Memorandum submitted by West Yorkshire
Playhouse
Since opening in 1990, the West Yorkshire Playhouse
has established a reputation one of Britain's most exciting and
active producing theatres, winning awards for everything from
its productions to its customer service. The Playhouse provides
both a thriving focal point for the communities of West Yorkshire
and theatre of the highest standard for audiences throughout the
region and beyond. It produces up to 17 of its own shows each
year in its two auditoria as well as touring and stages over 1,000
performances, workshops, readings and community events.
300,000 people participate in and use the West
Yorkshire Playhouse every year.
Ian Brown, appointed Artistic Director and Chief
Executive in 2002, following Jude Kelly, has continued to develop
West Yorkshire Playhouse as one of the largest regional repertory
theatres outside of London and Stratford, realizing one of the
most innovative, diverse and vibrant artistic policies in the
country.
A high profile portfolio of international theatre,
new writing for the stage, major productions with leading artists
and collaborations with some of Britain's brightest touring theatre
companies, and West End transfers, has kept the Playhouse constantly
in the headlines and at the forefront of the local, regional,
national and international arts scene. Alongside this work on
stage the Playhouse is home to a leading Arts Development team
which delivers a groundbreaking programme of education and community
initiatives and is engaged in the development of culturally diverse
art and artists.
THE WEST
YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE
STORY SINCE
2002
Artistic Programme
The West Yorkshire Playhouse has been able to
forge an exciting, dynamic and innovative programme of work. These
include main house new plays, international collaborations and
musicals. We embrace a Local, Regional, National and International
remit, which distinguishes the theatre from the national organisations.
In the past three years we have become a centre
for new writing in the north of England. For the first time in
the theatre's history, we have created the post of full-time Literary
Manager. We now commission plays, offer script reading services,
dramaturgy, complimentary literary events, workshops and support
for all kinds of new writers. All these new activities have been
built into our core budget.
We have been active and successful in building
on the Playhouse's record of work for and about Black and Asian
Culture. We have supported artists such as Geraldine Connor (Carnival
Messiah), David Hamilton, Sol B River, Marcia Layne, Paul Morris
and Madani Younis as well as collaborations with Asian Theatre
School, decibel and Eclipse. Programming integrates creatively
diverse work plus we present an annual Positive season. We provide
training opportunities through CIDA (Creative Industries Development
Agency) for young people in arts administration and technical
work.
We have embarked on a series of co-productions
with commercial and subsidised partners. Three of our productions
in our current season have, or are about to, transfer to the West
End. (Bat Boy the Musical, Ying Tong and The Postman
Always Rings Twice).
We have developed flexible ways of working with
companies as diverse as Improbable Theatre, Kneehigh Theatre Company,
an international collaboration with Theatr Romeo on Homage
to Catalonia.
We have maintained a craft base and production
department second to none. What is now an increasingly rare resource,
all of our sets, costumes, props are made in-house. and provide
a valuable resource to the industry nationwide and particularly
to the region.
We invest in professional and artist development
through engaging with Channel 4 Director's Bursary Scheme; piloting
a PRS Foundation scheme for music creatives in residence; the
Lindbury Prize for designers and Stage Exchange with Audiences
Yorkshire.
Arts Development
We continue to provide one of the country's
best arts education programmes through our renowned Arts Development
Team. The programme of work is self-financing through fundraising
initiatives both public and private. Staff costs come from core
funding.
Our next aim is to create an Education Centre
to provide a centre for regular arts activities with as wide a
variety of young people as possible.
We tour three productions a year into Leeds
Schools. Recent topics include slavery, teenage fathers and asylum
seekers.
We have many community links notably Heydays,
our over 55s arts days which happen each week with over 500 members.
We run a variety of access schemes for a wide
range of groups including the highly successful Community Network.
Audience Development
WYP attracts audiences to Leeds from across
the North of England and beyond. 16% of Playhouse audiences travel
from outside the region. We have addressed access in a radical
way and offer people under 26 access for £5 a ticket plus
a successful Arts Ambassador scheme. We have introduced a "Big
Deal" flexible subscription ticket for £10 a seat for
the season's WYP productions. Take up for this is 2,500 people
representing 10,000 seats sold in advance - an increase of over
250% from the previous season.
Capital
As the leading producing theatre of the region,
WYP is currently at the centre of the city's capital development.
WYP is embarking upon its own development to maximise the return
to the theatre from its assets. In addition to its artistic programme,
WYP aims to take a leading role in ensuring the city's development
has a vision to complement the theatre's work in the future.
