Macready Theatre REVIEW
January – December 2024
“The
biggest blessing in this town is the Macready. Its value cannot be understated.”
Artistic Director's Introduction
I am proud to introduce you to Macready Theatre and Festival on The Close 2023-24 Annual Report.
The work that we do at Rugby School’s Macready Theatre and Festival on The Close is important, if not essential. We provide cultural experiences for thousands of people of all ages: we impact every Rugby School student, its staff, parents, the local community, local primary and secondary schools as well as refugee and other disadvantaged groups.
Our work is even more remarkable in the context of a wider crisis in the UK arts sector. Local authorities are the largest single public funder of culture in England, but The Campaign for the Arts’ most recent analysis shows local authority culture spend per head in England has been cut by more than 50% over the last 14 years[1]. Rugby School’s investment in the Arts through its theatre and festival demonstrates its commitment to the arts not only for its own students, but for the widest and most diverse audiences it can reach.
This report points to the value and impact of Macready’s offer both for young people and for our adult audiences - an offer which brings live drama, comedy, dance, spoken word, classical and jazz music events to Rugby.
Where the national picture is worrying, Macready has become a beacon of hope in the local cultural landscape, proof of how arts can become a popular and profitable focus for communities. Importantly, our work also sets an example to the independent school sector of how our school’s resources and facilities can be used for the betterment of its own communities whilst at the same time, being shared widely and generously with those who have less.
Dr Tim Coker FRSA - Artistic Director
[1] https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/public-urged-to-report-council-culture-cuts-as-reserch-reveals-50-drop-in-arts-spending
At a Glance
Between January – December 2024, Macready Theatre has programmed 100 school and professional events. This is an increase of 58 events when compared to 2023
Our programme is ever-growing, eclectic, and promotes a truly inclusive audience. During the year 2024, Macready audiences ranged in ages 090, visited from countries across the world, and came from diverse and challenging backgrounds.
What follows is a reflection on statistics and success stories from 2024 at Rugby School's Macready Theatre.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
8,496
Ticket Sales for all Macready Theatre events in 2024
93.1%
Audience members rated the overall quality of the shows excellent or very good.
3,453
Local school students engaged in workshops and performances in 2024. This figure has more than doubled 2023's statistic of 1,512 students.
5,160
Ticket Sales from Festival on The Close 2024
Awarded
Midlands 'Best Culture Venue' award in June 2024
Muddy Stilettos Finalist for best Best Arts, Culture and Theatre Venue in Warwickshire and West Midlands' Award
9 Accessible performances programmed (BSL interpreted, captioned or relaxed)
156.2K
Recorded Facebook reach on Macready Theatre page in 2024. This is a 12% increase from 2023.
3 Full-scale Rugby School productions staged
12 Rugby School showcase productions staged
Nominated TES awards 2024 for Best Performing Arts Department
25
Local schools and colleges engaged in workshops and Performances in 2024
30+
Community partnerships cultivated
5 Pieces of work commissioned or produced at Macready theatre
1,506
Subscribers to our newsletter
2 Pieces of Rugby School student work made at Macready Theatre were toured
A Year of Success
Snapshots of 2024
Our New Patron
In November, we welcomed our new Patron into the Macready Theatre fold, award-winning Broadway and West End producer, and Old Rugbeian, Tristan Baker.
Tristan, known for hits like 2:22 A Ghost Story, Girl From The North Country, and In The Heights, brings such an incredible vision and deep support to our theatre.
"Macready Theatre offers a home for professional theatre in Rugby, where everyone is welcome. This venue is a creative hub bringing people together, to be transported to new worlds, hear diverse stories and share memorable experiences through live theatre. As an Old Rugbeian, I have spent, many, many hours in this magical building acting, conducting, painting the set and this was the place that first gave me that overwhelming desire to be part of the entertainment world. I am honoured to be supporting Macready Theatre, a symbol of the power and importance of the arts in Rugby town." Tris Baker
Support for Rugby School Departments
As well as being home to Rugby Schoo's outstanding Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, this year we have worked with departments across the School, providing them with a venue for events, performances and talks with industry experts from their fields.
In March, the History department welcomed British academic librarian and expert on mediaeval manuscripts, Christopher de Hamel to Rugby School. Hamel provided an insightful and humorous talk about medieval manuscripts, full of fascinating knowledge. Thanks to our collaboration with the History department, we were able to commercialise this event, adding diversity to our programme. We also welcomed Hunt's Bookshop along to grant Rugby School students and members of the public the opportunity of a meet and greet and book signing with Hamel.
In May, we set up a similar model for the English department as they welcomed poet Anthony Anaxagorou to Maready Theatre for a presentation of his poems and an exclusive conversation between the School's Head of Creative Writing, Anaxagorou and the audience, made up of Rugby School students and members of the public.
