Unicorn is a professional theatre company for audiences of children, their parents, families and teachers. It sees theatre as both a performance and participatory artform through which children can enjoy, reflect on and explore the world around them, writes Elly Crichton Stuart.
When I was appointed Marketing Manager in 1997, the range of workshops on offer included a Birthday Workshop programme for families. Parents could ring and book a specially designed workshop on the theme of their child?s favourite book or film. Up to thirty children would spend a couple of hours exploring a subject of their choice through drama and creative play, at the end of which the parents would return, see a short presentation and share a birthday tea and cake with the whole group. These workshops were extremely popular but were not integrated into the main theatre programme.
Having previously worked in regional theatre, where subscription schemes were our bread and butter as well as a wonderful audience development tool, I felt there was room for a membership scheme which offered families the chance to have a deeper relationship with the company. I was also looking to establish a loyalty scheme which would create a group of families who might stay with the company for up to eight years. Wendy Rouse, Education Officer at the time, was keen to integrate the company?s education work into the mainstream programme. In 1998 we received funding from ACE to undertake an Education Research and Development Initiative. This resulted in a year-round programme of education projects for schools and made us turn our attention to the family education programme.
What we came up with was a new initiative for families offering annual membership with incentives such as priority booking, a copy of our newsletter four times a year and access to family days. These are days where families participate together in a production-related workshop for an hour and a half, have lunch, see the show from the best seats and have tea with the actors afterwards. In 1998 we charged £10 per family for annual membership and £14 per person for the family days. We sent the brochure out to our mailing list and within four weeks the family days were sold out. Grandparents came with their grandchildren and parents or carers with their children. Following initial feedback times were adjusted and the price increased to cover costs. We evaluated each day through feedback forms handed out to all attenders at lunchtime and collected at the end of the day. Since then we have run family days with three shows every year ? dance/drama workshops with Red Red Shoes which we co-produced with the Place, puppet-making workshops with Paperchase, and a drama and reminiscence workshop with Tom?s Midnight Garden.
To retain the quality and variety of the days, we employ specialist arts practitioners to run each workshop and limit the numbers to thirty people. Recently, we have also developed a paid work experience partnership with the Central School of Speech and Drama. This means we recruit students on the drama and education course as family day hosts, to act as workshop assistants and supervise the family day. Feedback is gathered from all the participants and evaluated jointly by marketing and education. Here is one comment from a parent: ?Wonderful non-threatening introduction to drama for parents and children. I will want to come again even after they?re grown up!?
Our original objectives have been fulfilled and families can now enjoy an interactive production-related package that is both educational and fun, and that extends the theatre experience. Family membership has now reached capacity at 150 members and we continue to offer at least seven family days with three of our productions every year.
Elly Crichton Stuart is Head of Marketing at Unicorn. t: 020 7700 0702; e: elly@unicorntheatre.com