This webinar on 18 April 2024, 12 noon – 1.30pm, will provide theatres with an introduction to audience development with a specific focus on today’s most relevant challenges, opportunities and practices.

Part of the Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities project, this webinar will provide theatres with an introduction to audience development with a specific focus on today’s most relevant challenges, opportunities and practices.

People chose to attend or not attend a theatre performance for many different reasons, which offers theatres numerous opportunities to engage audiences. It can also result in missed opportunities that can lead to audience disengagement. As technology continues to advance, society becomes more diverse and complex, and political and economic uncertainties challenge the sector, theatre professionals are having to constantly review how to engage audiences.

With case studies and practical tips, this webinar will focus on how to gain a better understanding of your existing audience and use this as a solid foundation to begin work on reaching new, target audiences or deepen your relationship with existing ones.

Catherine Bradley, Senior Consultant at The Audience Agency, will outline how theatres can improve understanding of their current audiences and tap into audience development potential by understanding the environment in which they operate, the different ways they can develop audiences, and different audience needs.

Ben Payne and Gerald Richards of B&G Partners LLP will speak about developing diverse audiences. They will outline different interpretations and levels of understanding people have about ‘diversity’ before delving into the critical practices required to build a diverse audience, such as consistency and commitment. They will also highlight underlying assumptions behind some audience development strategies.

This webinar will be hosted by Siân Eagar, Theatres at Risk Adviser and Programme Manager for Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities.

For further information, please contact events@theatrestrust.org.uk or visit https://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/latest/events/2285-audience-development-for-theatres-today