2013/14 has been a revolutionary year for the Castle Theatre, having completely turned this business around. We now generate the most income out of all the commercial theatres in the North West as well as being responsible for some of the most entertaining and innovative performances to date.

After many months of preparation and careful planning, we began renovation. The theatre underwent huge refurbishment and now has one of the most beautiful, ornate auditoriums thank you to local artist Ben Jenkins. We modernised all of our facilities such as Restrooms, Box office and we have even introduced our very own 4 star restaurant and cafe/bar which is accessible to both customers and the general public. Complimenting our physical improvements, we have also improved our quality of service by making sure our staff are fully trained and nothing less than perfect for the position they are given. We encourage enthusiasm and positivity and strive to give our customers the incredible experience they deserve.

We have also created an entirely new program including a new, wider variety of shows including Christmas Pantomimes, Cultural Showcases and Educational plays.

Over all, the Castle Theatre has made an incredible come back and I am astonished at the response from the public. We have managed to accomplish what looked like an impossible task at the beginning of 2013, creating a beautiful Theatre which hosts stunning shows with amazing staff and spotless facilities, all to accomidate every kind of customer to the best of our ability. I am more than proud to officially announce that the Castle Theatre is back and better than ever.

This pie chart shows our Team at the Castle Theatre and how we operate.

The number shown below the Labelled title is the number of staff we have under that category. (eg. we have 23 members of staff working in communications)

The significant changes we made to or staffing structure have benefited us greatly by allowing us to run much more efficiently as a team, providing a 5 star service to everyone, resulting in a positive, enthusiastic environment.

Our staff are now fully trained for the positions they are given, as well as being provided with sufficient training (eg. First Aid, Team building workshops, communications work shops etc) to enable them to provide the finest quality of service. All of our staff members are passionate about their work and enjoy it thoroughly which we find most important because happy, smiling, approachable staff are vital in this industry, therefore we do not allow anything less.

Under new regulations our hiring process has also been changed as we now give candidates extensive induction training to ensure they meet the extremely high standards we would expect. This allows us to see the full potential of our candidates before giving them the job.

We are currently liked with The Blackpool and Fylde College and their Performing Arts and Business departments, offering work experience, part time jobs and even full time jobs for when they leave higher education. This benefits us as it provides us with confident, enthusiastic staff who are passionate about theatre, enhancing our 'Family' like team. 

Work experience can be arranged (WITHOUT PAY) for people seeking to go into the Performing Arts and Theatre industry. The positions open for work experience are as follows; Front of House, Box office, Concessions and refreshments/merchandise. The maximum time we allow for work experience is 6 weeks, this allows time for a full experience of the Theatre and gives a good insight into the industry and how we work.

*VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ALSO AVAILABLE please get in contact for more details*

This year our new program was put into place to generate new revenew by reeling in a wider range of audiences. Our shows now range from pantomime and kids theatre to stand up comedy and traditional Dramas. We have boosted our ticket sales by 40% in 2014 alone, as well as boosting overall income by 70%, having over 190,000 people attend our performances over the year.

For our program, we decided to do certain shows at certain times during different seasons. For example; during the summer, due to the increase in tourists and school holidays, we will put on more children friendly shows in order for families to come to watch a show together and to match the happy, summer feel of the town. In winter, we will put on Christmas themed shows and our classic pantomimes to draw audiences in, getting them into the festive spirit. Our most suggested show for Christmas time was 'A Christmas Carol' and we have taken this into consideration and hope to put it on for our upcoming winter season. We also show GCSE related shows such as Shakespeare and Of Mice and Men during spring, assisted by the well known Big Wheel theatre in education company to draw in GCSE students as it may help with their studies for English and Drama. We try to put on the most appropriate shows for that season, depending on what it popular or most suggested, drawing more people in for a thoroughly enjoyable performance. We have also decided to introduce a completely new, innovative idea to the audiences of the Castle theatre. We will be putting on short, cultural performances, getting performers in from different diversities and cultures to showcase their beliefs, culture and talents. For example; during the summer we are set to put on a showcase including African tribal dance in an almost carnival like way which will allow the audience to get involved.

Last Christmas the Castle Theatre opened its doors for the first time in new management, presenting 'Jack and the beanstalk' featuring celebrities including the local celebrity, Barney Harwood the children's television presenter which was performed over the Christmas period for all audiences to enjoy. This production seated over 50,000 people, selling out on a high percentage of shows. Jack and the Beanstalk was quite literally our 'Christmas Miracle' as it was our first major production since taking over the Theatre and it was such a huge success that it gave us the income to invest in better shows for the future and much more, as well as boosting our confidence and giving us more motivation to re-build the reputation of the Castle Theatre.

A huge highlight of our first year in management has definitely got to be the showing of our biggest musical in 6 years. Due to the huge success of the Christmas pantomime, we were able to put on yet another astonishing performance which stared  Amanda Holden and Alexandra Burke in the world famous Wicked. This enticed new audiences, creating over 1000 new members of our 'Castle Club', the Membership scheme we introduced which enables club card holders to get discounts off tickets and food/drink. The Musical received 5 star reviews from the local press and external Theatre Critics, as well as the theatre itself receiving praise for its facilities and customer service.

As well as being performed, the show was also streamed to the local hospices such as Trinity Hospice and Victoria Hospital. These were for the patients who couldn't make it to the theatre, so instead we took the theatre to them, giving them a magical experience and educating them in our countries well renowned culture.

