Lear at the Mansion House: Tonight’s the Night!

The decks have arrived at the Garden Theatre

The day has arrived - tonight we'll be bringing Shakespeare's Globe's production of King Lear to Calderstones. With only hours to go, the Mansion House and the Garden Theatre - which will be unveiled for the first time in 30 years for the show - is already a hive of activity, with the stage making its way in and being assembled as we speak.

The whole of Liverpool is excited by the prospect of Shakespearian drama happening in the heart of the city, so it's no surprise that the performances of Lear are completely SOLD OUT. There won't be any extra tickets available on the door of the Mansion House tonight or tomorrow, so if you didn't get one please don't come along as we wouldn't want to leave anyone disappointed.

Performances begin at 7.30pm and are due to finish at around 10.30pm. There is very limited parking at the Mansion House so all attendees are advised to use public transport wherever possible for the journey to and from the show. If you do need to drive, please use public parking facilities (there are two small public car parks off Calderstones Road and Yewtree Road).

Don't forget to bring folding chairs, blankets and cushions to sit on and refreshments can be brought along (but alcohol is not permitted). We weren't too pleased that the rain clouds gathered this morning, but fingers crossed for them to lift...just in case, don't get caught out - dress appropriately for the outdoors, in warm and waterproof clothing.

In the remaining hours, there's just enough time to whet your appetite further. If you haven't got a copy of Lear to hand don't fret as we've got some interviews with the cast on our Facebook page to keep you excited - you can see Bethan Cullinane (Cordelia/Lear's Fool) chatting about her favourite scene, Ruth Everett (Goneril/Curan) telling us what it's like to perform out of doors and King Lear himself, Joseph Marcell, attempting to sum up the play in just one sentence - it's a tricky job... Joseph also spoke to the Liverpool Echo last week about the prospect of performing at the Garden Theatre and in Liverpool after being away for over 30 years.

If you didn't manage to get your tickets for Lear, don't be disappointed as you can still enjoy lots of great activities at Calderstones over the summer. Listen to Reader Places Manager Sophie Povey and Creative Coordinator Roisin Hyland talking to Sean Styles on BBC Radio Merseyside (around 1 hour and 30 mins in) about everything that's coming up at the Mansion House, including our Summer Fair on Saturday 31st August.

Stay tuned to Twitter for all the info coming from #Lear at the Mansion House - follow us on @thereaderorg and @CaldiesMansion.

There's nothing left to say except enjoy the show - and we'll see you there!