2009

ANNUALREVIEW

• Increased participation in Creative Learning

activities by approximately 90% on previous

years.

• Achieved remarkable attendance levels across

a broad range of events throughout the year

increasing attendance levels for every season

(autumn up from 80% to 86% on the previous

year, spring up from 61% to 63%, Community

Season up from 56% to 68% and the Pulse

Fringe Festival up from 70% to 78%.

• Had a record-breaking panto season with 98%

of tickets sold over its two-month run.

2008-09 has been an extraordinary year in the life of The New Wolsey Theatre. We have:

• Had the most successful Pulse Fringe Festival

in our history - with 78% of tickets sold.

• Co-produced A Chorus of Disapproval with

The Mercury Theatre, Colchester and toured

this production to The Watford Palace Theatre,

achieving 94% occupancy in Ipswich alone.

• Positioned ourselves as a key player within the

Westgate Centre development plan, to ensure

greater physical resources will become available

to meet our ambitious Creative Learning and

Artist Development plans.

Sarah Holmes, Chief Executive

WELCOME

The New Wolsey also gratefully acknowledges the continuing support of the Wolsey Theatre Club. 2

The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

Autumn/Winter 2008/09

Our autumn 2008 opening production was the

sci-fi musical comedy Little Shop of Horrorswhich achieved 73% occupancy and widespread

critical acclaim.

“. . . a must see show. . .what a great start to theNew Wolsey’s Autumn season.”Ipswich 24

OWN PRODUCTIONSCO-PRODUCTIONSCOLLABORATIONS

In November, our associate company Gecko

presented a work-in-progress showing of

a new piece based on Gogol’s short story

The Overcoat. This emotionally and physically

intense work, a co-production between the Lyric

Hammersmith and Plymouth Theatre Royal, was

further developed in spring 2010 at the Lyric

Hammersmith and later at the 2010 Edinburgh

Festival Fringe where it earned glowing press

reviews. Plans for a world tour are now underway.

“Hauntingly and recklessly brilliant. . . piece ofthrilling and sinister surrealist nightmare.” The Sunday Times

Audrey II and James Haggie as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

3

The Overcoat performed by our associate company Gecko. Photo: Richard Haughton.4

In its eighth consecutive year, our ever-popular

rock ‘n’ roll panto continued its record-breaking

trajectory, with 98% of tickets sold for Cinderellawhich ran over two months during December

2008 and January 2009.

“. . . great entertainment for the whole family.” Ipswich Evening Star

Spring 2009

The New Wolsey Theatre/Mercury Theatre

Company Colchester co-production of Alan

Ayckbourn’s A Chorus of Disapproval achieved

94% occupancy during its two and-and-a-half

week run in February. After playing in Ipswich,

the show took up residence at the Mercury

Theatre in March before ending with a tour to

Watford’s Palace Theatre. The show was

extremely well received by audiences and press

in all three venues.

“Cuttingly observant, this comedy is stuffed full of laughs right from the opening bows . . . Slick and without a weak link, this first co-productionbetween the New Wolsey and Colchester Mercury is a treat.”Ipswich Evening Star

OWN PRODUCTIONSCO-PRODUCTIONSCOLLABORATIONS

Sarah Scowen as Cinderella and Lauren Storer as The FairyGodmother in Cinderella.

Paul Leonard and Julian Harries in A Chorus of Disapproval.Photos: Mike Kwasniak.

5

Daniel Francis in the title role of The Hounding of David Oluwale, Eclipse Theatre. Photo: Keith Pattison.6

In March, The Hounding of David Oluwale was

presented by The New Wolsey, West Yorkshire

Playhouse and Birmingham Repertory Theatre

as partners in this Eclipse Theatre national tour.

A highly charged and powerful dramatisation of

the real life story of the eponymous Nigerian man

who was systematically hounded and apparently

murdered in Leeds in the 1960s after moving

from his home country, it was based on Kester

Aspden’s award-winning book and adapted

for the stage by former New Wolsey writer-in-

residence Oladipo Agboluaje. This was the

inaugural production by Dawn Walton as Artistic

OWN PRODUCTIONSCO-PRODUCTIONSCOLLABORATIONS

Director of Eclipse Theatre and after opening at

West Yorkshire Playhouse, the production toured

to Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Liverpool

Playhouse, The New Wolsey Theatre, Hackney

Empire, Northcott Theatre Exeter and

Nottingham Playhouse.

“. . . a powerfully imagined, theatrically fluidreconstruction that enhances the official record to impressive dramatic effect.”The Guardian

In May, The New Wolsey’s Artistic Director Peter

Rowe directed Chimps by the award-winning

playwright Simon Block, a production which met

with widespread critical praise.

