Birthday grants to diversify regional audiences

Five performing arts venues across the UK are to benefit from £500K granted over the next five years to help them develop partnerships, build community links and widen audiences, especially amongst those who might not normally attend the performances. Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which is offering the grants to mark its 25th birthday, hopes the organisations involved will model their efforts to diversify audiences on the values and aspirations of the Hamlyn Club, which operated at the Royal Opera House and targeted people who had not seen a performance there before. Recognising that new audience members were more likely to return if they continued to be offered support, the Club offered subsidised ballet and opera tickets through a flexible booking system, as well as tailored information about productions. Régis Cochefert, Head of Arts at Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said he recognised how hard it was for venues to reach out to some parts of the community: “These awards will support local performing arts venues to develop tailored and bold initiatives to strengthen relationships with local communities. We want to see more people attending shows or concerts on a regular basis.” The five chosen organisations are Citizens Theatre in Glasgow; Hall for Cornwall in Truro; Opera North in Leeds; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; and Sherman Cymru in Cardiff.