00:00Liverpool Olympia has formally become a community interest company, a structure designed to reinvest profits into projects benefiting the local
00:08community while providing arts, education and cultural opportunities.
00:12The venues management will collaborate with residents to develop programmes that meet community needs, ensure equal access and foster participation
00:19in creative and learning activities.
00:21Though we do international events like we have Robbie Williams on, Teddy Swims, people know it for that, we want
00:28to open it up more on a daily basis to the community to do educational events for performing arts.
00:37Established in 1905 by architect Frank Macham, the Olympia has hosted iconic performers including the Beatles, Little Richard and contemporary
00:45artists such as Robbie Williams, Robert Plant and Paul Weller.
00:49Historically, it's served as a circus, cinema, dance hall, bingo hall and even a wartime depot.
00:55Frank Macham would be very proud to think that 126 years later, Liverpool Olympia is still operating as that multi
01:05-use venue and offering such a variety of performances to the Liverpool public.
01:11Recent refurbishments have restored the venue for concerts, comedy, sports and filming projects, including Peaky Blinders and Tin Star.
01:19The magic of the building survives through the interest of the people that are here working, living in it and
01:28loving it.
01:28By securing funding, the CIC plans to maintain the building's heritage while creating an accessible, welcoming environment.
01:37I want it to be a place where local people aspire to want to perform.
01:42The initiative prioritises community engagement and empowerment through arts and educational activities, reinforcing Liverpool Olympia's position as both a cultural
01:52landmark and a hub for social benefit,
01:55contributing positively to residents' educational and recreational experiences while safeguarding the historic structure for future generations.
02:03There are an awful lot of unique features that survive in this building.
02:08So for somebody to then come along and personally invest so much in actually bringing it back to a full
02:19use, that's a very, very brave thing to do.
02:23Even though the building behind me has lived many lives, some of that is still in its structure, including the
02:31elephant pit in the basement.
02:34Underneath the stage floor here, there's an elephant pit. So when it opened in 1905, there is, there's an 80
02:43,000 gallon pool.
02:44The hydraulic pool used to rise up. There used to be water pageants with elephants.
02:49We are going to be opening up tours in the near future for people to go down and see the
02:54workings of the pit and some of the history of the place.
02:57I'll say to you guys.
02:58We are and I'll say all because of the patient
02:59and I don't have the correcting guards.
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