News

Birmingham Hippodrome has launched a new programme for teachers and educators in the West Midlands in a bid to get more young people in the area engaged with theatre.

Teachers in the scheme will be invited to see live performances at the Hippodrome and attend talks, pre and post-show events and networking events where they can meet and connect with other educators, artists and creatives.

It is hoped that successful applicants will expand their knowledge and be keen to be advocates for the power of theatre for young people.

Zayle-Dawn Wilson, Head of Creative Partnerships at Birmingham Hippodrome, said: “Schools are facing significant challenges in the current climate. 

"In our last benchmarking survey, schools reported over 60% of teachers felt inexperienced in arts education, and over 50% unable to engage young people with the arts. Our vision is to support the education sector by inspiring teachers, to in turn support and inspire their young people.”

Birmingham Hippodrome currently works with 44 primary, secondary and SEN schools and colleges across the region, providing young people with the chance to experience and connect with theatre through the Hippodrome Education Network.

Quaytickets, a venue operator and ticketing services supplier based at The Lowry has renewed its partnership with the technology platform SeatGeek.

In addition, Quaytickets has announced four new clients, including the University of Birmingham, South Lanarkshire Council and The Brindley Theatre, joining the organisation's existing roster, which counts NIMAX Theatres, Nederlander Group and Somerset House, among others.

First partnering in 2019, SeatGeek’s platform allowed Quaytickets clients to directly list and sell tickets through distribution partners such as London Theatre Direct and Ingresso.

“Four years ago, we launched our partnership with SeatGeek in the hopes of bringing best-in-class technology to our venue, The Lowry,” said Rachel Miller, Director of Audiences, Sales and Marketing at The Lowry.

 “We also wanted to share that technology with our Quaytickets clients to maximise ticket sales and audience insights and deliver an industry-leading customer journey. 

“We’ve delivered exceptional results and look forward to launching our new service packages into the arts and cultural sector event ticketing market."

Peter Joyce, Managing Director of EMEA at SeatGeek, added: “From day one, our partners at Quaytickets and The Lowry have remained passionate, driven and curious – working in lockstep with us to solve the question of how ticketing can be better for fans and those working behind the curtain.

“We could not be more excited to continue working with Quaytickets and its clients to elevate the ticketing experience through our innovative back-end technology for the UK's most culturally significant institutions.”
 

Members of the National Trust have rejected the election of five candidates endorsed by the pressure group Restore Trust.

Restore Trust was set up three years ago for members concerned that the Trust’s priorities were being driven by “modish, divisive ideologies”. 

A record turnout of 156,000 members voted in the Trust’s council elections at this year’s AGM held on 11 November.

Members also rejected two resolutions put forward by the Restore Trust.

Following the AGM, Zewditu Gebreyohanes, Director of Restore Trust, announced she was to step down.

Gebreyohanes said she made the decision six months ago and plans to focus on her work as a researcher at the Legatum Institute, a controversial think-tank based in London closely aligned with the Vote Leave Brexit campaign.

The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee has written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt ahead of next week’s Autumn Statement calling for targeted tax support and changes to regulations impacting the British film industry.

The letter says targeted tax support will ensure more visual effects work takes place across the UK, alongside the reform of the apprenticeship levy.

It adds there must be further consideration given to the planned new rules around connected party transactions and the definition of documentary programming.

The letter coincides with the publication of over 130 written evidence submissions to the Committee’s ongoing enquiry into British Film and High-End Television inquiry.

The Committee will start taking oral evidence in the new year.

CMS Committee Chair Caroline Dinenage commented: “The UK is a hugely important destination for film and high-end television production, but we can’t afford to rest on our laurels if we are to retain our competitive edge with the major players from around the world.”

“We hope that next week the Chancellor will show he’s a friend of British film and give the sector the certainty and stability it needs to retain the UK’s excellent standing on the world stage.”

A scheme to build a new theatre on the site of the former Derby Assembly Rooms has been halted amid fears escalating costs could lead to "effective bankruptcy” for the council.

Derby City Council said that high inflation and interest rates had driven up predicted borrowing and construction costs for the Assembly Rooms site, which has been closed since a fire in 2014, leaving the project "unviable".

