Engagement

At Fuel, we place audiences at the heart of what we do. This is really important to us, as we try to produce performances that give audiences a good night out, with new ideas to think about and different perspectives on the world we share.

Work with audiences and communities is woven throughout our creative processes and continues beyond the production. This might be as part of research and development phases, finding moments to connect whilst work is created, or creating the work with us. It might happen around the shows themselves, whether physically or online, choosing unconventional performance locations, creating space for conversations or removing barriers to accessing the work. All of this is paramount to producing work that connects with audiences and has an impact.

Since 2004 we have reached 500,000+ audiences, 3000+ participants, presenting work from Ullapool to Totnes, from inner-city schools to village halls, from working men’s clubs to the National Theatre, for all ages – always, in our very DNA, with audience experience at the heart of our mission. We choose to work with artists who seek to connect meaningfully with audiences in a conversation about the world we live in and how we relate to each other in that world.

Community Tickets Scheme

We have made a commitment to work with partners on providing 10% of our tickets for free to targeted groups who may not attend the theatre otherwise.
For the 2019 tour of Barber Shop Chronicles, this enabled us to offer almost 4,000 tickets to 267 community groups, and for many, it was their first theatre experience.
“It made me realise that I need to find more of where cultural plays are being shown”

Hartlepool Monkey

In 2020 an interactive version of The Hartlepool Monkey was created to engage the local community. Created to provide a creative experience during Covid restrictions, 1,890 packs were delivered to schools, families and individuals in Hartlepool which invited the audience to creatively engage with the story and their local area. ‘I just loved it! Looking back all the challenges have helped me grow!’

Peaceophobia

Co-created with Common Wealth, Speaker’s Corner and Bradford Modified Club, Peaceophobia is an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world. Part car-meet part-theatre, the show explores how you find peace in a world that tells you who you are. As with all of Common Wealth’s work, Peaceophobia places community right at the centre of the creative process. Peaceophobia will tour from September 2021.

Love Letters

With Love Letters Straight From The Heart, and the digital version Love Letters At Home, audience engagement becomes the show. Audiences are invited to make musical dedications and the production is unique to each audience every night.
“The gratitude and love I felt during and after the performance was amazing. I felt so supported and able to fully immerse myself in the show. It was a stunning performance of the words that I deeply believe touched each and every one of us this evening. It was beautiful. Thank you”

Fuel is a Wellcome Trust Sustaining Excellence partner, enabling us to explore research-led creative processes with artists, scientists, and established culture institutes such the appointment of Fuel’s Associate Scientist, Dr Magda Osman of Queen Mary University of London.