Everyman plans submitted ‘end of the month’
The Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust will be submitting its planning application for the redevelopment of the Everyman theatre to Liverpool City Council at the end of May.
In a brief statement, Pippa Taylor, communications manager of the Everyman and Playhouse theatres, said: "We are reaching a very exciting stage in the process of creating the new Everyman, and will be submitting a planning application at the end of this month."
Specialist theatre architect Haworth Tomkins, the practice behind the Young Vic, was hired three years ago to design the new Everyman, set to replace the current iconic building in Hope Street, which is being demolished.
The project team aims to start work on demolishing the current theatre, which has cramped backstage quarters, by spring next year.
The car park to the rear of the current theatre has been purchased by The Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust for the new Everyman to be built on an expanded site in Hope Street, which will include:
- A new 400-seat theatre
- A recreation of the existing Everyman Bistro bar and restaurant
- A dedicated space to house the theatres' work with its youth theatre, schools and community groups
- Front-of-house, catering and bar facilities
- Rehearsal space and production workshops
The Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust was formed in 1999 to create a shared management for Liverpool's Everyman theatre and Playhouse theatre, which is located in Williamson Square.
The redevelopment of the Everyman, which has not been upgraded since the mid-1970s, is the first phase of a combined £28m plan for the two theatres.
The project is funded by a £12.8m Arts Council England grant. The Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust is also currently progressing bids for £6m of funding from the European Regional Development Fund and £3m from the North West Development Agency.
The new Everyman theatre is due to open in 2013 and Playhouse refurbishment completed by 2016.
