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On Monday 17 October The Royal Court’s one millionth customer walked through the doors and found a fantastic prize waiting for them! David Jones, 64, from Birkenhead, has won the Royal Court Golden Ticket which entitles them to two tickets including dinner and drinks for each show at the venue for the rest of their lives. The ticket will bring him and his wife hundreds of pounds’ worth of entertainment each year.
David was welcomed in by the Royal Court Community Choir and presented with his golden ticket by Executive Producer Kevin Fearon and the writer and star of the current show, Alan Stocks.
David could not believe his luck: “I was amazed when they told me to be honest. You see these things advertised but you never think that it’s going to be you. When I told the missus she nearly fell flat on the floor, we are both made up!”
David has been to 39 productions at the Royal Court since he first came to see Council Depot Blues in 2008. “I love coming to the Royal Court and so does my wife. We love a good comedy and that is mostly what’s on. It’s really handy for the bus as well, drops us right outside.”
The show that is running at present, Father O’Flaherty Saves Our Souls, is the Court’s 70th show since it began producing in 2006. The first was the smash hit Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels and they produce eight or nine shows each year, with each one running from four to six weeks.
The venue is known to attract an audience that other venues are unable to reach. With dinner before the show, dessert at the interval and drinks available at your table The Royal Court experience is unique amongst theatres around the country. A mix of comedy and musicals featuring the best of Merseyside actors and backstage talent means that the audiences are loyal and large. 95% of all of the money made by The Royal Court is spent in Merseyside and the venue is fiercely proud of its reputation as The People’s Theatre.
Kevin Fearon, the Executive Producer at the Court, has been the driving force behind the venue since the company took over in 2005: “This millionth audience member is a huge landmark for us and we are delighted that it has gone to someone who is such a big supporter of what we do here. When I saw the list of shows that he has been to in the past I couldn’t have been happier. David’s seen almost as many shows here as I have!
“When we first got here in 2005 the building wasn’t in great shape and, as much as people enjoyed coming here for gigs, they remembered their feet sticking to the floor and drinking warm cans of beer from the bar. We wanted to keep that amazing night out feeling but make the building a much nicer place for people to come. That first production of Brick Up showed that there was a whole new audience out there who wanted to come out for a great night out and we wanted to give them somewhere that they could really enjoy.
“The Royal Court Liverpool Trust has raised an incredible amount of money to refurbish the building and now we are close to being able to offer the experience that we think people deserve. It has taken ten years, 70 shows and a million customers to get here but we’re really proud of The Court now, both on stage and off. Now we have entertained a million people we want to reach a million more!”
Tickets for all productions are available from www.royalcourtliverpool.com or on 0151 709 4321