Now 15 years old the theatre requires renewal
of its fabric and equipment, as well as investment in operational
resources and health and safety. This is an ever-growing challenge
and there is no room for planned capital spending within the revenue
budgets.
Finance
WYP earns approximately 60% of its £6 million
turnover through box office income, co-productions, sponsorship,
project fundraising and covenanted income from WYP Enterprises
generated through catering, bars and a burgeoning conferencing
department.
300,000 people participate, use and benefit
from the West Yorkshire Playhouse's resources each year.
Despite the recent uplift in ACE funding, we
have been faced with standstill funding from the local authority
and regional grants boy. Overhead and administration cuts have
been made in order to sustain the level of resources for productions
and artists and without increasing costs to audiences. While WYP
is one of the "Big 10" theatres, salary and fee levels
are held at minimum rates.
The theatre is innovative in its development
of alternative and secondary income streams, however without at
least inflationary increases from funders, the long-term future
of the theatre's artistic innovation, high-quality standards and
diversity of activity is threatened.
WYP KEY FACTS
2003-04
The West Yorkshire Playhouse comprises the Quarry
Theatre, 750 seats, open thrust stage, and the Courtyard Theatre,
350 seats flexible performance space, the Congreve Room, the Priestley
Room and a large open foyer with restaurant, bar and café.
WYP PRODUCTIONS
| Sunbeam Terrace by Mark Catley
| WYP commission, world premier, BBC Northern Exposure
|
| Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis
| |
| The Hanging Man by Improbable Theatre
| World premier—International Tour
|
| A Small Family Business by Alan Ayckbourn
| |
| Off Camera by Marcia Layne | World premier
|
| The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett
| Co-production with Birmingham Rep |
| 2Tracks and Text Me by Sol B River |
World premier |
| A View From the Bridge by Arthur Miller
| Co-production with Birmingham Rep |
| Medea by Euripides (trans Alistair Elliott)
| |
| The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Alan Bennett
| |
| Blues in the Night by Sheldon Epps |
|
| Elves & the Shoemakers by Mike Kenny
| |
| The Wooden Frock by Tom Morris and Emma Rice
| Co-production with Kneehigh Theatre |
| Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
| Co-production with Northern Stage and Teatre Romea Barcelona
Adaptation by Ian Wooldridge
|
| Electricity by Murray Gold | World premier
|
| Carnival Messiah by Geraldine Connor
| Caribbean Tour |
| LITERARY DEPARTMENT
| |
Five commissioned new plays
50 scripts in development stage
40 Play readings
Two Writers on Attachment
| |
| RECEIVED PRODUCTIONS
| |
| Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
| RSC |
| Henry V by William Shakespeare | Northern Broadsides
|
| Reunion by John Godber | Hull Truck Theatre Company
|
| Shakespeare's R&J adapted by Joe Calarco
| TR Bath, Splinter Group, Fiery Angel |
| ON Blindness | Frantic Assembly/Graeae/Paines Plough
|
| The Merchant of Venice | Northern Broadsides
|
| Cyrano by Mike Kenny | Mind the Gap
|
| When Amar met Jay by Steve Jijjar and Ashrut Mukadam
| Hangama Productions/Leicester Haymarket |
| Silent Cry by Madani Younis | Asian Theatre School
|
| The Straits by Gregory Burke | Paines Plough/Drum/Hampstead
|
| Cry Wolf | Kneehigh Theatre
|
| Duck by Stella Feehily | Out of Joint/Royal Court
|
| The Cost of Living | DV8
|
| Angels in America by Tony Kushner |
Unity Theatre Liverpool |
| YOUNG PEOPLE'S THEATRE/FAMILY
| |
| Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpugo
| Theatre Alibi |
| Dummy by Michael Punter | Pop-Up Theatre
|
| DANCE |
|
| 04 | Phoenix Dance Theatre
|
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Northern Ballet Theatre
|
| OPERA |
|
| Winterreise | Opera North
|
| Tango Apasionado | Opera North
|
| COMMUNITY PRODUCTIONS
| |
| The Lowdown Dance Action Zone Leeds |
two performances |
| The Phoenix of Leodis by Heydays |
WYP commission—two performances |
| Shakespeare Schools Festival | five performances
|
| Freedom Sings by Jenny Bowen | three performances
|
| |
ARTS DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
CREATIVE EDUCATION
Whole New Worlds Project
Seven groups for creative play with babies and parents sponsored
by the Ragdoll Foundation.
Storymakers
40 schools with 80 groups of young children worked with the
playhouse creating stories for the very young.
Partners Plus
797 students aged 14+ from 38 schools worked on a number
of varied projects related to current Playhouse productions.
