Credit: Epstein Theatre
Good news for theatre fans in the North of England: Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre will reopen this spring with a series of ‘test events’.
The Grade II-listed Hanover Street venue has been shuttered since 2023 after Liverpool City Council withdrew its financial support. The council still retains the freehold on the theatre, but it has now been leased by property management firm JSM Company Group Ltd to the Theatrical Times Ltd partnership, according to the BBC, ushering in its new chapter.
Dating from 1913, the building was designed by Royal Liver Building architect W Aubrey Thomas and is a touchstone in the city’s theatre history, opened in 1916 above the Crane Brothers’ music store to stage amateur drama productions. Crane’s Music Hall was bought out by the Liverpool Corporation in 1967 and renovated, with the addition of a front-of-house bar and the new moniker, The Neptune. It welcomed amateur dramatics, touring performers, and comedians for decades.
In 2005, the building was closed for health and safety reasons and underwent a £1.2m refurbishment, reopening in 2011 as the Epstein Theatre – named in honour of The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, to mark his cultural contributions to the city.
Around £1m is being invested in refurbishing the building ahead of its reopening, including the installation of new lighting, stage cloths, and sound systems, as well as improvements to backstage areas. The theatre’s bar will also undergo a makeover.
Test events will take place over the spring and summer, leading up to a full autumn schedule of shows. Its grand reopening will be marked by a special Gala Night on Friday, 19 September – Brian Epstein’s birthday.
