‘Fight not over’ as curtain to come down on Epstein Theatre

The team behind Liverpool’s historic Epstein Theatre insist the fight for its survival “is not over” despite its impending closure next week.

Earlier this month it was announced that Liverpool City Council’s financial support which sustained the arts venue was coming to an end. The decision means that the theatre will host its final show on Friday June 30 before the curtain comes down on more than a century of performances.

The Grade II listed 380 seat theatre is based within Hanover House and has operated as a performance space since 1913. It reopened as the Epstein Theatre in 2011 following a £1.2m refurbishment, taking its name from the celebrated manager of The Beatles.

READ MORE: Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre to close its doors for good

Its closure stems from a decision surrounding the management agreement between Epstein Entertainments Ltd, Liverpool City Council and a commercial property landlord which owns the lease to the building but sub-leases the theatre back to the entertainment company. As part of the management agreement, the council was to cover a proportion of the rent, service charge, utilities, and maintenance work.

The local authority has financially supported the venue since the 1960s and its most recent expenditure on the Epstein was in excess of £100,000 per year. However this funding has now come to an end, along with the management agreement – a decision that was initially made in 2021, according to Liverpool City Council.

The ECHO understands that no further talks have taken place between the theatre operators and the council over a renewed agreement since the initial closure was announced earlier in June. The entertainment company said requests for council support in the region of £50,000 a year for the next five years were previously made but were ultimately unsuccessful.

Epstein Entertainments Ltd has since set up a petition in a bid to rally support and explore ways to try and save the theatre. It has so far received in the region of 11,000 signatures.

With the management agreement set to come to an end in a matter of days, the venue’s Artistic and Communications Director Bill Elms said an initial injection of money is needed to help save the theatre. This would be used to carry out essential works on the structure and equipment, with the company then able to attempt a fundraising campaign to secure additional funds required to reopen the venue.

Mr Elms said that so far the theatre has received interest from the “business community” and “people who want to help and offer support”. But this will not avert the June 30 closure with more options still to be explored in terms of the campaign to reopen its doors.

Mr Elms added: “We have successfully operated the venue. But you cannot run the venue without subsidy.

“We haven’t given up and the fight is not over. We’re not going to go quietly. This size venue is in demand in the city.”

On Monday June 26 and Tuesday 27, the theatre will be opened to the public from 11am to 11pm. People are being asked to attend to share memories, with those who want to perform on the stage able to join a schedule.

Commenting on the closure earlier this month, a spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: “It was decided in 2021 that the cost of more than £100,000 a year in financial support for the Epstein Theatre was unsustainable and, after careful consideration, both the landlord and theatre operator were informed that the Council would be unable to continue this beyond 2023.

“That was not an easy decision. The Council is a huge supporter of the city’s cultural sector and continues to annually invest millions of pounds supporting dozens of venues and organisations, but that support needs to deliver value for money for the tax payer.

“The Council paid for the Epstein Theatre’s restoration and has supported it on an annual basis since 2011. It was hoped that given both the operator and landlord had had more than 18 months to negotiate a new lease arrangement, an amicable solution would be found, between the two parties. It is a huge shame that has not materialised.”

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