Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an umbrella organisation for West End theatre in London. Founded in 1908, SOLT is the not-for-profit organisation which provides a collective voice for the theatre owners, producers and managers of all the major commercial and grant-aided theatres across London. As well as protecting the interests of all its member theatres, SOLT promotes theatregoing through OfficialLondonTheatre.com, the printed fortnightly London Theatre Guide, the TKTS ticket booth, and Theatre Tokens. SOLT administers the audience development initiatives Kids Week and London Theatre's New Year Sale, and runs large-scale events such as the Olivier Awards, West End LIVE, and TheatreCraft. SOLT also supports a number of theatrical charities including Stage One and Mousetrap Theatre Projects.
Video Society of London Theatre
Organization
SOLT is managed by a board consisting of 15 directors, each elected by the Membership, who are chaired by the SOLT President. Kenny Wax was elected in 2017, and will be President until 2020, with Caro Newling as the elected President from 2014-2017.
Maps Society of London Theatre
TKTS Ticket Booth
TKTS, originally known as 'The Half Price Ticket Booth', is run by SOLT on behalf of the theatre industry. Operating since 1980 in the heart of Leicester Square, this discounted ticket booth offers customers a wide choice of discount theatre tickets on the day of the performance and in advance. There are also regularly full price tickets available through the booth.
Tickets can only be bought from TKTS in person, providing personal service from knowledgeable staff. Each TKTS ticket includes a booking fee of £3 on discount theatre tickets and £1 on full price tickets.
TKTS is accredited by the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) and all ticket sales are made following the STAR code of practice.
All profits made from SOLT, including TKTS, go straight back into the industry.
Official London Theatre
OfficialLondonTheatre.com
Official London Theatre (OLT) is the premier website for London theatre. An incredible resource for all the latest West End news, it also boasts a wealth of features and interviews alongside comprehensive listings that include trailers, cast lists, production shots and more. OLT offers secure online ticketing for all major West End shows and, ticket offers, hotel and meal packages, information about assisted performances and tips to improve your theatregoing experience.
Social Media
Official London Theatre has an active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
The Official London Theatre Facebook page has over 184k likes, making it the largest page for London theatre news. The channel also hosts Theatre Lounge Live! - a live and interactive showcase of the best from the world's two theatrical capitals, exclusively on Facebook. The live videos consist of cast members performing a song followed by a Q&A, and fans are encouraged to comment along and ask questions directly to their favourite theatre stars. Theatre Lounge Live! is presented by Official London Theatre and the American Theatre Wing, and is supported by LiveU.
Official London Theatre (@london_theatre) partnered with Twitter (via @TwitterStage) to bring users Theatre #TwitterTalks.
On Instagram (@londontheatre) cast members from a variety of shows often takeover the account, providing exclusive behind the scenes access.
As of November 2017, Official London Theatre's YouTube channel boasts more than 8500 subscribers and over 5 million views. The channel hosts video features, show trailers, as well as exclusive videos from West End LIVE and the Olivier Awards.
Official London Theatre Guide
Alongside the website, a printed London Theatre Guide is produced fortnightly with show listings and theatre news. The free guide has a distribution of 135,000 and is available to pick up in London theatres and at major tourist outlets across the UK. The printed booklet contains listings for shows playing in the West End, dance and opera productions, and a selection of Off-West End shows, as well as the London Underground map and a map of Theatreland.
Accessibility
SOLT is committed to making theatre as accessible as possible.
SOLT produces the Access London Theatre brochure which lists upcoming Audio-described, Captioned, Sign Language Interpreted and Relaxed performances in London. The brochure also includes a Venue Access Guide which details access information for wheelchair users.
The free guide, which is delivered to over 1000 customers, is produced four times a year and is available in a range of formats including print, braille, and CD/MP3 format.
Upcoming accessible performances are also listed on OfficialLondonTheatre.com
Ticket Promotions
Official London Theatre has two annual ticket promotions: Kids Week in the Summer and London Theatre's New Year Sale in the Winter.
Kids Week
Kids Week offers children under 16 the opportunity to see a West End show for free when accompanied by a paying adult paying. Up to two extra children's tickets may also be purchased at half price. A variety of free theatre activities are also available for participants.
