Playhouse which pumps £25m a year into local economy celebrates 70th anniversary
Hundreds of shows. Thousands of curtain raises. Millions of tickets sold. Nottingham Playhouse has been the beating heart of the city’s art scene since 1948 and is set to mark its 70th year with a special Anniversary Gala next month (Thursday 22 November), including a performance of the highly-anticipated production of Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III, starring Olivier award-winner Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, The League of Gentlemen, Doctor Who, Wolf Hall).
Nottingham Playhouse has launched the careers of hundreds of stars – presenting talented performers including David Tomlinson, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Rosamund Pike, Steven Berkoff, Michael Crawford and even a young Hugh Grant. Many Nottingham Playhouse productions have transferred to the West End, toured the UK, played the Edinburgh Festival and in 2017 even debuted on Broadway.
Chief executive Stephanie Sirr said: “Given the calibre of shows that we produce we do sometimes need to remind people that Nottingham Playhouse is, first and foremost, a charity. We are grateful recipients of funding from ACE and Nottingham City Council, but are dependent predominantly on ticket sales and fundraising. Business relationships with our invaluable sponsors and through hosting events such as our 70th Anniversary Gala next month, at which we are hoping to raise £25,000 for our 70th Anniversary Fund, are the life-blood of our charity.”
To put that money into some context, it would allow a free SHINE community youth theatre group to run in the holidays as well as term time for an entire year, enable 850 vulnerable people to go to the theatre through the Playhouse’s 50:50 campaign and the continued development of the next generation of Nottingham creatives, including actors, directors, writers and designers through our relaunched Amplify project.
Sirr adds: “It is also just 0.1% of the money that we generate back into the Nottingham economy, calculated to be an Economic Impact in the region of £25m per annum.
“We may be celebrating a historic anniversary but our 70th year has seen fresh, new leadership under artistic director Adam Penford, whose first main-stage programme will round off with the The Madness of George III. This will begin its run on 2 November and be broadcast to thousands of cinemas around the world through National Theatre Live on 20 November – suffice it to say it’s an incredibly exciting time for us.
“We hope as many people as possible support our Gala evening so we can continue our great work. We enrich the lives of people in the East Midlands and connect them to the arts. It is set to be a lot of fun, with a number of famous faces like Jodie Prenger and Andrew Scott due to join us. Mark Gatiss himself will be auction master, which should be an unforgettable experience.
“We really want it to be a chance for people to get dressed up, enjoy an amazing show and raise money for causes that really do make a huge difference to people in Nottingham and the East Midlands.”
Tickets are now on sale for the event, sponsored by Nottingham-based firm Russell Scanlan, which includes the evening performance of The Madness of George III, a star-studded drinks reception, access to an exclusive auction with ‘money-can’t-buy’ prizes including afternoon tea with Mark Gatiss and a walk-on role in this year’s Playhouse Pantomime as well as a post-performance party.
