The My Theatre Matters! Most Welcoming Theatre Award is a new class in the UK Theatre Awards organised by the Theatrical Management Association.
Open to theatres nationwide, the winner will be decided by a public vote in September (weighted by theatre capacity). Theatres that are not TMA Members have to register to be eligible for the vote and only those that offer legal and fair terms to all performers and stage management, in line with or better than the Equity Fringe Agreement, qualify for registration.
The UK Theatre Awards are the only awards to cover England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that recognise achievement on and off stage. This new award bears the My Theatre Matters! tag reflecting the spirit of and drawing attention to the campaign of the same name launched earlier in the year by Equity, The Stage and the TMA.
The initiative stimulates public support for theatres across the UK in the aftermath of cuts in local government funding. Audiences can sign up on the web site to support their local venue and are helped to lobby politicians; the campaign may be followed on line on Facebook and on Twitter at @theatre_matters.
Chief Executive of the TMA and the Society of London Theatre, Julian Bird, said: “It has been great to see the tremendous level of public support for regional theatre since the launch of My Theatre Matters! back in March, and we are delighted that we can put its name to this exciting Award, which in the spirit of the campaign will be open for the first time to all theatres nationwide that offer legal and fair terms to all performers and stage management.
"Theatres play important roles at the heart of our local communities and we hope this vote will provide a platform for the public to get more involved in the UK Theatre Awards and shout about how much they value the work of their local venue.”
The annual UK Theatre Awards winners will be announced on 20 October. For further information about the TMA and the UK Theatre Awards visit the TMA web site.
Professional theatres wishing to register for the vote should visit www.mtmaward.com. Registration closes on 27 August 2013.
For further information on My Theatre Matters! visit www.mytheatrematters.com.