The Stage

Off-West End strengthens consortium with website launch

Published Wednesday 9 November 2011 at 13:57 by Natalie Woolman

London’s leading Off-West End theatres have launched a website where theatregoers can browse shows and book tickets for 12 venues, in their latest venture to pool resources.

Tastetheatre.com has been set up by the London Theatre Consortium in order to develop audiences and promote the capital’s producing houses.

The consortium comprises the Almeida Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Bush Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Greenwich Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Tricycle Theatre and the Young Vic. In the past, consortium members have teamed up with green arts organisation Julie’s Bicycle to make them more sustainable, and last year they entered talks with the National Theatre about sharing some of its back office functions, such as HR and IT support.

The new website offers a number of ways for people to browse productions. These include complete listings, a lucky dip button to bring up something at random and a number of other keyword categories, in which browsers can choose from headings ranging from “different” to “epic” or “sensuous”.

Once visitors have chosen a show, they can book tickets through the site, create a Facebook event to ask friends to join them, add it to their calendars, recommend the production and email themselves the show details.

David Micklem, joint artistic director of BAC, said: “Taste Theatre is a great example of London theatres working together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. We hope this new website is just the start as we look to find new, innovative ways to collaborate in the future - crucial in the current climate and key to the future of subsidised theatre.”