Much-loved community arts hub that was within hours of closing is staging a comeback

The Imaginarium Arts Hub in Prescot, which was within hours of closing in June, is staging a comeback after huge community backing.

The hub, which is home to Imaginarium Theatre, had already sold off lots of its resources, props and costumes to pay rent and bills after it was dealt a double blow.

Funding from the Arts Council and local council were both cut, leaving Artistic Director Gaynor La Rocca facing no option but to shut the Eccleston Street space.

But when plans for another tenant to take over the lease suddenly fell through, Gaynor realised she didn’t want to let the hub go without at least giving it one more try.

And once she revealed her intentions to keep Imaginarium at the heart of Prescot, she was overwhelmed by messages encouraging her not to give up.

Gaynor said:

“We were feeling disillusioned and battered, everything seemed to be against us, but then we got hundreds and hundreds of messages, people who were in our youth theatres, community groups, volunteers, all passionately urging us not to go.

“They were telling us the impact we’d had on their lives and that really gave us the motivation to give it another go.”

As a not-for-profit theatre and community arts CIC, over the past 25 years Imaginarium Theatre has delivered youth and community theatres, family and community arts programmes, street theatre, parades, community events, arts awards and productions that have reached more than 75,000 people.

Gaynor said:

“Imaginarium actors, dancers, musicians and makers are drawn from the community and from every generation, from tiny tots to wise and wacky seniors.”

“They come to Imaginarium to work with exciting creative professionals, to learn new skills and develop their craft, to make theatre work and enjoy opportunities that they may not otherwise experience in their day to day lives.”

Imaginarium has also been a gateway into drama schools and successful careers within the arts for those who’ve taken part in its sessions.

When it moved from Cockpit House to new premises on Eccleston Street opposite Shakespeare North Playhouse at the end of 2022, it created a new inclusive community arts base.

But once funding it relied on was lost last year, it looked as though the Imaginarium Arts Hub would be too.

Gaynor said:

“Everything we do we’ve always offered free or really cheaply, supported by funding, so without that we felt we just couldn’t sustain it.”

When fate intervened and the new tenants had to pull out the day before they were due to hand over the keys, Gaynor found a fresh determination to continue.

She said:

“I’ve invested so much love and creativity over 25 years, I wasn’t ready to stop,” she adds. “It means the world to me.”

Now Imaginarium has just secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for a two-year Community Arts programme, allowing it to offer drama, dance, music and making opportunities for adults.

A Go Fund Me campaign has also been launched to pay immediate bills and rent, refurbish the building – especially the rotted frontage – and make it sustainable going forward.

Local tradespeople and volunteers have already offered their skills to help keep costs down, but there’s still a way to go before a scheduled reopening date at the end of September. 

Future plans include opening an actors’ training centre within the Imaginarium Arts Hub for children, young people and adults of all ages.

Gaynor also intends to develop LAMDA qualifications in acting for young people from grade 1 to 8, bringing in artists she’s worked with over the years to lead masterclasses and workshops.

Alongside its youth and community arts programme and large flexible theatre space available to local theatre companies, the hub will have a community café with family-focused soft play, storytelling and activities.

Gaynor explains:

“We want that to be a vibrant café by day and a buzzing arts bar for local creatives and the community by night at weekends.”

“I’m keen to develop the Imaginarium late show, a regular late night cabaret revue which will start as Shakespeare North shows finish. 

“I want us to bring audiences back into Eccleston Street, which has so many bars, bistros and restaurants, then they can explore all these other wonderful places.”

Find more information about how you can support Imaginarium Arts Hub here. 

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