Type of Work
Writing | Creative Strategy
Topic
Storytelling and Audience Engagement
Challenge
How do you communicate the impact of audience development in a way that goes beyond attendance figures?
As a Black African and Caribbean Audience Development Ambassador at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, I joined a programme focused on strengthening relationships with communities that have historically been underrepresented in theatre audiences.
Alongside promoting productions and engaging local communities, ambassadors were given opportunities to contribute to the theatre’s wider audience engagement work. Writing a feature for Spotlight magazine about the Soweto Gospel Choir demonstrated the value of bringing an ambassador’s perspective into the theatre’s storytelling.
As the programme evolved, it became clear that while meaningful relationships were being built, there was no single piece of work capturing its story, learning or impact. That gap presented an opportunity to document not just what the programme had done, but why it mattered.
Contribution
Building on my editorial feature for Spotlight magazine, I proposed the idea of producing the Black African and Caribbean Audience Development Impact Report and went on to lead its development and write the publication.
Rather than producing a report centred on activities and attendance figures, I approached it as the story of a programme: how it was experienced by the ambassadors, what it had achieved, what had been learned and where it could go next. By bringing together participant reflections, programme insights and recommendations for the future, the report demonstrated that audience development is about far more than increasing attendance. It is about creating opportunities for people to feel welcomed, represented and connected to cultural spaces.
The publication also established a model for documenting audience development in a way that captured not only what had happened, but why it mattered.
Outcome
The Black African and Caribbean Audience Development Impact Report was launched on the press night of Marie and Rosetta, starring Wolverhampton’s own Beverley Knight. The launch brought together ambassadors, partners, stakeholders and members of the press, with invitations extended to Black African and Caribbean publications to celebrate both the production and the wider impact of the programme.
The report was warmly received and celebrated the voices, experiences and achievements of the ambassadors while capturing the wider learning from the programme. It demonstrated that documenting audience development could be about more than reporting activity; it could also tell the story of relationships, representation and lasting change.
Perhaps most significantly, the report influenced the theatre’s own approach to impact reporting. What began as a proposal to document one programme inspired Wolverhampton Grand Theatre to begin producing impact reports for its wider work, recognising the value of capturing not only what had been delivered, but the difference it had made.
Reflection
Audience development begins long before someone buys a ticket. People build relationships with organisations when they recognise themselves within the stories those organisations choose to tell.
Writing the report reminded me that storytelling is not simply about promoting events or celebrating success. It is about documenting learning, amplifying voices and helping organisations understand the impact they are creating through the people they serve.
The report reinforced something I’ve come to believe deeply: people are more likely to engage with an organisation when they can see themselves reflected in it. Sometimes that starts with a programme. Sometimes it starts with a conversation. Sometimes it starts with a story.