Theatre Search launched

Spun Glass Theatre are developing Theatre Search - a shared resource for independent producers and touring arts companies to help rebuild the industry.

The company aims to be part of the growing movement to change the balance of touring theatre and initiate positive change to benefit artists and venues alike.

Free to use, Theatre Search will be available from September and has been made possible by emergency funding from Arts Council England.

With theatres currently closed across the UK and some likely never to reopen after the devastating impact on their finances, this innovative project aims to show which UK theatres and venues are open, which have closed and when some might be looking to programme work, helping new productions to be created and tours to be rebooked.

Theatre Search will include reopening dates and programming windows and will be updated on a regular basis to ensure it is as current as possible.

The project is supported by four project producers with regional responsibilities working with venues.

They are Sarah Crompton-Howes, Senior Producer at New International Encounter and Executive Producer for Other Ways Productions; Steven Atkinson, Founder of Long Acre Arts, Roots and Co-Founder of HighTide; Sarah Sayeed, former Education and Outreach Director for Peshkar Productions and curator on Sound Travels for Google Curate; and Fleur Mellor, Co-Producer and Choreographer for Peter Corry Productions and board member for Theatre & Dance NI.

Theatre Search looks like a win-win for all involved in booking touring shows.

Producers are likely to benefit from the elimination of some of the unpaid work needed to set up projects and producers who cannot sustain working without getting paid will get increased access to the industry.

Venues should also receive better, more targeted communications from producers allowing them to focus on connecting with audiences and building confidence in returning to theatres, rather than taking time to explain the same programming slots to hundreds of independent companies.

Moreover, Theatre Search will be available for use by the entire industry both during the current crisis and for years to come in the future.

Artistic Director Jessica Cheetham commented ...

"The task of rebuilding partnerships and rebooking tours that have been cancelled as a result of Covid-19 is mammoth and extremely overwhelming for many people, jeopardising their mental wellbeing.

There will be a huge loss of high-quality productions and community projects as producers struggle to navigate the new landscape.

At the moment, each producer and tour booker curates their own venue list for projects and sets up tours on the understanding that each venue is open and trading.

As these lists will become obsolete as theatres close, this new resource will offer clear information to help producers as well as venues."

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