Future of Theatre Conference
April 25, 2024
09:00 - 18:00
Future of Theatre 2024
Future of Theatre, in association with Moore Kingston Smith, discussed the most pressing issues facing theatre today and into the future, including commercial producing, the nations and accessibility within the performing arts industry.
The conference also featured a speech from Shadow culture secretary, Thangam Debbonaire, who discussed the proposed arts policy of a future Labour government and a keynote from Bristol Old Vic’s Artistic Director, Nancy Medina on the future of writing.
Bringing theatre professionals from across the world together, Future of Theatre provides the space to have vital conversations, reflect, challenge and share ideas for a stronger theatre sector.
Grace Lewis
Awards Step
What is Future of Theatre?
Future of Theatre is an award-winning conference for the entire theatre sector.
The conference brings theatre professionals from across the world together and provides a platform to have vital conversations, reflect, share ideas and challenge the way things have previously been done in order to build a stronger theatre sector.
Future of Theatre 2021 was the first of its kind to bring the entire theatre sector together since the start of the pandemic. Over the last three years, the digital event offered an extravaganza of keynotes, interviews, presentations and panel discussion featuring the industry’s most influential voices. Speakers included Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nica Burns, Matthew Xia, Amanda Parker, Paule Constable and Athena Stevens.
The conference brought together over 700 attendees online from over 21 countries.
In 2023, for the first time ever, Future of Theatre was delivered in person at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. In 2024, Future of Theatre moved to @sohoplace, London where over 300 theatremakers gathered in person with hundreds of delegates also having online access.
You can view the 2023 programme here and the 2024 programme here.
Future of Theatre won Event of the Year at the PPA Independent Publishers Awards.
When was Future of Theatre?
- Future of Theatre conference
- Thursday, April 25
- @sohoplace, 4 Soho Pl, Charing Cross Rd, London W1D 3BG
- 9am - 6pm (including a networking drinks reception)
Note the conference was BSL interpreted for both in-person and online delegates with the feature being available for the on demand post event.
Attendees said:
"The Stage Conference provided a helpful moment to listen and contemplate the current state of the sector. The speakers were provocative and informative and the interactive moment as we chose the best Big Idea was fun. It's healthy to step outside the intensity of running an arts organisation and connect with other theatre people."
Emily Gray - British Youth Music Theatre
“It was heartening to be witness to so many passionate, determined leaders in their fields thinking through the pathway. This room of futurists and coal-face creatives were inspired and challenged to change the world one show at a time. I was in the right place to get an energy boost for 2023."
"It was great to hear so many different people from our industry share their thoughts in different topics. I learned a lot and left with lots of food for thought.”
What can I expect from this conference?
Community
Come together with the wider industry to share in a conversation and reflect on what works well, what could be better and the practical ways theatremakers and organisations can move towards a more successful, creative and resilient future.
Challenge
Be challenged about why theatre operates the way it does and engage in discussions about what the future could and should look like, and what practical steps we can take to make that change happen.
Leadership
Hear directly from leaders from across the industry to discover their thoughts on subjects including: ticket pricing, financing shows, running buildings, maintaining and developing the workforce and reaching new audiences and communities.
Education and hope
Find out about the latest innovations, best practice and how theatremakers are continuing to thrive, despite the huge challenges they face. Get inspired and pick up practical tips that can be translated and implemented in your own work.
Get Involved
Sponsor the Future of Theatre!
Showcase your brand and expertise alongside key industry figures from across the arts industry by becoming a sponsor.
Please take a look at the sponsorship packages on offer here and email sarah.dumay@thestage.co.uk to find out more.
Be part of the discussion
Share your thoughts with us using #FutureOfTheatre.
Don't forget to tag @TheStage so we can share your messages.
Got a question?
For all media and event enquiries contact events@thestage.co.uk
Featured news
Darren Henley gives keynote speech at The Stage's Future of Theatre conference 2023
Arts Council England chief executive Darren Henley spoke about the changes the funding body is making in its latest portfolio and why he believes they are necessary for the sector’s future. Read his full speech here.
Future of Theatre conference to return in March
Award-winning conference Future of Theatre will return in March, with 250 free tickets available to freelancers. Read the article in full here.
Future of Theatre 2021: full coverage
Following the Future of Theatre conference, catch up with keynote speeches, Q&As and presentations from leading industry figures. Read the article in full here.
