New Theatre Festival to celebrate Wirral writing talent

The inaugural Wirral Theatre Festival takes place at the Floral Pavilion this summer.

The three-day event will be staged from August 28-30 in the Blue Lounge at the New Brighton waterfront venue and aims to showcase and celebrate Wirral and its diverse wealth of talent.

Seventeen shows have been announced to run across the three days, with tickets costing £12 with £10 concessions. There are also discounts for booking two or more and three or more shows in the same booking, and family tickets are also available.

The festival opens on August 28 with children’s show Bugs Bunny & The Powers of Fort Perch Rock by Jen Cartwright.

Other plays and performances aimed at a younger audience include wartime evacuee story We’ll Meet Again, by Robert John, on August 28; Francesca Warburton’s The Wirral Monster, and Trapped! (in the Williamson Art Gallery) by Robert John, on August 29, and Message in a Bottle Mysteries by Cathy Roberts and Spooky Tales by Robert John - which won the Wirral Theatre Festival Writing Competition, both on August 30.

The wider programme on August 28 also includes a double bill – Sylvia England’s The Seagull in the Attic and Remember When by Pete Legg, Molly Farquhar’s Hairy B (a play about self-love, self-loathing and how expensive razors are), I Am Purple by Luke Sookdeo, Alice Way’s The Comedy with a Censored Title, and Cal Phillips’ Cal and the Big C.

Top: The Floral Pavilion is the location for the inaugural Wirral Theatre Festival this August.

The festival continues on August 29 with Spin the Imperfect by Ted Grant, Christine Sparks and Robert John’s The Reunion, and Robert John’s Date Night – a play about love, betrayal, joy…and meatballs.

And the line-up concludes on August 30 with The Appointment by Cathy Roberts, historical drama Tangled Roots - written by Francesca Warburton, Katherine White and Chloe Morley, and Craig Ash McKenna’s thriller The Island.

Most performances are around 45 minutes to an hour.

The Wirral Theatre Company was formed in August 2023 by Robbie Southworth and Craig Ash McKenna. Southworth heads Past Productions Education LTD delivering workshops in schools across the UK and throughout Europe, while Ash McKenna’s Times of 13 Company produces short films and theatre shows.

Floral Pavilion manager Pauline Campbell says: “I’m delighted we’re hosting the inaugural Wirral Theatre Festival here at the Floral Pavilion.

“The Wirral is full of interesting stories and storytellers, and we’re truly honoured to be spotlighting this during the Borough of Culture year and showcasing new talent which, as a community venue, is something very important to us. “

Wirral Theatre Festival is at the Floral Pavilion from August 28-30. Full details and tickets HERE