“. . . fast paced, emotionally charged, complex and challenging.”One Suffolk

In May, the New Wolsey’s Artistic Director Peter

Rowe and practitioner Nigel Jamieson took part

in a highly successful week long laboratory NewNarrative Journeys, working with performers to

explore new ways of storytelling using circus/

aerial theatre skills. The skills developed during

this laboratory will feed into a dynamic new

production of Orpheus and Eurydice currently

being planned for Autumn 2010.Ben Lambert and Jenny Platt in Chimps. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

7

Autumn/Winter 2008/09

After achieving capacity houses the previous

spring, Potted Potter - the unauthorised Harryexperience returned to the New Wolsey Studio

for six performances in September. The London

Classic Theatre presented Charlotte Jones’

intelligent comedy Humble Boy and Big Creative

Ideas in co-production with Birmingham

Repertory Theatre presented At the Gates ofGaza, a highly charged new play by Ipswich

playwright Juliet Gilkes-Romero, which went on to

win Best Play at the Writers’ Guild Awards 2009.

Celebrated choreographer Jasmin Vardimon’s

dance company captivated audiences with

Yesterday and English Touring Theatre, in co-

production with Exeter Northcott Theatre,

achieved an extraordinary 92% capacity run with

their adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Far from theMadding Crowd. Filter Theatre, in association

with the Royal Shakespeare Company, presented

a radical retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

October half term saw an eclectic mix of shows,

which included Gilbert and Sullivan’s patter songs

in Opera della Luna’s Nightmare Songs, the

raucous comedy Elizabeth and Raleigh with

Simon Munnery as Queen Elizabeth I, the

impressive aerial feats of Ockham’s Razor’s triple

bill Arc, Every Action, Memento Mori, another

VISITINGPRODUCTIONS

8

Daniel Clarkson & Jefferson Turner in Potted Potter - theunauthorised Harry experience. Photo: courtesy of JamesSeabright and Potted Productions.

Ben Bennett (Patterson) and Matthew Moxon (Miller) in At the Gates of Gaza. Photo: Jo Wheeler.

Elizabeth and Raleigh: Late but Live. Photo: courtesy ofJames Seabright.

9

successful night of Under 18 Comedy and

An Audience with Peter Sallis, achieving

82% occupancy.

The season continued with comedy duo

LipService’s Tony and Twizzle - the Glory Yearsand, in our ‘Pick of the Fringe’ slot, Red Cape

Theatre Company presented their imaginative

and emotionally powerful The Colony of Idiots.

Segue productions presented jazz specialists

Empirical and 2FaCeD Dance performed their

award-winning street and contemporary dance

show State of Matter which sold 100% of its

tickets. Peppery Productions brought the Grand

Union Orchestra Allstars and Tongue in Cheek

Comedy presented another evening of stand-up

comedy with Up for a Laugh. Throughout the

season, we successfully presented a variety of

children’s shows at the Studio Theatre, TheMusicians of Bremen, Little Red Hen and eight

performances of Little Angel Theatre’s Handa’sSurprise which we programmed in as part of

African History Month. Our children’s Christmas

show at the Studio was Long Nose Puppet’s

Flyaway Katie which achieved 94% occupancy

during its three-week run.

Spring 2009

Our spring season opened with a celebration of

Chinese New Year which achieved a culturally

diverse audience and an overall occupancy of 87%.

VISITINGPRODUCTIONS

Colony of Idiots. Photo: courtesy of Red Cape Theatre Company.

Handa’s Surprise. Photo: courtesy of Little Angel Theatre.

10

Spyski. Photo: courtesy of Peepolykus.

European Arts Company’s The Pickwick Papersplayed to an appreciative 99% occupancy

audience and The Reduced Shakespeare

Company’s The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) fared even better at 100%

with a waiting list in place for several weeks

before the performance. Tongue in Cheek

Comedy presented another of their popular

Up for a Laugh stand-up comedy evenings.

Graeae, the UK’s foremost disabled-led theatre

company, in association with Birmingham

Repertory Theatre Company, presented WhiterThan Snow, a new play exploring attitudes

towards physical disability through the story of

a war-time travelling troupe of actors and their

difficulties in mounting a production of Snow White.

“An invigorating mix of the courageous and thechaotic . . . this is work that never patronises itsyoung audience with comfortable cant - or happyever after.”The Times on Whiter Than Snow

Mike Marran Productions presented A FunnyValentine, the true story and music of Chet Baker

to a 70% occupancy audience and Swansea City

Opera made a welcome return with Donizetti’s

The Elixir of Love which was similarly popular.

