MACROBERT ARTS CENTRE2013-14 YEAR END BRIEFING

macrobert arts centreUniversity of StirlingStirlingScotlandFK9 4LAWeb: www.macrobert.orgmacrobert arts centre limited is a Scottish charity, no SC039546

377 LIVE PERFORMANCES IN THE MAIN THEATRE AND STUDIO

926 SCREENINGS OF FILMS IN THE NORMAN MCLAREN CINEMA

6217 YOUNG PEOPLE PERFORM IN THE MAIN THEATRE

606 TAKE PART EVENTS

5 MACROBERT PRODUCTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE TOUR IN THE UK AND ABROAD

8 NEW WORKS CREATED BY CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH ARTISTS

9 NEW PRODUCTIONS CREATED BY ARTISTS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

macrobert in numbers

macrobert serves Stirling and the Forth Valley with a diverse programme of live and film entertainmentand opportunities that enable over 140,000 people to enjoy, to learn, to create, and to perform both inour theatres and in communities. macrobert also supports established and emerging artists to developaward-winning productions that tour across Scotland, in the UK and abroad. macrobert is the onlymulti-arts centre in Scotland to be based on a university campus, affording unique opportunities toenrich student experience and to collaborate with academia in research at the University of Stirling.As a charity macrobert receives some statutory and public grant funding but we must raise 65% ofincome from other sources. We are grateful to the individuals, companies and grants organisationswho - through their generosity and vision - help the arts to flourish in the region.

macrobert welcomed over 140,000people attending drama, comedy,film, opera, dance, music, musicaltheatre and art exhibitions.

macrobert is proud to be a Creative Scotland FoundationOrganisation, selected for its contribution to a creativeScotland in terms of talent, quality productions, access,audience development, participation and outreach work.

macrobert’s cinema, The Norman McLaren Filmhouse,screens a year-round programme of blockbusters,independents, classics, foreign language, documentariesand children’s films. Over the year, it achieved over36,000 visits.

macrobert enjoyed a varied drama season, welcoming 14productions on to its stages and playing at 75% capacity.Pioneering Scottish company Communicado visited twice,with The Government Inspector and Calum’s Road. Afterwinning a Herald Angel and Fringe First, Stellar Quinesbrought The List to macrobert, starring a “superb”Maureen Beattie (The Scotsman). Other highlights includedHector MacMillan’s The Sash; London Classic Theatre withHarold Pinter’s Betrayal and Oscar Wilde’s The Importanceof Being Earnest; Othello by Icarus Theatre and a riotousnew comedy Wendy Hoose by Birds of Paradise andRandom Accomplice.

There were also popular visits by Scottish Opera and BalletWest and macrobert’s second Gala fundraising evening,with a programme that included Company Chordelia withScottish Opera, All Or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre andthe Loveboat Big Band.

macrobert programmed a wide range of shows for childrenand families, especially early years. Almost 1,000 peoplecame to see Northern Ballet in a single day for the Scottishpremiere of Three Little Pigs, a ballet for children aged 3+.Over the year there were also visits from Visible Fictions,Birdsnest Theatre, Allie Cohen, Childrens ClassicConcerts, Grinagog, Comedy Club for Kids, NonsenseRoom Productions, Barrowland Ballet, Tall Stories,Andy Cannon and Wendy Wetherby.

A varied programme of blockbusters andindependents on the big screen at The NormanMcLaren Filmhouse

Tall Stories brought Julia Donaldson’s much-lovedThe Snail And The Whale to life in the macrobertMainhouse

Company Chordelia with Scottish Opera performDance Derby at Gala 2014

Northern Ballet’sThree Little PigsNearly 1,000 people experienced theScottish Premiere of Northern Ballet’sThree Little Pigs in our mainhouse.

macrobert continued to develop its comedy strand withtwo visits by The Reduced Shakespeare Company,as well as solo shows from Chris Addison, Jo Caulfield,Alex Horne, Andy Zaltzman, Craig Hill and Mark Thomas.macrobert was also proud to be a key venue for - andprovide the ticketing for - the first year of the StirlingFringe Festival.

