THESE are the first images of Liverpool’s new Everyman Theatre as it will look when fully rebuilt in 2013.

The designs, revealed exclusively by the Daily Post, will allow the venue to expand its already ambitious programme and attract the country’s leading theatre companies.

Work is due to begin in spring, 2011, to build a “creative hub” which will further cement Hope Street’s status as a tourist destination.

The pictures, which will be submitted to Liverpool Council’s planning department later this week, reveal some of the best-loved elements of the theatre will be retained.

New incarnations of the 400-seat “thrust”-style auditorium, the basement Bistro, iconic red sign and orange seats will all be featured in the new building.

Artistic director Gemma Bodinetz said: “The new Everyman takes all that is most loved about the present theatre and reinvigorates them in the context of a theatre fit for future generations of audiences and artists.”

Visitors will enter through a foyer on Hope Street, taking them to a cafe-bar with outside seating and the box office.

Above this will be the main theatre bar, with a balcony overlooking the road below.

The auditorium will retain the current “thrust” design, with the audience sitting at three sides of the stage.

But the seating will be arranged over two levels, improving the view of those further away from the actors.

The space will be flexible, allowing it to be re-arranged for promenade-style and in-the-round performances.

Executive director Deborah Aydon said the public areas will help further develop Hope Street’s status as a tourist destination.

She said: “When it opens in 2013, the new Everyman will emphasise Liverpool’s continued status as a cultural capital and will be a further boost to the city’s rebirth as a richly rewarding place to visit.”

Technical facilities will also be improved, meaning the theatre will be able to welcome more innovative touring shows, as well as creating more ambitious set designs for their own productions.