The Everyman Theatre is a theatre located on Hope Street in Liverpool, United Kingdom. It was established in 1964, to perform works of relevance to the inhabitants of Liverpool. The front was rebuilt to disguise Hope Hall, a building that was a cinema and had been a chapel before that. From the back the origins of the building can clearly be seen. More of the original cellars can been seen in the Bistro below. The church was originally built in 1837 and was later closed in 1853, when it was turned into a concert hall. In 1912 the hall was converted into the Hope Hall cinema, which lasted until 1959. It was opened again as a cinema in 1961, but closed shortly after in 1963. It was re-opened in August 1964 as the Everyman Theatre and substantially rebuilt in 1977 - in some considerable degree through the efforts of Alan Durband and General Manager John Gardner, who acted as fundraisers. During the 1970s the Theatre enjoyed a celebrated period with Willy Russell writing a number of plays for the Everyman including the Beatles-inspired musical John, Paul, George and...Bert and Shirley Valentine. Actors who started their careers at the Everyman included Jonathan Pryce, Bill Nighy and Julie Walters. In September 2003, Gemma Bodinetz (artistic director) and Deborah Aydon (executive director) took over the running of the Everyman and its sister theatre, the Liverpool Playhouse.
External links
- Official website — also for the its sister theatre, The Liverpool Playhouse
- The Everyman Bistro — restaurant and bars situated in the theatre's basement.
- What's On At Everyman Theatre, Liverpool
- Liverpool Theatre History
- The Everyman Theatre Archive
