Welcome to the show-stopping city

Liverpool loves an audience. From showing off in the streets to acting up on stage, our city sparkles when anyone’s watching. It’s a place where performance seems to run in the blood.

Maybe that’s what makes our theatres so exciting and why our artists always have so much to say. From huge laughs on big stages to quiet moments in cosy spaces – and just as often, the other way round – Liverpool bursts with theatrical magic. We love bringing imaginations to life.

Living, breathing, performing

Performance has always been our passion and we’re proud that our theatres have helped make our name. Our writers are famous for wrestling with language, our performers well known for the starlight they bring to the stage. We’re renowned for welcoming the world to our city, and that gives our theatres an electrifying spark.

Theatre in Liverpool is much more than just a list of great venues – although whether you’re looking for historic gems or contemporary award-winners, we’ve definitely got some of the best. We’re also about nurturing new artists, connecting with communities, and supporting the teams across the whole city region who generate our exhilarating buzz.

But most of all, we’re all about you – because this is Liverpool, where audiences matter.

And when you join us, we get to do what we love.
 

Theatres in Liverpool city region

In Liverpool, great theatre can take place anywhere, from street performances and open air events to unique happenings in unusual spaces where anything could happen… and probably will. And we’re also home to a host of inspiring venues right across our city region where first-class entertainment is second nature – no matter what kind of shows you love most.

Hope Street area

Beautiful Hope Street lies at the heart of one of Liverpool’s most exciting cultural quarters – a place where stunning architecture and bustling streetlife meet. At each end of this famous street stand Liverpool’s two majestic cathedrals, and between them you’ll find busy bars, popular restaurants and, of course, some of the city’s most well-loved theatres promising a variety of brilliant nights out.

Almost in the shadow of the adjacent Metropolitan Cathedral, the Everyman is a theatre that has nurtured generations of actors, writers and all-round creative powerhouses, building a reputation for innovation and accessibility alongside a mission to do nothing less than change lives. Run in partnership with the Playhouse (around a mile away), the award-winning Everyman was entirely rebuilt in 2014 and is now forging a thrilling new future with citywide communities at its heart.

Round the corner on Hope Place, Unity has been creating amazing work for over 40 years – and has a radical history that reaches back even further. Today, its two performance spaces are housed in a wonderfully welcoming building that blends the old with the new – although the organisation’s work could just as easily take place out in the city or online. Audiences trust Unity to deliver small-scale shows with big hearts – experiences that celebrate communities in Liverpool and far beyond.

Back on Hope Street itself, the Philharmonic Hall is a glittering art deco concert venue, the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra ever since it opened in 1939. As one of the UK’s premier locations for arts and entertainment, the packed orchestral programme is complemented by a wide range of concerts, gigs and other events across its spectacular spaces – the original art deco hall and a modern, flexible venue called the Music Room.

In every thriving arts community, fringe venues where new talent cuts its teeth are as vital as the more established names, and Hope Street Theatre is an exciting, intimate performance space that plays a key role in keeping Liverpool theatre very much alive. Week after week, its ever-changing programme serves up quality creative work from the stars of tomorrow. From drama and musicals to comedy and cabaret, Hope Street Theatre showcases the lot.

Central district

The central streets close to Liverpool Lime Street station are dense with shops and entertainment including some of the UK’s most welcoming theatres. With most located within just a few minutes’ walk of each other, Liverpool’s venues are easy to explore and enjoy.

The Royal Court on Roe Street is one of the friendliest theatres you’ll ever meet – a beautifully restored art deco venue with a reputation for huge homegrown comedies and musicals that put Liverpool and its people centre stage. It’s a theatre that aims to break down barriers, offering youth theatre and community programmes that are completely free of charge for all. With its large main auditorium – complete with cabaret-style stalls seating where you can enjoy a meal before the show – and intimate basement studio, the Royal Court is built for brilliant theatre and the biggest of nights out.

Round the corner on Williamson Square, the Playhouse has been delivering quality drama for decades, nurturing the careers of some of our most celebrated performers and playwrights. Today, the venue is run in conjunction with its sister venue, the Everyman, with the Playhouse’s traditionally-styled auditorium welcoming exciting productions by visiting companies as well as hosting its own homegrown shows. Look out too for more intimate events in the Playhouse Studio – a breeding ground for new talent.

