We can’t quite believe that it has only been one year since The Hope Street Theatre opened its doors in the Masonic Building on Hope Street. In that short time it has proved itself to be a venue where anyone can come and put on their production, inviting both their nearest and dearest, as well as interested strangers, to watch them showcase their talents.
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So many friends have been made and so many stories have been told! In actual fact, there have been 208 performances. There have been an incredible 83 different shows. Most spectacularly, this intimate 100 seat venue has been attended by 14,364 people.
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The theatre has given paid employment to a variety of JMU and LIPA graduates as well as working alongside the Salvation Army’s Strawberry Field Project to provide work placement for its participants. With a commitment to developing grass roots theatre, The Hope Street Theatre has already given numerous budding actors and playwrights a platform to showcase their talents in their adaptable theatre space.
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Writers are now writing at the biggest venues in the city and companies are moving their shows to the city’s Royal Court, Unity Theatre, National Tours, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to critical acclaim. One production even made it as far as the National Theatre. Why not catch a future star this month?
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The theatre is voluntarily managed and non-funded. It’s been set up with the savings of two Liverpool lads, Sam Donovan and Nick Rogers, both very proud of how it’s gone so far and of how far local people will go to make and sell great pieces of theatre. But it doesn’t stop here.
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This year Barewater Productions have been named as the theatre’s first company in residence. The company, made up of three LIPA graduates, put on several brilliant shows at The Hope Street Theatre last year. Their job is now to support all the companies that use the theatre by providing both resources and guidance.
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They will also support three “incubator companies” offering free rehearsal space and substantially reducing their hire fees to £90 a night by working alongside them on their shows. In return Barewater have access to free rehearsal space, office space, and three free weeks in the theatre to put on their own productions.
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Merseyside’s Ben Rivers, former RARE student, LIPA graduate and now Artistic Director of Barewater, said: “Giving theatre spaces for free to new companies is the most a theatre can do to help support a new company. The fact that there is no cost and this is a non-subsidised venue means the theatre absolutely has development at it’s heart.”
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Nick Rogers, Co- Founder, and former St John Almonds student said “We aren’t the first theatre to offer free space to a new company but we may be one of the only non-subsidised theatre’s to do so. We think it is the responsibility of all funded institutions to offer as much free space as possible. Reductions are great but I’m sure these funded companies can go the extra mile if we can.”
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Whether you’re looking for an epic, a drama, a comedy, a thriller or a dance performance, there’s so much on offer with a lot of shows selling out completely. As the year draws to a close, it’s as busy as ever at The Hope Street Theatre and they’ve recently reached their record for monthly footfall since opening. 2245 in just four weeks!
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November is a particularly big month, with some fantastic productions on offer. Shows such as Out Of Time (about the Rolling Stones) Best Beat (about Pete Best) and At Heaven’s Gate (a nursing home comedy) to name a few. The Multi Award winning Papatango also bring SHOOK to the theatre to start a National Tour after a month in London.
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Here at La Vida Liverpool, we’ve been to a fair few productions at this fantastic theatre and we love everything it’s about. We love that it’s run by volunteers who are industry professionals and we love the work they do to cultivate quality theatre and creativity in our city. If you’re looking for a great night of entertainment in the city, an experience at The Hope Street Theatre is highly recommended!
The Hope Street Theatre / 22 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BY / 0344 561 0622
For what’s on at The Hope Street Theatre CLICK HERE!
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