FEASIBILITY_STUDY , item 14. PDF 1 MB - Meetings, agendas and ...
FEASIBILITY_STUDY , item 14. PDF 1 MB - Meetings, agendas and ...
FEASIBILITY_STUDY , item 14. PDF 1 MB - Meetings, agendas and ...
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A feasibility study prepared for the Black Box TrustNovember 2011Culture/experience seekers; <strong>and</strong>Activity/special interest breaks especially music, golf, angling, walking, gardens, cruising<strong>and</strong> cycling.Following years of investment <strong>and</strong> planning, it appears that the developments in 2012 areintended to provide a platform for attracting new visitors <strong>and</strong> creating opportunities to marketNorthern Irel<strong>and</strong> to new audiences.The opening of The MAC in St. Anne‟s Square will play a significant role in attracting touristsinto the Cathedral Quarter in 2012. The cluster of hotels, restaurants, bars <strong>and</strong> existing arts <strong>and</strong>culture performance spaces such as the Black Box, Oh Yeah Music Centre <strong>and</strong> the CrescentArts Centre located in the area, will add to the overall 2012 offering <strong>and</strong> will also help inattracting the market priority market segments identified in the Draft Tourism Strategy‟s actionplan.3.2 The Black BoxThe Black Box venue comprises a „black box‟ room to house a range of artistic programmingincluding live music, theatre, literature, comedy, film, visual art, live art, circus <strong>and</strong> cabaret, withthe capacity to hold up to 240 guests. It also contains a „Green Room‟ which has the capacity tohold up to 60 guests. This space is used for small events <strong>and</strong> meetings such as poetry readings<strong>and</strong> community group gatherings, but also acts as a „night time‟ café serving pizza slices <strong>and</strong>drinks from Thursday to Saturday.Aims <strong>and</strong> objectives of the Black Box:“Increased access <strong>and</strong> participation is at the very centre of the Black Box Trust‟s work.We aim to take the theatre out of theatres, for example, to remove the intimidation peoplefeel, <strong>and</strong> place the arts experiences in a space which is social <strong>and</strong> relaxed.By presenting arts in a less formal way, we believe we can greatly increase access to thearts <strong>and</strong> build audiences for the future.”3.3 Audience performanceThe Black Box opened in April 2006, operating as a temporary performance space, to addressthe major gap in the physical, artistic <strong>and</strong> cultural infrastructure pending the completion of theMAC. This was on the basis that on opening, the MAC development would fulfil the cultural <strong>and</strong>infrastructural needs of the Cathedral Quarter. However, the Black Box has become a verypopular venue for visitors <strong>and</strong> tourists <strong>and</strong> has provided a mid-scale home for festivals <strong>and</strong>events in the city centre.3.3.1 A growing audienceWinning the Fate Award for „Best Newcomer‟ in 2007, the Black Box has attracted almost193,000 people to the variety of events <strong>and</strong> activities it offers throughout each year since itopened its doors. Figure 3.1 below shows the number of people who have attended the venueeach year.15