Latest news with #KevinFearon
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Woolton Picture Hous: Plans to reopen Liverpool's oldest cinema revealed
Plans to reopen Liverpool's oldest cinema have been Picture House, which first opened its doors in December 1927, has been closed for the last five years since the Covid-19 Fearon and Gillian Miller, who run the Liverpool Royal Court theatre, said they hoped to raise the £700,000 needed to buy the building on Mason Street and redevelop it into a community venue "with a cinema at its heart"."It is Liverpool's oldest surviving cinema so we don't want to lose that," added Mr Fearon. He said he wanted local people to have their say about the future of the historic venue."Many people have memories of going there with family and friends to watch films so we need to bring that back," explained Mr Fearon."It's a great space in the heart of the community."It should be a shared vision."He said previous owners of the building had secured planning permission to transform the venue, including by adding a new roof and improving Fearon said £450,000 was needed to buy the building, with a further £250,000 required for refurbishment said he hoped a combination of public donations, fundraising efforts and Heritage Lottery funding would help him to realise his dream of reopening the cinema. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Liverpool Royal Court: 'Theatre's rise is thanks to our inspirational city'
A theatre which has seen its annual attendance rise by 11% has said its success is down to being a "theatre for the people".Liverpool's Royal Court said local-themed productions had helped establish its reputation for shows "full of relatable characters, warmth and humour"."We've always been a Liverpool-focused theatre so the work that we create is for our audience, for Liverpool," executive producer Kevin Fearon said."We find writers who have got great Liverpool stories. The work we put on stage has to relate to our audience." Latest figures released in the theatre's annual review showed 187,319 tickets had been sold. The venue hosted some 409 performances as well as 11,437 school audience Fearon said since 2017 all of the theatre's plays had been new writing and it had a reputation for telling local stories. "The audience has to recognise characters they live with, or they know, or they work with - they have to be real people," Mr Fearon said."We have a formula for our work. It has to be Liverpool at its heart and for me that is warmth. It is a sense of humour and it is honest."If we get that right in a play the audience love it."Among its shows, the theatre staged the premiere of Alan Bleasdale's Boys From The Blackstuff, which was retold by writer James Graham in collaboration with Bleasdale. Other Liverpool-themed productions included Haunted Scouse, A Greasy Spoon and Bingo Mr Fearon also put the venue's growing success down to adapting to a changing audience and the introduction of cabaret-style dining."There's 170 seats for dining where people can have a meal and a drink before the show," Mr Fearon said."When the rest of the audience come in later the room has already got a feeling."It feels like you're in a place that's going to have a good time, that helps theatre, it's not a cold space."He said it had taken 20 years "to get it right" and constant feedback with visitors and asking them what they enjoyed."We listen to our audience," he said."Theatres across the country are finding it difficult to get audiences but we are very different to them, we write the work for our audience."What makes us all Liverpudlians is that we laugh at ourselves."A sense of humour that we have in Liverpool, that what gets us through the day and through our lives." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