Pilot Theatre Company in association with York

Theatre Royal brought their high-octane

adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Fliesfor a week to The New Wolsey, achieving 70%

occupancy and Foursight Theatre brought CanAny Mother Help Me, a new play inspired by the

book by Jenna Bailey which told the true story of

the Co-operative Correspondence Club, started

by women during the early days of World War II.

Kompany Malakhi performed Boxin’ for one night,

a dynamic and extreme dance theatre influenced

by contemporary dance, parkour and hip-hop.

New Wolsey audiences were treated to a radical

and anarchic re-telling of The Importance of BeingEarnest when Peepolykus and Lyric Hammersmith

presented their spoof spy comedy Spyski to 66%

capacity audiences for a week in early May.

VISITINGPRODUCTIONS

Ockham’s Razor triple bill Arc, Every Action, Memento Mori . Photo: courtesy of Turtle Key Arts.11

12

“It’s impossible to describe the delirious pleasureyou feel as the genteel English façade of Wilde’schamber play breaks down into a rip-roaringespionage farce.”Maddog Magazine

Immediately after Spyski, Segue Productions

presented the award-winning British jazz band

Dennis Rollins’ Badbone & Co and this was

followed by Tilted Productions’ Trapped. Almost

200 Under 18s enjoyed another evening of

Under 18 Comedy and the very next evening

a more mature audience filled 98% of the

auditorium when Terry Dash Music presented

The Charleston Chasers. Louder than Words

presented Noise Ensemble to a full house and

the accompanying drumming workshop was

also sold out, even with an increased capacity

to meet public demand.

Middle Ground Theatre Company presented

Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall’s celebrated

kitchen sink drama Billy Liar starring Helen

Fraser for a week in April to 77% average

occupancy during its week run. In a first for The

New Wolsey, ROH2 The Royal Opera House On

The Road Covent Garden in partnership with

DanceEast presented the world premiere of an

original dance piece based on Albert Lamorisse’s

film and children’s story The Red Balloon which

delighted audiences with its sheer spectacle and

inventiveness.

The Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds ended

our spring season with their community touring

production of Three Men in a Boat. Throughout

the season, we also presented a series of

extremely popular children’s shows at our Studio

Theatre; Under the Bed (97% occupancy), TerryJones’ Fairy Tales (97% occupancy), AnimalOlympics (95% occupancy), Jumping Mouse(95% occupancy) and The Princess and the Pea (98% occupancy).

VISITINGPRODUCTIONS

Billy Liar. Photo: courtesy of Middle Ground TheatreCompany.

The New Wolsey set out to establish a new

programme of Creative Learning activity for

2008/2009 to build on the achievements of

previous years and to respond better to changes

in the profile of formal and informal learning within

our sector. A new Creative Learning Team was

appointed, led by the new Associate Director

Rob Salmon. We have worked closely with our

principal stakeholders to develop a strategic 3

year Creative Learning Action Plan which details

the activities, timelines, objectives and risks

within three inter-connected initiatives; Creative

Education, Creative Projects, and Creative

Development. These form the Creative Learning

Framework, which deliberately spreads the

objectives across the whole organisation rather

than isolating them within one department.

Creative Learning uses theatre as a catalyst to

develop creativity - with the aim of celebrating

identity, contributing to positive change and

increasing capacity/expertise. Three inter-

connected initiatives are designed to provide a

specific entry point for all skill levels and ages:

Creative Educationis a service for schools and colleges in our district

and region, working with children and young

people aged 4 -19 and education professionals

to provide a consistently accessible programme

of comprehensive supporting activities and

events. Through this we deliver a wide range

of work in primary, secondary, and specialist

schools and have successfully focused on

working with referral agencies to support the

pre-NEET (Not in Education, Employment or

Training) agenda.

Creative Projectsis an extensive programme of enrichment

activities and events designed for and with

children, young people, and the communities in

our district and region that extends our cultural

agenda beyond the boundaries of the theatre

building. Through this we deliver a broad and

expanding offer with a specific focus on the

personal, social and artistic development of

young artists as positive and vital contributors

to our society.

Creative Developmentis a platform for students, arts educators,

practitioners and life long learners to gain new

skills and share good practice. By supporting

and challenging students, artists and

professionals in the creative and cultural industry

we are significantly enhancing the development

of our sector locally, regionally and nationally.

The social agenda takes a clear and deliberate

role in the work that the Creative Learning

CREATIVELEARNING

13

engenders, however we are dedicated first and

foremost to the delivery of high quality theatrical

experiences that not only reflect the values of the

New Wolsey Theatre but that also exploit what it

has to offer. This structured programme has

generated a significant increase in participation of

approximately 90% on 2007/08 and almost

100% on the average of previous years, and has

been delivered over a wide variety of settings;

Primary Schools, Middle Schools, Secondary

Schools, Special Schools, Pupil Referral Units,

Colleges, Universities, Libraries, Community

Venues, Prisons, and with other Arts Organisations.