Paule Constable: Expensive theatre tickets have created wave of discontent
Constable was speaking on a panel entitled Building a Better Financial Model for Theatre at The Stage’s Future of Theatre conference at Central School of Speech and Drama in London on March 29. Read the article in full here.
SpeakersView All
Jack Maple
Matt Hemley
Shawn Dawes
Future of Theatre SponsorsView All
Future of Theatre SupportersView All
Speakers
Jack Maple
Fergus Morgan
Matt Hemley
Fehinti Balogun
Shawn Dawes
Amy Trigg
Future of Theatre Sponsors
Future of Theatre Supporters
Sponsor opportunities
The Future of Theatre conference, in association with Moore Kingston Smith, could not happen without the generous support from our sponsors.
Showcase your brand and expertise alongside key industry figures from across the arts industry by becoming a sponsor.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please take a look at the sponsorship packages on offer here and email sarah.dumay@thestage.co.uk for more details.
About our 2024 sponsors
Moore Kingston Smith
headline sponsor
Moore Kingston Smith are the go-to accountants and advisers for theatre, both West End and regional, and hub for Broadway producers transferring shows to the UK. The specialist team is immersed in the sector, delivering advice tailored to the unique demands of the industry.
Moore Kingston Smith are experts in theatre tax credits and have been involved right from the start, working with the industry to design a scheme that has become a vital part of the funding mix. With the team exclusively working in the sector, they fully understand the pressure points of production and can help, not only with tax credits, but also with accounts, tax structuring, payroll, furlough queries and business strategy.
Arts Council England
ACE are the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our
Arts Ed
ArtsEd is a Conservatoire Drama School offering exceptional performing arts training; rigorous, triple-threat tuition in Musical Theatre (BA & Foundation Degrees) and detailed, contemporary Acting training for stage, film, television and audio (BA, Foundation & MA Degrees). ArtsEd’s Independent Day School and Sixth Form is consistently the UK’s most academically successful performing arts school, providing an exciting and dynamic environment in which to study GCSE, A-Level, and BTEC subjects. ArtsEd EXTRA provides hugely popular Weekend and Holiday courses, masterclasses, and workshops. Alumni work across the theatre and performing arts industry in the UK and overseas, and the school takes a modern, forward-thinking approach to its curriculum, vocational training, and practices.
Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting delivers world-class conservatoire training and research within a top university environment. GSA at the University of Surrey is one of the most highly regarded theatre schools in the UK with a vibrant community of performers, performance makers, creative practitioners and technicians graduating from our wide variety of programmes each year.
Building on a heritage of over 85 years, we are passionate about helping our students to develop the practical, inter-personal and intellectual skills needed to make them employable in today’s highly competitive and ever-evolving creative industry.
LAMDA
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – is a world-leading drama school offering exceptional vocational training through full-time and short courses, as well as an examinations provider offering qualifications in communication and performance. It offers an innovative and inspiring environment in which students can gain the professional skills required to forge a successful career in acting, directing, musical theatre, and production and technical arts. Notable alumni include actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Leah Harvey and Brian Cox, directors Rebecca Frecknall, Tinuke Craig and Polly Findlay, and technical practitioners Natasha Chivers and Tingying Dong.
Preevue
Preevue is a leading provider of LiDAR laser scanning and 3D CAD visualisation for theatre, live events, and media & entertainment.
Their services include laser scanning, the creation of 3D Digital Twins, theatre production visualisation, and bespoke box office views-from-seats. Preevue produce architecturally and visually accurate 3D CAD models of venues and set designs that enable creative and production teams to work in digital replicas, minimising time needed on-site and reducing the need for travel.
Preevue clients include ATG, LW Theatres, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, the Royal Opera House, Disney, the National Theatre, Barbican Centre, the RSC, and English National Opera. Outside of theatre, media & entertainment clients include NBCUniversal, Paramount and Disney.
StaffSavvy
Regardless of whether you are managing a team of 50 or 5000, StaffSavvy has the tools to create & manage your team’s shifts easily.
We’ve built the platform with real-world experience, working with some of the world's busiest venues. Whether you have a 100-seat auditorium or a multi-site network with thousands of seats, we can help you automate and digitise your schedules, payroll, and much more.
Our software combines recruitment management, HR tools, document management, learning management, online training, shift planning, compliance tools, timesheets, communication tools, and more on one platform.
