More than 140,000 audience members attended 425 performances of 113 events at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre in 2024.
A year after artistic director Corey Campbell and chief executive Laura Elliott took over at the Belgrade, it has been revealed that more than 10,000 people took part in learning and talent development programmes, including 4,300 children from a third of all Coventry schools.
The Belgrade’s artist network now has more than 200 members, providing a free space for creatives. The theatre supported 1,818 artists through its talent development programme in 2024.
The Belgrade’s work generated an estimated £890,000 in ancillary spending for Coventry’s restaurants, shops, bars and hotels, while 30 per cent of tickets for Coventry residents were issued to lower socio-economic groups.
The theatre also revealed that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, its 2025 co-production with Bristol Old Vic and Hackney Empire, was made with 150 people across Coventry and beyond. More than 8,000 people saw the show, with 41 per cent being first-time visitors to the Belgrade.
Elliot said, “while the numbers tell a great story, it’s the overwhelmingly positive feedback and impact our programme has made on our audiences, artists, participants and stakeholders that’s been most inspiring outcome of the past year.
“I’m also really proud we’ve achieved our first large-scale, co-created production Romeo and Juliet. We’re taking our learning forward to co-create our next major piece, Nanny of the Maroons, which will be our most ambitious yet with 1,000 community participants involved in all aspects of its production.”
Campbell added, “co-creation sits at the heart of what I do as an artist and our ambition is to make the local community part of every show the Belgrade produces. It’s only by giving the community a real voice in the creative process that goes into the productions we put on our stages that we can fulfil our aim to be a place for everyone.”
Nanny of the Maroons will première in spring 2027. Based on the true story of Queen Nanny, a legendary 18th century leader, freedom fighter and Jamaican national hero, this new production “will serve as a powerful celebration of heritage, the strength of community and the true meaning of freedom”.