Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Merseyside is looking for a corporate partner to purchase naming rights over the venue. It expects to raise more than £300,000 per year for what it claims is the first deal of its kind for an established regional UK theatre.
The 17th-century-style cockpit theatre opened in July 2022, and has since had more than 300,000 visitors to its home in Knowsley, identified as one of the most deprived areas of the UK. It is working with Cultural Capital Partners on the initiative, the consultancy that secured £35.2 million for Factory International to drop its long-publicised name just before opening its current venue after a deal with London-based insurance company Aviva.
The theatre said in a statement that such a deal would "help to drive forward Shakespeare North and Knowsley Council’s vision for the Playhouse, Prescot and the wider borough. The deal will also help to secure the venue as a cultural asset for generations to come as funding for the arts continues to be challenging nationally."