The Trustees of the Royal Court Liverpool Trust held a special evening to launch their capital campaign to renovate and refurbish the grade ll listed, art deco theatre last night.

The first part of the evening was supported by Hugh and Cathy Frost who treated guests to a champagne reception in the Penthouse Suite of the West Tower with refreshments provide by the Panoramic Restaurant which boasts some of the very best views across Liverpool.

The guest host for the evening was Cherie Booth QC who was accompanied by her father, actor, Tony Booth.  Other guests included the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Hazel Williams, Councillor Wendy Simon, Culture Cabinet Member and representatives from key stakeholders in the project, Heritage Lottery Fund, Liverpool Vision, The Mersey Partnership, English Heritage, Brabners Chaffe Street, Duncan Sheard Glass and Paver Smith.

Also present were Trustees, Her Honour Elizabeth Steel DL, Jonathan Falkingham and Mark Featherstone-Witty.  Paul Monaghan of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris gave guests a brief update on plans for the building which will be submitted for planning permission early next year.

The Trust received a green light from the Heritage Lottery Fund in September 2010 enabling them to develop the plans for the building further and to continue fundraising to raise the £10.6 million necessary for the whole scheme.  

"Liverpool has a wealth of fantastic buildings and a rich cultural heritage of which we can be proud.  The Royal Court is one of my favourite buildings and a great example of our art deco architecture.  I am delighted that the Royal Court Trust is working with Liverpool City Council to restore the theatre for future generations.  I know that the people of Liverpool are playing an important role in this project by supporting the fantastic shows produced by the theatre and I know that the Trust will do everything it can to improve the theatre for their benefit." Cherie Booth QC

Sara Hilton, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North West, said:
"The Royal Court Theatre holds a special place in the heart of the city, and plays an important role in the Liverpoolís cultural heritage. This project has the potential to transform the experience for the Royal Courts wide ranging audience, as well as giving more people the chance to learn about the theatreís history. There is still development work that needs to take place before the project can progress to the second-round, but HLF will be offering the Trust full support in taking their application further."

The key message today is to let the public know that their support for the theatre really does count.  Since the £1 levy on all tickets began in March of this year, the public has raised over £60,000.  This money has been used to enable the Trust to access Heritage Lottery Funds and other public funds to move the project forward.  The first area that will be addressed is the publicís comfort inside the theatre.  Toilets, seats, heating, lighting and a lift for disabled people are our priority.  Hopefully we can start on site with these significant improvements in early 2012.  In the meantime, a huge thank you to the public and please keep supporting the theatre and the capital campaign by buying tickets to shows.  Her Honour Elizabeth Steel DL, Chairman of the Royal Court Liverpool Trust

 

Tickets and information for all Royal Court Liverpool productions are available from www.royalcourtliverpool.com or on 0870 787 1866

For more information and interview requests please contact Iain Christie on 07867 992 098 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more details on the capital campaign and plans for the building visit www.royalcourttrust.org