Review of Achievements & Public: Benefit for 2022

The trustees have referred to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

2022 was the Minack's 90"' anniversary. This was marked through the creation of a temporary exhibition celebrating Rowena Cade's achievement and focussing on productions of The Tempest through the 90 years. A sculpture of Ariel was commissioned by local makers, Alice King and Mae Voogd and the education team focussed much of their work around The Tempest through the year including a trip by the Acting Academy to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre where they performed informally to arriving audiences. We attracted national media interest for our 90"" Anniversary including interviews on BBC Breakfast, ITV West Country and BBC Radio Derby.

216,235 people visited the Minack in 2022 (including show audiences), an expected, but significant increase on the 186,200 who visited in 2021. The shows performed to 70% capacity audiences across the traditional season from April to the end of September. A further 9,115 people watched one of 51 performances in March, October and December. After a remarkably dry season to the end of August, 2,669 tickets had to be refunded for nine cancelled performances and refunds were offered on a further five performances in the autumn as the weather significantly disrupted the experience for audiences.

Since 1976, the Minack has been run by a charity and has developed in recent years into a successful producing theatre with an extensive education offer without requiring any arts related funding. 

The trustees are committed to taking their responsibility to visitors, the local community and other stakeholders seriously.

The achievements and public benefits that the Minack provided in 2022 against the aims of the charity include:

I. Programme a wide range of theatre and other events to engage a diverse audience and enable active community participation while maintaining standards of excellence.

a. During 2022 we programmed 292 performances including 43 storytelling shows for children and families. We also held 2 play-reading sessions for an invited audience of friends and local residents. Of our main programme, 92 performances included community or non-professional players, an additional 69 involved children, young people or students and over 90 gave employment to Cornish-based professional companies or performers.

b. We staged 4 Minack productions, The Kiss That Missed, Hetty Feather, Songs Under the Stars and The Firework Maker's Daughter. The Firework Maker's Daughter was also performed at Prideaux Place in partnership with Tete a Tete Opera. The Kiss That Missed went on a national tour.

c. We also co-produced 2 productions: Superstition Mountain with Ha Hum Ah Theatre and Calvino Nights in cahoots with Mike Shepherd. Calvino Nights also performed at The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Superstition Mountain went on a national tour including to the Theatre Royal in Plymouth.

d. After two seasons of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we finally welcomed back 13 of our regular community based companies who were originally scheduled to perform in 2020.

e. Our audience in 2022 came from all parts of the UK, though the largest proportion were from the south-west and London. There were a small number of overseas visitors.

f. 98,088 people attended a performance at the Minack during 2022. 12% of our audience for performances were aged under 16 (rising to 42% for storytelling shows) and we issued 506 free tickets to carers accompanying people with access needs. Stating an age is an optional feature of our booking system but based on the sample of >20,000 audience members who did give their ages, 23% were 66 and older, 39% were aged 50 - 65, and 26% were 17 - 49.

2. Provide a wide range of creative opportunities to inspire people, particularly Cornish children and students, to learn and develop all skills associated with live performances.

a. In 2022 we expanded our educational programme to provide more creative opportunities and activities for young people.

b. The Minack Acting and Musical Theatre Academies continued to provide opportunities for young people to develop their skills, including workshops with established professionals in the sector. Our Acting Academy students all achieved either Merit or Distinction in Trinity Acting exams.

c. Students of the Musical Theatre Academy took part in Songs Under the Stars with West End performers Daniel Boys and Daisy Boyles and members of the Acting Academy took leading roles in Hetty Feather. The Acting Academy also performed 4 plays commissioned from new writers on the main stage as part of our Emerging Writers scheme.

d. In September we auditioned entrants for both Academies and have been able to maintain 24 places in each with an extended offer for the older students in the groups to support their progression to the next stage of their education.

e. The Arts Award programme continued to help students achieve recognised qualifications. In 2022, 19 students passed the introductory 'Discover' level and 14 passed 'Explore'. A further 6 are working towards their 'Explore'. In addition, 3 Minack Academy students gained their Bronze and one their Silver Arts Award. 6 students from our outreach programmes are also working towards their Bronze Arts Award.

f. Following 2021 's successful production of Ocean World, we worked again with Cornwall Music Service Trust to produce Kate Stilitz and Jilly Jarman's song cycle, One Small Bird. Once again this brought together over 200 students from schools across Cornwall, plus students from the Lockwood Urban School of Dance, the Minack Academies and Cornwall Youth Chamber Choir. 

g. We created a successful education programme for Shakespeare week, based on The Tempest. This was offered to schools throughout Cornwall resulting in 674 children from 25 schools experiencing a workshop based on the play all within one week.

h. We worked with students from 21 schools across west Cornwall (not including those who participated in Shakespeare Week) plus the Isles of Scilly and delivered a total of 6,028 student hours of engagement.

i. We expanded our outreach work to engage hard to reach children in deprived areas. Working with Three Villages, Trelya and Learn 2 we delivered 1,679 student hours of engagement. We also established Creativity Club, a weekly arts club for 7 to 11 year olds based in The Centre, Newlyn.

J. We ran a series of twelve 'Play in a Day' workshops which were free to the public, enabling people to enjoy a creative experience without the commitment of our more in depth programmes. While most of these were offered to specific age ranges of young people, 2 provided an opportunity for adults to participate.

k. We were delighted to bring back our join production with the British Theatre Academy, 24 Cornish students aged IO to 18 joined a similar size group from across the south east to rehearse and present Moana at the Minack in October half term week.

