Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse latest cultural organisation to join forces with University
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The University of Liverpool further increased its engagement with city cultural organisations, by agreeing a new five year commitment to increase collaboration with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse (E&P.)
Professor Fiona Beveridge, Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Mark Da Vanzo, Chief Executive of Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining their shared ambitions for the next five years during a recent visit to the Everyman in the presence of students, and staff from both organisations.
Professor Beveridge said: “The University and Everyman and Playhouse approach to collaboration and co-curation is a brilliant fit for us.
“We both aim to support growth and regeneration within the City Region and working together, we can be agile enough to respond to the wants of our communities and audiences who share our vision of an inspirational, compassionate city with a strong local identity matched with an ambition for world-class excellence and innovation.
This approach will be embraced across both our organisations, ensuring we focus on creating positive learning and experiential opportunities for future audiences, reducing inequalities and giving voice to marginalised communities.”
The University’s educational offer and world-leading research is recognised regionally, nationally and internationally as distinctively collaborative, placing the utmost value on partnership working and shaping a robust network of education and industry alliances.
The Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse vision is to develop change-making theatres that are artistically innovative, talent enhancing, socially impactful and representative of everyone.
Its three key foundation stones are Artistic Innovation, Embedded Talent Development and Progressive Social Change, all of which fit well within the University’s strategic plan for 2026.
The MoU will support the University’s mission in meeting these aims.
Professor Greg Lynall, Head of the University’s Department of English, said: “As part of the new agreement we’ll work together to develop existing activity – such as our collaboration on creative writing workshops for MerseyCare’s Life Rooms – and cultivate innovative research projects and opportunities for our students.”
“The department’s new programme developments in Drama Studies will be significantly enhanced through our partnership with E&P, and we’re delighted to be working with them in finding new ways to excite our students and local communities in thinking about the power of theatre.”
The University’s School of the Arts, of which English is part, previously worked with E&P to organise ‘Meet & Greets’ for staff at both organisations to explore areas of mutual interest, hosted by Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement, Professor Dinah Birch.
Previous collaborative projects have also included the English Department’s well-received contribution to the Brilliant Bard Series; a School of Architecture partnership on the ground-breaking analysis of carbon usage as part of E&P’s journey to become Net Zero Carbon; a Department of English evaluation of Merseycare’s Life Rooms at the Playhouse; and the intervention of storytelling, singing and other creative activities in the managing and improvement of a variety of mental health challenges.
Mark Da Vanzo, E&P Chief Executive said: “I’m really excited for this first step in a new relationship with our neighbours at the University of Liverpool. We share so many common aims around innovation, talent development, sustainability and contributing to the city region, it makes absolute sense to make this commitment to work together more closely. I look forward to developing work with them further in the years ahead.”
The formulation of this collaboration has been supported by the University of Liverpool’s Research, Partnerships and Innovation Teams. To find out more, please visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/research/collaborate/collaborations-and-partnerships