Earlier this year, the authority was awarded £20m from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to demolish the venue and replace it with a new ‘Learning Theatre’ hosting shows and offering students a place to work and perform.

The council had estimated the scheme, partnered by Derby Theatre and the University of Derby, would increase theatre attendance by 83,000, attracting an additional 25,000 visitors to the city and generating an extra £1.7m each year.

With the plan scrapped, DLUHC has agreed to a proposal to split the funds equally between Derby Theatre and the Guildhall Theatre, which has been disused since 2019.

Derby Theatre had been set to move into the new Assembly Rooms building as its current location is up for demolition. Meanwhile, the council is looking at bids from developers for the Assembly Rooms site.

Labour City Council Leader Baggy Shanker said: "The financial landscape for local government means that we can no longer take on the risk of proceeding with schemes of this scale, which could put us in the same difficult situation affecting some other local authorities who have had to declare effective bankruptcy.”

The boards of Jerwood Foundation and Jerwood Charity are set to be combined from 1 January 2024 following completion of formalities to merge the two organisations.

The foundation, which has been supporting the arts since 1977, endowed Jerwood Charity with a fund of £25m in 1999. The merger creates a single UK charitable foundation to ensure “a sustainable future with maximum impact for beneficiaries”.

The rationalised charity aims to support excellence and emerging talent in UK arts and crafts, with up to £2m of grants awarded each year. Applications for the first round of grants will need to be submitted before 1 March 2024 and will be awarded in April 2024. 

Rupert Tyler, formerly Chairman of Jerwood Charity, has been appointed Chairman of the merged Jerwood boards. Meanwhile, Lara Wardle, Executive Director of Jerwood Foundation, leads the organisation and management.

Alan Grieve CBE, Chairman of Jerwood Foundation for the last 30 years, remains a Trustee of Jerwood Foundation and Chairman Emeritus.

Wardle said: “We hope that our new streamlined, easy-to-understand application process will enable us to distribute funds effectively for maximum impact, fulfilling John Jerwood’s original philanthropic vision to support excellence and emerging talent in the UK.”

The families of victims of the Grenfell fire are calling for a permanent museum or public exhibition to honour those who lost their lives.

A report released by the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission earlier this week proposed a long-term museum or exhibition housed in an existing museum to make sure future generations can learn about and remember the tragedy.

The report, which is the second of its kind and the result of four years of consultation with bereaved families, survivors and residents who live close to Grenfell Tower, also called for a memorial that features art, water and display a mix of faiths and cultural backgrounds that make up the Grenfell community.

It said the memorial should be located at an alternative but easily accessible site, or sites, in London, to avoid the scene becoming a tourist destination.

It also suggested a separate private archive to house community tributes that are becoming “vulnerable to the elements”. 

“There is an urgent need to create a permanent and fitting space for the Grenfell community to remember, to mourn and to reflect upon their experiences,” Thelma Stober and Lord Paul Boateng, co-Chairs of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, said.

Timings for the development of a memorial will be dependent on the government’s decision on the future of Grenfell Tower, but the memorial commission is hopeful construction could begin from late 2026.

Families of the victims have also requested a garden and built structure be incorporated into a permanent memorial at the site of the fire.

The fire in west London killed 72 people on 14 June 2017.

PRS for Music is extending its partnership with cloud computing service Oracle.

The music royalty distributor has moved its royalty payment database to Oracle Exadata Database Service on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), which it says has accelerated payments to its 165,000 members.

PRS for Music is the first collecting society in the world to have migrated its data processing systems to OCI. It attributes the move as “instrumental” in hitting a record-breaking £836m of royalties in 2022.

In the third quarter of 2023, PRS for Music broke its quarterly payout record, distributing £239m.

The society has previously promised to be distributing more than £1bn in royalities annually by 2026.

“Working with Oracle to migrate our distribution systems to the cloud was a seismic shift in infrastructure for PRS for Music, and a landmark moment in our industry,” said Mark Krajewski, Managing Director, Strategic Alliances and Chief Information Officer of PRS for Music.

“Exadata Database Service on OCI has been a catalyst for our ambitious data strategy, and with cutting-edge technologies in place we can continue to pioneer new activities to define the future of music royalty management. 

“We have more control over our data than ever before, allowing for better data-driven decision making and greater speed, transparency, and accuracy in royalty distributions.”