A chart displaying the percentages of people who watched each type of show.

Our most viewed shows are definitely our Pantomimes due to their extremely long running time, their theme which most of the time, will be Christmas themes over the winter season, or they will be for children which brings in lots of school trips or families meaning a larger sale of tickets, and their popularity.

Even though our Comedy and Dance shows are the lowest percentage, they are still very popular but they may only show a couple of times rather than over a whole season, resulting in a lower percentage but still manage to sell out most shows.

A chart displaying the different areas from which our audience traveled.

A majority of our audience do come from the North because we are based in the North and therefore it is more accessible. However, we do get a good number of tourists meaning the rest of our audiences come from all over the country.

Ideally, we are looking to improve our percentage of audience coming from the south as only 10% come up from the south to watch our shows. We feel that if we encourage audiences from other more distant regions it will benefit the diversity of the theatre as well as becoming more of an iconic theatre in the UK.

A chart displaying the different ages of our audience.

As most of our local residents are elderly or very young, a high percentage of our audiences are Elderly people who either come during the day or come on an arranged trip wtih their care home, and younger school children who come with school or with their families.

We try our best to present a wide range of shows, catering to every kind of audience, but the elderly and children are our main audience, making up over half of the percentage of our customers.

We regularly send out digital surveys to our customers to find out what they thought of the shows, the service and the overall experience. We then collate all of our responses and review them in order to cater to what our audiences want. This can include requested shows being put on and even discounted ticket prices or special opportunities such as workshops and backstage access.

Recently, we have had different requests for children's theatre, mainly aiming the shows at primary school kids over Christmas to help educate them on Religion and the meaning behind Christmas. Using thing feedback, we have now got 4 shows prepared for different schools in the area to come and view over November-December period.

We also had young people in the area who are interested in theatre requesting workshops with some of the actors or directors to give them experience and information about the industry. We now run a workshop ever Saturday morning for ages 14+ to help develop their skills whilst giving them an insight into the profession.

Individual Membership schemes are now available for residents living withing the Fylde. These give regular customers early notification for new shows, discounted tickets, discounts off concessions and other amazing opportunities offered by the Castle Theatre all for just 30 pounds per year. With each year of being a member, you are given more and more discount off your tickets; First Year is 15%, Second year is 20% and Third year is 30%.

We also do a special Family Membership for only 55 pounds a year which includes free passes to children's workshops, discounts off concessions and discounted tickets. Children's Theatre tickets also have a further discount, meaning you get 25% off when bringing your children to see a show.

This funding is essential in the upkeep, maintenance and care of the magnificent building, as well as contributing towards the productions we get in for the audiences; eg. West end musicals/plays such as wicked, The Woman in Black, War horse etc.

The Castle Theatre now provides the public with the option of sponsoring a seat or brick inside the auditorium, making a great present for any great Theatre lover or even a sentimental memorial. The money from these sponsors goes towards the renovation of the building to help maintain its beauty.

SPONSOR A SEAT - rose gold plaque with name on back of the seat- 100.00

SPONSOR A BRICK - silver plaque with name AND date of birth on inside of auditorium - 40.00

Build a Castle Charity is brand a charity founded by the Castle theatre which works on funding the upkeep and maintenance of the Castle Theatre. We feel that Theatres are a huge part of our culture in the UK and it is vital for the sake of educating our younger generations that we maintain the splendor of our Theatres.

We founded our charity during December 2013. After settling for the name 'Build A Castle' and creating a structure, we created a Governing Document which then allowed us to apply to become a fully operating Charity.

Donations are encouraged and very much appreciated, even if it is only the last few pennies in your pocket, every little helps.

Our facilities are now available to hire for events, meetings, classes, workshops etc.

Small room - 12.00 per hour

Medium room - 18.00 per hour

Large room - 25.00 per hour

Our spaces are used regularly for business meetings by corporate businesses in the area, workshops for any ages by popular acting schools and academies, weekend showcases also by schools, colleges and academies, auditions for drama schools or parts in local productions and even vintage fairs!

Please contact our box office for further information and availablility for booking.

For some who are passionate about the theatre and our countries culture, leaving money to The Castle Theatre may be an option. This is a highly honorable donation and we appreciate the donation very much as it goes towards helping us maintain our stunning theatre and further our progress, allowing us to provide more for our community in terms of entertainment and education.

The future for the Castle Theatre is looking incredibly bright. Over the next 5 years we plan to transfer our ticket sales through the Ticketmaster ticket agency, expanding our availability of tickets to a national audience, so people can easily and efficiently buy tickets for our shows from the comfort of their own home. This means quicker purchase and a wider range of audiences.

We aspire to become a Producing house as well as a receiving house, producing more abstract shows such as Physical Theatre which will be funded by The Arts council as a National Portfolio Organisation, being one of the main Theatres in the North West presenting different types of entertainment.

We are also in negotiation with local training providers to provide more work experience for more higher education students, as well as ALRA and LIPA so that their students can come to us for work experience in the business, giving them essential information, advice and training in the Theatre industry. This will hopefully be introduced early in 2015.

As well as being in partnership with local training providers, we hope to start business partnerships with other large scale producers/receiving houses/theatre companies for residencies such as local media and marketing companies and even work with bigger names such as Cameron Mackintosh and Bill Kenwright. This would be ideal in order for us to branch out and become a much more diverse theatre.