Everyone thinks it’s great to get an invitation. When someone out there sends us a save the date for their party, for a press night or just wants to hear our opinion we all take it as a sign that we’re valued. It’s a vote of confidence that our presence is worthwhile.
That’s certainly why we invite our members to take part in shaping what UK Theatre does. Your insight and your expertise are what makes it possible for us to provide support for the industry – and to do that well.
So, congratulations to us all, because the UK Theatre 2019 Member Survey shows that we, collectively, have got plenty to be proud of!
People described us as ‘clear’, ‘authoritative’ and ‘knowledgeable’. That’s down to the insight and expertise that comes from your engagement – as well as the professionalism of everyone who works for UK Theatre.
84% of those who responded to the survey think that UK Theatre’s work supports our vision; ‘a well-connected and well-supported theatre sector at the heart of UK life, with thriving organisations, the world's greatest creative and managerial talent and ever larger and more diverse audiences’.
You think we’re making good progress on achieving our 2017-21 Business Plan objectives, particularly when it comes to the future of our workforce and supporting the health of the producing, presenting and touring model.
Satisfaction with the range of support that UK Theatre provides is high. At 81% and 80% of those who use our Legal and Employment Relations services (respectively). 84% for our communications to you and 67% for our training courses. 74% think our advocacy and campaigning is either ‘effective or very effective’.
The survey showed we’ve also got room for improvement.
The profile of respondents gives us a snapshot of what UK Theatre’s membership looks like. It’s 56% female and 43% male. It’s 97% white and just 3% BAME. 5% of respondents have a disability. We have a long way to go before we are representative of the UK’s population.
People had some great suggestions of what else we could be doing. From holding more events and courses across the country and introducing more online courses and resources – we are looking at all your suggestions.
We asked if people had engaged with opportunities to share knowledge and expertise and the response was ‘No, but I’d like to’. People said things like ‘We probably need to be encouraged or invited to join in more’ or ‘Not been asked’.
Please consider this your invitation to take part in UK Theatre, and in making us an effective professional body for the theatre and performing arts industry. You can RSVP by getting in touch with me for a chat, and you can find updates on everything we’re doing here [link] and in our newsletter.
UK Theatre is here to help us all act collectively to stay resilient. I look forward to working with you.