macrobert hosted 4 festivals over the year, including anArts & Dementia Day (in association with Luminate,Scotland’s creative ageing festival) and a Mini FestivalAbout Family with performances by Andy Cannon andBarrowland Ballet. In October, THAT Festival presentedwork for, with and by students and young people aged15 - 25. Professional productions showcased alongsidework by young people, experimental performance events,film and emergent professional bands including Neu!Reekie!, Junction 25, Buzzcut, Bright Night International,ponydance and macrobert’s award-winning productionEducating Ronnie.

macrobert is the regional hub for the national GetScotland Dancing initiative and ran a packed week-longLet’s Dance Festival programme, featuring ScottishBallet, Barrowland Ballet, Northern Ballet, UnderhandDance Company, Tony Mills, Jennifer Paterson and manyother artists. macrobert was also proud to be part of theMcLaren 2014 programme, celebrating the centenary ofthe Stirling-born film pioneer.

macrobert is the only venue in Scotland to offer threeChristmas shows that cater for all ages, including the veryyoung. Christmas saw 30,000 visitors enjoy a brand newversion of Beauty and The Beast written by and starringJohnny McKnight, a new play for 3 to 6 year olds The LittleBoy That Santa Claus Forgot and Scottish Dance Theatre’sinteractive show for babies Innocence.

Beauty and The Beast

Let’s Dance Festival

Let’s Dance FestivalJunction 25

Bunty And Doris24 local people aged 6-64 performedon-stage with Barrowland Ballet.

At the heart of the University of Stirling:engaging staff and studentsmacrobert is a key strand of theUniversity of Stirling's culturaloffering and campus life and providesa unique platform for the Universityof Stirling to engage with its localcommunity. The University supportsmacrobert with a grant and in-kindsupport which allows the arts centreto raise £10 for every £1 theUniversity invests.

macrobert works closely with the Students Union andhosted 35 Student Union Clubs and Societies events.macrobert welcomes student promoters and providesthem with an unique set of professional facilities torehearse and perform in, either free of charge ordiscounted by up to 80%. macrobert and the Student Unionhave joined forces on hosting Fresher week events, socialmedia activities and the joint promotion of shows.macrobert also employs a student in the post of StudentEngagement Officer, has a Sabbatical Officer on its board,employs four graduates and provides students with paidemployment worth over £145,000 per annum.

Students access a diverse arts programme of drama,comedy, opera, music, dance and cinema - supported bya range of discounted tickets - with students making upto 44% of the audience for certain events.

Over the year macrobert hosted 21 University school anddepartmental events, including providing lecture space,as well as space for meetings, research, performanceand conferences. macrobert made significant inroadsinto working with academic schools to host events andcollaborate on research projects. macrobert workedwith the University’s world leading Dementia ServicesDevelopment Centre and hosted an Arts and Dementiasymposium as part of Luminate, the national CreativeAgeing Festival. In addition macrobert was a partner ina research project in collaboration with the School ofEducation about the role of creativity in education, inthe context of the Curriculum for Excellence.

macrobert’s facilities are regularly used as part of theUniversity’s conferencing operation, providing valuableadditional space. macrobert works closely with theCommercial Services team at the University, providinga 468 seat theatre space - the largest on campus -and extra breakout and meeting spaces.

“macrobert plays a key role in providing an excellentexperience for students at Stirling University.macrobert provides space not only for entertainmentand enjoyment, but a place for learning. Throughhosting conferences and events to having lecturesand academic film screenings, macrobert’s facilitiesare invaluable for students.

Furthermore, macrobert gives our students a placeto engage with and enjoy the arts, through fabulousperformances and film screenings and developingtheir creative skills through Take Part classes andrehearsal space. In my position as Union President,I am greatly looking forward to working withmacrobert for my time in post and to see what canbe done together to make students’ lives better.”

Amy McDermott, President, University of Stirling Student Union.

Amy McDermott

Booker EventAdam FouldsA conversation with theBooker Prize shortlistedauthor of The Quickening Maze.

