Today marks World Theatre Day, and we might be biased, but we love theatre! It is not just about the spotlight and applause (although that is great); it is about the connection that happens when a community comes together.
As a charity, we work hard to bring creative experiences to as many people as possible. Thanks to our community’s support, we reached new heights last year, and the numbers tell an incredible story of creativity, community and growth.
Across our three venues and on our UK tours, we welcomed a staggering 534,000 visitors who came to see Hamilton, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Book of Mormon, Andy Parsons, Josie Long, Michael Rosen, Juliette Burton, Spy Movie: The Play! and Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana.
Best of all, 92,000+ of those visitors were new faces, experiencing the magic of the theatre for the very first time!
Last year, we provided over 22,000 free tickets to community groups, as well as an additional 7,000 tickets for £10 or less to our MyTheatre members. We were also proud to work with 47 local schools, which saw over 11,000 school children come in to be inspired by live performances.
Our work reaches far beyond the stage with our Take Part programme, engaging 3,500 people in workshops that include dancing, singing, acting, theatre-making, and free activities, all designed to improve wellbeing through creativity.
We embarked on our most ambitious community engagement project to date, Norwich Hamlets. The project brought together participants who used Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a starting point to tell modern, vital stories about life in Norwich today. The resulting production was a brave, inclusive, and innovative promenade experience that took audiences on a journey through five city locations.
None of this would be possible without our dedicated team of 181 volunteers, who donated over 55,000 hours of their time to support our work and welcome our visitors to our shows.
Of course, half the fun of the theatre is the time spent at our bars and restaurants before a show or during the interval. In that time, we served 97,000 ice creams and over 155,800 pints of beer across our bars.
2025 was a significant year for Norwich Theatre, marking an overall economic impact of over £58 million.
As we look ahead through 2026, we are more dedicated than ever to keeping creativity alive for our community and beyond. Thank you for being part of our story!
Find out how you can support our mission for creative experiences for all here: https://norwichtheatre.org/friends-support/