Some thoughts about recording your session

What is the title of your session?

Where have all the audiences gone?

What is the name of the person who called the session?

Clare Williams

Who attended the session? (You can pass this piece of paper round and ask people to write their name on it.)

Geoff Cripps, Nick Banwell, Sarah Argent, Tom Mallite, Richard and a few others

Summary of discussion: (Notes, ideas, further questions, conclusions, recommendations for actions to take, contact details of relevant people / organisations etc)

CONTEXT: Historical
• The loss of TIE companies has resulted in the loss of young audiences
• The cultural life of a small Welsh town was traditionally vibrant but the reduction of drama and music in schools has impacted on homegrown drama and music activity in local communities.
• Subsidy used to be for hard to sell work. Now all work needs to be subsidised

CONTEXT: The current situation
• Companies like Hijinx and Volcano sell out in England and EU but play to risible audiences in Wales
• Shows that attract audiences of 200 in Hereford attract only 20 in Abergavenny. Why?
• English language drama difficult to sell in rural Welsh heartlands
• Welsh language theatre difficult to sell outside them
• Generally Welsh language audiences grown but English language theatre diminished
• Neither cinema nor internet have killed theatre

WHY DON’T AUDIENCE ATTEND?
• Alienated/scared
• Ticket prices too high
• Infrastructure/travel rubbish

WHY DO AUDIENCES ATTEND?
• When the work is relevant to them. (But what is relevant in Merthyr might not be in Caernarfon- so how can you tour and have consistently decent audience numbers?)

FROM THE VENUE PERSPECTIVE:
• Many good companies no longer regularly touring in Wales(Clwyd/Snap/HullTruck/Mappa Mundi etc) therefore difficult to build relationships and develop audiences for theatre
• Theatre companies are getting funding decisions too late for programme decisions
• There is a disconnect between what the ACW want to fund and what the venues and their audiences want
• The audiences outside the cities have never heard of the likes of Kneehigh or Frantic or Blind Summit and so productions of amazing quality are playing to empty houses
• Only amateur drama sells well but community participation does not translate into audiences for professional work

FROM THE COMPANY PERSPECTIVE
• Not enough venues in Wales to make sustainable mid scale tours
• Need of multi year funding for touring?

ROLE OF NTW

• NTW has a role to nurture venues and their audiences
• There is a disconnect between local audiences/venues and NTW
• NTW should stay out of Cardiff and choose to work with rural venues where audiences are scant

NB- This report will be published on the NTW website (including any e-mail addresses and contact details you include in it). If you would like NTW to pass on any questions they get about this report, please write your e-mail address here (your address will not be published or used for any other purpose).