Year in Review: Emma Olivier-Townrow – Another staggering year at the New Theatre Royal

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Time flies when you are having fun and as Robin Hood and his merry crew tell an enchanting tale of justice, equality and love, I reflect on another staggering year at the New Theatre Royal.

A fast paced year and despite economic unrest the love for the theatre has certainly not faltered, with more shows than ever, full houses and wider business engagement the theatre continues to go from strength to strength. There is still little equality in the form of funding to support the venue, yet with 3 to 5 shows per week we know the impact we make on the early evening economy, offering a rich and varied line up, supporting Lincolnshire to attract people to work, play and stay in the county. The theatre owners speak of being merely custodians of the venue, their ambition and commitment towards the theatres success is outstanding. They shy away from taking credit for the investment or achievements to date but they are unsung heroes. It is their love of theatre and the arts that motivates and a natural desire to support the greater good, not unlike Robin Hood.

A huge part of my role is to go outwards and explore where and how we contribute to the bigger picture. We greatly value the rich power of entertainment and with busy working days there are challenges when choosing how to make good use of recreational time. We want to see all venues, museums, galleries and events continue to thrive.

We sell and market a lot; we listen and engage with all local activity.

As a theatre team we recognise the desperate need for a clear easy booking system, where all of the activity in the county is listed in one place.

So, drum roll…following engagement with Lincoln University Innovation project our latest initiative, Lincoln Box Office will enjoy a grand public launch in January. Anyone with an event can list for free, plus we hope to have reviews and wider info to support a really clear and easy route to a great night out, weekend itinerary of events or mid week treat. Lincolnshire has so much to offer and a very rich and diverse arts and culture scene, not to mention the science, philosophy, literature and heritage events.

At present it’s incredibly hard to find out whats on though and at the same time venues are struggling to reach audiences and attract ticket buyers. Lincoln Box Office will support every event in the city and more importantly keep the business local, rather than using a global ticket platform, that often fail the customer at point of booking. Our ambition is to grow the landscape, engaging with all stakeholders and then get really brave and bold around a collective strategy with wider arts and culture festivals, events and funding. Lincolnshire has so much to offer and the rich arts and culture deserves to be showcased widely. We also know from first hand experience how the arts enrich lives, support healing and open new perspectives up not only in personal growth but also in business. Creative thinking is the key to problem solving and innovation. So look out for Lincoln Box Office (LBO) and please do not hesitate to come and chat to us about your events or plans.

As the theatre heads into the 4th year of operation since reopening, the customer needs and how we care remains our focus. We look and listen carefully to our customers and we are desperately working hard to raise funds to improve our disabled access. It’s very important to us. We have established a culture and ethos of welcoming one and all into the theatre, enabling access to individuals and groups that have never used the theatre before. We welcome all conversations; as no hire is too big or small, if you have a desire to see a certain production or event or have ambitions to bring a project to life, please let us know. We are very excited about some of the groups engaged with us and events planned for next year, including Positive Futures, The Lincoln Imp Trail, Primary Proms and EBP, who link young people to the world of business. There is so much going on beyond the brilliant 300 shows, its hard to pick the highlights, the best plan is to check our website, pick up a season brochure or talk to us, and of course look out for Lincoln Box Office.

The theatre Stage Door Prosecco bar and bistro offers a fabulous atmosphere for a pre show drink or meal, with even more memorabilia on display too. The theatre archive has recently grown with the acquisition of a huge collection of billboards, posters and fliers collected over many decades by Art Walker, former stage manager. A project in underway to digitalize the archive for public consumption and the theatre book will be available next year too.

We are currently talking to as many customers as possible about using a bus service to and from the theatre. We are thrilled that Stagecoach are working with us to establish the need for improved evening services. We know many of our guest struggle with transport at present and so we hope solutions will soon be in place.

So as we roll into 2020 we remain optimistic, not only about the strength of opportunity within the arts and culture world but also support by the next government, as every little helps. We remain incredibly grateful to our customers who give us our very purpose. Great thanks go to our growing numbers of volunteers, who tirelessly give up their time to support our shows and enthusiastically embrace our safety and customer care ethos, delivering quality service and with a warm smile.

Finally thanks to our superb team who are just the most dedicated hardworking and professional people with the best ambitions. The fast pace and demands of producing pantomime at Christmas and Easter as well as in house comedy nights are no mean feat. Our phenomenal artistic director Natalie Hayes-Cowley has written, directed and produced Robin Hood, Natalie also drives our desire to get it right first time with the very best quality. The rave reviews are credit to her amazing talent and vision. Beauty and the Beast next Christmas and the Jungle book at Easter will be must see shows.

If you have previously visited us for business, education or pleasure thank you for supporting the theatre, it really does mean a lot. If you haven’t visited yet, then please add us to your list of resolutions.

We hope you have a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.