Re-creating 1580s cockpit theatre in Lancashire hopes to focus attention on Shakespeare's 'lost years'
As a place best known for its cable manufacturing industry, Prescot has been unaccustomed to a role in the cultural life of the nation. But that may be about to change as the town, on the Merseyside-Lancashire border, seeks to capitalise on the little-known fact that a young William Shakespeare sought refuge there in the 1580s and influenced the development of its Elizabethan theatre -- the first built outside of London.
Shakespeare was probably sent from Stratford Grammar School to Prescot by his father at a dangerous time for Catholic families like his own, in which the government of the day feared Papist plots and used spies to root out suspects.
The teenager seems to have arrived in service at the nearby Knowsley Hall, where the fifth Earl, Ferdinando Stanley, maintained a talented group of professional players for the Prescot venue, which was built within 10 years of Shakespeare's arrival.
Knowsley borough council has enlisted the veteran Shakespeare director, David Thacker, to lead its Shakespeare in the North project, in which £20m of lottery money is being sought to recreate the cockpit theatre. Mr Thacker said: "This project will recognise the deep and important relationship between the Bard and the north of England."
Although some in the literary establishment have been somewhat sniffy about the idea of the playwright being a Catholic whose formative experiences were in the industrial north, Lancashire has been seeking to understand more about its Shakespeare heritage.
Richard Wilson, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Lancaster University, has led research into Shakespeare's so-called "lost years" in Lancashire, including time at Hoghton Tower near Preston. This has prompted ideas for a Renaissance library, theatre and annual conference. Liverpool architects, Austin-Smith, has developed plans for a theatre called Shakespeare North at the Cockpit.
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Shakespeare was probably sent from Stratford Grammar School to Prescot by his father at a dangerous time for Catholic families like his own, in which the government of the day feared Papist plots and used spies to root out suspects.
The teenager seems to have arrived in service at the nearby Knowsley Hall, where the fifth Earl, Ferdinando Stanley, maintained a talented group of professional players for the Prescot venue, which was built within 10 years of Shakespeare's arrival.
Knowsley borough council has enlisted the veteran Shakespeare director, David Thacker, to lead its Shakespeare in the North project, in which £20m of lottery money is being sought to recreate the cockpit theatre. Mr Thacker said: "This project will recognise the deep and important relationship between the Bard and the north of England."
Although some in the literary establishment have been somewhat sniffy about the idea of the playwright being a Catholic whose formative experiences were in the industrial north, Lancashire has been seeking to understand more about its Shakespeare heritage.
Richard Wilson, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Lancaster University, has led research into Shakespeare's so-called "lost years" in Lancashire, including time at Hoghton Tower near Preston. This has prompted ideas for a Renaissance library, theatre and annual conference. Liverpool architects, Austin-Smith, has developed plans for a theatre called Shakespeare North at the Cockpit.