Newly announced touring works include comedian Daniel Kitson’s 66A Church Road, a one-man show about moving house, and Kursk, based on the true story of the Russian submarine disaster of August, 2000. Bodinetz said: “With an exciting co-production with Chichester of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, and with Canary travelling to Hampstead and on tour, the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres are now truly on the national cultural map.”

In May, the theatre’s annual new writing festival will return with two weeks of readings, workshops and events open to anyone interested in new writing or developing writing skills.

It will include workshops from award-winning writer David Eldridge and Paines Plough, one of the most renowned new writing companies in the UK.

And, in the run-up to the Everyman’s closure, the theatre will organise a series of performances and new writing that aims to break down the boundaries of how theatre is made.

The centrepiece for Everyman Unbound will be an emotionally raw update of John Ford’s ’Tis Pity she’s a Whore, performed by an ensemble of Everyman actors old and new.

Audience figures for 2009 were also released yesterday, showing a strong year for the two theatres.

A total 129,265 seats were sold in 2009 compared to 131,814 in 2008, Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year, and to 104,654 in 2007.

First-time visitors decreased slightly year-on-year, with 12,932 in 2009 and 13,356 in 2008.

However, the figure showed a significant rise on 2007 when there were 8,994 first time visitors.

Executive director Deborah Aydon said: “It’s been wonderful to see that, despite the recession, attendances have stayed at the same high level.”