Pop-up Shakespeare Rose theatre firm 'facing liquidation'

The replica theatre failed to attract the same numbers in 2019 as in 2018

Two pop-up Shakespearean theatres will not return for another season because the company behind them is reportedly facing liquidation.

The temporary theatres in York and at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, failed to attract the expected visitor numbers.

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions said it was left with "unsustainable losses" - blaming Brexit and the economic uncertainty for low audience figures.

Business leaders in York said it was "sad news for the city".

The company first launched Shakespeare's Rose Theatre in York in Summer 2018 in the city's Castle car park. It enabled audiences to watch a play as an Elizabethan audience would have done.

It returned this year and also erected a second theatre at Blenheim Palace, but audience numbers did not match the first season, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A company spokesman said the directors are "taking professional advice" about liquidation.

"Sadly, due to Brexit and the economic and political uncertainty this has created, the anticipated audience numbers needed to sustain a project of this scale were not achieved," a statement added.

In 2018, the York pop-up attracted 78,000 visitors, but only 47,000 in 2019. About 38,000 visited the theatre at Blenheim Palace instead of the 75,000 the company expected.

Andrew Lowson, director of York Business Improvement District, said: "This is sad news for the city and naturally for the employees who put a lot of hard work into these high quality productions."

Charlie Croft, assistant director for culture at City of York Council, said it was "incredibly disappointing" and described the theatre as a "unique cultural and educational experience".