Theatre

Work on a major £29m upgrade to a theatre in Somerset to "help attract bigger shows" will begin next year, it has been announced.

South Somerset District Council said the redevelopment of the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, Somerset, will start in January 2023 and take around a year.

The work will include expansion of the main auditorium capacity from 622 to 900 and construction of a fly tower so shows involving wire work can take place,

Two smaller cinema or studio spaces, a dance studio and a community studio are also part of the plans. Overall the work will cost £29m, with £10m coming from central government grants.

The Yeovil Amateur Operatics Society and other amateur groups who use the Octagon will be relocated to the Westlands entertainment venue while work takes place.

Councillor Mike Best, portfolio holder for health and well-being, said: "I fully understand through my theatre background the limitations of the Westlands facility.

"But at least we are fortunate to be able to... offer that, rather than societies having to cancel shows for an extended piece of time."

"Hopefully when the Octagon is redeveloped, the year it will have taken will have all been worthwhile."

Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre, two of Britain's leading industry membership associations, have announced a partnership with data and insight specialists Baker Richards to develop an Evidence Centre that will provide analysis of the theatre sector.

The centre will use the latest technology to gather data from multiple sources, including automatically extracted ticket transactions, data on demographics and infrastructure, as well as attitudinal survey data and open government data.

It will allow SOLT and UK Theatre to identify trends in sales and audiences, evaluate theatre's economic impact, classify workforce data and demographics and present in-depth analysis that contributes to demonstrating the value of theatre to national and local government. 

“Over nearly two decades, Baker Richards has developed a rich understanding of the UK’s ever-changing theatre industry, promoting and creating measures and metrics which have been widely adopted,” said Robin Cantrill-Fenwick, Chief Executive of Baker Richards. 

For the new Evidence Centre, analysts will use innovative approaches including experimentation with machine learning and AI. The first iteration of the data tool is scheduled to be ready for use at the end of the year. 

President of SOLT Eleanor Lloyd said the new centre will be “a fantastic resource for our members to access”, facilitating “more sophisticated data and business intelligence, to assist our members with their marketing campaign planning and budgeting”.

Stephanie Sirr, UK Theatre President, said that while making the case for government support of the theatre sector during the pandemic, they had identified “some gaps in what we evaluate in order to make a well-rounded and informed case for theatre in a way that corresponds with government evaluation tools”.

“This new Evidence Centre will give us access to sales and economic data at a deeper level, which will help our members make the strongest argument yet for supporting UK theatres as key strategic partners in their many communities,” she said.

The UK’s first theatrical diner is coming to London’s Shaftesbury Avenue.

The Theatre Cafe Diner, where trained singers will wait on guests and perform musical theatre classics, is due to open this summer.

The diner is being brought to the West End by the team who operate Theatre Cafe on St Martin’s Lane. 

Theatre Cafe founder and managing director Joe Davey said the new diner will be an “excellent companion” to the existing cafe.

“The Theatre Cafe has grown so much from its beginnings as a family ticketing business, and we are delighted to be seen as a key beacon within the theatre industry.”

Theatr Clwyd's ongoing refurbishment has been supported by a series of major private funders.

The theatre received £1.5m from The Moondance Foundation, £500,000 from The Wolfson Foundation, £500,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, as well as £500,000 from an anonymous local philanthropist, all to be put towards major works on its 46-year-old Grade II-listed building.

It also received £300,000 from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to continue community work during the build.

The donations follow a £22m pledge from the Welsh Government in March. The theatre has now received gifts exceeding the previous highest amount ever raised by a Welsh theatre.

Liam Evans-Ford, Theatr Clwyd’s Executive Director said: “When we started on this capital journey in 2017 we were told it was unlikely we would raise more than £2m of private investment for a theatre in Wales. 

"Due to the generous support of these lead funders we have already reached £3m. This is an empowering vote of confidence for Theatr Clwyd, our values, the quality of our theatre making, and our deeply important community work."

A total of 142 former ALRA students are to continue their studies with Rose Bruford College following the academy’s closure last month.

All students across undergraduate, postgraduate and foundation courses were offered a place to continue their course after the fallout.

The transferring students will work across Rose Bruford’s campuses in South West London and Wigan. The college said it has been working with a number of institutions to ensure students make a smooth transition.

Principal Claire Middleton says the transfers offer students a “secure way to complete their training after such an unsettling time”.

“We were encouraged to see the outpouring of support for them from across the industry,” she added.

A Cornwall theatre has launched an audience support scheme to support local music and performing arts.

The Friends of The Acorn scheme will see residents become a ‘friend’ of the Penzance theatre through an annual donation.

Funds raised will go towards supporting the local community, through initiatives such as discounted theatre space hire for local groups and bursaries for children and young people to take part in the venue’s community classes.

Friends will also receive notice when The Acorn’s new shows are listed and an e-newsletter of behind-the-scenes information.

Theatre Manager Richard Cawley says the launch of the scheme follows a difficult two years for the charity.

“[Friends of The Acorn] gives our supporters, who love the shows we put on, a way to regularly support us and become part of The Acorn family.”