Further to that we have also secured in excess of

£20,000 in funding to deliver projects for Babergh

District Council, The National Osteoporosis Society,

YPPT and Suffolk Artlink, and an additional £10,000

from University Campus Suffolk on behalf of Gecko.

In the first twelve months of its operation, the

New Wolsey’s Creative Learning initiatives have

included:

Youth TheatreFive new working groups for 7-16 year olds led

by Laura Norman, Creative Learning Practitioner

and Helen Baggett, Associate Director of Gecko.

These groups are artist led and participant-

centred with the dedicated aim of providing a

CREATIVELEARNING

14

Beth William-James in Yellow Moon. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

transformative cultural offer for children and

young people.

Young CompanyA new working group for 16 - 25 year olds led by

Rob Salmon, Associate Director. The Young

Company’s first project was the youth premiere

of the award winning play Yellow moon by David

Grieg, presented as a double bill with a new piece

devised by the Senior Youth Theatre with

guidance from Helen Baggett, called 70% Myself.

Young BoardThrough our existing links to young people, through

partnerships with the Connexions Service and

V for Volunteering, and through a series of

marketing initiatives we have established the

Young Board, a non governing advisory group

of 13-26 years olds that meets prior to the

full constituted Board of Directors Meeting to

discuss their expectations of the New Wolsey

Theatre, and to answer questions posed to them

by the Board and the executive staff team.

Young TeamThe Young Team is an opportunity for emerging

graphic designers, visual artists and theatre

designers to be employed to work with the New

Wolsey Theatre on Creative Learning projects.

Designed to give a supervised professional

challenge to an individual artist, including

contracting, consultation, delivery and managing

expectations. Through our successful YPPT

application we appointed 2 young designers to

work with the Young Board to develop a new

graphic identity for Creative Learning at the New

Wolsey Theatre.

CREATIVELEARNING

15

70% Myself. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

Scene ChangeIn association with Mountview Academy of

Theatre Arts and Graeae Theatre we presented

a two-day intensive course for disabled and

non-disabled 14-18 year olds with the support

of University Campus Suffolk. We intend to launch

an 18 month continuation of this project - subject

to a successful ‘Grants for the Arts’ submission.

Write NowIn partnership with Synergy Prison Theatre

Project we appointed regional playwright Danusia

Iwaszko (Menagerie Writer, and attached Writer

to the National Theatre) to lead a 10-week play

writing course in Hollesley Bay Open Prison.

The course culminated in a performance by

professional actors of the work submitted by

the participants, held in the Prison. Some of

these plays also received professional rehearsed

readings within the 2009 Pulse Fringe Festival.

Three of the writers are now being supported

and developed by Synergy.

No Ball GamesWe were commissioned by Babergh District

Council’s Community Safety Partnership to

deliver a series of workshops in target secondary

schools to investigate the perspective of young

people on their perception as ‘Anti-Social’ - this

was then followed up with a period of time to

CREATIVELEARNING

16

Matt Harrison in No Ball Games. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

devise an original piece based on the evidence

gathered. The resulting play

was then performed across the district, engaging

over 3,000 young people and members of the

community. This project was a considerable

success and we intend to repeat this model of

interaction.

Westbridge Pupil Referral Unit, Montgomery Road, 4RCE TrainingThese three projects supported by Suffolk County

Council all successfully engaged with the Pre-NEET

agenda. The Westbridge Project used theatre set

design model making as a mechanism to develop

and accredit key/life skills. Montgomery Road

worked with a number of girls at risk to create a

short performance exploring the issues affecting

their perception and by association their

aspirations. 4RCE Training provided some initial

engagement for a group of BME young people,

using stage combat as a device to tell their own

story and to increase their self esteem.

NSA/Creative ApprenticeshipsWe are a founding member in the National Skills

Academy Eastern Region Spoke. We also

committed to the national pilot scheme for

Creative Apprenticeships, and with the support of

Arts Council England, East we are also guiding

target staff towards the Train 2 Gain scheme.

We are in a strong position to contribute to the

artistic development of a range of individuals and

groups, to professionalising our sector through

benchmarking, providing training opportunities

and by offering our support as a resource and as

a critical friend. It’s been a prolific and challenging

year - an exciting time to be involved in Creative

Learning at the New Wolsey Theatre.

