About Us:
Hello! I'm Julianne and I run our lovely little performance space in Southampton. I started out in the Arts as an actor after studying at Drama School in London. I soon realised that my passion was actually writing and producing, so I then went to Solent University in 2010 where I studied for a Degree in Screenwriting.
All of this led to me wanting to open a fringe theatre in my home city and thus The Stage Door was founded in March 2015 by myself and my husband Jason. We wanted to create a venue that was a diverse performance space for many genres.
Our major focus is on being a diverse and inclusive cultural hub for artists and emerging talent in the city. We are proud to be one of the founders of Southampton Pride which began in 2016 and it has been fulfilling to be a part of the event ever since and watch it grow.
We consider our venue to be a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and we try hard to engage with local community groups to make sure that our offer is as diverse and inclusive as possible. We are part of the steering group for Southampton’s bid for City of Culture 2025 and work in collaboration with other arts organisations in the city.
(See below for our Inclusive City Pledge)
Here’s what some other organisations in the city have to say about us:
‘The Stage Door is a vital venue for the cultural ecology of Southampton as they have a real focus on diversity & inclusion & programme a wide-range of varied Arts. They support the local LGBTQ+ community & other marginalised groups in our city. The Stage Door actively promotes the diverse talent in Southampton & supports local artists from different backgrounds to present their work.’ – Councillor Satvir Kaur & Chair of Southampton 2025 Bid
‘I have worked with The Stage Door over the last few years, hosting many Black History Events, collaborating on multi-cultural music activities. The Stage Door has proven to be an important location that significantly contributes to Southampton’s desire to be a City of Culture.’ - Don John Hon. Doctor of Arts, Race & Diversity Consultant & Director of Positive Message Limited
‘The Stage Door has been a great support to Breakout Youth for the past 3 years. They have supplied a safe space for our LGBT+ young people. Without their financial support we couldn’t afford our social events for our LGBT+ youths.’ – Daniel Langrish-Beard, Breakout Youth Director.
‘The Stage Door is a crucial organisation in Southampton. As well as providing a vibrant fringe platform for art forms from music to theatre, it holds the torch for LGBT performance in the heart of the city. In particular the venue’s owners are also the promoters of the annual Southampton Pride Festival – one of the strongest and best Prides in the country, and a key date in the city’s events calendar. We know that the Stage Door will play a key role in Southampton’s UK City of Culture bid and it must be protected at all costs.’ - Giles Semper, Executive Director, GO! Southampton Business Improvement District (BID)
‘Southampton has an eclectic cultural ecology and The Stage Door is an integral partner as it offers a programme of events that complement the variety of scales of theatre and performance that can be enjoyed in our amazing city.’ - Michael Ockwell – CEO Mayflower Theatre Trust
‘During my time at Minstead Trust I was overwhelmed the kindness and generosity that Julianne and staffed showed to the people we supported with learning disabilities. She gave us a discounted rate and it was clearly evident that Julianne’s main objective and motive was to serve people in the community who were marginalised. She bent over backwards to accommodate us whilst we were piloting the project. - Ophelia Mattheas – Minstead Trust
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INCLUSIVE CITY PLEDGE
- To open up our space to as many diverse groups in the city as possible
- To make our venue as inclusive and accessible as possible
- To create inclusive and diverse events
- To provide diversity training to all staff
- To produce and display a Diversity Charter in the venue
- To continue to offer a safe space for diverse groups in the city
- To collaborate with diverse groups and organisations within the city
- To support local diverse talent