Everyman axes its rep theatre as venue reaches financial tipping point

Liverpool’s renowned Everyman theatre has taken the decision to axe its in-house repertory company.

The theatre said the company was putting a strain on funding that was stretching the venue to tipping point.

The repertory company was reformed in 2016 years and was famous in the 1970s for launching the careers of a series of big names including Bill Nighy, Julie Walters and Pete Postlethwaite.

The theatre and its sister venue the Liverpool Playhouse have been removed from Arts Council England’s National Portfolio funding scheme.

And the theatre is in the process of drawing up a new business plan but it will continue to receive £1.65m annual funding from the Arts Council.

The Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust, which runs the Everyman and Playhouse, has issued a statement.

It said: “The innovation of a company was artistically celebrated and supported by all partners but has taken the trust to a tipping point from which it needs to step back to ensure future resilience,” a statement said.

“The new model was a bold experiment but we underestimated the strain on our resources: impacting staff well-being, box office income, production costs and fundraising.”

The trust’s executive director Deborah Aydon stepped down in September.

Actor David Morrissey has also left the board, as has its chair, Michael Mansfield QC.

Arts Council England’s Laura Dyer said: “We have agreed to the request from Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust to come out of the National Portfolio.

“We will continue to fund the organisation with the same level of investment while they take the time to review their business model and make essential changes over the next year.

“We have agreed this exceptional course of action because of the organisation’s strategic significance nationally and locally and because of their important work with and for the communities, artists and audiences of Merseyside.”