ArtsGroupie to play brand new Shakespeare North Playhouse

Local Northern heritage and theatre CIC, Artsgroupie play the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Gardens July 23rd and 24th at the new Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot.

“We are ecstatic to see two of our productions come alive in this exciting new theatre space. The Liver Bird and Kitty: Queen of the Washhouse celebrate two Iconic Northern favourites. Both shows champion Northern history and community spirit. Audiences are encouraged to embrace their imaginations and enjoy the classic oral tradition of storytelling.” John Maguire, Creative Director

THE LIVER BIRD – a fun interactive performance for all the family

What if the Liver Birds really did exist? Charlie J has heard all about Liverpool’s famous Birds from his Grandma’s stories but are they real? Has anybody seen one fly? When things start to get difficult at school and just when he needs it most, Charlie is visited by a very special creature…

Join ArtsGroupie this summer at the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden, Shakespeare North Playhouse and experience the magic of THE LIVER BIRD, a fun theatre performance for all the family. Using puppetry and storytelling, this modern-day fairy tale, created by JOHN MAGUIRE (Kitty Queen of the Washhouse), adapted for stage by JESSICA MAY BUXTON and directed by MARGARET CONNELL (Forgotten Voices), has been entertaining and enchanting audiences since its first performance in Summer 2021. Starring local actors Samantha Alton, Tom Browning and the Liver Bird.

Come meet Charlie J and Grandma Bailey and let your imagination take flight.

LISTING

ArtsGroupie presents

THE LIVER BIRD

Date: Sat 23rd July 2022 and Sun 24th July 2022 – both performances start at 2pm

Venue: Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden at the Shakespeare North Playhouse Prescot, L34 3AB

Ticket Prices: From £3.00

Booking Line: 0300 303 4204

Note: Suitable for all ages

Unreserved seating

This is an outdoor production, so please bring your own blanket to sit on

KITTY QUEEN OF THE WASHHOUSE – an inspiring story of resilience and community spirit

Join ArtsGroupie this summer at the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden at Shakespeare North Playhouse as it presents its acclaimed play KITTY QUEEN OF THE WASHOUSE. This powerful one-woman performance by SAMANTHA ALTON (Weave) transports you back to 1830s Liverpool to tell the story of Irish immigrant Kitty Wilkinson whose pioneering approach to public hygiene helped stem the city’s 1832 cholera epidemic. The play, first performed at St George’s Hall to a sell-out audience in 2019 and again in 2020 was written by JOHN MAGUIRE (The Liver Bird) and is directed by MARGARET CONNELL (Forgotten Voices).  Incorporating music and song as well as creative visual effects the audience is immersed in Kitty’s life story, invited to explore the political and social climate of the period, and to celebrate a truly inspiring female hero.

LISTING

ArtsGroupie presents

KITTY QUEEN OF THE WASHHOUSE

Date: Sat 23rd July 2022 and Sun 24th July 2022 – both performances start at 7pm

Venue: Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden at the Shakespeare North Playhouse

Prescot, L34 3AB

Ticket Prices: From £3.00

Booking Line: 0300 303 4204

Note: Suitable for everyone aged 7+

Unreserved seating

This is an outdoor production, so please bring your own blanket to sit on

About ArtsGroupie

ArtsGroupie is a Liverpool based community interest company providing access to the arts in the North West and beyond. We achieve this through developing our own touring theatre and by facilitating educational workshops for both adults and children in creative writing and the spoken word. Our productions are created in collaboration with local artists to champion North West talent. We also seek to take our performances and workshops to overlooked areas where access to the arts is limited. As an organisation we have a particular interest in producing and promoting work that champions under-represented communities. We use our heritage walking tours to help fund our theatre productions and community outreach work. https://www.artsgroupie.org

About Shakespeare North Playhouse

Shakespeare North Playhouse will open its doors in Summer 2022 bringing people together to participate in a unique programme of performance, activities and conversations, inspired by Shakespeare and relevant to all of us.

At its heart is a traditional 470 seat timber framed Shakespearean 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 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 storytelling, 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. North Playhouse.