Liverpool's Epstein Theatre has confirmed it is closing its doors for good.
The team behind the Epstein Theatre on Hanover Street has announced that the cultural space will close on Friday June 30. This follows a decision by Liverpool City Council to end its financial support which helped to sustain the venue.
In 2018 an agreement was struck 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.
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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.
The entertainment company said requests for council support in the region of £50,000 a year for the next five years were made but were ultimately unsuccessful. It is understood a final decision on the funding not being continued was said to have been made on Friday June 2, although Liverpool City Council says it first made the decision to not continue the six figure funding package in 2021 with the money going no further than 2023.
Liverpool City Council said that this was “not an easy decision.” A spokesperson added that the authority is “a huge supporter of the city’s cultural sector and continues to annually invest millions of pounds supporting dozens of venues and organisations.”
While the management agreement was initially made in 2018, the theatre did not reopen to the public until December 2021. This was said to be a result of lengthy legal discussions and disruption from the pandemic.
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.
Epstein Entertainments Ltd has said that the landlord requires a minimum of five years for a new lease. As a result the team has been unable to reach an agreement on the costs of the rent and service charge, citing further costs in the form of utility bills, essential theatre maintenance and upgrades, running costs and overheads.
The venue managers claim that this has become "unworkable" for a venue of its size without financial support. Artistic and Communications Director Bill Elms told the ECHO that those behind the Epstein Theatre are “all completely heartbroken”.
He said the team ran a “really successful venue” which was playing to over 80% capacity audiences. But the venture has “hit a brick wall” as “the council are not prepared to fund it any further.”
He said: “It is a much loved institution and is another casualty of the city centre. We haven’t walked away from it and we’re open to ideas [to help save the theatre].”
Artistic and Operations Director Chantelle Nolan said: “The work required to maintain the theatre to [Health and Safety Executive] standards and comply with legal requirements have become a severe drain on the company’s finances. Unfortunately, without Liverpool City Council’s support, it is impossible to make it a financial success.
“We hope the people of Liverpool appreciate that we have done everything within our power to keep the venue open. Thank you to the audiences for their continued support and I hope one day it will reopen again as a theatre space.”
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.”
All productions up until Friday 30 June 2023 will go ahead as planned. All productions after Friday 30 June, Epstein Entertainments Ltd has said it will be aiming to transfer performances to other Liverpool City Region venues, adding that ticket holders for cancelled performances will receive an automatic refund.
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