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BACKGROUND TO THE THEATRE
INTRODUCTION
These notes have been prepared as a brief summary of our recent history and the key
issues that have contributed to bringing us to where we are now. As importantly, however,
we have also included our development plans and the changes that will accompany them.
OUR HISTORY
The Theatre Royal was built in 1894 and is one of the best examples of the Victorian
Theatre Architect Frank Matcham’s work. In its many guises over the years it has been a
theatre, storehouse, cinema and latterly a bingo hall. In 1981 it was acquired by Wakefield
Theatre Trust and, following a public appeal during which three-quarters of a million pounds
was raised, it was re-opened to the public as a theatre in 1986.
In 1995 the theatre was successful in achieving a £250,000 Arts Lottery bid and with this
money some much needed refurbishment took place. This included the re-decoration, reseating and re-carpeting of the auditorium plus the acquisition of additional sound and
lighting equipment. A further element was the basic design work for a Phase II extension
which is to occupy land belonging to the theatre and adjacent to it in Westgate (see below).
In 2002, as a result of a successful application for Heritage Lottery and ERDF Funds, a twostage project to re-seat the Gallery to provide 107 comfortable theatre seats took place and
was completed in 2003. The overall project costs amounted to £278,000 and included in the
scheme was a new ventilation system designed to improve the audience experience,
particularly in the warmer weather.
The Theatre now has an auditorium seating 499, consisting of Stalls (247), Dress Circle
(145) and Upper Circle (107). There is a raked stage with a full counterweight system and
the usual backstage “offices” and scene dock. Front of house accommodation is very
limited indeed with a small foyer, stalls café/bar, dress circle bar and - on the top floor - the
administration offices.
THE BUSINESS
The Theatre Royal was initially conceived as a “receiving house” hosting a range of both
professional and amateur events across a wide spectrum. In 2003 we decided to develop a
producing role and now produce a number of in-house and touring productions each year
which are a regular part of the annual programme.
In 2011 we formed a relationship with John Godber (see below). John comes from
Wakefield, trained at Bretton Hall and taught at Minsthorpe Community High School, prior to
moving to Hull 29 years ago. The relationship with John exists on two distinct levels:
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The theatre is a co-producing partner with The John Godber Company which he set
up in 2011 and which currently produces two national tours annually
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John occupies the role of Creative Director at the theatre and plans are afoot to
introduce a first resident drama season
Overall, the programme is very broadly-based, including drama, dance, music, opera,
comedy etc. with a number of key, large-scale events designed to attract popular attention.
Classic drama has never been particularly successful, but music theatre is enjoying
increasing popularity and is fast becoming a significant programming strand.
The theatre’s produced work breaks down into 4 elements:
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The annual pantomime
Wakefield Youth Music Theatre – musicals
National/regional touring (in association with JGC)
Work that is specific to Wakefield – most importantly the Wakefield Mysteries
planned for the summer of 2016.
In 2003 the Trust decided to produce its own pantomime (having previously worked with a
commercial producer). Since then these shows have developed enormously and are a
major step forward from the type of purely ‘commercial’ show staged in previous years. We
commission a new version for each year’s pantomime which is specifically created for
Wakefield, in Wakefield. With attendances continuing to grow the run of Beauty and the
Beast in 2014/15 has broken all previous box office records, playing to 29,000 attendances
over five and a half weeks and 69 performances. Next year’s production of Dick Whittington
is already on sale with a target of 30,000 attendances.
A key element of the Trust’s policy is focused on work for and with young people. This led to
the establishment of our Wakefield Youth Music Theatre Company and the introduction of
professionally staged youth productions. Over the past 11 years we have staged 17
productions, of which the most recent were Miss Saigon - School Edition and Oliver. In
August/September this year we presented Cats which was an enormous success, playing to
85% attendances.
The theatre’s first “in-house” drama production took place in June 2004 with John Godber’s
Beef & Yorkshire Pudding opening in Wakefield and subsequently transferring for 3 weeks
to the Edinburgh Festival. This was followed by Bouncers, a new play about the miner’s
strike entitled All the Fun of the Fight by Jane Thornton, a new version of the Fairy Tale
Hansel & Gretel in 2009 and in 2012 a new adaptation of Stan Barstow’s A Kind of Loving
by John Godber. With support from the Arts Council via a G4A, we have commissioned a
script for a youth production of the Wakefield Mystery Plays, and are now awaiting the result
of a further G4A application for funds to enable us to stage it in August next year in
Wakefield Cathedral.
Performances by local organisations have always been a significant part of the programme.
This enables them to benefit from the professional support of our staff and ensures an
important income stream for us. Our fifteenth full-length, amateur play festival takes place at
the end of May with entrants from all over the UK. Overall this work represents almost 30%
of our programme and is an important community activity.
A NEW RELATIONSHIP
In March 2011 we announced a new relationship with John Godber. After leaving Hull Truck
John decided to set up his own company – The John Godber Company – and we are
working with him as his co-producing partner. There are currently two tours annually playing
throughout the UK and of course each of them opens at Theatre Royal Wakefield. We
provide production, marketing and finance/admin services, thus enabling us to develop not
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only the theatre’s profile but also that of Wakefield. This culminated in an invitation to
perform Losing the Plot at the Edinburgh Festival 2013 with daily performances throughout
the festival period.
