24 April 2026
By John Stericker
section ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════ -- { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Introducing Theatre Connect", "description": "Theatre Connect is a new platform that consolidates publicly available theatre information into one place: productions, venues, companies, and creatives.", "image": "https://theatreconnect.net/assets/og-launch-article.jpg", "datePublished": "2026-04-24T08:00:00Z", "dateModified": "2026-04-24T08:00:00Z", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Stericker", "url": "https://theatreconnect.net/profile/johnstericker" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Theatre Connect", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://theatreconnect.net/assets/logo.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://theatreconnect.net/blog/introducing-theatre-connect" }, "keywords": ["theatre", "performing arts", "theatre directory", "Newcastle theatre", "Hunter Region theatre", "stage productions", "theatre networking"], "articleSection": "News" } We've launched Theatre Connect as an MVP, a minimum viable product, which is a way of saying it's live, it works, and there's a lot more still to come. Here's what it is and what we're building toward. Where the Idea Came From Theatre Connect started with a simple question. Founder John Stericker was catching up with an actor friend and asked what plays she had coming up. She was busy, as she still is, and as he went looking for the answer he found himself jumping between social media profiles, venue websites, production company pages, and ticketing platforms just to piece together a basic picture of what she was working on. That got him thinking. There had to be a better way to consolidate theatre information in one place. And while he was at it, why not make it genuinely useful for the people working in theatre too, as a tool for networking, connecting, and getting their work seen. That's what Theatre Connect is. A Theatre Directory That Actually Works Theatre information is scattered. Productions are announced across individual venue websites, company social pages, ticketing platforms, and press releases, and if you're not already following the right accounts, you'll miss things. Theatre Connect pulls that publicly available information together into one place. We aggregate and consolidate production information from theatre companies, venues, and producers into a single, easy-to-use directory. No paywalls, no subscriptions. Just a clear picture of what's on and what's coming up. Right now Theatre Connect covers theatre in Newcastle and the Hunter Region , with plans to expand from there. What You Can Do on Theatre Connect Today Head to theatreconnect.net and you'll find: What's on : current productions listed with show details, run dates, and venue information Coming soon : upcoming productions so you can plan ahead Production listings : browse by show, company, or venue Theatre companies and venues : profiles of the organisations putting work on stage Follow What Matters to You One of the core ideas behind Theatre Connect is that you shouldn't have to go looking for things you care about. Follow a play and get notified when a production is announced near you. Follow your favourite venues, production companies, playwrights, directors, and creatives, and we'll keep you across what they're working on and what's coming up. If you've ever wanted to see a particular play and had no idea where or when it might be showing, or lost track of a director or playwright whose work you love, that's exactly the problem Theatre Connect is built to solve. For People Working in Theatre Behind the public-facing directory there's a separate layer for theatre practitioners: people working in theatre whether on stage or behind the scenes. Theatre Connect's professional community lets you build a profile and portfolio, list your credits, and connect with other people working in the industry. Whether you're an actor, director, stage manager, designer, technician, or anyone else whose work makes a production happen, there's a space for you here to be found and to find others. This part of the platform is currently invitation only while we build out the community carefully. If you'd like early access, get in touch with John . What's Coming Next As an MVP, Theatre Connect is very much a starting point. Features we're working toward include: Production management tools for theatre companies, including rehearsal schedules and call sheets Group chats and messaging for production teams Richer portfolio and profile features for practitioners Expanded coverage beyond Newcastle and the Hunter Region Broader access beyond invitation only We'll be building these out based on how people are actually using the platform, so if you have thoughts on what would be most useful, we'd like to hear from you. In the meantime, take a look at what's live and let us know what you think. Contact: Reach out to John S