The Role of Stakeholders in Sheffield Theatres Trust
|Sheffield Theatres Trust |
|David Brown and Kevan Scholes |
Summary
Sheffield Theatres comprise of three distinctive performance venues, the Crucible, Lyceum and Studio theatres. These venues together form the largest regional theatre complex outside London and contribute significantly to Sheffield’s world-class entertainment offering. The case study concerns a charitable trust, which is responsible for the UK’s leading provincial theatres – the Crucible, Lyceum and Studio Theatres in Sheffield.
The Crucible Theatre first opened in 1971, and during the intervening 34-year period the theatre has seen many new developments and significant changes in its environment – particularly regarding its funding. This project provides an overview of the organisation from when it was extended to include the refurbished Lyceum Theatre in 1990, taking the reader through the subsequent difficulties faced by the theatre and its recovery to an award-winning arts organisation.
The Studio opened in 1971 with a flexible space with seating for up to 400. Crucible and Studio theatres first played host to the world Snooker Championships in 1997 with a broad range of performing arts and host other sporting events alongside the Snooker. The fact that the theatre complex has both commercial and public service objectives to pursue, illustrates that strategy formulation is not just a simple process of matching capabilities to environmental ‘requirements’. Understanding the political context within which strategies are formulated leads to a process of balancing a variety of stakeholder interests whilst delivering and developing cultural and artistic ambitions.1
Evaluation of the theatres
The activity of these three theatres is heavily depending on grants2. The primary
|David Brown and Kevan Scholes |
Summary
Sheffield Theatres comprise of three distinctive performance venues, the Crucible, Lyceum and Studio theatres. These venues together form the largest regional theatre complex outside London and contribute significantly to Sheffield’s world-class entertainment offering. The case study concerns a charitable trust, which is responsible for the UK’s leading provincial theatres – the Crucible, Lyceum and Studio Theatres in Sheffield.
The Crucible Theatre first opened in 1971, and during the intervening 34-year period the theatre has seen many new developments and significant changes in its environment – particularly regarding its funding. This project provides an overview of the organisation from when it was extended to include the refurbished Lyceum Theatre in 1990, taking the reader through the subsequent difficulties faced by the theatre and its recovery to an award-winning arts organisation.
The Studio opened in 1971 with a flexible space with seating for up to 400. Crucible and Studio theatres first played host to the world Snooker Championships in 1997 with a broad range of performing arts and host other sporting events alongside the Snooker. The fact that the theatre complex has both commercial and public service objectives to pursue, illustrates that strategy formulation is not just a simple process of matching capabilities to environmental ‘requirements’. Understanding the political context within which strategies are formulated leads to a process of balancing a variety of stakeholder interests whilst delivering and developing cultural and artistic ambitions.1
Evaluation of the theatres
The activity of these three theatres is heavily depending on grants2. The primary