The Forshaw Group was very privileged to recently visit the construction development of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Knowsley.
Knowsley and William Shakespeare have strong connections. The 5th and 6th Earl of Derby, whose ancestral home lay in Knowsley Hall, were great patrons of the theatre, and it is believed that Shakespeare may have written A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the 6th Earl’s wedding.
The construction of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse will connect Knowsley with a triangle of Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace, and London, where Shakespeare’s plays are still performed in the accurate reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on the same site as the original.
Our managing director, Liam Hanlon, received the invite as a board member of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, to view the progress of the building project.
Due to open in July 2022, the 350-seat theatre, modelled on a theatre design popular during the Elizabethan era, will also feature an outdoor performance garden, exhibition and visitor centre and educational facilities.
This ambitious cultural and regeneration project will transform the town and initiate significant positive changes across the region.