Media

The Fugard was renowned for its bar-raising social media and online audience engagement and content creation, which marketed the work staged at the theatre. This strategy aimed to develop new audiences and cater to the existing constituencies by creating easily accessed social media platforms for audiences to communicate and engage with The Fugard programming. Early on in its life, and under the leadership of Daniel Galloway, a significant focus was put on using social media to advertise shows and generate interest in The Fugard cultural complex. At the time, this strategy was the first of its kind.

Another element that set the Fugard apart from competing theatres was the level of the graphic design and posters created by in-house graphic designer James Cooke and video designer and photographer Daniel Rutland Manners, and the highly professional rehearsal and production stills of Jesse Kate Kramer, Daniel Rutland Manners and Claude Bernado. In addition, the Fugard Theatre prided itself on being a trailblazer when it came to advertising its shows and events, with high-end promotional videos produced by the in-house Fugard Media team matching the quality of shows presented to audiences.

Audience engagement was focused not only online but was also evident in how The Fugard Foyer was operated. The atmosphere created under the leadership of Front of House Manager Iris Bolton was unique in the history of South African theatre. The team at The Fugard understood that the theatrical experience began at the door to The Fugard. The ethos of the staff, from Security to management, was to put patrons first and create a welcoming, inclusive and safe space for them to enjoy a show.