Roll up for #LoveTheatre day on Twitter

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Fans of the stage are invited to join an exciting global celebration of theatre tomorrow with the first ever #LoveTheatre day on Twitter, featuring live updates from some of the UK’s best known venues.

Three hundred theatres and drama organisations will be coming together tomorrow (19 November) to give theatre fans around the world an exclusive, behind-the-scenes view of life backstage as they prepare for the busy Christmas season.

The National Theatre of Scotland (@NTSOnline) will be sharing videos from their archive, the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (@WolvesGrand) will be giving a sneak peak behind the scenes as they prepare for their pantomime Peter Pan, and the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield (@crucibletheatre) will live-Tweet a performance of Queen Coal.

Other well-known theatres taking part include Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House (@RoyalOperaHouse), Shakespeare’s Globe (@The_Globe), Glyndebourne opera house (@Glyndebourne) and the National Theatre (@NationalTheatre). They will be joined by smaller fringe venues, regional theatres, playhouses and drama groups from across the UK and beyond. Check out this full list of participants.

To join in, you can follow along by searching for the hashtag #LoveTheatre on Twitter, which will highlight exciting updates over the course of the day. 

Tune in to see exclusive pictures and videos, question and answer sessions with theatre staff, virtual tours and more.

Mar Dixon (@MarDixon) runs the @CultureThemes project. She has been working in partnership with @TwitterUK and the Guardian Culture Professionals Network (@GdnCulturePros) to bring #LoveTheatre day to life. She said:

“I am so excited to host the first ever #LoveTheatre day on Twitter. Following your local theatre on Twitter is a great way to keep up to date with their news and be the first to hear any announcements or updates. Many theatres and production companies are experiencing budget cuts at the moment, so more than ever it is important that people support their favourite theatres.

#LoveTheatre day will bring together all the fantastic theatre-related stuff happening on Twitter into one place at one time. It’s especially exciting as many venues are preparing for Christmas. We’re expecting Twitter to come to life with an explosion of colour and creativity on Wednesday so follow along on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss out!”

There will be three sessions throughout the day, each with their own hashtag so you can join the conversation:

  1. #BackStage: 10 a.m. to 12-noon GMT: an access-all-areas glimpse into how a production comes together. Who are the people behind your favourite plays? What really goes into costume and makeup, set design and venue management?
  2. #AskATheatre: 3-5 p.m. GMT: Your chance to ask those burning questions about anything and everything theatre related. Search for the hashtag #AskATheatre to see which theatres are taking part, and Tweet them with your questions!
  3. #Showtime: 7-10 p.m. GMT: Experience the excitement of #Showtime as the curtain lifts for an evening of entertainment.