Helping young people get into theatre with the Prologue scheme | Vicky Meets

Vicky meets... Helena Jacques-Morton, senior marketing officer at Chichester Festival Theatre.
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• What does your role entail?

My role is mainly marketing campaigns for shows and audience development. We work hard to develop new audiences, and I particularly focus on young people. We do this through our Prologue scheme for 16-30 year olds, and our Youth Advisory Board, which was set up two years ago. I also programme and manage our CFT Lates programme, which offers something a bit different.

• Where does your interest in theatre stem from – and what was your first impression of the Festival Theatre?

Helena Jacques-Morton, senior marketing officer, Chichester Festival TheatreHelena Jacques-Morton, senior marketing officer, Chichester Festival Theatre
Helena Jacques-Morton, senior marketing officer, Chichester Festival Theatre
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I was lucky enough to be taken to the theatre a lot as a child. I also did a lot of am dram with my Dad. When I came for the interview at the Festival Theatre I was struck by how much they were already doing and how much potential there was to reach even more audiences. My favourite thing is being in a room with some of our young Prologue Ambassadors and hearing their ideas. It’s so great to watch them all sparking ideas off each other. It’s a privilege to then try to find ways to make them happen.

• Why is developing younger audiences so important?

Because younger audiences are the future. We have been incredibly fortunate to have had a loyal audience for 60 years, but we want to make sure that a new generation of audience will be with us for the next 60 years. Offering something to people of all ages makes the Festival Theatre more accessible. The Prologue scheme is a free membership to people between the ages of 16 and 30. It gives people the chance to buy a ticket for any show for just £5. You can try theatre without it costing you a fortune. So whether you’re studying drama at university or you just have a passing interest, it means you can take a risk; you can see everything and develop and refine your taste for less than the price of two cups of coffee. But there’s more to the Prologue scheme than just seeing shows. We want people to feel that the theatre is somewhere they can spend time; to just ‘be’ in the café, for instance. Prologue members also get exclusive discounts and have the opportunity to get involved in workshops, special cast meet-and-greets and other events.

• It’s the theatre’s 60th anniversary. What can we expect?

It’s our biggest season yet in terms of number of shows. It is exciting in terms of the new work that we are staging, and there are more events than ever before – comedy, cabaret, live music, things happening for families on the park – it really captures that festival spirit; diverse, exciting and with lots of community engagement.

• And you’re hosting a special Pride event too, I believe?

We are really excited for the first ever Chichester Pride and we are hosting the unofficial pre-Pride party on May 27 with Whose Wig Is It Anyway.

• Where can we book and find further information?

Please visit www.cft.org.uk

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