Two regional theatres have made it a new year resolution to involve audiences in the development of new shows.
The Dukes theatre in Lancaster will be kick-starting new ideas and new dramas including a modern day romance set at Carnforth Station and an account of love turned sour by Polly Lister.
Readings of both, in April, are open to the public who will be invited to give their feedback. With this help, The Dukes hopes the plays will receive a full-scale production in the future, as all ticket money will be invested in the Kick Start process.
Meanwhile Manchester’s Royal Exchange is progressing with its own You, The Audience initiative, a year-long collaborative adventure which weaves through the programme for spring and summer 2015.
The company is gathering a collection of opinions and ideas from some of the 2,000 people who attended the recent Fun Palace Open Day. The spring and summer season’s events will include a weekend of outdoor theatre and A Night At The Theatre, a giant sleepover in the module and the Great Hall.
At The Dukes, there will also be a new ‘Twist’ on ever-popular walkabout theatre season in Williamson Park from July 3-August 15.
Meanwhile, The Dukes own young theatre companies will present a variety of productions during the spring.
Back in Manchester, the Exchange’s new season is the second under the leadership of Sarah Frankcom as the theatre’s sole artistic director and is a mix of classics and world premières.
It includes a co-production of an adaptation of Anna Karenina directed by rising star Ellen McDougall, a much-loved play The Ghost Train re-worked by returning favourites Told by an Idiot, first outings for two Bruntwood Prize winners, a collaboration with the Manchester International Festival 2015 and a Royal Exchange Young Company collaboration with poet and novelist Jackie Kay.