Creative Conversations

Community Voice at Norwich Theatre

At Norwich Theatre, we want people to feel heard, valued and welcome. We want our audiences, artists, communities, and partners to know their views matter and can help shape our decisions.  By listening to a wide range of voices and learning from people’s experiences, we can ensure our work remains relevant, inclusive and shaped by the people and communities around us.

We’ve learned that when we take time to listen, we build stronger relationships, make better decisions and create experiences that feel more relevant to people. We’ve also learned that listening isn’t just about asking questions. It’s about showing people how their feedback and ideas make a difference.

Creative Conversations

We’re bringing this work together under Creative Conversations. This is our commitment to listening, learning and responding across the organisation – either through existing or new approaches.

Often, we will listen through emails, phone calls, surveys, and conversations. Other times, we’ll listen, learn, and respond through projects, partnerships, or events. The important thing is that we’re creating opportunities to hear from people, consolidating what we hear and how we respond, and using what we learn to shape what we do next.

Creative Assembly was an important part of our listening approach. As we move forward, if a particular topic needs more focused discussion, we may bring together a Creative Assembly. These gatherings bring together people with different experiences and viewpoints to explore issues such as accessibility, inclusion, community priorities, and audience experience, helping us find ideas and solutions together.