Liverpool's Lantern Theatre to close

The Lantern Theatre in Liverpool is set to close its doors for the final time on 31 July 2016.

Widely appreciated for providing the city with new theatre since it first opened in 2009, the Blundell Street venue has been asked to leave the premises at the end of its current lease. The final events to take place in the space will be the fifth annual Shiny New Festival (ten nights of comedy and new writing, taking place between 15-24 July) and Grin Theatre's Queertet series – a two-night affair showcasing four LGBT productions per evening (28-29 July). 

In a statement, representatives of The Lantern said: "We had hoped to remain in Blundell Street beyond our lease but the sale of the building means we must now find a new more suitable venue. Our doors will close on 31 st July 2016 and up until then we will continue to service Liverpool with our trademark cutting edge theatre, music and comedy.

"At present our future is uncertain. We are exploring a number of avenues and will make further announcements very soon. For now we would like to thank each and every theatre company, musician, comedian and audience member as well as our amazing staff and volunteers who have made the last five years at Lantern Theatre magical. This will be our biggest Shiny New Festival and will ensure we say goodbye to our lovely venue with a bang."

Originally founded by Tiny Giants Productions, the theatre changed hands in September 2011 and has remained dedicated to its original mission statement of supporting local artists, providing a first professional platform for many writers and performers starting out. Read our 2013 interview with the team behind The Lantern Theatre

This follows the closure of two of the city's best-loved arts spaces in recent times. Both MelloMello and The Kazimier have been lost in recent years, although the team behind the latter will host the inaugural gig at their new dockland venue The Invisible Wind Factory when Parquet Courts visit the city on 15 June.