TAIT
TAIT sets the standard for world-class live experiences.
We bring extraordinary ideas to life, collaborating on visionary concepts and delivering precision engineering, technical innovation, manufacturing, and production. We engineer complex movement for artists, brands, performing arts spaces, and venues around the world with our industry leading show control and automation technology. We are a global team of more than 1400 employees in 20 office locations. Our clients include Taylor Swift, Cirque Du Soleil, The Royal Opera House, NASA, National Geographic, Beyoncé, and The Olympics.
The TAIT Group includes productionglue, Kinesys, ITEC Entertainment, and Thinkwell Group.
Theatreplan
Theatreplan is a specialist technical theatre design consultancy, helping create amazing spaces for performance around the world for over 35 years. Their growing and ever-evolving team bring their expert skills to the creation of new theatres and opera houses, most recently the award-winning Shaw Auditorium in Hong Kong and the Studio at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. They also assist clients in reimagining older, historic theatres like Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, and are the consultants of choice by some of world's leading venues, including Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House, where they undertake complex technical upgrades which prioritise sustainability and innovative design.
Gallery
GALLERY
Future of Theatre conference 2024 - @sohoplace
Thangam Debbonaire speaking at Future of Theatre
Jack Maple speaking about commercial producing at Future of Theatre
Access in Action panel (Amanda Parker, Megan Merrett, Dominic Mitchell, Amy Trigg and Nica Burns) at Future of Theatre
Fehinti Balogun speaking on climate activism at Future of Theatre
Nancy Medina during her keynote speech at Future of Theatre
Delegates during a Q&A at Future of Theatre
Andrew Ladd presenting during his Big Idea at Future of Theatre
Amanda Parker speaking on stage at Future of Theatre
Delegates networking at the Future of Theatre afterparty
Programme
The Future of Theatre 2024 conference will take place on April 25 at @sohoplace, London.
All sessions are available to watch live and on demand, exclusively for ticket holders.
Keynote speaker Nancy Medina, Bristol Old Vic’s Artistic Director, will give a speech on the future of new writing.
Shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire will lead a talk and Q+A about Labour’s plans for theatre and the arts.
There will be insightful panels chaired by Amanda Parker, Matt Hemley and Alistair Smith on the following topics:
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Fresh thinking for tomorrow’s theatre
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Dear Climate Activist...
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Access in Action
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Four nations, one theatre?
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Commercial producing: the next generation
We are most excited to present the Big Idea, a showcase of innovative projects from creatives across the industry. From dozens of submissions, we have hand-selected 6 bright ideas from changemakers in the sector to be presented LIVE. Attendees both online and in-person will then have the opportunity to vote on their favourite big idea, with the winner being announced in the closing speech at the conference.
To finish, join us for a celebratory drinks reception to network and reflect on the day.
The in-person conference will take place at @sohoplace, 4 Soho Pl, Charing Cross Rd, London W1D 3BG.
The Big Idea
The Big Idea
Do you have an idea that could shape the future of theatre for the better?
We would love to invite you to participate in The Big Idea that will be showcased at the event.
This feature is an opportunity for theatremakers and industry professionals to pitch their big idea which would change theatre for the better.
You can be as creative or ambitious as you like. You can share a new idea or something you are already doing that you think could be shared more widely. Remember, ideas are meant to be shared!
Your pitch could involve an idea that is very practical and specific eg. all tickets should be printed on recycled paper. Rehearsals should be held between certain hours.
Alternatively, they can be technological such as a new product; or they can be systemic and all-encompassing i.e. all tickets should be free. All performances should be streamed online.
Your idea could be about sustainability or accessibility in the industry.
We encourage you to introduce your big idea clearly at the start of your 500 words, bring solutions and even comment on how you would develop your idea should you be able get support or funding for it.
Watch last year’s Big Ideas here
How do I submit?
If you would like to take part, please send a short (max 500 words) email with your idea to events@thestage.co.uk with the subject line ’The Big Idea’.
Our event programmers will invite a selection of the best ideas to present a short (2-3 minute) presentation at the event or - if you are unable to attend - submit a video presentation.
If you are selected to present your Big Idea at the conference you will receive a FREE ticket to attend the event.
SUBMISSIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED.
Deadline: March 17 @ 12pm
