Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for new buildings, the Riba Stirling Prize.
The award recognises the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year, with the winner being announced later this week on October 16th.
The Everyman Theatre is just one of the six shortlisted buildings, and will join The Shard on the banks of the Thames in London; the London Aquatics Centre, as used during the London 2012 Olympic Games; the Library of Birmingham; the London School of Economics; and Manchester School of Art.
Everyman and Playhouse Executive Director Deborah Aydon said: “We are thrilled to have been short-listed for this prestigious award and very proud that the Everyman, which has been so quickly taken to the hearts of the people of Liverpool, has also been able to fly the flag nationally for imaginative and high-quality architecture in our city.”
The iconic building is housed at the end of Hope Street, which is noted for its bohemian environment and political edge, and the Everyman has undergone a radical change since it was founded back in 1964.
The new Everyman Theatre took architect, Haworth Tompkins, nine years to create his vision and cost a £13.3m to build, which saw the former venue being taken down brick-by-brick so that they could be reused, both externally and exposed on the inside in the auditorium, bars and corridors. It re-opened for business in March this year.
Everyman and Playhouse Artistic Director Gemma Bodinetz said: “Haworth Tompkins listened to us, our audiences and communities, our actors and artists and created a theatre for Liverpool that is both stunning and humane. We are thrilled that our theatre held so dearly by our audiences and practitioners has received such prestigious national recognition.”