The Department of Theatre and Performing Arts allow us to showcase their talented students and bring us new waves of audiences, thanks to their partnerships with local schools and the fabulous work they create for National Theatre Connections, Edinburgh Fringe and other notable events.
Staging dozens of productions and showcases throughout the year, all free of charge and open to the public, parents, staff and students. It is a goal to continue offering this model to other departments across the school for any upcoming lectures, presentations, panels, and more in the School's calendar. From our perspective it not only supports diverse programming but allows us to bring in new audiences and a small profit for the theatre.
Sip and Paint & Bring Your Own Baby Comedy
After the success of our social events in 2023; Manford's Comedy Club, Pizza and Jazz, and Gin and Jive, we added two new events to the fold; Sip and Paint and Bring Your Own Baby Comedy.
Sip and Paint is facilitated by a local professional artist, Jan, who provides all the equipment our participants need for a fun session of painting – and our fabulous front of house team provide the wine! In 2024, we hosted 6 Sip and Paint events, including Halloween and Christmas specials. All 6 events were well received with up to 35 participants engaged in each.
"Supportive, friendly, and most of all it was so much fun!" Participant.
The beauty of our social events in the foyer is that they bring in new audiences who may not realise that our building houses such an incredible theatre. They leave with a programme and many of them book to come back and see a show.
Bring Your Own Baby Comedy has also received incredible feedback, offering parents of babies the option to see 18+ comedy without the need for childcare.
"I thought it was brilliant. So nice to be able to go to something which is a rarity with babies. It's hard to leave children in an evening so doing it in the day and bringing them along was brilliant" Audience feedback.
VAMOS Theatre
In February, VAMOS Theatre bought their new show Boy on the Roof to Macready Theatre. This ground-breaking piece was created through Community Conversations across the UK, gathering people’s experiences of ADHD, loneliness, aging, connection and community. The show is accessible to deaf audiences without BSL interpretation, as it is entirely wordless. There was a post-show Q&A where our audiences enjoyed asking the company about their creative process and why being so inclusive is vital to their work.
"So moving, poignant and gorge! Loved the piece." Audience member.
Alongside this inclusive performance, VAMOS Theatre delivered a free mask performance workshop to local students studying Theatre and Performing Arts at Further and Higher Education levels at Rugby College, part of Warwickshire College Group. This workshop provided a unique experience of full mask and physical theatre and was delivered by one of the performers. Having wraparound workshops available encourages more younger audiences to attend the theatre, this aligns with our vision of supporting the next generation into the arts.
Autism and Sea
In February, Spectrum Stage bought their accessible performance Autism and Sea to Macready Theatre. This performance was so valuable because the aim of the show was to provide help to parents and children when it comes to explaining autism to kids, especially those who have suspicions of their children being on the spectrum or newly diagnosed autistic children. The show was delivered as a relaxed performance to support children and adults with other disabilities and additional needs. The show contained integrated BSL and captions. Offering accessible shows is an excellent way to provide inclusivity within our community.
Another partnership was forged through programming this performance in Rugby. Enhancing Futures, a Rugby based charity, offers individuals and families access to appropriate mental health support at a time they most need it, in a way that best fits their personal circumstances. We provided them with a space to meet families who have lived experiences with autism and offer their literature and services to ultimately help them raise awareness.
"It was fantastic to see a show aimed at neurodiversity. It was also inclusive and understanding." Audience Member.
Festival on The Close, 2024
More than 5,000 members of the public joined us for a 5-day run of varied worldclass entertainment.
Over 2,000 students from Rugby and Warwickshire accessed high quality workshops delivered by industry experts and creatives.
Donations for Cancer Research UK rolled in, awareness for the organisation was raised and we donated £2,000 to this incredible cause.
Local businesses were present and supported throughout the Festival
Macready Fringe Preview
Our Macready Fringe Preview returned for the second year running and was our most successful yet.
• 8 performances across 5 days marks our biggest offer for our preview season
• Collaborated with new entertainment and Theatre Companies, charities and Producers
• Hosting National and International acts before they transfer to world-famous Edinburgh Fringe
• Welcomed over 350 visitors, compared to 220 in 2023.
The Macready Fringe preview season provides us the opportunity to support grass roots and emerging artists.
Concerned Others
In October, Macready Theatre hosted Tortoise in a Nutshell Theatre, an award-winning Edinburgh-based charity creating visual experiences that focuses on universal themes and human stories. Concerned Others is an intimate tabletop performance that presents the stories of critically underheard voices; people with lived experience of substance dependency.