There’s another major venue close by too, with the Empire on Lime Street welcoming major touring productions to its glorious auditorium – the largest two-tier venue in Britain. Originally built in 1925, the Empire has hosted show-business greats and legendary names, and features everything from spectacular musicals through to sumptuous opera and riotous stand-up comedy – a packed programme delivering all-round entertainment for the whole family.

Across the road from the Empire, the stunning St George’s Hall is one of Liverpool’s most impressive architectural star-turns – a multipurpose neoclassical wonder that needs to be seen to be believed. Housing a variety of richly decorated halls and concert rooms along with some wonderfully atmospheric subterranean spaces, St George’s Hall features an eclectic mix of comedy, music and performing arts events, making great use of the entire breathtaking building.

Head down Hanover Street to find one of Liverpool’s most precious theatrical gems, where a modest corner doorway leads up to the Epstein Theatre – a characterful Edwardian venue full of cosy, wood-panelled corners… and maybe the odd greasepainted ghost? Loved for its links with local Liverpool theatre companies, the Epstein is also a natural home for comedy and music, and adored for its seasons of irreverent pantomime.

Just a little further afield, you’ll find the Capstone Theatre on Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus, an international arts venue featuring the best in music, drama, dance and spoken word. This elegant, acoustically pin-sharp hall is the perfect place to enjoy performance of the highest calibre, including a number of annual festivals and events that bring the best in the world to the city.
 

Waterfront

With its world-famous architecture, rejuvenated docklands and epic maritime history, Liverpool’s waterfront sometimes seems like the city’s biggest and mightiest stage. This is where Liverpool takes a bow – although when it comes to performance alongside the River Mersey, there’s another major venue to be discovered too.

The M&S Bank Arena opened in 2008 when Liverpool was European Capital of Culture, and since then has established itself as a premier arena venue hosting all kinds of larger-than-life entertainment. From international circus spectaculars and enchanting pantomimes to exhilarating ice shows and children’s TV favourites, the M&S Bank Arena is where you’ll find Liverpool’s biggest indoor events in a stunning riverside setting.
 

City region

Liverpool city region is rich with theatre and performance venues offering everything from classic drama and rousing comedy to traditional seaside entertainment. And with easy travel in and out of central Liverpool via bus, rail, road or even our famous ferry, it’s simple to get around and discover something new.

The Atkinson is an inspiring cultural treasure trove housed in an imaginatively restored Victorian building in central Southport. Located on elegant Lord Street just a minute or two from the resort’s famous pier, the Atkinson buzzes with life by day and night. With its traditionally-styled theatre space and a flexible studio, the venue delivers a varied programme of music, comedy and performance alongside its exhibitions, kids’ events and arts festivals.

Across the River Mersey in New Brighton, the Floral Pavilion serves up a seaside-scented programme combining comedy and music, drama and pantomime – and also features expansive views back over the water to the city from its Panoramic Lounge. Welcoming visitors with open arms, the Floral Pavilion is also firmly rooted in its Wirral community, with plenty of local talent alongside the best touring shows from across the UK and beyond.

The Wirral peninsula is also home to West Kirby Arts Centre, a lively independent venue with a focus on encouraging everyone’s creativity – from dance and drama to music and the visual arts. Tucked down a side street just a few minutes’ walk from West Kirby Station and the town’s beach and marine lake, the Arts Centre is a creative haven at the heart of one of our city region’s most irresistible coastal destinations.

Runcorn is the home of The Brindley, a theatre that sits between two of our great river crossings – the graceful new Mersey Gateway Bridge and the distinctive

arching form of the Silver Jubilee Bridge. Winning awards for its architecture and work with local communities, The Brindley is a friendly, open-hearted venue for music, drama, stand-up comedy and one of the region’s most popular pantomimes.

There’s more to come too, with the exciting new Shakespeare North Playhouse opening in 2022 in Prescot to the east of the city. Building on links that connect Shakespeare to the region, the project is set to become a celebrated centre of Shakespearean performance and education, with a 350-seat auditorium and outdoor performance garden, plus exhibition space and a visitor centre, all helping to establish yet another amazing venue in Liverpool’s theatre-rich city region.