Arts for allmacrobert tours professional productions and participationto local communities, reaching children who rarelyexperience live performance or take part in high qualityarts activities.

We also deliver a wide range of regular classes, makingthe most of fantastic facilities that include a main theatre,studio theatre and cinema. macrobert engages artiststhrough commissions, residencies, traineeships,co-productions and paid internships, and this leads toexciting opportunities for people to co-create high qualityworks that are programmed at macrobert and elsewhere.macrobert is a selected partner in Creative Scotland’sPromoting Equalities Programme that seeks to wideninclusion in the arts: our aim is to make sure that childrenand young people have equal access and opportunities totake part in the arts.

macrobert ChristmasAppealThanks to the generosity of people, companies andvoluntary organisations in the Forth Valley, 836 childrenand family members, supported by local charities came tosee 2013 Panto Beauty and The Beast. We worked with 14charities who nominated families and groups they feltneeded a break at Christmas. All of the charities asked usto pass on our thanks to those who made this possible.

"It is with heartfelt gratitude that we send a massivethank you to all who made this visit possible, ourfamilies had a wonderful time and the parents weredelighted by their children's enthralment". Action for Children

macrobert Artistic Director Liam Sinclair and team workedwith a cast of 34 young people to create Once On ThisIsland during an intensive 3 week summer project.

THAT Festival was aimed at young people aged 15 to 25.Young people, artists and emerging artists presented 14performances.

The rehearsed reading of new high-school drama Prom gaveour young companies the unique opportunity to see how anew script is developed by professional actors and directors.

Once On This Island

Buzzcut at THAT FestivalProm Rehearsed Reading at THAT Festival

macrobert was once again the lead provider of the ScottishGovernment’s Get Scotland Dancing initiative in the Stirlingregion in 2014, which saw over 3,000 young people andfamilies engaging with dance. The Let’s Dance Festival saw580 young people taking part in dance, choreography andperformance in March and April 2014 in nurseries andschools across the Forth Valley area. This includednurseries in Cornton and Raploch and primary schools inBannockburn, Clackmannan, Fallin and Tullibody as wellas Drymen, Dunblane and Killearn.

macrobert took its show Sprawl - a dynamic dance theatreduet featuring sibling rivalry and acrobatic partnering -to primary schools in the area :

“Amazing, funny, awesome. Please come back. Wow,Wow and Wow again!” Pupil

“Our catchment area lies within the top 15% in thecountry in terms of social deprivation and many ofour children would never have the opportunity toexperience a workshop or performance such asSprawl. Thus, we are very grateful for any opportunityto bring such experiences into school for them toenjoy. Jennifer and Tony were brilliant throughoutthe workshop and the performance and the childrenremained totally engaged. Please bear us in mind ifany future opportunities arise!”Clackmannan PS, commenting on Sprawl.

In November 2013 macrobert toured its productionThe Polar Bears Go Wild to nurseries.

525 children saw 10 performances in 6 nurseries:

“The Polar Bears Go Wild completely captivated evenour very young children” Raploch Nursery

Sprawl Dance Workshop

The Polar Bears Go Wild

Plus...

506 primary school pupils enjoyed performances ofOor Rabbie by Andy Cannon.

60 young people took part in Norman McLaren DanceWorkshops.

Local nurseries got a sneak preview of macrobert’s newChristmas dance show, with workshop performances ofThe Pine Tree, Poggle and Me.

Adapted performances at macrobert

macrobert signed, audio-described, and captioned specialperformances at Christmas so that those with visual andhearing impairment could experience the thrill of liveperformance. Children and adults with sight loss had stage‘touch tours’.

