£2.5m anniversary gift to widen access to performing arts venues
As part of its ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations, Paul Hamlyn Foundation is giving £2.5m to be shared amongst five performing arts venues across the UK. Theatres and concert halls in Truro, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool will each be given £500,000 over five years to widen audiences, with a particular focus on building sustainable relationships with community partners in their local areas.
The organisations chosen for this anniversary gift are:
- Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
- Hall for Cornwall, Truro
- Opera North, Leeds
- Royal Philharmonic, Liverpool
- Sherman Cymru, Cardiff
Over the five years of the award, these venues will develop models that have a long-term impact on diversifying audiences and sustaining involvement and interest. Each venue will develop its own scheme, tailored to local needs and reflecting the values and aspirations of the original ‘Hamlyn Club’ at the Royal Opera House in London.
Commenting on the Paul Hamlyn Club Awards, Jane Hamlyn, Chair of Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said: “The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is passionately committed to opening up opportunities and new experiences for the most disadvantaged people. Throughout the Foundation’s 25 years our commitment to this principle has been the driving force behind our work. This remains as strong as ever, and we hope that these awards will help open up access to the arts for a broader range of individuals and communities across the UK.”
The original Hamlyn Club was created in 2005 as an audience engagement initiative, building on the success of the ‘Paul Hamlyn performances’, which targeted, over 20 years, people who had never been to the Royal Opera House before. Recognising that new audience members were more likely to return if they continued to be offered support, the Hamlyn Club recruited members from people who had attended a Paul Hamlyn performance. It offered subsidised ballet and opera tickets through a flexible booking system, as well as tailored information about the productions. The Club opened up the venue to over five and a half thousand new people during its five-year span until 2010.
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, Director General of the BBC and a PHF trustee, was Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House from 2001-13. He commented: “The Hamlyn Club was great for introducing new audiences and encouraging them to build a relationship with the Royal Opera House. About a quarter of its members went on to buy normally priced tickets and nearly one in ten now attends performances each year. This is a brilliant result.”
The awards reflect Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s ongoing commitment to widening access to the arts and helping disadvantaged communities to participate in society. They follow earlier anniversary gifts to the newly named Paul Hamlyn Roundhouse Studios, ‘Jaipur Foot’ and Circuit, a national arts programme for young people.
