Edge Hill PR students throw the spotlight on community theatre

Edge Hill University students aim to revitalise an award-winning community theatre in Merseyside by masterminding a major publicity push as part of their coursework.

The 31 students, who are all studying on the BA (Hons) Public Relations degree have devised an imaginative campaign to promote the Valley Community Theatre, based in Netherley, Liverpool.

One group will promote the theatre as an attractive venue for hire for events such as conferences, annual general meetings and away days. The other team will raise the profile of the in-house youth theatre in a bid to attract new members and sponsors.

The Valley Community Theatre, established in 1994, is the only dedicated arts resource in the area. It plays a pivotal role in the community by using the arts to support local regeneration and tackle social exclusion. For the past 14 years the theatre has spearheaded an ambitious and broad-ranging programme of activities, offering a wealth of creative opportunities for children and young people.

Although the theatre receives some funding from Liverpool City Council, it relies chiefly on fundraising projects to survive.

The Youth Theatre boasts over 50 young people who have performed in productions ranging from Shakespeare plays to pantomime and musicals. In 2005 they were invited to perform at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London, for the Prince's Trust.

Paula Keaveney, Lecturer in Public Relations, Edge Hill University, said:

"The Valley Community Theatre has so much untapped potential, particularly as a facility to hire. This could be a major source of revenue that would enable the theatre to operate at the next level up. It is crucially important that it survives as an art-based facility offering people the opportunity to be creative in a location close to their home.

"For the students it is a fantastic, and possibly unique, opportunity to get involved in a real working project during their studies. We have modelled our operation on a fast-paced public relations consultancy in terms of the seniority of students. We plan to do something similar every year so that our students graduate with three real projects under their belt as well as a highly-valuable work placement in a public relations office. This will greatly enhance their employability once they graduate and seek to move into the highly-competitive world of PR.

The PR students "won" the account after impressing the theatre's management with a presentation of creative ideas.

They aim to secure coverage in local and regional media, produce a range of attractive marketing literature and exploit new media opportunities, such as social networking sites, as part of their campaign. They also plan an open day for school children, involving a range of drama activities, and a fundraising/awareness event to which they hope to attract celebrities, local VIPs and potential sponsors and ambassadors.

One student, Lauren Wilson, 22, from Southport, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us to get real experience of the PR world and to do so with such a worthwhile project is the icing on the cake. We can't wait to get our teeth into it."

The theatre is a past winner of the First Light National Film Award and was listed as one of the top ten youth theatres in the UK by a leading theatre research organisation. More than 125 young people have gained qualifications by taking courses run by the theatre, which are accredited by the National Open College.