CREATIVELEARNING

17

(from left): Matt Harrison, Ricky Norwood and Laura Norman in No Ball Games. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

Our 2009 Community Season opened with

The New Wolsey Young Company’s production

of The Dice House, Paul Lucas’ irreverent black

comedy inspired by Luke Rhinehart’s cult book

The Dice Man. It played to an average occupancy

of 77% and was warmly received by audiences.

Suffolk Youth Theatre presented without a doubt

their most accomplished and successful show

to date, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which

achieved 75% occupancy and glowing reviews.

COMMUNITYSEASON

18

Suffolk Youth Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

Members of the New Wolsey Young Company in The Dice House.

Four seasons presented Summertime Variety,

in support of Victim Support and with the

sponsorship of Ipswich Rotary Club. This was

closely followed by the Bangladeshi AnnualCommunity Day which attracted a diverse

audience to this important date in Ipswich’s

cultural calendar. The Revd Charles Mugleston

presented a staged reading of The Ruba ‘lyat of Omar Khayyam in aid of St Elizabeth’s

Hospice and Black & White Productions

presented Mr Dickens - Public Lives, PrivatePassions, a new play by local writer Suzanne

Hawkes. DanceEast presented two evenings of

High Voltage 9, a celebration of dance in the

east of England, which achieved 69% occupancy.

In June, The New Wolsey Theatre in association

with the National Osteoporosis Society presented

The Professor and the Soft Machine as part of

Youth Perform! Students from across Suffolk

took part in this production over four evenings

and the production was warmly received not only

by the general public, the peers and families of

the performers, but also by the many audience

members from the wider community who have

been directly affected by the issues surrounding

osteoporosis.

In early July, Appeal Theatre Group entertained

audiences with a week-long run of ThoroughlyModern Millie which achieved 79% occupancy.

This was followed by The Gallery Players

presenting Follies which was also popular,

achieving average houses of 72%.

COMMUNITYSEASON

A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Photo: Name here.19

The Professor and the Soft Machine. Photo: Mike Kwasniak .

Publicity image for Lost Spectacles’ Lost in the Wind (Pulse Fringe Festival ’09). Photo: Rory Foster.20

The Pulse Fringe Festival 2009 was our most

successful ever, achieving average occupancy of

78% and gaining recognition by the national as

well as the regional press. A significant two-year

investment in Pulse from an Arts Council England

East ‘Grants for the Arts’ award enabled the

festival to build on recent successes and in

particular to raise the profile of regional artists as

part of the Arts Council’s talent strategy strands

Escalator Performing Arts and Escalator East 2

Edinburgh. Containing a vibrant mix of music,

drama, rehearsed readings, comedy, visual arts,

dance, poetry, a circus skills workshop, and site-

specific work, Pulse was selected as one of the

UK’s Top 50 Festivals by The Independent and

was favourably contrasted with the Edinburgh

Festival Fringe by The Guardian’s Theatre blogger

Andrew Haydon on the eve of Edinburgh 2009:

“Recently, I travelled to Ipswich to attend thePulse Festival; the contrasts between it andEdinburgh were stark. For one, there was a clear and manageable programme of events so it was possible to see everything. The showsthemselves were a mix of former Edinburgh Fringe hits (Paperweight, Lost in the Wind), early showings of work going to this year'sfestival, local pieces, touring performances, works in progress, rehearsed readings, scratchperformances and international work.

What was wonderful, though, was the sense that the performances had been gatheredtogether by people who cared about them. There was none of the pile-'em-high, charge-'em-a-fortune mentality that seems to prevail at some Fringe venues. As such, one attendedeach event with enthusiasm and interest ratherthan scepticism. Most valuably, by feeling able to put your trust in the organisers, you could see work that you might otherwise have neverconsidered. Of the five shows I saw, it almostcertainly wouldn't have occurred to me to see at least two of them. As it was, I probably had a richer, more varied and more satisfyingprogramme than I remember any Fringe venuehaving given me, culminating with a performanceof Chris Goode's heart-wrenchingly beautifulWound Man and Shirley.

PULSEFRINGE FESTIVAL

21

Publicity image for Top of the World’s Paperweight.Photo: courtesy of the company.

PULSEFRINGE FESTIVAL

22

Chris Goode in Wound Man and Shirley (Pulse Fringe Festival’09). Photo: courtesy of Ric Watts & Queer Up North.

