June - 2022

Archive

Bluecoat puts young visitors at heart of new summer exhibition

An exhibition of work created especially with a young audience in mind is on show at the Bluecoat. Are You Messin’? will be accompanied by a summer of complementary events including workshops, performances and storytelling, aimed at children and their adults. The immersive show, which runs through four gallery spaces at the School Lane arts centre, has been designed to be touched and explored, and to inspire visitors who step through the door. Gallery One features work by Liv

Latest Liverpool Plinth sculpture highlights city's maritime past

The latest artwork chosen for the Liverpool Plinth has been revealed. Katie McGuire’s 2400 will be in situ on the plinth at Liverpool Parish Church for the next 12 months. The 24-year-old artist, who comes from St Helens but has her studio at Salford, spent weeks hand-knitting 2,400 metres of ‘chain’ (made from an industrial polyethylene called backer rod) which symbolises the city’s important maritime heritage and its dockworkers but also touches on the port’s historic role

Review: One Man, Two Guvnors at Liverpool Playhouse ****

Richard Bean’s spirited adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s classic commedia dell’arte play The Servant of Two Masters helped turn James Corden into a star on both sides of the Atlantic. The story, a convoluted tale of murder, mistaken identity, money and, yes, serving not one but two masters, is the framework for a lot of general silliness and slapstick. People, it seems, love a clown and Bean’s script – relocating the action from 18th Century Venice to 1960s Brighton – gives its

Shakespeare North Playhouse prepares for opening season

Final preparations are being made for the opening of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse at Prescot. First images of the inside of the stunning Cockpit theatre have now been revealed. The multi-million pound venue also boasts a fully-accessible outdoor performance garden funded by the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation, exhibition gallery, 60-seater studio theatre, learning centre, events spaces, and a café and bar with outdoor piazza. It is due to open its doors over the weekend

Windmill sailing in to William Brown Street for summer 2022

A 21ft working windmill is set to pop up on William Brown Street this weekend to launch summer in the city. The structure, echoing old decorative pottery and which can generate its own power, has been designed by Simon Armstrong of Liverpool-based Design Laser Play and visual artist Laura Pullig, and was built at Royal Court workshops. It gives a historic nod to the street which was formerly known as Shaw's Brown and in the 18th Century, was the heart of the port’s pottery in

Tate Liverpool to host DaDa-inspired art intervention

Tate Liverpool will take part in a giant UK-wide ‘intervention’ by disabled artists this weekend. Artist Alistair Gentry will spend the day at the Royal Albert Dock venue as part of We Are Invisible We Are Visible, a nationwide event organised by disabled-led visual arts organisation DASH. Tate is one of 30 museums and galleries involved in the Saturday, July 2 event which will see disabled, D/deaf or neurodivergent artists create work inspired by the disruptive spirit of Dad

Review: Offered Up at Royal Court Studio ****

The Royal Court Studio was designed in part to provide a setting for new work to receive a much-needed first outing in front of a live audience. And since the last lockdown ended, it feels as though theatre bosses have started programming in much more content to the intimate space below the main auditorium (from where the occasional thud of a musical beat can be heard). Offered Up, a new English Civil War-era play from Joe Matthew-Morris, is receiving an extended run on the s

Liverpool Empire date for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – the Musical comes to the Liverpool Empire in 2023 as part of an inaugural UK tour for the West End and Broadway hit. It will be staged at the Lime Street theatre from November 8-26, 2023, with tickets going on general sale on July 8. The new Leeds Playhouse production of the show tells the story of Charlie Bucket who wins one of five special golden tickets to visit the fabulous factory of the weird and wonderful confectionary k

Review: Our Town Needs a Nandos at Liverpool Everyman ****

Over its 10 years (and counting) Young Everyman and Playhouse has nurtured creative talent not only on stage but in all areas of theatre-making. Our Town Needs a Nandos (that should really be Nando's of course) comes from YEP writer graduate Samantha O’Rourke who was inspired by her time as a teaching assistant in a school. And what she has created from that is an impressive piece of theatre. O’Rourke has put strong young female voices, with all their hopes and dreams, firmly

NML unveils new season exhibitions programme

A celebration of Liverpool jewellers Boodles, epic mythical legends and the art and culture of the football terraces are among the subjects of new shows being staged by National Museums Liverpool during the forthcoming season. The Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight continues its centenary celebrations with Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story, opening on October 22. The exhibition will chart the 225-year history of the Liverpool jewellers and how it has been shaped by the

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