I. Following a change in local provision in Penzance, we formed a new musical theatre group, Rising Stars. This group meets weekly in Penzance and is open to anyone age 8 to 14. Over 45 young people will be staging Annie Junior in St John's Hall in Penzance in February 2023. 

3. Educate visitors about Rowena Cade, her story and that of the Minack. Inspire them through creative presentation of exhibitions, live narration and digital interpretation.

a. We ran a series of 5 guided tours to tell people the story of the Minack in a variety of imaginative ways, from the story of Billy and Miss Cade to an escape room style treasure hunt. These tours proved very popular and were delivered to a total of 975 people throughout the year.

b. We continued to offer a digital audio tour, downloadable onto a mobile phone for people to use to view the theatre at their own pace.

4. Develop and nurture the natural environment of the Minack, especially the garden, to enhance the experience of visiting the theatre and inspire people through its unique balance of natural and human art.

a. Throughout 2022 our garden team continued to work to make the Minack garden more accessible and appealing to the public, remodelling paths to create easier access and putting particular emphasis on keeping pathways clear and bedding areas weeded and trimmed.

b. The garden team developed a new plan for the garden to enable plants to thrive better and to give a better viewing experience to the public. This includes grouping plants in the same

area so it is easier to see the differences within plant families such as Eryngiums (Sea Holly) and Agapanthus. We will continue to work on this.

c. In more exposed areas where high levels of damage occur we have started to use hardy annuals and annual bedding plants that are a cheaper alternative when it comes to being replaced.

d. We have also continued to plant more hardy perennials, which suffer less damage as they are dormant in the harsher winter months. This also reduces the necessity to replace plants in Spring.

e. The garden team have thinned out the existing planting to give individual plants more space, making them stronger and more able to cope in winter. This is essential to preserve succulents and South African plants.

f. The 2021 experiment to lay new turf in the autumn worked well: the grass had longer to root and become stronger and therefore lasted better through the 2022 season. The turf on the well-used rows was renewed again in the autumn of 2022 ready for 2023.

g. The Minack was awarded Plastic Free status during 2021 as part of Planet PK's bid for the village to be designated Plastic Free and has continued to operate with minimal use of single use plastic products.

5. Provide sustainable, modern facilities for audiences, visitors, staff and performers that are suitable to the unique environment of the Minack.

a. The Estates Management Strategy is now in place. This is a framework within which the buildings and grounds can be developed in order to accommodate the medium to long term strategic aims of the Minack as a theatre and a visitor destination.

b. Further progress has been made through 2022 to ascertain the structural integrity of Rowena Cade's original work which dates from 1932 to the late 1970s. A detailed survey has been received from a concrete specialist and a maintenance and replacement strategy is now in place to protect the iconic features of the Minack stage and auditorium.

6, Develop and support an outstanding team of versatile people to ensure visitors, performing companies and participants enjoy a life enhancing experience at the Minack.

a. The Minack is one of the area's biggest employers with a total wage and salary bill of £937,558 in 2022 (202 /: £791,703).

b. The Minack employed 35 people year-round and 60 people during the height of the performing season.

c. All staff age over the age of 21 were paid at least I Op above the 'Real Living Wage' (£9.90 per hour) and were offered flexible working. Over 85% of staff live in the rural area to the west of Penzance. From I January 2023 the minimum wage for all staff over the age of 21 will be £ I I per hour which remains I Op above the 'Real Living Wage' as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.

d. Staff training through the year focussed on training the staff in operational aspects such as first aid, safeguarding, fire safety and terrorism awareness. Over the final months of 2022 and into 2023 there is a focus on strengthening management skills of all those with management responsibilities and a refresher course on the Visitor Experience Strategy for all visitor-facing staff.

e. Over 130 freelance practitioners were engaged on Minack productions and the education programme during the year. 72% of these are based in Cornwall. We recognise the challenges for people working on short term contracts and always work to treat them fairly, offering paid development opportunities and being conscious to ensure planning time is factored into contract arrangements.

7. Develop retail and catering strategies to meet the reasonable expectations of visitors given the nature of the site and generate funds to support aims I to 6. Retail and catering provision was affected by a lack of available staff within the area. The cafe could not be fully opened until July 2022. The spend per head on catering was £1.72, a slight drop on 2021's £1.77. The Minack continued to source almost all goods for resale from within the Cornish economy and continued to minimise use of single use plastics within this area of operation.

8. Generate sufficient funds through core activities to achieve aims I to 6 in a viable manner for the very long term. Unlike most theatres in the UK, the Minack depends almost exclusively on earned income. In 2022 we were able to achieve a surplus to maintain our ongoing programmes and help protect the historic fabric of the Minack Theatre. In 2022 the Minack made a direct annual contribution to the Cornish economy of over £2m. It attracted 216,235 visitors, of whom 90% had home addresses outside Cornwall. The majority of these visited as part of their holiday in Cornwall, staying locally and spending at other businesses on their way to and from the theatre. 

Wherever possible, the Minack sources goods and services from within Cornwall. Over the last twenty years, using Cornish companies, it has completed building projects costing more than £2,000,000.