studio theatre programming guidance

 

If you have a piece of work that you think could work as part of our programme, please get in touch at programming@newportlive.co.uk. Our FAQ section below will tell you more about the information we need from you before making any decisions. If after reading the information in full you have any questions, please get in touch.

If you want to access the information in a different format or would prefer a conversation, please let us know via the email address above.

Audiences are at the heart of all our decision-making. We will only book work we feel is relevant to our audience base and audience development priorities. This commitment is the driving force of our artist support programme too, which you can read about in more detail here.

We have designed a values system for our Studio Theatre programme which we use to decide whether a piece of work is a good fit for our programme. These values set out what we want our programme to stand for:

  • Quality of Experience - this includes new ways to engage and support our audiences to have the best experience possible, including our commitment to ensuring a fully accessible and inclusive programme and overall experience at our theatre; 
  • Accountability and Transparency - we hold ourselves accountable as programmers to curate an exciting programme that reflects the interests of our local community and to be transparent in all our decision-making;
  • Relevance – we want to ensure we have balance across our programme and that we bring in different styles of work across art-forms that is beyond the lived experiences of our programming team. To do this we will be working with a group of programming advisors to ensure a diverse, ambitious and inclusive programme that speaks directly to the community of Newport​​​​​​​
  • Sustainability – our aim is to work toward increasing sustainable practices involved in programming live events into our Studio Theatre. Please talk to us if you have any initiatives you’d like to try out during your time with us that we can support – we’d love to hear them​​​​​​​
  • Inclusivity – we want our community and the cultural sector to feel like The Riverfront is their theatre, a welcome and inclusive space. This is a key priority for our team and we’re particularly interested in programming live events that help us deliver this​​​​​​​
  • Curation & Experimentation – we use audience data and programmer knowledge to curate and experiment with a mixed art-form and live events programme we feel confident our audiences will enjoy

We want to ensure we have balance across our programme and that we bring in different styles of work across art-forms that is beyond the lived experiences of our programming team. To do this we will be working with a group of programming advisors who will be working with us to ensure a diverse, ambitious and inclusive programme that speaks directly to the community of Newport. 

 

Studio Theatre FAQs

How far in advance do you programme?

We usually programme our Studio Theatre 8-12 months in advance, although there are some exceptions. The earlier you can get in touch with your touring pack, the better. You can find out more about this above and send your information to programming@newportlive.co.uk.

What do you programme?

We programme a broad range of genres of show into the Studio space. For more information please see our programming guidance.

Do you have set ticket prices and start times?

We stagger start times of the main auditorium and the Studio Theatre. Usually Studio Theatre shows start at 7.45pm but we are more than happy to discuss earlier timings with the company, for matinee shows we normally have a 1pm start time, but again are open to discussions. We don’t have set ticket prices but we do charge an internal booking fee, which is dictated by the ticket price.

What technical support is on offer?

The theatre operates a sliding scale of technical support, depending on the nature of the collaboration. Agreeing what works for all parties is a part of the initial conversations and will feed into the contracting process.

As a minimum, all shows booked into the Studio Theatre will be supported by one of our in-house technical team. More technical support will be available for our supported artist relationships and co-productions, depending on capacity. Again, this will be discussed in initial meetings.

You can find the technical specification for the Studio Theatre here.

Can I hire the theatre?

Yes of course! Please get in touch with bookings@newportlive.co.uk for any further information or to check availability.

What marketing support do you offer?

We endeavour to include all performances in our season brochure and on our website (if we are selling tickets on your behalf). We will also display print about your performance, distribute press releases and support your show on social media. Depending on the type of deal arrangement you have with us, we can also offer additional support to help market and support your event.

How accessible is your building?

The Studio Theatre is fully accessible including access on to the stage as well as dressing rooms and the backstage area. There is a disabled toilet backstage.

What are the box office deals you offer?

We offer Box Office splits for Studio shows on a 70/30% split in favour of the company. We have a set package of Technical and Marketing support that we will discuss with you.

I still have a question, is there someone I can talk to?

Yes. If you would like to submit a touring information pack for consideration as part of our Studio Theatre programme, please send it to programming@newportlive.co.uk