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ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Making Shakespeare and the theatre accessible to all
Being able to enjoy cultural productions of the very highest standards should not depend on one’s ethnic background. Too many people from minority ethnic backgrounds currently do not make full use of the theatre. To reverse this trend, the RSC wants to ensure that people from minority ethnic backgrounds have full access to its productions and that they find them relevant, challenging, exciting and rewarding. They commissioned ETHNOS to explore the perceptions and attitudes minority ethnic people have of the arts, the theatre, the RSC, a sample of RSC productions, and RSC promotional material.
To explore these issues, we used a combination of focus groups and escorted visits to RSC plays. We helped the RSC identify what deters black and Asian people from going to the theatre, what they want out of the theatre, what genres they tend to prefer, and what they think of the RSC communications strategy. This resulted in a detailed and targeted strategy which identifies who to target, what levers to press, how to present information in a clear, user-friendly and relevant fashion, what pricing strategy to follow, and where and how to promote the RSC.