In 2012, Kids Week won 'Best Cultural Attraction' at the London Lifestyle Awards.
London Theatre's New Year Sale #GetIntoLondonTheatre
London Theatre's New Year Sale is a discount ticket promotion run by SOLT that takes place annually from January to mid-February. The scheme, initially launched in 2001, offers the public the chance to see over 40 of the capital's most popular shows (including plays, musicals, and dance) at the highly reduced prices of £10, £20, £30 and £40. There are no booking or postage fees.
Tickets can be purchased via OfficialLondonTheatre.com/new-year-sale/.
Mastercard cardholders can access the promotion through an exclusive presale via Priceless.com.
Major Events
Olivier Awards
The Olivier Awards (or simply the Oliviers) are presented annually by SOLT to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, they were renamed in honour of the British actor Laurence Olivier in 1984.
Awards are presented annually across a range of categories covering plays, musicals, dance, opera and affiliate theatre.The Olivier Awards are recognised internationally as the highest honour in British theatre, equivalent to Broadway's Tony Awards and France's Molière Award. Winners receive a bronze statuette of Sir Laurence Olivier playing Henry V in 1937. The awards have taken place at various hotels and theatres across London, including at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden from 2012-2016, before moving to the Royal Albert Hall in 2017.
The first awards ceremony took place in December 1976 at the Café Royal. The winners - who included Alan Howard, Peggy Ashcroft, Penelope Keith and Jonathan Miller - did not receive the iconic bronze statuette; the prize was a specially commissioned blue Wedgwood urn, causing the event to be nicknamed "The Urnies".
Award winners have included the leading names in British theatrical talent, including John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, Alec Guinness, Peggy Ashcroft, Harold Pinter, Peter Hall, Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Alan Bennett, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Ayckbourn, Maggie Smith, Gillian Lynne, Michael Frayn, Nicholas Hytner and Kevin Spacey.
West End LIVE
Alongside Westminster City Council, SOLT annually presents West End LIVE. This free, two-day festival in Trafalgar Square showcases the quality and diversity of London's world-class musical theatre. The event takes place over a weekend in June and regularly attracts a crowd of over 500,000 visitors.
TheatreCraft
TheatreCraft is London's largest, free careers event for 16-25 year olds interested in a career in theatre, in any non-performing role. The event is presented by SOLT alongside Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass, Royal Opera House and Mousetrap Theatre Projects.
The annual event gives young people the opportunity to gain ideas and understanding of how to further their interest and/or career, in areas such as producing, stage management, lighting, sound, costume, set design, marketing, journalism, directing and playwriting. Participants take part in workshops and Q&A sessions led by theatre professionals, explore a marketplace packed with more than 60 organisations and receive one-to-one advice from industry experts.
Since its inception, TheatreCraft has hosted over 300 exhibitors, 500 workshops, 950 one-to-one sessions and had more than 7500 young people through its doors.
In addition to the annual event, TheatreCraft also runs a series of free, interactive, monthly workshops.
Theatre Tokens
Theatre Tokens are national theatre gift vouchers that can be used at more than 240 venues nationwide, including all of London's West End.
The scheme was created in 1984 to encourage UK theatregoing and audience development, and remains the aim to this day.
Theatre Tokens can currently be redeemed via phone or in person. They can also be redeemed at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, and can be used towards the cost of a theatre break with Superbreak
Tokens can be purchased online as a plastic gift card or as an eGift, in person at a participating theatre, from high street retailers including WHSmith and Waterstones, and from the TKTS booth.
Customers can use all or part of the balance on a Gift Card or eGift to pay, or part-pay for theatre tickets at participating venues.
Charitable Activities
The Society makes charitable donations to the following organizations via the Theatre Development Trust (TDT):
- Stage One
- Laurence Olivier Bursary
- Mousetrap Theatre Projects
- UK Theatre - Industry Training & Events
References
External links
- Society of London Theatre's official website
- OfficialLondonTheatre.com (includes TKTS, New Year Sale, Kids Week, Olivier Awards, West End LIVE and Access).
- Theatre Tokens
- TheatreCraft
- Mousetrap Theatre Projects
- Stage One
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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