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The Stage Gets a MakeoverDateline: 15th May, 2006 Everybody connected with the theatre will at some time have purchased The Stage newspaper. However, in recent years, its reputation, particularly with the younger generation, may not have been entirely what its owners and editor would have liked. The Stage has come a long way from its starting point. According to its current Managing Director, Catherine Comerford, "When this paper started, it told actors where digs were, when trains went, and even early closing days. Anyway, we are only doing that now but differently". Last year, this venerable institution celebrated its 125th birthday but the general consensus, shared by its board of directors, was that while it has given up on the train timetables, it was looking its age. Now, one year on, like an actress who has realised that her career will move downhill unless she has an everything lift, it has emerged in a new form and is being promoted enthusiastically by a major PR company. Those who read the paper may not be aware that it is still run by a member of the family that has owned and managed it since its inception in Queen Victoria's or, if you prefer, Ibsen's day. Catherine Comerford is a member of the fourth generation of her family to run The Stage. It was started by great grandfather Maurice Comerford in 1880. Since 1992 she has been managing director of the company that owns and runs the newspaper. Catherine Comerford's job encompasses almost everything on the administrative side. She acts as publisher, HR manager, employment law expert, hires and fires staff and gets involved in marketing, co-ordinating and even, as she demonstrated on the evening of this interview, organising the painters and decorators, who were there to ensure that the offices were spruced up as impressively as the magazine. The one area that she fights shy of is the journalism. "I would never tell Brian (Attwood, the editor) what to do or ask him what is in the lead story. I virtually never write. When I came here, I wrote a few articles but I don't enjoy it and I'm obsessed with grammar!" She does have artistic tastes and delights in almost every area covered by her publication. "I love opera, modern dance, comedy and light entertainment," and, almost unsaid, is a passion for theatre. She also has the analytical instincts of a successful businesswoman, being particularly interested in what makes venues tick and who goes to them. This is by no means limited to theatres since she is also fascinated by the operation of "multi-purpose venues , clubs, pubs - everywhere and especially regional venues". Miss Comerford believes that, like her family predecessors, she is well suited to running the business side of the paper. "I have to ensure that it is profitable but as a family, we are so interested in this industry and it helps that none of us has been a performer so there is no sympathy or bias". Not surprisingly, when The Stage first hit news-stands in 1880, the focus was very different. There was no radio or TV and the main area of interest was variety and music hall. The average reader was probably touring the country almost non-stop leaving their children in the now (thankfully) forgotten actor's orphanages. The Stage has proved both versatile and adaptable and as easily managed to embrace the challenges and opportunities presented by new media including television and, more recently, the Internet. The business currently employs thirty people on the permanent staff plus untold dozens of freelancers. Its paper circulation is now 26,000 every week. In addition, thousands more see it on the web. In fact, Catherine Comerford and editor Brian Atwood have made a conscious decision to ensure that they have an active, vibrant and popular website on which there are many jobs advertised with no obligation to register or pay to view them. The main advantage that subscribers get is early access, which many regard as a necessity. Now, particularly following the paper relaunch, the two products are deliberately distinct from each other. Current thinking is that the website is ideal for breaking news, in-depth stories, advice and big picture spreads, while the paper continues to concentrate on the features that have proved so popular for many years. The new look, that some have compared to the mid-size Guardian, was the consequence of research carried out in 2004. This suggested that The Stage had a very diverse group of readers but was not engaging younger ones. Like any business with an ageing clientele, this could be regarded as storing up a major problem for the not-too-distant future. Having carried out the reader survey and found out what the punters perceived to be the strengths and weaknesses of what was seen as a creaking centenarian, the Comerford family, together with Brian Attwood and a hired-in design team set about making the changes that will make this a paper for the 21st Century. They have given it what Catherine Comerford describes as "a radical overhaul but we didn't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater". Their ethos has been to provide "information regarding what this industry is all about. Not just the West End or X-factor but everybody involved in technical and event management". The differences are primarily cosmetic with some headings such as the rather meaningless Backstage removed or changed but, generally speaking, the content staying the same. There is also far more colour and a very different look and feel to the title. In response to public demand, the listings section has been expanded so that it now covers the whole of the United Kingdom and has contact numbers for every venue. In addition, there is much more focus on jobs with an editorial introduction to the jobs section and a job of the week. There is also now a much greater focus on training and tuition, with special sections concentrating on this area. For younger people there is even an "agony uncle" John Byrne to give much-needed support and advice. While the paper will always concentrate on features such as Heydays, looking at acts from the past, it is also important for them to realise that while show business is a celebrity industry, The Stage needs to differentiate itself from celebrity titles such as Heat and Hello. In reality though, it is generally going to be concentrating on celebrities merely from a trade angle and steering clear of the sensationalism that has become rife not only in the dedicated titles but also the Saturday and Sunday supplements of even the broadsheets. Having said that, if you invest £1.20 you will find that like so many glossy magazines, it has succumbed to the seemingly insatiable public desire for photos of beautiful people at opening nights. This sounds a wee bit like the average husband explaining that he only watches Pamela Anderson for her unique acting abilities but in the case of The Stage, it might actually be true because that is not really where their market lies. Moving forwards, The Stage will continue to keep an eye on developments in the industry since this is how it can increase its readership. By recognising trends, it is possible to interest new types of readership provided that "they have some kind of an interest in performance in the very widest sense of the word". Like the British Theatre Guide but few of its rivals, The Stage recognises that the performing arts are not restricted to an area within one square mile of Shaftesbury Avenue. As Miss Comerford emphasises, "We will always have a massive commitment to regional theatre and one demonstration of this is our sponsorship of the TMA Awards" which are directed at regional theatres and specifically exclude the West End. Catherine Comerford is inordinately proud of her family's achievement. As she says, very few family businesses make it beyond the second generation and with an an eight-strong board, all family members, chaired by her father from whom she inherited this role, things are unlikely to change in the very near future. She is confident that following its makeover, it has a great future. "I'd love to think that we'd be going in 125 years' time. It got through two World Wars and never missed an issue". Indeed, there are currently nine members of the fifth generation, ranging from 25 down to three, waiting in the wings, so she has high hopes of passing the baton on through the computer gaming generation and seemingly, way beyond. Philip Fisher
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