Liverpool's 112-year-old Epstein Theatre is to reopen with a gala night on Friday 19 September after a deal was agreed to invest £1 million into the venue for extensive refurbishments, including new lighting, stage cloths and sound equipment and improvements to the backstage areas, plus remodelling of the bar.
The Grade II listed theatre closed its doors in June 2023 following a decision by the city council, which owns the building’s freehold, to withdraw financial support. While Liverpool retains the freehold, the building's lease has been transferred to JSM Company Group Ltd, which holds a portfolio of properties in the city. JSM is responsible for Hanover House, which contains the Epstein, while the theatre itself has been leased to Theatrical Times Ltd, a new partnership between Joseph Roe and Anthony M Sheedy.
Anthony Proctor, who was the Epstein’s theatre manager and programmer from 2022-23, returns as General Manager and Theatre Director. He said, “I’m absolutely thrilled, and really excited, to return to the Epstein and to bring this historic theatre back to life two years after it closed its doors.
“I know the Epstein holds a very special place in the heart of Liverpool audiences as well as generations of artists who have performed in its stunning auditorium, and I can’t wait to reveal the first new season and officially launch it with an amazing gala evening, aptly being held on what would have been Brian Epstein’s birthday.
“The venue has always been a home for great entertainment, and I can guarantee that will continue under Theatrical Times Ltd. I’m looking forward to welcoming audiences back through the doors this summer.”
The theatre opened as the Epstein, named in honour of the late Beatles' manager, after a £1.2 million upgrade in 2011 after it had closed in 2005 as the Neptune Theatre due to health and safety concerns, but it was originally opened as Crane Music Hall in 1913, becoming Crane Theatre from 1938 to 1967.