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Shakespeare North in Prescot, Merseyside, England, is a proposed complex of buildings containing a Shakespearean playhouse and a centre for education in Shakespearean stagecraft. The new playhouse, although commemorating the town's Elizabethan theatre, the Prescot Playhouse, will be a replica of the 17th-century Cockpit-in-Court theatre in London. It is scheduled to open in 2019.
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Shakespeare North Trust
The Shakespeare North Trust was founded by Richard Wilson and David Thacker. Its patron is Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby. In 2007 it submitted a £20 million National Lottery bid to fund the complex, but was unsuccessful.
Playhouse
In April 2016, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council granted planning permission for a £19 million, 350-seat playhouse. £6 million is being provided by the council, and a governmental contribution of £5 million was announced in the 2016 Budget, with other funding to be provided by private investors. Construction was planned to start in 2016, with the opening planned for 2019. In November 2016, the start of construction was put back to September 2017.
The historical Prescot Playhouse, the inspiration behind the project, existed between the mid-1590s and 1609, probably on Eccleston Street. No architectural plans of that theatre survive, however. The new theatre's layout is based on the 1629 design by Inigo Jones for the Cockpit-in-Court theatre in the Palace of Whitehall, London. The lead architects are Helm Architecture.
Educational centre
The trust is also planning an educational centre, which will offer one-year postgraduate programmes on Shakespearean stage technique, in association with Liverpool John Moores University.
Location
The four-storey complex will be built on the site of Mill Street car park, to the north of Prescot Parish Church. Knowsley Council will provide the land for the complex. It will also provide one of its buildings, for conversion into student living quarters.