Poles Apart is touring this autumn and we shall be reviving a production of Shafted in the
spring of 2016. This is a play that John wrote earlier this year which opened here and then
played briefly in Barnsley & Beverley featuring John and his wife Jane in the two roles. The
spring tour will run through from February to May including a week in London and our first
visit to Newcastle (Northern Stage). We have exciting plans to develop our produced work
even further and are now considering the concept of an initial, short resident season in
2017/18 with the intention of developing this in subsequent years.
LEARNING & PARTICIPATION
We have already mentioned our work with young people, and the youth music theatre
performances form part of the overall remit of the Programme & Participation Manager. This
initiative started in 2004 and over the last 10 years has had a profound effect on the theatre
both in terms of what we do and how we are perceived. Projects for the LEA and PCT were
followed by multi-partnership arts projects and a major year-long schools progamme. The
department also works with a wide range of young people across the district in both formal
and informal settings.
In January 2011 we launched our Performance Academy, the provision of regular weekly
classes in acting, singing and dancing and we now operate in two centres, one in Wakefield
and one in Pontefract with 140-150 young people attending each week. Demand is growing
and we are looking at ways of increasing the number of opportunities available across the
district. .
We commissioned a new play about Barbara Hepworth to celebrate the opening of the
Hepworth Gallery, with the production touring to primary schools in the district and playing to
an invited audience in the Gallery. A second tour took place the following year and we are
currently in rehearsals for another project entitled The Big Sleepover, focusing on Oral
Heath for 5-7 year olds which is touring to Wakefield schools in October.
RESOURCES
The theatre’s turnover is now in excess of £1.7 million annually. We receive regular funding
from Wakefield Metropolitan District Council who are extremely supportive, despite
reductions in central government funding to local Authorities. Although classed as an Arts
Council RFO for many years, we are no longer in receipt of annual revenue funding. This
has been replaced by project funding for specific elements of our work.
We have recently had four successful G4A awards - £100k towards the establishing of a
new fundraising department, £30k towards the commissioning of a new adaptation by John
Godber of Stan Barstow’s A Kind of Loving, £10k to enable us to complete a Research and
Development project to develop ideas for a new production of the Wakefield Mysteries, and
now £15k to commission a script. We have just submitted a final G4A for £60k to deliver the
Mysteries project next summer.
Although we are still grant funded we have to earn over 90% of the money it takes to run our
business. We therefore attach great importance to the ways in which we generate sales for
everything we do. We are always looking at ways of maximising ticket yields and seeking
opportunities for raising value added spend from trading other activities.
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Fundraising is now a major element in our business model and affects much of our thinking
both in terms of what we do and how we present ourselves. It is no longer sufficient to focus
purely on promoting our activities – we must now seek to build relationships with our
stakeholders in a way that encourages them to participate actively in helping to sustain and
develop the theatre.
CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
In 2005 the Trust developed a scheme to extend the theatre on to land in their ownership
and located immediately adjacent to the theatre on Westgate. In addition to providing much
needed additional foyer space, the scheme includes a studio theatre, new education,
interpretation and hospitality accommodation, café, bars and access to all levels of the
theatres. These spaces will be animated by a range of activities of both a formal and
informal nature. Back-stage the scheme provides for new dressing rooms and production
areas with additional storage and staff accommodation and a new stage-door office. Lifts to
all levels both FOH and backstage will greatly facilitate day to day activities.
The scheme has been split into two phases. The first phase provides for a complete and
authentic restoration of the existing theatre building. This has been costed at £2.7 million
with the Heritage Lottery Fund as a key supporter. An initial application to them was
successful at Stage 1 but rejected at Stage 2 and, as a result, discussions are ongoing with
HLF about a revised time-scale for re-submission.
Meanwhile, we have decided to create a new project whereby we build a single storey
extension on the adjacent land to provide new hospitality and rehearsal facilities, and a
small-scale performance space. This project has been costed at £450k and work is
proceeding to obtain planning permission and raise the necessary funds to enable work to
proceed with a view to completion in mid to late summer next year. We already have a
significant part of the money required and we have just received permission to apply for
£125k to the Arts Council as a further contribution to the funds required.
THE FUTURE
Our future is bound up in achieving a reliable business model which includes an appropriate
level of public funding supported by a focused fundraising and sponsorship programme and
with the ability to maximise earned income from ticket sales and secondary spend. Our
sales revenues have held up extremely well and the 2014/15 pantomime Beauty and the
Beast produced our highest sales figures in recent years. Trading remains remarkably
buoyant and with the advent of the new touring programme and well-subscribed courses
and classes we are optimistic about the future.
We play an important part in the cultural life of the district and are seen as a key player,
something which has been very significant in delivering continued support. Wakefield’s
cultural aspirations lie at the heart of their regeneration policy - our community values us
and we plan to build on this over the years ahead.
Murray Edwards
Executive Director, Wakefield Theatre Trust
September 2015
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