Stage 5 : Celebrating all things theatre and stage
Erin Powell | 25. September 2025
Wrapping up our first week, we headed to Liverpool. Known globally as the birthplace of The Beatles, the city also boasts a rich industrial and cultural heritage, making it the perfect setting for the next chapter of the UK Tour.
First Stop: Adlib HQ
We wrapped up the day at Adlib HQ, where we celebrated our collaboration at the Tung Auditorium, a state-of-the-art venue on the University of Liverpool campus. Designed to be acoustically adaptable, the auditorium features the igus HD e-spool® which sits alongside the motorised winches in the roof void above the auditorium, deployed to address the challenges of dynamic cable management.
Since 1984, Adlib has supported the live events industry, in theatres, education, and performance spaces across the world. With nearly four decades of experience, Adlib are a single-source supplier respected throughout the industry with the in-house expertise to deliver audio, lighting, video and stage engineering at the highest level.
Exploring LIPA
We then made our way to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), co-founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty in 1996. Housed in the former Liverpool Institute for Boys, where McCartney and George Harrison once studied, LIPA is a beacon of creative education. After the school fell into disrepair in the 1980s, McCartney vowed to save it, and with the help of producer George Martin, transformed it into a state-of-the-art performing arts institution.
A Tribute to Lennon
Just a short ride away, we visited a replica of John Lennon’s beloved 1953 Raleigh Lenton. Gifted to him by his uncle after passing his exams, Lennon once said, “I lived for that bike. Most kids left theirs in the backyard — not me. I kept mine indoors and even slept beside it.” (Online bicycle museum)
Liverpool Cathedral
The largest cathedral in Britain and fifth largest in the world. Its Gothic architecture and massive bell tower showcase structural ingenuity on a grand scale
St George’s Hall
A neoclassical masterpiece that has hosted everything from court sessions to concerts. Its vaulted ceilings and Corinthian columns are a testament to Victorian engineering and design
Royal Albert Dock
Opened in 1846, it was the first structure in the world built entirely of cast iron, brick, and stone, without timber. Designed by Jesse Hartley, it revolutionised dock construction and remains a symbol of Liverpool’s maritime legacy.
Riders
Mark Smith
Mark has been with igus for 27 years. He started as an internal bearing sales engineer, going out onto the road after 6 months as an external sales engineer and worked his way up to being the Head of Engineering Projects for the UK, which he started in 2012.
An avid cyclist, Mark cycles approx 5000 miles a year on various road bikes but his biggest accomplishment was cycling the “chase the sun route” across the country, 206 miles in a day!!
