Shakespeare center in northern England given go-ahead

LONDON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Proposals to build a Shakespeare theatre near Liverpool have been given the go-ahead on the eve of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, it was announced Friday.

The new 38 million U.S. dollars Shakespearean playhouse and education center is expected to attract visitors and Shakespearean students and scholars from across the world.

Knowsley Council said Friday its planning committee had approved the plans to build the Shakespeare North in the township of Prescot, a few kilometers from Liverpool.

The new center will become the core of an International University College, the first of its kind in the world focusing on Shakespearean performance practice.

The site is just meters away from an original Elizabethan theatre where, more than four centuries ago, the so-called Bard, trailed his plays before they were performed in London.

Peter Scott, chairman of the Shakespeare North Charitable Trust, said: "Our vision all along has been to create somewhere in the North of England where Shakespeare's work can be studied and enjoyed for generations to come, creating something of a triangle between the Globe (theater) and Stratford (where Shakespeare lived), both of which are synonymous with his work."

"With Knowsley's existing links to Shakespeare it is fitting that the 'triangle' be completed with a development here," he added.

Prescot was the only English town outside of London to have a purpose-built indoor playhouse.

John Flaherty, Knowsley Council executive director, said: "It is fantastic that after years of planning and preparation Shakespeare North Trust has been granted planning permission for this regeneration project -- it is a great news and really exciting day for Knowsley."

Historical records show Shakespeare had the support and patronage of the aristocrat the Earl of Derby who lived at the family's ancestral home, Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool.

During the Great Plague of London, the team of actors who performed Shakespeare's plays at the Globe fled to Knowsley Hall and performed in what became the only playhouse in Britain outside of London.