But I already knew I liked Goode's works, such asLongwave and Hippo World Guest Book, sothe real discovery of the weekend was the comicsolo contemporary dance piece The GreatEscape, by Isobel Cohen. In 20 minutes, itmanaged to explain contemporary dance betterthan anything I've seen before, while at the sametime being incredibly funny and beautifullyperformed. Happily, it's going on to Edinburgh aspart of a quartet of pieces by Cohen's company,Helix Dance.Pulse serves its local constituency perfectly. Itdoesn't get, but nor does it need, much coveragefrom the national press. Of course, it could aim toexpand, run each show for longer, seek togradually turn every living room in Ipswich into avenue for student theatre and so on. By thesame token, the Edinburgh Fringe Society couldimpose some sort of selection criteria, crackdown on wily venue merchants turning every tearoom into a performance space, and generally try to limit numbers. But, ultimately, Edinburghwouldn't be the same glorious struggle andscene of spectacular, unexpected hits if it werebetter policed, and Pulse would lose the intimacythat makes it valuable if it tried to grow. In theend, the two festivals support one another, if at a distance, and both are invaluable to our theatre ecology.”

Developing a Culturally Diverse AudienceAs hosts of Ipswich’s Chinese New YearCelebrations for several consecutive years,

The New Wolsey has developed strong links with

the area’s Chinese communities. Our Cultural

Facilitator has also played a key part in the

organisation and event management. The 2009

Chinese New Year Celebrations attracted an

87% capacity audience, of whom over 17% were

people from Black or Minority Ethnic groups.

The New Wolsey has also been instrumental in

facilitating the annual Bangladeshi Day, holding

regular meetings throughout the year to ensure

the smooth running of this important event in the

area’s cultural calendar. At this year’s event, 92%

of the 370-strong audience were Asian.

In autumn 2008, The New Wolsey programmed

At the Gates of Gaza, a play by local writer

Juliet Gilkes-Romero which examined life on the

battlefront of World War II for a battalion of West

Indian volunteers fighting for the Empire. Over

20% of the audience for this production was

Black or Minority Ethnic in origin.

In March 2009, the Mayor of Ipswich and local

faith communities invited members of the public

to a Civic Celebration of the Communityhosted by The New Wolsey. 53% of the audience

to this popular event were from Black or Minority

Ethnic backgrounds. Later in the month, The

Eclipse Theatre consortium (of which The New

Wolsey is a co-founding member) presented a

hard-hitting drama documentary The Houndingof David Oluwale which attracted a diverse

audience, 15% of whom were Black or Minority

Ethnic in origin.

AUDIENCEDEVELOPMENT

23

Daniel Francis in the title role of The Hounding of DavidOluwale, Eclipse Theatre. Photo: Keith Pattison.

Increasing Access ProvisionThroughout the year, The New Wolsey continued

to make significant progress in improving its

Access provision and in raising awareness of

the increasing number of facilities available to

enhance the experience of customers with

particular Access requirements. These facilities

include increasing numbers of British Sign

Interpreted performances; Audio Described

performances; ‘touch tours’; and Captioned

performances. This work has been supported by

‘See a Voice’, an initiative which aims to develop

and broaden the programme of arts and cultural

events made available to deaf, deafened, hard

of hearing, blind and partially sighted audiences

across England. During the year ending

31 March 2009, we had sold a total of 1,217

tickets to disabled customers, almost 2% of

the entire sales for that year.

Developing Suffolk AudiencesThroughout the year we dispatched Audience

Development Assistants to a number of ‘target

towns’ throughout Suffolk to raise the theatre’s

profile and to engage more closely with

communities in these districts by talking to local

people about the range of events and activities

offered by The New Wolsey. During 2009 we

developed a new Ambassador Scheme in order

further to develop audiences and participants

from the districts of Mid Suffolk, Babergh and

Suffolk Coastal. This growing team of

Ambassadors strengthens our links with people in

these three districts and enables The New Wolsey

to deliver relevant and targeted messages to

existing and emerging interest groups such as

theatre-going groups, reading groups, sports

clubs, mother and toddler groups et al.

For several years now, since the inception of

the scheme, The New Wolsey has been offering

free tickets to selected shows to Looked After

Children and their families as part of Suffolk

County Council’s ‘Freetime’ Scheme. During the

year ending 31 March 2009, a total of 127

‘Freetime’ tickets were given to people on the

scheme, a clear indication of the success of the

theatre’s ability in engaging with this group.

As part of our commitment to integrate

vulnerable adults and people with learning

difficulties into the community, we have a number

of mailing volunteers who are a key part of our

‘Friday Club’, a dedicated and growing team of

volunteers who help us achieve a regular series

of mailings to assist the marketing department

throughout the year. During 2009, new members

have been recruited from Suffolk Coastal district

as well as Ipswich.

AUDIENCEDEVELOPMENT

24

For the year ending 31 March 2009, The New

Wolsey Theatre’s total economic impact on

the local economy was £6,174,792.

