Uniform

The Theatre is Dead

By Tim Sharp

Theatre-going is far too constricting for our über-cynical modern society that believes it’s “for special occasions only”, moans that it’s “too expensive and old fashioned” or simply thinks it’s “not for them”. As we know, that’s nonsense…

In an age characterised by natural disaster, war, terrorism and poverty, live performance is the perfect medium to connect with emotionally charged audiences seeking deeper levels of entertainment. Yet mere mention of the word “theatre” sends average Joes everywhere bolting for the hills!

Why all the negativity? It’s amazing how misconceived people are about theatre. In the midst of a devastating global recession, naturally people care more about what they fork out for, but prices aren’t half bad; the iconic Royal Court shifts all unsold tickets for 10p on the day of a performance, and the Arcola has even adopted a “pay what you can” scheme. Audiences want high quality and value for money, and there is an abundance of theatre that would score highly on both counts. The problem is that most people don’t even believe theatre is for them – the traditional definition of a theatre no longer reflects the modern reality. In fact, it undersells it.

Theatres are so much more than they used to be, and if you dare to ask what the 21st century crowd really wants you will find the answer in digital technology. As one savvy blogger aptly puts it, theatre is going through a “sea change”, and the advent of multimedia-enhanced performances by the likes of The Blue Man Group, Complicité and Katie Mitchell have set the bench-mark for what is now required of a theatre, and that is to be interactive.

The mushrooming relationship between technology and theatrical production is proving a bone of contention with industry big names and thespians alike, but the general consensus is that enhancing sensory experiences for the audience can ultimately only be a good thing. “When theatre works”, claims the actress and playwright Stephanie Street, “an audience will be changed by the experience.” This was certainly the case for one theatre lover who described his first exposure to physical theatre as “totally transporting and engaging.”

Multimedia technology has in fact been invaluable in the creation of a precious two-way dialogue that engages not only die-hard theatre fans, but as we have seen with the National Theatre’s live screenings, reaches those who have never even set foot in a theatre. NT’s experiment certainly leaped over some theatre “barriers” but Uniform’s approach to positioning has the same effect of making the theatre accessible to the “un-reachables”.

We believe theatre is experiencing a metamorphosis, rendering “the theatre” as we knew it obsolete. There will, of course, always be traditional productions, but they will take place in an increasingly interactive and multipurpose environment that is so much more than a theatre used to be.

The key to our unique approach is to think of the theatre as a creative space. Thinking of the place in unrestricted terms opens up a plethora of opportunities; not only are misconceptions of theatre cast by the wayside, but more importantly you are able to create a real personality for a building that should slot seamlessly into your community and capture the essence of its people.

Director Max Stafford Clark has emphasised theatre’s “responsibility to hold a mirror up to our society”, a principle that remained at the heart of our recent project with Corby and the positioning of its “theatre space” at the core of a town that had never had a theatre before. The results of our cultural probes told us that Corby people wanted a lot from their theatre, and so its name and personality had to reflect this too.

When we worked alongside the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford, the rebrand had to consider the venue’s “community-focus” and its commitment to young people. Every element of the project had to consider the target audience, from the guerrilla marketing campaign, to the brand-raising Pegasus in the Park event, the workshops and even the decision to drop the word “theatre” from the brand name. Engaging with young audiences and families was key, and traditional routes were largely redundant.

Looking at the bigger picture, our tumultuous economic and environmental times have produced a new breed of consumers who are looking for more, and the digital revolution is only accelerating the rate at which their power grows.

What we mean by “theatre is dead” is that the traditional concept of theatre has gone. The industry is booming, and a 4% rise in attendance since last year and investments left, right and centre prove that people still want art and theatrics. The real challenge is reaching the masses who don’t think theatre is for them. We believe in making a connection with the community, or the desired target market.

When Ghost Stories was to be performed at the Liverpool Playhouse the brief was to target a new, younger audience. It made sense to create a viral, “cinema style” film similar in feel to a horror trailer, and after a successful period at the Playhouse the show moved on to the Lyric Hammersmith.

The viral broke all previous records, receiving 50,000 views. The Lyric’s head of communications, Joanna Down, compared it to a previous show which attracted 5,500 over a longer time period. “The content perfectly communicated the tone and pace of the show whilst maintaining the air of mystery around the story” she said. “It created a huge sense of suspense which definitely resulted in tickets being sold to intrigued people.”

The show went on to the Duke of York’s Theatre (where it is now showing), with the theatre taking the decision to run the viral as a trailer in 178 Odeon cinemas in London and the South East – shown around Paranormal Activity 2 and Saw 3D in the run up to Halloween. It aimed to reach 250,000 people.

Show writer Andy Nyman (Dead Set, Uprising, Severance) said the trailer was the perfect vehicle to target a new audience and reach “millions of people who will see this brilliant trailer and be stunned by it. We’re reaching a whole new audience”.

It became clear during research that theatres need to find new ways of communicating to new and younger audiences. It’s important to look at ways of working around this, adapting and exploiting the content – such as in the case of Ghost Stories.

It’s about understanding the potential target market. A particular show or exhibition can actually become a way of repositioning the venue in a wider sense to a new or younger audience if you adopt the right approach.

Written by Tim Sharp, Design Director.
Published in Ai (Arts Industry) Magazine, January 2010
www.artsindustry.co.uk

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