How the Stagedoor app is revolutionising the London theatre experience

Art and technology are constantly defining and reshaping the world we live in and, together, they are a force to be reckoned with. Michael Hadjijoseph, Co-founder & CEO of Stagedoor, which was acquired last year by the Trafalgar Entertainment Group (TE), talks about the app that brings personalized access to London theatre news, reviews and tickets to mobile phones all over the world.

My mobile screen lights up with a notification from Stagedoor: “Noughts & Crosses @ the Rose: A gripping Romeo and Juliet story centered around racial and social divides. The award-winning adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s popular novel.”

I must confess that when I downloaded Stagedoor, to explore it as I was going to interview its CEO, I was not expecting much. “Just another app, with catchy imagery, filled with random suggestions based on what seems to be popular,” I had thought. As soon as the download ended, the red app icon of a chair shone brightly, as if mocking me for judging it too hastily.

As I am later informed, Stagedoor came about through the combination of the experiences and interests of the founding team. Yiannis Gavrielides (Invelopment Partners) and theatre director Paris Erotokritou ran the Fresh Target Theatre Ensemble, while Michael Hadjijoseph and Alex Cican brought in their Tech & Product capability, gained from previous startup experiences. All four were huge fans of live entertainment and theatre.

“As a big theatre buff, Yiannis always felt there was a big gap in the market for a personalized, social and curated guide for theatre, a bit like IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes but for theatre,” Hadjijoseph tells me. “In 2014, having been introduced to each other through a common friend, we came together to explore the market potential and to create a prototype, drawing inspiration from various other discovery apps that we loved in other industries, such as Vivino for wines, Songkick and Bandsintown for concerts, IMDb for movies, Foursquare for bars and restaurants, etc.). That’s how Stagedoor was born.”

The way Hadjijoseph describes it, Stagedoor is a new-generation theatre guide and booking platform for theatre; the best way for people to discover and book theatre in London, making the experience personalised, curated and seamless. Its main source of revenue is commission on tickets, sold through the Stagedoor app or website.

“A lot of tech companies are fighting for attention, many times measured in how long people spend on their apps/websites, how often they come back and, in some cases, how much money they spend on the platform,” says Hadjijoseph when I ask about the importance of app personalisation.

Undoubtedly, personalising the user experience enables the app to fit seamlessly and organically into each user’s lifestyle and, most importantly, their routine, to the point that it doesn’t feel like ‘work’ to a user. As I browse Stagedoor, I can see how personalisation has been implemented in a variety of ways: users can save the plays they wish to see and, based on that information, the app will suggest others that they might like. They can share their reviews of plays, be informed about ticket discounts, and follow other users or theatres to stay updated.

“I’d say that, nowadays, personalisation is no longer something that’s ‘good to have’. It’s become the norm that users expect. Any experience that is not personalised, or at least well curated by someone who understands the audience, can quickly feel irrelevant to the end user, meaning a poor likelihood of success.”

The more time I spend navigating the app, I decide that what I like most is what I would describe as the ‘entertainment democratization’ that it offers. With a simple tap, the user knows what is happening on stages across London, can read critics’ reviews, check ticket prices and proceed to book in the blink of an eye. I can’t help but wonder what effect disruptions such as machine learning and AI are going to have on mobile apps over the next decade. Hadjijoseph surprises me when I voice my thoughts.

“Machine learning and AI have the potential to significantly impact mobile apps in the next decade,” he says, and goes on to list a few of the ways in which this will be seen: “Improved user experience through recommendations based on the user’s behaviour and preferences, increased automation to automate tasks and processes within mobile apps, making them more efficient, enhanced security by detecting and preventing fraud, malware and other security threats, augmented Reality and Contextual information to enhance the capabilities of AR-based apps such as games and navigation apps, as well as predictive maintenance to identify and fix potential issues before they occur, reducing downtime and improving the overall performance of the app.”

Then comes the real surprise: “Just to showcase how advanced AI has become over the last couple of years, what I just told you was written 100% by the popular generative AI chat bot (Chat GPT) – impressive right?” I feel as if I’ve been tricked in some way but I have to admit that it was, indeed, impressive. Hadjijoseph goes on: “First of all, apps as we know them, on a smartphone, will not exist in 10 years’ time. Given the emergence of AR/VR/MR technologies, there will probably be completely new interfaces and user experiences, as well as interactions suited for whatever medium or device we’re using at the time. User interfaces on small screens may well become a thing of the past,” he says.

“If, for example, people in 10 years from now are wearing smart glasses/smart lenses (AR/MR), and smart earpieces with embedded applications enabling them to perform certain actions,” he continues, “an AI-powered version of Stagedoor could be as follows: Imagine that you’re walking down Shaftesbury Avenue, where most of the big London theatres are, and you see a show you’d like to see. Stagedoor will already know that you’d probably like to see it and can ask you if you’d like to book seats. It will be able to automatically book dates for you by looking at you and your partner’s calendars. It will also know your seating preferences and budget. AI could also be applied to tailoring your in-theatre experience, such as automatically ordering your drink as you enter the theatre or providing even better personalised recommendations. These are just a few examples – the possibilities are endless and, of course, everything depends on how technology evolves over the next 10 years.”

Michael Hadjijoseph talks about the future in a way that makes me rejoice at the thought of drowning in art thanks to automation and new technologies. I recall how, during the pandemic, streaming apps and alternative entertainment channels bloomed, having found the space and time to develop.

Hadjijoseph agrees. “There was definitely a big shift towards streaming, which we adapted to in two ways. The first was through the launch of OffBackStage, an online “fan experience platform” enabling celebrities (including famous theatre actors) to host paid, intimate experiences between them and their fans, including Fan Q&A’s, mini performances from an actor’s home, as well as 20-25 people Fan Meet & Greets,” he explains, before adding:

“The second way was the launch of the Streamdoor section on the Stagedoor app, which enabled users to discover and, where applicable, book shows that were being streamed. Since then, some theatres have been following a hybrid model where they offer both in-person as well as online versions of the show to be purchased. The majority of shows, however, have now returned to normal and more people than ever are going to the theatre.”

In 2022, the Trafalgar Entertainment Group (TE) announced its acquisition of Stagedoor. I naturally want to know how the man who started it feels about this development. “We’ve been quite close to TE and London Theatre Direct (owned by TE) for many years now,” he says. “Our teams have always worked quite closely together and our technologies have a lot of synergies between them, so it was a move that made sense for both sides, given that the timing was right.”

Hadjijoseph explains to me that the founders’ vision is completely aligned with the capabilities of TE, therefore, the synergies between the Group’s other companies makes them confident that Stagedoor’s full potential to become ‘the new home of theatre’ will be unlocked. As part of the deal, he explains, Stagedoor’s staff and co-founders will remain with the company, to ensure that its future business ambitions are fulfilled.

“Personally, I am always pushing myself to keep evolving as an entrepreneur and as an executive,”Hadjijoseph says. “I’m excited about having the opportunity to grow as part of a larger organization, which presents new challenges, new ways of working and, most importantly, the chance to grow Stagedoor into the leading brand for theatre tickets, not just in London but in every major city of the world. That’s our aspiration for Stagedoor and we’re confident that it can be achieved.”

The app section includes reviews written by users. Roy (who I am now following) describes a current production of on one of my favourite plays – Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire – saying that it is ‘as brave as it is stunning, and definitely unmissable.’

I can’t wait to go to London and give it a try. Hopefully, I can persuade my bosses that I need to travel soon to continue my research into how good Stagedoor is!

(This interview first appeared in the February 2023 issue of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.)