This was calculated by using a formula which has

been adopted by Arts Council England to show

how arts organisations contribute to the value of

the local economy, both directly and indirectly.

Direct impact includes items such as purchases

from local suppliers (catering suppliers, printers,

graphic designers etc.) while indirect impact

includes the additional spending that takes place

by these local suppliers (e.g. spending more on

staff wages, other supplies that they in turn

purchase). All this expenditure builds up in the

local economy and many other businesses (e.g.

coach companies, dry cleaners, florists) benefit

economically too.

The formula used to calculate the economic

impact is:

Economic impact = (1 Turnover + 2 Overseas

earnings + 3 Additional visitor spend + 4 Salaries

+ 5 Subsistence allowances + 6 Supplies

purchased locally) x 1.5 (to take into account the

knock-on effect in the local economy).

1 For 2008/09 The New Wolsey’s turnover was

£2,353,808.

2 There were no overseas earnings in the year.

3 Additional visitor spend is the money spent

by people attending the theatre to see a

performance, over and above any money

spent on tickets or in the theatre itself, and

covers travel, accommodation (if visiting the

area specifically to go to the theatre), domestic

costs (e.g. babysitter) and any food or drink

purchased outside the home. For 2008/09,

the Additional Visitor Spend (AVS) per audience

member is approximately £4.30. During the

year ending 31 March 2009, there were

87,221 attendances so the overall additional

visitor spend is 87,221 x £4.30 =

£375,051.

4 £901,673 was spent locally on resident staff

wages during the year.

5 Subsistence payments to actors counted

within item (4).

6 Supplies purchased locally totalled £485,996.

ECONOMICIMPACT STUDY

25

AUTUMN 2008

PRODUCTION

Little Shop of Horrors 27 7,950 74Potted Potter 6 474 79The Musicians of Bremen 2 184 99Humble Boy 2 519 65At the Gates of Gaza 2 284 36Yesterday 1 183 46Far from the Madding Crowd 7 2,576 92Little Red Hen 2 179 96Twelfth Night 7 1,811 65Nightmare Songs 1 292 73Elizabeth and Raleigh 1 268 68Ockham’s Razor Triple Bill 2 483 60Handa’s Surprise 8 407 102Under 18 Comedy 1 257 64Peter Sallis 1 326 82The Glory Years 3 630 53The Colony of Idiots 1 182 46Empirical 1 220 55The Overcoat 1 230 58State of Matter 1 402 101Grand Union Orchestra 1 152 38Up for a Laugh 1 217 54Cinderella 83 32,417 98Flyaway Katie 34 2,959 94

TOTALS 196 53,504 86

ATTENDANCE

26

Little Shop of Horrors Autumn ’08. Photo: Mike Kwasniak.

PERF

ORMA

NCES

ATTE

NDAN

CE

OCCU

PANC

Y % SPRING 2009

PRODUCTION

Chinese New Year 1 346 87The Pickwick Papers 1 395 99The Bible (Abridged) 1 398 100A Chorus of Disapproval 19 7,113 94Under the Bed 2 180 97Terry Jones’ Fairy Tales 2 181 97Up for a Laugh 1 159 40Whiter than Snow 6 989 41Civic Celebration 1 170 43The Hounding of David Oluwale 5 757 38Animal Olympics 2 176 95A Funny Valentine 1 280 70Lord of the Flies 8 2,242 70The Elixir of Love 1 248 62The Titanic Show 1 398 100Can Any Mother Help Me? 3 633 53Boxin’ 1 277 69Spyski 6 1,575 66Jumping Mouse 2 176 95Dennis Rollins 1 222 56Trapped 1 93 23Under 18 Comedy 1 194 49The Charleston Chasers 1 392 98Noise Ensemble 1 400 100Billy Liar 7 2,169 77The Red Balloon 4 737 46Chimps 17 2,411 35The Princess and the Pea 2 183 98Three Men in a Boat 4 856 54

TOTALS 103 24,351 63

PERF

ORMA

NCES

ATTE

NDAN

CE

OCCU

PANC

Y %

COMMUNITY SEASON 2009PRODUCTION

The Dice House 3 241 77A Midsummer Night’s Dream 4 1,202 75Summertime Variety 2 331 41Annual Bangladeshi Day 1 390 98The Ruba ‘iyat of Omar Khayyam 1 142 36

Mr Dickens 2 116 56High Voltage 9 2 552 69The Professor and the Soft Machine 4 854 53

