Our Programming Strategy

We deliver a year-round programme of performances, workshops and events that celebrate diverse voices and stories. From family-friendly productions and touring theatre to new writing and community-led projects, our work reflects the richness of our local area and the creativity of those who live here.

We aim to retain and develop our existing audiences and enable them to experience more creatively stimulating work, while also attracting new audiences and encouraging them to return. We take a strategic approach to broaden and diversify the productions presented, maximising the impact of programming.

We programme three seasons a year with a varied range of drama, musical theatre, live music, family friendly theatre and comedy. We collaborate with other producers to present the best of touring theatre, alongside our own productions, delivering 'A Great Night Out' to the people of Wakefield and beyond.

We are a member of Venues North and our Executive Director is a Co-Founder of the Local Theatre Touring Alliance. We use these networks to widen our knowledge of innovative and emerging creative talent.

Our Spaces

Within the building there are two theatre spaces. The Matcham Auditorium seats 489 and our Walker Studio is a flexible space that can seat up to 60. Technical specifications for these spaces can be found here.

We also have several other smaller spaces in the building that are available to hire for events, networking and meetings. More details can be found on our hire page.

How to get in touch

If you have a performance you'd like us to consider programming in one of our performance spaces, please get in touch by emailing Emma Proctor on programming@theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk

Please introduce yourself and your work, tell us how it fits into our programming strategy along with the deal you are looking for. Please send through a tour pack including images, copy, trailers, reviews, short tech spec (if you have them). Let us know if or when/where we can see your work and how we can find out more about what you do.

The team involved in the programming decisions meet every 2 weeks to discuss programming enquiries we have received. This is made up of our Executive Director, Katie, our Director of Patron Experience, Sarah and our Senior Communications and Programming Manager, Emma. Due to the number of enquiries we receive, we can only get back to companies whose performances we endeavour to include in our programme.

Things to note when contacting us about programming...

Our annual programme is split into three seasons:

Spring (January - Mid-April)

Summer (Mid-April - July)

Autumn (August - December)

We currently programme up to 18 months in advance and leave 18 months between re-booking the same show. Our auditorium is dark from July - August and we do not programme work during this time. We produce a Youth Musical at the end of August and a Pantomime in November/December each year and therefore do not take bookings during these months.

Due to the make up of our audience / restrictions of our auditorium, there are a few things we do not programme. These include: Hypnotists, Mediums, Wrestling events, Contemporary Dance, Pantomimes (including adult pantos) and Comedians whose work includes discriminatory material or centres on strongly polarising political or societal views.

For full information on what is covered in our agreements with visiting companies, including details on technical and marketing provision, please see our terms and conditions.