Seminars and company events
Shakespeare North Playhouse hosts conferences, awards evenings, presentations, product launches, team meetings and parties, from meeting rooms for 20 people to a 470-seat timber theater, with up to 250 guests across its linked ground-floor spaces. The playhouse is at Prospero Place in Prescot, Merseyside, about 20 minutes by train from Liverpool.
The Cockpit Theatre is the centerpiece: a timber-framed Shakespearean auditorium used for keynotes, award ceremonies, launches, live recordings and performances. Conferences can also use the Studio, which has large-scale video projection, good sound and optional tiered seating; the First Floor, a long, day-lit room with a private bar and a balcony over Prescot; and the Hub and Foyer, which can be divided into up to three areas for breakouts and workshops or opened up as one larger space. Meeting Rooms for up to 20 people suit team meetings, interviews and training days, with a discount when three or more dates are booked.
The Meet in the Middle package combines the room booking and catering in one price. The whole building can be hired for exclusive use, and the rooftop, above-stage and service areas are available for filming and location work.
Weddings and receptions
Wedding packages with set catering menus are offered. The Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden has tiered seating for up to 120 and an open floor for speeches, dancing or dining outdoors, and links with the Gallery and the Bar & Kitchen for receptions of up to 250 guests. The Gallery, with its built-in media wall, works for a party night or disco, and the Studio for dancing. A late licence is available.
Rooms and capacities
The Cockpit Theatre has 470 seats. The Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden has tiered seating for up to 120, and the ground floor takes up to 250 when the garden is combined with the neighboring spaces. Meeting Rooms take up to 20. The Gallery, the Bar & Kitchen, the First Floor, the Hub and Foyer and the Studio have no published capacities, so numbers are confirmed with the events team.
Catering
Food and drink packages are tailored to each event. There are bars on two floors and mobile bar carts, the Garden can be set for private dining, and past clients mention the vegetarian and vegan options.
History and setting
The playhouse takes its cue from Prescot's link with the theater of Shakespeare's time: a playhouse stood in the town in the 1590s. Today's building pairs the timber Cockpit with an exhibition gallery, a studio and a performance garden, so an event can move from a formal session in the auditorium to drinks outdoors without leaving the building.
Getting there
Prescot station is about a 12-minute walk, and trains from Liverpool take about 20 minutes. There is no taxi rank at the station, so taxis should be booked ahead. Buses from Liverpool take about an hour. Nearby parking includes Deanes House NCP, a minute's walk away, free short-stay parking on Mill Street, free parking at Prescot Shopping Centre, and Cyprus Street, with accessible bays and EV charging. The M57 is two minutes away and the M62 ten. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the nearest airport.
