Liverpool Playhouse

Liverpool Playhouse, oldest repertory theatre still operating in Britain. In 1866 the Star Theatre was built on the site of the old Star Tavern in Liverpool; it housed mainly melodrama. In 1911 the building was entirely rebuilt in order to become the home of the new Liverpool Repertory Theatre Company, and was renamed the Liverpool Repertory Theatre. It acquired its present name in 1916. The repertoire mostly comprises established works, but the company has also become known for presenting controversial new works by writers such as David Hare and Harold Pinter. The building underwent substantial alterations in 1968, and seats 758; there is also a 100-seater studio theatre. Actors who have worked with the Liverpool Repertory include Rex Harrison, Michael Redgrave, and Antony Sher.

In 1998 the theatre went into liquidation and was dark for two and a half years until the Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust took over the joint running of the Playhouse and Everyman theatres in the city. Having undergone extensive refurbishment, the Playhouse reopened in late 2000.