News and Events
Theatreland enjoys �golden age� despite ash, slump and snow
27th Jan 2011
Society of London Theatre president Nica Burns said that she was delighted with the results, which she claims represent an ongoing �golden period� for London theatre.
The box office gross of �512 million, up 1.46% on 2009, means 2010 was the seventh year in a row that Theatreland revenues have reached all-time best figures. Although attendance was down to 14,152,230 from 2009�s peak of 14,257,922, it was still comfortably above pre-2009 levels - in 2008, attendance numbered 13,892,460.
Burns told The Stage: �This isn�t instant success. It�s the pay-off from years of investment in new writing, and investment in all the training schemes we now have for directors and producers. The industry has - off its own back - gone out and invested in future talent. This golden period we are having is a result of that sheer hard graft.�
A breakdown of the results by quarter shows that attendances in the first and third quarters of the year were both up (by nearly 7% and just over 4% respectively), but were down in the second and final quarters (both by nearly 7%). This would seem to indicate theatre suffered from the effects of snow over the Christmas period and - earlier in the year - the combined effect of the volcanic ash cloud and the football World Cup.
Burns said the Christmas period in 2010 was more than �4 million down on the Christmas period in 2009, and that had been predominantly due to transport issues caused by heavy snowfall.
�These results were completely unexpected given the global economic crisis and the disaster of the lack of transport in and around London over the Christmas snow. It wasn�t snow that stopped people coming - it was the fact they couldn�t rely on transport,� she said.
�There is no doubt that we lost a great deal of money at the box office over Christmas because of the snow. It�s our busiest time of the year. When We Are Married [a West End play produced by Burns] lost �120,000 at the box office over the Christmas weeks.�
It was a particularly strong year for plays in London theatres, with attendance up by 2% and revenue up 10%. Musicals were down 3% in attendances and down 1% at the box office. Other genres (including opera, dance and entertainment) were up 3% for both attendance and revenue.
The year also saw a record number of performances - 18,615 - indicating that some theatres may be hosting more than one show, or that more weekend performances are being scheduled. The average ticket price paid rose from �35.40 to �36.20 (2.25%), which is below the average rate of inflation in 2010 - calculated from both the Consumer Price Index and the Retail Price Index.
Looking forward, Burns said she felt 2011 would benefit from the opening of two major musicals in the West End - The Wizard of Oz and Shrek the Musical.
She added: �The figures show that nothing beats the live experience of theatre. All we have to do is keep up the standards. British theatre is a great ambassador for UK plc.�
Box office figures are compiled by the Society of London Theatre and relate to the 52 major theatres in the capital, including both the commercial West End and major subsidised venues in central London such as the National Theatre.
For more on the Theatreland results, see this week�s print edition of The Stage.
Source: The Stage
