaires and society figures, few were discussing the people who took the lion's share of the losses that night: the third class. Edward was coming for the upper classes. Using music, movement, projection, and historical facts, THIRD CLASS tells the story of an unknown hero from a well-known story.
'The Highwayman' by John Godber

'The Highwayman' by John Godber

25 Jun 2025 - 25 Jun 2025

From John Godber, the writer of 'Do I Love You?' and 'Bouncers', comes a brand new play! The Highwayman is waiting, and there is no escape. It's 1769 and everyone is flocking north, every ale house is packed with the great and the bad. It's the place to be; a region drunk on making money, social climbing, gambling and gin, but with wealth in abundance, the temptation is great. Godber's Highwayman is visceral, venal and very funny. History has never felt so modern, theft never more attractive. The Highwayman's creed is simple; look after number one and to hell with the hangman!
Plays for the People

Plays for the People

17 Jun 2025 - 17 Jun 2025

Join acclaimed theatre maker Andy Smith and award-winning applied arts practitioner Lynsey O’Sullivan for a day of play, discussion, and action. This day will see three performances of plays from the ongoing project "Plays For The People: A Citizens’ Assembly", "How Can We Be More Anti-Racist?" and "The Actions". These plays tackle the climate emergency, inequality and political activism. They are plays designed to be read aloud together and then discussed. They are plays where the people in the room play the people in the play. Plays that ask questions of acting in both a theatrical and ethical sense. Audience-participants for this special event will each be given a copy of a new publication containing the plays. Over the course of the day, through the activity, they will be trained in how to undertake performances themselves. Following it, they can then organise them for their own communities and constituencies, free of any charge. All are welcome. Lunch will be provided. We’d like people from diverse places to join us – arts and educational institutions, community and grassroots organisations, freelance artists and interested individuals.
Justin Moorhouse: The Greatest Performance of My Life
The story covers subjects ranging from pantomimes to dreams, how to behave in hospitals, small talk, realising his Mum is a northern version of Columbo, and how being a smart-mouthed kid saved him from a life of continually being beaten up. Above all else, it’s the Justin you have to come to expect. It’s funny and interesting, and perhaps there’s a little bit that warms the soul, too.
Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night

8 Jul 2025 - 29 Aug 2025

Folksy Theatre return this summer with the much loved William Shakespeare comedy 'Twelfth Night'. Shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a man and becomes entwined in a hilarious love triangle. Serving Duke Orsino, who secretly loves Countess Olivia, Viola finds herself in a twist when Olivia falls for her in disguise! Amidst the comedic chaos of mistaken identities, meet the drunken Sir Toby Belch, the pompous Malvolio, and enjoy a lively atmosphere filled with Folksy’s touch of fun and live music. Bursting with romance and laughter, "Twelfth Night" is a whirlwind of mistaken identities and joyful endings!

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