LIVERPOOL’S Royal Court Theatre is today hoping to take a step nearer to securing funding for a £10m refurbishment of one of the city’s most historical venues.
Heritage Lottery Fund officials will visit the landmark building today to assess whether a further £1.3m will be granted to the Royal Court Theatre Trust.
The Trust has already received around £100,000 from the organisation to develop plans for the renovation, which will preserve the theatre’s art deco architecture.
Gillian Miller, chief executive of the Trust, told the Daily Post: “The Royal Court is so important to Liverpool and Liverpool’s people.
“We want to preserve the theatre as a performance venue for future generations and the support we’ve had from the public has been phenomenal.
“We’ve had tremendous support, too, from volunteers, stakeholders, the council and the private sector.”
The site of the Royal Court Theatre has been at the heart of Liverpool culture for nearly 200 years. It was first opened in 1826 as Cooke’s New Circus and renamed in 1831 as Cooke’s Amphitheatre of Arts, presenting a programme of opera, music, theatre and ballet.
It was renamed the Royal Court Theatre in 1881 and was the number one touring venue in Liverpool for popular theatre until the 1970s when it was taken over by Merseyside County Council.
