The Dunstable Rep: entertaining Dunstable for 75 years

From its first production in 1945, discover how the Dunstable Rep has brought the buzz of live performance to the Bedfordshire market town for 75 years.

The Rep moved into its current home, The Little Theatre, in 1968 and produces six plays a year in the 99-seat auditorium with the support of over 450 members.

In 2019, the Rep decided to move its box office online. “We had used a ticket-selling software database for over ten years,” explained Richard Foster, Vice-Chair and Business Manager. “But we wanted to enable online booking with a system that could handle a membership database as well, so we could maintain early booking at a special price for our members.” The Rep explored various options. “Some systems were extremely expensive and required a high investment in hardware,” said Foster. “We discovered that TicketSource had a good track record with other users, and the system’s ability to offer separate bookings to members was a deal-breaker.”

To facilitate a smooth transfer for the Rep’s volunteers and audience members, TicketSource was phased in over two productions. “For the first show, customers booked in the usual offline way and we inputted the bookings online,” said Foster. “This allowed us to check the process, and we went fully online with the next show.”

Since switching to TicketSource, the Rep has gone paperless. Bookings are confirmed by email and a list of names is held at the door. “It’s a major change for our audience not to collect their tickets from the box office, which used to cause big queues,” noted Foster. In another improvement on the previous system, TicketSource allows audience members to see how busy a performance is on a given night and to choose their own seats.

Participation in the Rep’s productions is a serious commitment, with six weeks of rehearsals three times a week and an eight-day run. “Whether acting, directing, doing front of house or serving on the committee, people can try out all sorts of different skills,” said Foster, who got involved after attending a talk at the theatre about stage lighting. “It caught my attention – I started volunteering and I learnt so much that I went on to set up my own lighting business!”

In partnership with TicketSource, the Rep will continue to entertain Dunstable with the risk and reward of live performance for many years to come.

For more information, visit littletheatre.org.uk