Creative Education Weeks
1,256 students between Key Stages 1 and 2 from 28 schools
attended workshops to encourage learning through the arts and
encompassing such activities as puppetry, costume, scriptwriting
and street dance.
WYP TOURING
Broken Angel by Lin Coghlan
WYP commission
The story of a child with an alcoholic father toured 34 primary
schools giving 47 performances to 1,504 children.
Crap Dad by Mark Catley
WYP commission
A play about teenage pregnancy, played seven performances
to 1,177 people as part of the Northern Exposure Festival in the
Courtyard theatre before touring secondary schools.
Displace by John Barber and Gail McIntyre
WYP commission
A participatory play about some of the problems asylum seekers
face toured to 36 primary schools giving 61 performances to 1,737
schoolchildren. It is scheduled to visit Shanghai, China to perform
at an International Theatre Festival.
CREATIVE COMMUNITIES
The Beautiful Octopus Club
An original club night for people with learning disabilities
who work with eight visual artists and DJ's to create a bi annual
club night for over 700 people.
Heydays
The Playhouse's renowned weekly club for people aged 55 and
with around 360 members engaged in a broad cross section of artistic
activities including photography, yoga and painting. Heydays members
are core creatives of the the forthcoming community production
Once Upon a Quarry Hill in July 2005.
Feeling Good Theatre Company
An amateur touring theatre group whose members are all 55
or over and who performed two sold out performances in the Courtyard
Theatre as well as touring four original community orientated
productions to social service groups and conferences.
Spark (Sport and Art towards knowledge)
An after school group organised across 31 inner city Leeds
schools involving 1,210 children over 311 sessions involving such
activities as gospel singing, street dance, basketball, printing
and puppetry. In City Learning centres a further 234 pupils from
14 schools participated in 62 sessions focussing on popular music
technology.
Sound Play
An out of school music project in conjunction with Youth
Music, Provident Financial, Leeds College of Music, Aim Higher
and Education Leeds working with 200 participants from eight schools
to ease the transition from primary to secondary school through
music.
SKILLS GENERATION
People aged 55 and over working with the younger generation
at the Playhouse or in schools each week.
CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
Arts Extra
A monthly course for adults to encourage innovative ways
to engage children in creative arts work during the Summer which
attracts about 35 people per session.
Get Creative
Six day summer programme for over 100 young people between
nine and 19 with little previous access to the arts, or from arts
deprived areas, culminating in a performance at West Yorkshire
Playhouse. Organized in conjunction with Leeds City council, Northern
Ballet Theatre, Opera North, Yorkshire Dance and Phoenix Dance
Theatre.
Placements
Provided at all levels at WYP for between 80 and 100 individuals
annually from Leeds and across the UK.
Cyber Café
The WYP Learn Direct cyber café offers free IT courses
to everyone—recently was voted in the Yahoo UK Top 15 Cyber
cafes and features in The Rough Guide to the World's Best Internet
Cafes marking it out as amongst the top 100 in the world.
COSTUME HIRE
The resource of the WYP Wardrobe is available for all either
for hire or as a resource centre to visit.
Community Connections
There are 119 Community Network Groups and 19 Network Partners
Groups who are offered a programme of open days and events, tickets
to ensure access to and use of WYP's facilities.
ACCESS
Annual provision supporting performances including specialised
marketing facilities with the brochure available in large print,
audio cassette or in Braille.
All services are provided free.
52 Sign Language interpreted performances.
135 Audio Described performances.
10 captioned performances captioned.
Further to specific initiatives, WYP targets ticket discounting
to senior citizens, children, full time students and anyone receiving
unemployment or disability benefits, Equity, BECTU, Yorkshire
Playwrights and NCA members. In addition limited numbers of £5
tickets are available to anyone under 26 and for midweek matiness
to senior citizens.
PERSONNEL
The theatre employs 197 full and part time staff plus 213
people in casts and creative teams on a freelance/contractual
basis including 902 actor weeks.
FINANCE
| 2003-04 |
| ACE Grant | 1,345,900 |
| Leeds City Council Grant | 820,000
|
| West Yorks Grants | 97,659 |
| Total | 2,263,600
|
WYP Earned Income | 3,694,594
|
| |
The estimated economic impact upon the local economcy for
WYP is £2,310,000*. This excludes the beneficial impact upon
the local economy of employee wages, and theatre suppliers.
* based upon the average ex-London multiple of £7.7
pp: Arts Council: Economic impact study of UK theatre, University
of Sheffield April 2004.
21 February 2005
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