Agenda item

Fiona Allen, Chief Executive, Curve, will deliver a presentation.

32.1    Fiona Allan, Chief Executive, Curve, gave a presentation to the Scrutiny Commission, and a copy is attached to the minutes for information.

 

32.2    Fiona opened the presentation by informing the meeting on what Curve did. She stated that the production of Curve’s own work took half the time in the main theatre, and the rest of the time was balanced by visiting work. She described Curve as developing a reputation as a place to premiere new productions, due to Curve’s rehearsal space, technical facility and know-how.

 

32.3    The presentation included statistical information for the financial year 2011/12 for events at Curve as follows:

 

·         551 performances on three stages to 180,000 people

·         103 different productions

·         75 conferences, events, graduations for 20,000 attendees

·         419 workshop / participatory sessions for 16,000 participants

·         20 East Midlands artists / companies presented and supported

·         7 artistic residencies

·         75 free public performances

·         Door counters installed to track casual visitation

 

32.4    Fiona informed the meeting that Curve delivered a range of productions, including brand new productions, new writing and classical musicals, and supported dance and physical theatres. The stated the breadth of activity made Curve stand out as a regional producing theatre.

 

32.5    Fiona reported that the 2011 Christmas production ‘42^nd Street’ was extended by a week due to popular demand. She stated that during the show, there were 36,000 attendees, and was Curve’s best-selling show to date with almost £750k ticket revenue, and 11% of bookers from outside Leicestershire.

 

32.6    In additional Gypsy attracted an audience of 24% from outside Leicestershire, with some people coming from as far as Australia and America. She noted that to attract an audience into Leicester, extensive press and media work was undertaken by Curve’s communications team. Curve also had deals with East Midlands Trains and Ramada Encore Hotel to encourage people to watch the show and stay in the city.

 

32.7    Fiona then showed a video of highlights from the production ‘Gypsy’, and reported on the 5* review the production had received nationally. She added that producers in other countries were interested in the production.

 

32.8    Fiona then showed a short clip of the world premiere ‘Finding Neverland’ from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, which was reported to be the biggest musical ever to play Leicester and had attracted celebrity visitors. Fiona said that media coverage for Curve and Leicester was valued at over £1m, with over 18,000 people attending, with 80% of the capacity sold at over £400k in sales. Curve had also been an ‘opening’ theatre for five shows.

 

32.9    Audience figures from 2008 onwards had shown a year-on-year growth, even though the country was in recession. Fiona reported that during 2011/12, 35,000 bookers had purchased 180,394 tickets at a total value of £2.88m. she added that there was a growing audience from low income, BME, family and youth audiences.

 

32.10  A map of the UK was then shown, highlighting the geographical spread of bookers n 2011/12. Fiona then read a quote from the presentation from Beverly King, Consultant for the Evaluation of Curve Theatre 2011, in which it was stated Curve added strategic value to the development of Leicester’s cultural ambition through connecting communities through festivals and events, local auditions, a community state, affiliate community groups and exhibition space.

 

32.11  Fiona informed the meeting that Curve had, in 2011/12, presented eight world-premiers of new work, and commissioned a further four works. She added that companies and artists were supported in resident, a new writer programme had been launched for 2013, and groups and workshops for people of all ages were held to encourage expression.

 

32.12  Fiona stated the supported groups at Curve had access to expertise on site. A list of supported companies was presented, and Fiona made reference to the Desi Masti exhibition on Asian Dance. Fiona also stated that new work had been commissioned to produce the new Adrian Mole musical, which would be premiered in Leicester.

 

32.13  Fiona highlighted the work that was done with children and young people, through acting and dance sessions, half-tem activities and working with schools. Fiona stated that having a cultural offer helped to make the city a good place to study and to work, would aid student recruitment and retention, and attract professionals into the city, through it was not possible to quantify the way Curve was impacting on how students perceived the city as a place to study or work. Fiona presented information that could be quantified:

 

·         Visiting artists 2011/12 accounted for 8,600 bednights.

·         In 2011/12 Curve hosted 31 events / conferences from outside Leicestershire, at an estimated 900 bednights.

·         Leicester City Council funding leverages £1.9m annual from the Arts Council.

·         Curve enables new social enterprises via Young Arts Entrepreneurs, with 30 new businesses anticipated by 2015.

·         Curve was an active member of Leicester’s business community.

 

32.14  Fiona also reported that Curve was working with Leicestershire Promotions Ltd. to look at the tourism impact of Curve.

 

32.15  Fiona stated that a sustainable business was gained through building resilience. She said that since Curve opened Curve had grown proportionately year-on-year through ticket income, and income from secondary sources, for example, the bar, café, conferencing and events. She stated that public funding had dropped by £650k in 2011/12, (a reduction of £500k from Arts Council England and a cessation of funding from Leicestershire County Council), so proportionately, funding accounted for a lower percentage of Curve’s turnover. Fiona mentioned that a lot of work was done by Curve in the County and more funding from the County Council would be useful.

 

32.16  Fiona presented a chart of revenue grant funding. She informed the meeting that even though Curve were increasing earned revenue year-on-year, the combined impact of funding revenues left Curve in a position where resources were tight and as an operation was stretched to deliver the volume of activity that was currently on offer.

