The Stage has announced its award-winning Future of Theatre conference will return from Wednesday March 30 to Friday, April 1, and it will be continuing its partnership with Arts Council England to offer free tickets to freelancers.
A subsidised ticket scheme for theatre freelancers, which opens on Friday, February 18 will enable 250 freelancers to attend the three-day conference for free. The scheme is supported by Arts Council England, for the second year running, and is an opportunity for freelance workers specifically to be able to make the most of the conference programming.
To access these tickets, theatre freelancers will need to contact [email protected] to apply. The scheme will also be shared across key groups representing freelancers in theatre and the performing arts. Passes will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and will only be available to freelancers working within theatre and the performing arts.
Early bird three-day passes will also be available to purchase online from Friday, February 18 via The Stage website {here} for just £49, a saving of 35%. The early bird offer closes on Friday, March 11.
Subscribers to The Stage can benefit from an additional 20% discount when purchasing tickets.
Future of Theatre – which was recently awarded Event of the Year at the PPA Independent Publishers Awards – launched in 2021 and was the first event of its kind to bring the theatre sector back together since the start of the pandemic.
The inaugural conference offered a three-day extravaganza of keynotes, interviews, presentations and panel discussions featuring 60 of the industry’s most influential voices. Speakers and panellists included Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nica Burns, Matthew Xia, Amanda Parker, Paule Constable and Athena Stevens.
The 2021 conference welcomed more than 700 attendees online from 21 countries and provided opportunities for delegates to have their questions answered during live panel discussions, engage in conversations and gain access to key industry leaders, innovators and suppliers.
Following such positive responses from the industry after the inaugural event, the 2022 conference will continue to explore what lies ahead for the performing arts sector and initiate conversations across its core themes: community and audience, shows and artistic practice, money and finance, the built environment and the workforce.
Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage, says: “Last year’s event, which took place just as the industry reopened following lockdown, was originally intended as a one-off, but the overwhelming feedback we received from delegates and attendees was they wanted it to become a regular, annual event.
“So, we’re delighted to be able to bring it back this year – again, as a digital event – to give the industry an independent platform where it can discuss the many pressing issues it faces as we start to emerge from the pandemic and two extraordinarily difficult years.
“I’m also delighted that we are again able to offer free tickets to freelancers, thanks to the Arts Council’s generous support. This scheme will ensure they are able to play a part in the important conversations taking place at the Future of Theatre conference.”
The three-day conference will be held online and is suitable for any industry professional working within the theatre sector. More information about who will be speaking at the conference and which topics will be covered will be announced soon.
The conference is sponsored by Arts Council England, Charcoalblue, Moore Kingston Smith, Preevue, Race Furniture and Substrakt.
For more information about Future of Theatre visit thestage.co.uk/events/future-of-theatre-event
