This year, the Theatres Trust Conference, which takes place on 11 June at the new St James’s Theatre in Westminster, will look at how theatres can create a more resilient future by using their buildings to achieve financial self-sufficiency.
The title is intentionally partly provocative at a time when many theatres are questioning how they can survive in these times of austerity when they have to deal with major changes in the role of the public sector to both deliver and fund services.
Last year’s conference concurred on the social role of theatres in fostering a sense of inclusion, sustaining communities and improving people’s wellbeing. It outlined a need for theatres to create a more resilient future and achieve financial self-sufficiency through better use of their buildings and securing the ownership of their theatres.
This year will be a call to theatres to have the evidence and solutions ready to show that theatres can contribute towards a thriving economy and community engagement to show they are worth investment. It will highlight examples of how this has been achieved and look at how theatres could do it even better.
The conference will hear from those running and involved in theatres that have developed capital projects to achieve financial-self sufficiency, secured the ownership of their theatres and created new facilities that opened their doors to their local communities.
Thriving theatres takes place on the 11 June 2013 at St James's Theatre, the splendid new 312-seat venue in the heart of Victoria in London.
The Theatres Trust is the national advisory public body for the protection of theatres and is responsible for providing advice and resources to create a sustainable future for the theatres across the UK. Its annual conference provides a platform to discuss and debate issues of the day facing theatre buildings.
The Chairman of the Conference is Vikki Heywood, former Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and she is joined by session chairs, Dave Moutrey, Director & Chief Executive Cornerhouse & Library Theatre Company, leading the new theatre and cinema venue planned in Manchester, the Chair of the RSC, Nigel Hugill, and Administrative Director of the Citizens in Glasgow, Anna Stapleton.
Contributors will include Jim Beirne from Live Theatre in Newcastle and Alan Bishop, the Chief Executive of the Southbank Centre, leading on the new Festival Wing capital scheme.
The conference also provides an opportunity to meet and share ideas with other theatres, professional specialists, government and arts policy makers, theatre consultants and architects. It will provide an important opportunity to gain information for any theatre planning a capital project or seeking ways to make the most of their theatre building.
Booking for Conference 13 has already opened and there is a reduction to the conference fee for bookings made by 10 May.
More details can be found and bookings made at www.theatrestrust.org.uk/events/conference-13 or contact conference organiser Angela Bond on [email protected] or 020 7836 8591.