People with learning disabilities such as autism - andtheir family carers - enjoyed films at ‘relaxed’ screenings. macrobert also sub-titled and audio-described filmscreenings as part of a growing body of work relatingto equalities.

macrobert - finance

macrobert - supportersWe thank our supporters whose vision and generosity help the arts to flourish

PatronGordon and Alice StewartAlec & Lynne Carstairs

Platinum Central Produce Ltd

Gold Clark ElectronicsCoffeepots Ltd Stirling Rotary Club

Silver Janice & Tom WardMr Ian Whyte

Bronze Alastair Thornley

Supporters ASM RecoveryRotary Club of GrangemouthMaureen BlenkharnMary BurchDawn HarringtonSusan HoldenMr & Mrs BradleyHelen ThomLucy HutchisonJane McGuiganC McGregorMs Ruth BurgessJanet LavertyDr K WalkerJob Centre Plus Social ClubMrs Pat McDonald

And all anonymous supporters

Trusts & Grant FundersCreative Scotland University of Stirling The Robertson TrustGarfield Weston FoundationThe MacRobert TrustGordon Fraser Charitable TrustSouter Charitable TrustAwards for All – ScotlandThe Dunclay Charitable TrustJTH Charitable TrustThe John Liston Charitable Trust

SponsorsStirling Credit UnionThe Co-operativeAccentureArts & Business ScotlandMackie’s of Scotland

Income £2.107m

Expenditure £2.049m

Ticket Sales29%

Creative Scotlandcore grant

19%

Donations, grantssponsorship

17%

Food &Beverage

15%

Programme38%

Food &Beverage

16%

Building, utilities,overheads

16%

Management& admin staff

11%

University of Stirling 11%Facility hire 5%Creative Learning 2%Other 1%

Marketing 7%Production & technical costs 6%Creative Learning 4%Fundraising costs 2%

macrobert is an independent charitable organisation. Following the launch of a Business Plan in March 2012 macrobert hasstemmed an annual loss making situation, has absorbed cuts in public sector funding, and has driven efficiencies and incomestreams to successfully achieve small surpluses in 2012-13 and 2013-14. However, macrobert must continue to address ahistoric negative reserves position; a ten year Financial Plan is in place that charts income development across a range ofareas to generate positive reserves by March 2024.

In 2013-14 grants from Creative Scotland and the University of Stirling funded 19% and 11% of core costs respectively.As macrobert keeps only a quarter of ticket income on average there is a considerable gap in income that must be raisedfrom other sources. Philanthropic support is increasingly important to help meet this gap, and to ensure that macrobertsuccessfully continues to deliver and develop inspiring arts programmes for the region, and for Scotland.

Janice ParkerDementia OutreachAcclaimed choreographer Janice Parkerworked closely with Stirling Town BreakSCIO to provide a series of dance andmovement workshops to peoplewith dementia.

Educating Ronnie - The Fringe First Award-winning show was shortlistedfor the prestigious national Royal National Theatre Foundation Award. It touredacross Scotland Autumn 2013 and will tour across UK in Autumn 2014.

“As thought- provoking as they come” **** The Independent

Too Many Penguins? - TheWinner of Best Production For Children And YoungPeople 2012, Critics Awards For Theatre In Scotland embarked on a major UK tourin Spring 2014, including Belfast, Lincoln and Leicester.

“Adults and children left with smiles on their faces and a warm feeling intheir heart” **** TimeOut London

Titus - Played to great audience and critical acclaim as part of the Made InScotland showcase at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and will tour the UKin Autumn 2014/15.

“A completely compelling piece of theatre” **** The Scotsman

The Polar Bears Go Wild - Spent their Christmas at Traverse Theatre in Edinburghand will perform at the renowned Unicorn Theatre in London in early 2015.

“Charming, imaginative show” **** The List

The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot - Played to packed audiences during ourChristmas 2013 season. The show will play at The Arches, Glasgow duringChristmas season 2014.

“Delightful” The Stage

Beauty and The Beast - Johnny McKnight returned to macrobert to star in, directand write our blockbusting 2013 panto.

“The righteous might of the macrobert panto” **** The Guardian

macrobert - producingaward - winning work inStirling, touring across the UK Educating Ronnie

Educating Ronnie

Too Many Penguins

Titus

The Polar Bears Go Wild

macrobert - tours and invitationsfrom around the UK

Too Many Penguins

Titus

The Polar Bears Go Wild

The Little Boy That Santa ClauseForgot

Beauty and The Beast