Thoroughly Modern Millie 6 1,894 79Follies 5 1,444 72

TOTALS 30 7,166 68

ATTENDANCE

27

PERF

ORMA

NCES

ATTE

NDAN

CE

OCCU

PANC

Y % PULSE FRINGE FESTIVAL 2009PRODUCTION

Songs from a Hotel Bedroom 1 77 73Lost in the Wind 2 140 66Last One Standing & Les Angles Morts 1 71 36

No 5 1 80 100Paperweight 5 95 100The World’s Wife 1 103 97Wolf 1 96 91Springboard readings 2 92 77The Snow Goose Diaries 1 98 92Bully 1 78 74The Caravan 25 161 81Circus Theatre Workshop 1 7 35Mississippi 1 90 113The October Revolutions 1 98 92Britain’s Best Mates 1 102 96Tracker, Driven & I.D. 1 73 37The Truth Is, I Can’t Stop Telling Lies 1 92 87

Write Now 1 39 37Out Westgate 1 85 80Two Bye Two & Cope 1 65 61Bedroom Stories 1 70 83Jude Simpson: Making Happy 1 103 97The History of the Pomegranate 1 45 54

Horse 1 54 51King of the Gypsies 1 78 93Is Everyone OK? 1 97 115Lovedrunk 1 70 66Epiphany 1 38 95The Great Escape & This is our Universe/Basic Dressing 1 67 63

You Are Here 1 79 94Oh! What a Shitty War 1 101 95Sound Journey 1 84 100Dreamdance 1 86 102The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley 1 151 76

TOTALS 64 2,910 78

PERF

ORMA

NCES

ATTE

NDAN

CE

OCCU

PANC

Y %

Jude Simpson, whose evening of performance poetryMaking Happy was one of the sell-out events of Pulse ’09.Photo: courtesy of Jude Simpson.

Summary Financial Statements(Source: audited accounts)

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities y/e 31/03/05 y/e 31/03/06 y/e 31/03/07 y/e 31/03/08 y/e 31/03/09

IncomeGeneral Core Grants

Arts Council England, East £538,568 £552,033 £587,763 £603,927 £723,927 Suffolk County Council £138,330 £138,330 £138,330 £138,330 £141,100 Ipswich Borough Council £88,160 £88,160 £90,100 £92,000 £92,000 Suffolk County Council Children and Young People £31,300 £32,100 £32,900 £33,700 £34,540

Sub-total Core Grants £796,358 £810,623 £849,093 £867,957 £991,567

Earned Income (ticket sales, touring income, rentals, interest & auxillary income) £974,598 £991,403 £903,258 £1,015,612 £1,080,604 Donations, Gifts, Legacies £335 £9,575 £40,287 £15,040 £1,511 Grants for Specific Purposes £347,278 £668,628 £803,251 £372,214 £148,917 Bar and Catering £118,334 £127,862 £110,774 £125,068 £131,209

TOTAL £2,236,903 £2,608,091 £2,706,663 £2,395,891 £2,353,808

ExpenditureOperation of Theatre £1,548,105 £1,851,610 £1,974,728 £1,635,972 £1,601,566 Support costs (governance, management, £480,668 £505,548 £515,272 £610,014 £630,795administration, fundraising & publicity)Bar and Catering £116,376 £121,555 £111,607 £126,118 £131,622

TOTAL £2,145,149 £2,478,713 £2,601,607 £2,372,104 £2,363,982

Consolidated Balance Sheet at 31/03/05 at 31/03/06 at 31/03/07 at 31/03/08 at 31/03/09

Fixed Assets £139,498 £385,888 £655,339 £647,995 £654,694 Current Assets £722,291 £590,495 £586,283 £550,562 £581,422 Current Liabilities (£233,325 (£218,541 (£378,724 (£311,872 (£359,605Net Current Assets £488,966 £371,954 £207,559 £238,690 £221,817 Total assets less current liabilities £628,464 £757,842 £862,898 £886,685 £876,511

Directors StatementThese summarised financial statements have been extracted from the full audited accounts. The accounts for y/e 31/03/09 were approved on 3rd November 2009 and will be submitted to Companies House and the Charity Commission. For further information, the full annual report, financialstatements and auditors' report for y/e 31/03/09 can be obtained from Companies House or the Charity Commission.David Edwards, Director, 18th November 2009.

MONEYWhere it came from and how it was spent

Income y/e 31/03/09(£2,353,808)

Expenditure y/e 31/03/09(£2,363,982)

Bar & Catering£131,6215.6%

Other Grants£148,9176.3%

Donations£1,5110.1%

Earned Income

£1,080,60445.9%

Core Grants£991,567

42.1%

Support Costs£630,795

26.7%

Bar & Catering£131,621

5.6%

Operationof theatre

£1,601,56667.7%

28

) ) ) ) )