This performance sparked a new partnership with Change, Grow, Live, a Warwickshire based drug and alcohol service. Macready Theatre hosted a post-show Q&A with Alex, Co-Director and Performer for Tortoise in a Nutshell, and Ginny and Dominic, both surviving addicts who work with Change, Grow, Live.
"It felt like privilege to be providing a safe forum for communities of people with lived experiences of drug and alcohol dependency to share their stories and connect with others." Amie, Theatre Manager.
Concerned Others was a highlight of the year, not because of the figures but because of the support we created for members of our community who need it most through issue-based work.
"Thank you for making the Macready a safe space for me and my community." Audience Member
Asylum Seekers Welcomed to Rugby School's Macready Theatre
In December, Macready Theatre proudly opened its doors to 50 asylum-seeker families as part of our ongoing partnership with Dunchurch Park. This heart-warming initiative reinforces our commitment to community engagement and supporting those most in need.
“The majority of these people had never been to the theatre before, so the experience was truly incredible for them. At our hotel, we focus not only on providing accommodation but also on supporting our guests’ mental health and encouraging quality time as a family. We believe this is incredibly important, and yesterday, Macready Theatre played a big part in helping us achieve that. The opportunity the staff gave us to take these families out of the hotel and share such a memorable experience means so much to all of us.” Alena Clements, Activities Coordinator at Dunchurch Park.
Kids4Free
Embracing a mission beyond entertainment, Rugby School's Macready Theatre is dedicated to fostering a love for the arts within the community and making a positive impact on local lives. As part of this mission, Macready Theatre launched a dedicated outreach program in November 2024; ‘Kids4Free’. This new initiative provides even more opportunities for local schools and children from disadvantaged backgrounds to be inspired by the magic of live theatre. The project will foster a love of the arts in the next generation.
"Whilst I am essentially coming along to see my son perform, I really enjoy the whole experience as a proper night out at the theatre."
Other 2024 Highlights
Macready Theatre and rugby School's Department of Theatre and Performing Arts hosted 2 National Theatre Connections plays this year, forging partnerships with local schools, youth groups and other UK Theatres.
We have formed blossoming relationships with two Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes across Warwickshire, offering families from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to see live theatre during school holidays.
Macready Theatre have raised awareness and donations for many charities this year including; CRUK, Change, Grow, Live and Hope4 Rugby.
Macready Theatre recently won the accolade 'Best Local Performing Arts Venue 2024 – East Warwickshire'
Macready Theatre were finalists for Muddy Stilettos 'Best Arts, Culture and Theatre Venue in Warwickshire and West Midlands' Award, coming second place behind Warwickshire Arts Centre.
Macready Theatre increased the number of postshow Q&As in 2024, making theatre more insightful and accessible to our audiences.
Coming up
• More Rugby School Department of Theatre and Performing Arts productions than previous years
• 2025 programming is our most ambitious yet, featuring more inclusive, accessible and inspiring work from Little Seeds Music, Red Priest, Recent Cutbacks and many more.
• Macready Theatre is now a National Theatre Live venue, screening high-quality, new work direct from London to our audiences in Warwickshire.
• Macready Theatre has joined forces with NHS Talking Therapies and It Takes Balls To Talk to highlight the importance of men's mental health, a key theme of our popular January show; Why I Stuck A Flare Up My A**e For England.
• Macready Theatre brings magic to Rugby with two magic shows in 2025; Hidden Powers and Rabits out of the Hat.
• Macready Theatre will host 3 sell-out Edinburgh Fringe shows in January and February 2025.
• More collaborations between Rugby School Department of Theatre and Performing Arts including with Kings International Ballet, Rugby Free Secondary School, Bloomsbury Festival, Motionhouse, and many more.
Reviews for Rugby School's Macready Theatre
“The biggest blessing in this town is the Macready. Its value cannot be understated.”
“The Macready Theatre is such a valuable asset to our community. It is wonderful to have access to top quality, professional theatre at affordable prices. This allows us to try productions that we wouldn't feel confident in at higher prices, and also enables us to show our children a wide range of theatre styles building in them a (hopefully ) lifelong love of the arts. Thank you!”
“Who needs the West End when we have this on our doorstep”
"The Macready Theatre is the best thing no one knows about in Rugby!"
"We are really impressed with the theatre. There is not a bad seat in the house. It just needs more publicity."
"The shows are always great. Such a lovely little theatre. A hidden gem."
"We are so lucky to have this theatre in Rugby. It always has a diverse selection."
"Excellent venue with thoroughly professional shows and front of house staff...a jewel to treasure"
"Never been to theatre before it was a lovely place."
"Great staff it’s a friendly relaxing theatre which we love to watch shows in."
"Well done to all staff in running a magnificent theatre on our doorstep and a credit to Rugby town and for searching for future shows for us to enjoy."
