Everything about Neptune Theatre totally explained
» This article is about the Neptune Theatre in Liverpool, England. There is also a Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Canada; see Neptune Theatre (Halifax).
The
Neptune Theatre, built in
1913, is one of many
theatres in
Liverpool,
England. It has been threatened with closure several times, but remains the city centre civic theatre. The theatre seats 445 on its two levels.
History
The theatre originally opened in
1913 as Crane's Music Hall. The Crane Brothers' music store had been trading for several years when they opened the music hall above their store on Hanover Street in central Liverpool. Over the first few years, many amateur drama groups staged productions there, thus leading to its renaming as the Crane Theatre in
1938.
Little changed over the next twenty years, until in
1960 a bar was opened in the theatre's box office area. However, the theatre was threatened with closure in
1966. In
1967 the theatre was purchased from the Cranes by Liverpool Corporation, who decided that the theatre should be run by local people for local people. To reflect the city's maritime history the name of the theatre was changed again, this time to the Neptune Theatre, after
Neptune, the Roman god of the seas and central character in Marc Lescarbot's "Theatre of Neptune in New France" (Canada's first European play, written and performed in 1606).
However, the future of the Neptune wasn't as secure as first seemed. A fall in the number of amateur drama groups led to a drop in shows. The corporation, by now named Liverpool City Council, suggested closure again in
1993. This caused a huge outcry around the city and many performers, including Dame
Judi Dench, were part of the campaign to keep the theatre open. In order to attract audiences, a
pantomime Snow White was staged in the theatre. This proved to be a huge success, with a pantomime now being held every year in the theatre.
Although he'd nothing to do with the Neptune, the theatre was dedicated to the memory of
Beatles manager
Brian Epstein by the city council in
1997, for his contributions to the city's cultural and musical scene. Local artist Tony Brown offered a portrait of Epstein on permanent loan to the theatre in
1999 and this now hangs in the bar.
The theatre was chosen for a special
BBC filming of
Steve Coogan's
Paul & Pauline Calf's Cheese and Ham Sandwich programme and many a comedian has moved on from the Neptune to the
Edinburgh Fringe comedy festival.
Future
In 2005 the theatre closed for refurbishment, with an estimated reopening date of September 2007. In 2007 Liverpool City Council, who lease the Theatre from Hanover Estate Management, commissioned an independent valuation of the Theatre's rental value, after months of negotiations with no progression on the terms of the new lease. The future of theatre looks uncertain.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Neptune Theatre'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://neptune_theatre.totallyexplained.com">Neptune Theatre Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
