Capital Developments: Engaging Your Audience
A capital project is a major undertaking and usually takes many years of planning and detailed preparatory work. It is probably something your venue will only do once in a generation, so it is important to get it right and make the most of the opportunity.
We are hosting a pair of webinars for theatres that want to prepare for a capital project, whether you already have one planned or it is something you aspire to for the future.
This event will explore how theatres can first test whether there is the audience to support their capital ambitions, and then how to maintain, re-engage, and even grow audiences during periods of capital development or other major changes. Drawing on real-life examples, it will look at the strategic, creative and operational approaches organisations are using to stay connected to audiences throughout closure, redevelopment and reopening.
Catherine Bradley, Senior Consultant at The Audience Agency, will consider how theatres can set baselines to understand audience change during capital projects. She will share effective consultation and engagement approaches for both new and existing audiences, including managing relationships throughout periods of closure, and how to re-introduce your theatre as you prepare to reopen.
The King’s Theatre in Edinburgh closed in 2022 for a major redevelopment project and is scheduled to reopen in summer 2026. During this period of closure, Capital Theatres has used its other venues, the Festival and Studio theatres, to keep the King’s Theatre’s audience engaged. Munya Redman-Bayasi, Senior Programmer, and Hannah Webb, Heritage Engagement Manager at Capital Theatres, will discuss the strategic planning and operational decisions involved in programming work at venues with distinct identities to ensure they continue to engage specific audience groups. They will talk about how they used targeted engagement, heritage outreach work and an evolving approach to branding. While not every organisation has the advantage of two other theatres to programme to continue to engage certain audiences, their insights will apply equally to using any meanwhile space or community engagement work.
Luke Shires, Director of Marketing, Sales, Audiences and Communications, at Chichester Festival Theatre will reflect on how The Nest, its new temporary creative space for emerging artists, is being used to prove whether there is an audience for this work, and which will potentially feed into long-term ambitions for a third studio space to become a permanent venue. He will also talk about how the rapid development of The Nest has enabled creative risk-taking and how it has impacted audience development, supported its local and national ambitions and encouraged audience loyalty.
Who is this webinar for?
Anyone involved in capital projects, audience development, programming and strategic planning, across theatres of any scale and at different stages of redevelopment programmes.
The webinar will be recorded, so you can catch up later via our YouTube channel. But we would encourage you to join the live session if you can for the chance to put your questions to our knowledgeable speakers.
You may also be interested in the second webinar in this series Preparing for Capital Developments.
Speakers’ biographies
Catherine Bradley, Senior Consultant, The Audience Agency
Catherine has many years’ experience as a consultant leading research, evaluation, audience development and marketing planning projects with a range of organisations spanning the cultural and heritage sectors. She is an experienced project manager, facilitator, and audience development and marketing trainer. Her current and recent clients include the National Library of Scotland, The Stoller Hall, Hull Theatres, Manchester International Festival, Liverpool Biennial, Sherman Theatre Cardiff and Tung Auditorium Liverpool. Before joining The Audience Agency, Catherine previously held audience development, marketing and press roles at Arts About Manchester, Oldham Council's Heritage, Libraries and Arts Service, Leeds Playhouse, Buxton Opera House and the Hallé.
Munya Redman-Bayasi, Senior Programmer, Capital Theatres, Edinburgh
Munya Redman-Bayasi is the Senior Programmer for Capital Theatres in Edinburgh, who operate three of Scotland's best-loved venues, the Festival Theatre, King's Theatre, and Studio Theatre. Munya curates a diverse programme of work, including large-scale West End musicals, dance, drama, opera, family work, community companies, pantomime, comedy, and live music. Before joining the Capital Theatres team, Munya worked in programming and producing roles across the UK, from project-funded small-scale touring companies to local authority venues and charitable arts organisations. Munya joined the Capital Theatres team at the start of the King's Theatre capital project, and is overseeing the artistic programme for the venue, which is due to reopen in summer 2026. Working closely with the wider Capital Theatres team, Munya is excited to present a dynamic, varied, and fun-filled programme for the people of Edinburgh, inspired by the King's Theatres' history and creating new audiences for generations to come.
Hannah Webb - Heritage Engagement Manager, Capital Theatres. Edinburgh
Hannah has been with Capital Theatres since early 2024, having had a varied career in community engagement and education. She graduated with a First Class Honours in Drama and Performance while teaching youth theatre, before going on to gain a PGDE in Primary Education and becoming a primary school teacher. Hannah has since returned to the arts, working with organisations such as the Lyceum Theatre, as well as working as a freelance participatory artist. She joined Capital Theatres as Heritage Engagement Manager and is delighted to be working alongside the King's Theatre redevelopment, after a life-long love of the arts was sparked by her first visit to the King's pantomime at age 5.
Luke Shires, Director of Marketing, Sales, Audiences and Communications, Chichester Festival Theatre
Luke is an experienced cultural leader and passionate audience member. Over the past 20+ years, he has worked across the commercial and subsidised arts sectors, leading large teams and founding agencies. Nurturing inclusive and innovative strategies that place the audience at their core has been a part of all of his roles. As the Director of Marketing, Sales, Audiences and Communications at Chichester Festival Theatre and former Executive Director at The Old Market in Brighton, Luke brings insight into both the strategic and operational realities of high-profile venues of different size, blending creative thinking with commercial and data-driven insight to support growth, relevance and resilience. He has served on the boards of ZooNation, Theatre503, Flute Theatre and the Victoria Business Improvement District
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