Maddermarket Theatre

Working as Front of house manager tonight for arguably the most famous rep theatre in Norwich. The Maddermarket theatre, founded in 1921 by Nugent Monk, has been recognised by many industry “professionals” over the years. Listening to the current production “allo, allo” and hearing the laughter from the audience I am once again considering the eternal question of how we entice people out of their homes on such a dark, wet and chilly night to frequent the theatre (or in fact any entertainment venue). What do our audiences want to see? What will encourage them out? And how do we get them to our respective theatres? The “my theatre matters” campaign rightly calls us to promote our theatres to the elected councils, but how do encourage the public to partake of what's on offer? How can we be more customer orientated and provide what our audiences need? From their comments to me on their way out, perhaps what we all need is a good excuse to leave our troubles behind for a couple of hours and laugh like we've never laughed before! For me, this is a perfect chance to meet with those that would watch me act and find out what they enjoy. Can I step up to the mark? I'll do my very best! As house manager I'll do everything I can to make their experience a great one. As an actor I'll do my very best to entertain. Well done to the cast and crew tonight and thank you for allowing me to be part of it.

Terry Cant, currently performing in Allo Allo at the Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich.