Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse theatres see highest annual attendances in over 10 years as revenues soar 25% to more than £6.6m in ‘a year of exceptional achievement’. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse theatres have finally put their post-COVID troubles behind them with the best attendance figures in more than a decade.
In the financial year before 2020 combined ticket sales had been around 130,000. COVID saw long periods of closure but post-pandemic shows continued to see disappointing sales.
Two years ago the theatres reported attendances of 112,000 but last year’s annual accounts of the Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust (LMTT), a registered charity that operates both theatres, revealed attendances for the 2023/24 fiscal year had fallen to 97,527.
However, LMTT’s latest accounts for the 12 months to March 31, 2025, reveal audiences have returned to the Hope Street and Williamson Square venues in their droves with 146,000 coming through the doors – the highest number for more than 10 years.
Writing in the annual report LMTT chair Andrew Nixon (Camilla Mankabady has just been appointed as new chair) and chief executive Mark Da Vanzo, said: “The 2024/25 financial year has been a landmark one for the Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust.
“Against the backdrop of continued economic uncertainty and sector-wide challenges, we are proud to report a year of exceptional achievement, with record attendances across both the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres
“This success is a testament to the enduring power of live performance, the creativity and resilience of our teams and the deep connection our theatres have with the communities we serve.”
They added that audiences have been “drawn by a bold and diverse programme that celebrated new voices, reimagined classics and championed stories that resonate with audiences locally and nationally”.
During the period the Everyman celebrated its 60th anniversary and popular in-house productions included The Legend of Ned Ludd, Tell Me How It Ends, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Rapunzel and Shirley Valentine.
Meanwhile the Playhouse welcomed acclaimed touring productions, including The Kite Runner, Play On!, Ghost Stories and Tambo and Bones.
Total revenue for the year was more than £6.6m, a rise of 25%. LMTT, which has more than 80 full-time employees, also saw its annual deficit slashed to £252,000 from £856,000 in the previous year. Reserves are up slightly to £19m.
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Revenues from LMTT’s hospitality facilities, including its street cafe, were up 35% to £713,000. Combined income from the Arts Council England (part of a £5.4m funding package for three years to March 2026) and from Liverpool City Council totalled £2.18m.
2025 has also proven to be a good year for the Liverpool theatres sector. In June 2023 it was announced the Epstein Theatre in Hanover Street was closing for good but the venue reopened in the spring following a £1m cash injection from new investors.