Richard Voase, Visiting Senior Fellow, writes:
I have been a member of the Theatres Trust for a good while. The demands of salaried employment had always prevented me from attending their annual one-day conference, but this year was different.
The Theatres Trust – http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk – advises owners and operators of theatres on design, alteration, operational and sustainability issues. Inevitably this advice impacts on, and is impacted by, what audiences and artists require.
That was the broad theme of this year’s conference. Three issues of note emerged.
First, theatres are becoming more like arts centres. This is not a new trend. Some considerable while ago, during my pre-academic practitioner career in arts management, I had the pleasure of project-managing the creation of a new theatre.
We managed to satisfy a range of artist- and audience-demands by ensuring that the main auditorium had a flexible floor, whereby the ‘Stalls’ could be converted into a flat performance space. A second, studio auditorium was created in the basement.
This trend continues, most notably in recent times at the Halifax Square Chapel and the recently-reopened and refurbished Leeds Playhouse.
Second, there is a growth of theatre in what I shall style ‘non-formal’ locations, such as disused factories or houses. This often takes the character of what has become known as ‘immersive theatre’, in which audience merges with performers.
This sounds attractive, but demands improvisation skills from actors and actresses, who by nature are people trained in interpreting a script. Also, the concept exposes actors and actresses to audience behaviour that may not always be helpful or safe.
Third, there are three audience management issues that are seldom absent from the theatrical news media these days: the inability of some audience members to switch off smartphones, noisy eating and drinking, and the introduction of unisex toilets.
Two of these issues were raised by the broadcaster Samira Ahmed, who chaired a panel of theatre directors for the final session. The panel seemed a tad reluctant to discuss them. Perhaps this is a paradoxical indication of their importance.
Second-year undergraduates and postgraduates will be seeking ideas for their dissertation topics in the coming months. If you are drawn toward the issues I have sketched out as potential topics, don’t hesitate to contact me for a discussion.
Richard Voase
24th October 2019
rvoase@lincoln.ac.uk