Business Friend of the New Vic Theatre
Proud to be a Business Friend of the New Vic
Katatomic is a Staffordshire business, and we know how much the region benefits from having a world-class theatre on its doorstep.
The New Vic in Newcastle under Lyme is one of the UK’s most successful producing theatres, and we’re proud to support it as a Business Friend.
The Business Friends programme is a way for local companies to contribute to the theatre’s work. All sponsorship income goes directly into supporting productions and the community and education programmes that make the New Vic more than just a venue. It’s a small contribution to something that makes this part of the world a better, more interesting place to live and work.
“Not long after relocating from Cheshire to Staffordshire, my wife surprised me with tickets to a performance at the New Vic.
I’m slightly ashamed to admit that before attending, I entertained an uncharitable suspicion that theatre in the round in Newcastle-under-Lyme could hardly rival the likes of Manchester’s Royal Exchange.
How wrong I was.
Everything about the performance, the venue and the people was first-rate. We left as converts, and the chance to support the theatre via the Business Friends scheme has been something of a privilege.
I’d urge anyone who hasn’t visited to give it a try, and if you’re a local business looking for a genuinely worthwhile way to support the arts in our community, I couldn’t recommend it more highly.“
Tom Hall, Managing Director
About the New Vic
When the New Vic opened in 1986, it became Europe’s first purpose built theatre in the round. Nearly four decades later, it remains a genuine cultural landmark.
Theatre in the round is exactly what it sounds like: the audience surrounds the stage on all sides. It’s an ancient format, common in Greek and Roman theatre, but largely forgotten until a handful of pioneers revived it in the 20th century. In Britain, that pioneer was Stephen Joseph. In the 1950s, concerned that theatre was losing audiences to television and cinema, he believed the intimacy of in the round performance could bring people back. He was right. The format demands a different kind of acting. More immediate, more real. It puts the audience closer to the performance than any conventional stage.
Joseph’s touring company performed in Newcastle under Lyme’s Civic Hall before eventually settling in a converted cinema in Stoke on Trent as the Victoria Theatre. The dream of a purpose built venue took another two decades to realise, but in 1986 the New Vic finally opened its doors.
More than a theatre
The New Vic engages around 150,000 people every year. That’s not just audiences watching productions, though there are plenty of those, including critically acclaimed in house work that has earned standing ovations from the national press.
Beyond the main stage, the theatre runs an award winning community programme called Borderlines and education work that together reach around 25,000 people annually. In 2014, it became the first building based theatre outside London to become a National Theatre Studio Affiliate.
The theatre also leads Appetite, an Arts Council England programme designed to engage more people in Stoke on Trent with the arts. In an area that doesn’t always get its fair share of cultural investment, the New Vic works hard to increase aspiration, empower communities, and make a genuine difference.
Visit the New Vic
If you haven’t been, you should go. There’s nothing quite like watching a performance with the action happening right in front of you, surrounded by other audience members rather than staring at a distant stage.
The New Vic is on Etruria Road in Newcastle under Lyme. You can see what’s on and book tickets at newvictheatre.org.uk.