Find out everything going on at Shakespeare North Playhouse Theatre this Christmas

Shakespeare North Playhouse is celebrating its first Christmas with festive shows and events for all ages including an updated and very local twist on a seasonal classic.

Shakespeare North Playhouse Cockpit Theatre will stage a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, relating the story’s original message of kindness and community spirit to what’s happening today.

As Ebeneezer Scrooge starts to realise the error of his ways, he’ll be reminded of the importance of thinking of others, especially in times of hardship, by real-life experiences.

The team behind the production visited neighbouring schools and businesses to collect soundbites about the issues they’re facing this winter in the cost-of-living crisis. They’re spoken to Scrooge almost as his conscious, reminding him of how he really should be living.

With four actors taking on all the roles, and playing all the musical instruments, Nick Lane’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol is the perfect alternative to panto for families this Christmas.

In place of Victorian London, this show is set in present day Prescot so it has references to particular landmarks that audiences will absolutely recognise.

It’s got a good mix of serious themes that will be familiar to a lot of the adults watching and also a great sense of fun – there’s a huge time worm that takes you back in time which definitely didn’t appear in Dickens’ version!

Unlike some reimaginings of the story, it focuses less on the darker scary side of the ghosts who visit Scrooge, and more on the positives. And, just like the original, it does have a very uplifting ending that’s all about human warmth.

Community is very much at the heart of everything the Shakespeare North Playhouse does, on stage and off it, and that is in the spotlight this Christmas.

To coincide with its production of A Christmas Carol, the theatre will be having a foodbank collection point where people can drop off non-perishable foods and also Christmas gifts to be given out through local foodbanks.

In the run-up to Christmas, it will also be holding a series of workshops. From Saturday December 3 to Friday December 9, artist Kate Bufton will lead book art workshops, showing how to transform old unwanted books into beautiful and unusual Christmas decorations – either Christmas trees or wreaths.

There’ll also be Baby Bards sessions every Tuesday morning from 11.15am run by the theatre’s resident spoken word artist Charlie Staunton. Aimed at little ones aged 18 months to four years old, they help introduce children to stories, letters and phonetics through readings and fun activities.

Even if you’re not going to see a production, or join in a workshop, Shakespeare North Playhouse is still a great place to go for a catch-up and a bite to eat. The theatre’s café is open for drinks, snacks, lunches or pre-theatre light bites, and it’s just got a new festive menu.

Plus, there’s a gift shop so you can bag a few original Christmas gifts for theatre-loving friends and family too.