Aughton grandfather will be immortalised as one of a series of life-size portraits on a £27m Merseyside theatre’s new facade

Feb 7 2013 by Rob Pattinson, Ormskirk Advertiser

AN AUGHTON journalist is among a group of people chosen to be immortalised on a theatre’s remarkable new facade.

In a world first, the Liverpool Everyman theatre is using digital photography to reproduce life-size human images on aluminium window shutters.

There will be 105 images of men, women and children from the North West represented over three storeys of the new £27m theatre’s frontage, coated with a golden finish.

Called the Everyman for Everyone Portrait Wall, the idea came from architect Steve Tomkins, of theatre designer Haworth Tomkins.

They were based on photographs taken of ordinary people by Liverpool photographer Dan Kenyon.

David Stuckey, from Winifred Lane, was one of 460 people who replied to a public invitation for subjects to be considered for portraits. David used to work as a feature writer for the Liverpool Daily Post in the 1970s.

After making the final cut of 105 – the only person from West Lancs to do so – he was one of only five invited to the unveiling of the chosen portraits earlier this week.

The 68-year-old grandfather-of-five said: “I’ve always liked the Everyman. I used to write reviews of plays there for the Liverpool Post and ECHO so I was delighted to be part of this.

“I only found out I’d been chosen about a week ago. It was really nice to be one of the five invited to the unveiling.”

The portraits are created by cutting vertical slots into the aluminium panels using new water jet technology.

The finished rectangular shutters can be pivoted to shade the windows behind and circulate air.

And David said: “It’s starting to sink in how big a deal it is. I think it’s a huge honour to be involved.”

Deborah Aydon, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatre executive director, said: “The shutters do have a practical purpose and instead of being boring horizontal slats it’s a large artwork.

“As the shutters can move individually, their golden surface will catch the light so the front constantly changes.

“There will be nothing like it.

“The facade will look fantastically eye-catching.”

The Everyman is the UK’s biggest new theatre project and will open on Hope Street in Liverpool city centre next year.