 

32.17  Fiona said that Curve was a great facility, with double the space of the Haymarket. Fiona reported that the venue was open from 10.00am as a public space, but at a cost, and the following figures were quoted for 2011/12:

 

·         Utilities costs £618k

·         Front of house opening at 10.00am cost £839k.

 

32.18  Fiona stated that Curve had worked on a Capital Asset Management Plan to replace technical equipment, and it was identified that £250k - £450k was required to be put aside each year for maintenance. She added that Curve needed to find additional resources to break even and to find the Capital Asset Management Plan money, to enable the venue to remain competitive and maintain Curve’s reputation as technologically advanced. She stated that the equipment had a 10-year life span, and that responsible management meant having a plan for future fix and repair.

 

32.19  Fiona informed the meeting that the Cultural Quarter was developing, and that Curve was the major driver of footfall in the area. She stated that Connecting Leicester was a great opportunity, but it did not mention Curve, or the Cultural Quarter. Fiona stated that thinking stopped at Charles Street, and she highlighted the point by showing two photographs, one of which showed there were no Christmas decorations in the Cultural Quarter. Fiona stated she hoped that one of the findings of the scrutiny process would be that for Curve and Phoenix to grow and thrive, continued investment was needed to help to make the Cultural Quarter an attractive destination, and it included connecting it to the rest of the city. She added that Leicester Theatre Trust and Leicester City Council should be thought of as a partnership that could help deliver value for each other and together for the city of Leicester.

 

32.20  Fiona concluded by summarising points previously made, and added that Curve was committed to Leicester’s development, and believed that Curve had a major part to play in making Leicester great.

 

32.21  The Chair stated that Fiona had made important points around Connecting Leicester.

 

32.22  Councillor Shelton asked how the number of ticket sales to lower incomes ascertained. Fiona responded that post code information was analysed, using the Mosaic UK system for demographics.

 

32.23  Councillor Shelton asked if Curve had any ideas on gaining funding from County Council and moving forward, and had Curve thought of having variable rates. Fiona responded that she was cultivating a relationship with people at County and in the districts, but had been told there was no money available at present. She said that she believed having variable rates, i.e. those that did not live in the city would pay more for a ticket, would discourage those from outside the city, and that Curve relied on that audience coming in, though she could look at having discounted rates for specific activities.

 

32.24  Councillor Cassidy stated that the issue with Christmas decorations was something that should be addressed given how important the Cultural Quarter was. Councillor Cassidy asked if Chris Maughan, Consultant was benchmarking Curve against other theatres, and also asked if information was available on how much money Curve brought into Leicester’s local economy in a year. Councillor Cassidy requested information on the Economic Value of Curve be brought to a future meeting of the Scrutiny Commission. Fiona stated that the information requested would be available before November end.

 

32.25  Councillor Wann stated he found the information on the Capital Asset Management Plan very useful. He added that he found the issue regarding County Council funding disappointing, as funding at Leicester City Council was also tight. He agreed that the removal of the double yellow lines at night to allow parking was a good for the Cultural Quarter.

 

32.26  Councillor Chaplin noted that the ambience and atmosphere of an area encouraged people to stay in the area. She suggested that County Hall be contact to show them what was on offer, and to talk about the economic benefits that Curve brought to Leicestershire. She then asked Fiona the following questions, to which Fiona responded:

 

·         How much marketing money was spent on a typical show and how much on tour? There were several thousand people on the database, and email and social media was used. It was reported that £60k for a Christmas show was spent on marketing which was quite lean.

·         How easy was it for critics to attend Curve? Critics attended press nights, including national press.

·         It was stated that in 5-10 years time, Curve would be an industrial hub. There was an enormous amount of talent in Leicester, and the country could look towards Leicester to talent sport. Curve had ambitions for Leicester and could create a vibrant, talented space.

·         What other organisations did Curve have partnerships with? Curve worked with Amdram and several companies, including Leicester Amateur Operatics, and used the venue at community hire rates.

 

32.27  Fiona reported that the current (third) business plan was sufficient to break even, though Curve could still drive ticketing and fund raising. She stated that the increases were incremental, but there were better margins. Philip Tasker stated that Curve would have to do better than break event to save for the Capital Management costs, but there was a rolling three-year Business Plan for Improvement, and adjustments had been made for cuts. Fiona informed the meeting that at present Curve was not putting any money aside as they had not yet solved the challenge on how to become a sustainable business. Fiona stated that to make the Cultural Quarter vibrant, buildings should be regenerated in the area.

 

32.28  Councillor Shelton stated that the two main assets in the Cultural Quarter, were Curve and Phoenix, and asked how the two venues worked with to complement each other? Fiona said that there was a Programme Group between Phoenix, De Montfort Hall and Curve.

 

32.29  Councillor Cassidy said the Scrutiny Commission had heard a lot of evidence, but believed the venues were conscientious businesses and were running as good businesses.

 

32.30  The Chair stated it was important to hear the evidence, and that further questions would be asked by Consultant, prior to a report being produced by the end of December. The Chair reported that at the next meeting Members would hear from a range of stakeholders. The Chair thanked Fiona for the substantial report which she considered to be very helpful.