Embrace the web, address pricing barriers and justify ticketing fees, say London audiences.
The Internet and social media have revolutionised the attendance patterns of theatregoers in the five years to 2008, according to a new report produced by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) in partnership with the market research agency Ipsos MORI. The research shows how price has become a stronger motivating factor over the same period, and describes a general dissatisfaction with booking fees. There is also evidence of the increasing importance of regional theatre to the UK theatre ecology.
Word of mouth recommendation, including personal blogs, Twitter and social media websites, is the source of information most likely to encourage people to attend the theatre, with the figure almost doubling from 36% in 2003 to 65% in 2008. Personal recommendation is now more influential than good reviews in the media. The importance of websites has almost doubled as a tool of persuasion, up from 17% to 33%. Two in five theatregoers are also members of Facebook, and of these, one in five has joined a theatre-related group. For more than half of them this membership has had some influence on their theatregoing habits. Unsurprisingly, the report reveals that almost half of all tickets are now purchased online, up from 17%, while telephone sales have fallen by a similar proportion, down from 38% to 18%.
Despite record breaking box office revenues and attendance numbers (AP211), the research also notes a higher proportion of discounted or reduced price tickets being sold than ever before. Just under half of all theatregoers (47%) purchased their ticket at full price, with 42% purchasing at a reduced rate or with a discount. In 2003, over half of all theatregoers (54%) bought their ticket at full price and only 37% received some kind of reduction. Significantly, a third of theatregoers who bought discounted tickets stated that they would definitely not have come to the theatre if they had to pay full price, while 70% of all theatregoers said that cost stops them from attending the theatre more often.
Booking fees have proven an increasing bugbear for audiences. Only five per cent of theatregoers strongly agree that they understand why they are charged, and only one per cent agree that booking fees are currently at about the right level. They estimate that they are charged an average of £2.69 per ticket, but that £1.31 would be a more acceptable level. More than half would like to see a booking fee incorporated into the cost of a ticket rather than shown separately. In contrast, there is widespread support for a restoration levy, with 75% of theatregoers happy to pay up to £2 a ticket. A significant majority of theatregoers seem willing to contribute to something that is tangible and has a direct impact on the quality of their theatre experience, which ties in with findings that the comfort of seating, toilets, bars and catering are the most strongly criticised aspects of London theatres.
The research also highlighted the growing importance of regional theatre, with 53% of London theatregoers now attending theatre outside the capital, compared with just 37% five years previously. Current West End plays ‘Horizon/Spring Storm’, ‘Enron’ and ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’ all originated outside London and the success of high-profile new appointments – such as Tom Morris at the Bristol Old Vic and Daniel Evans at Sheffield Theatres among others – show a crucial confidence in the future of regional theatre.