New plays accounted for 37% of all plays staged in the West End last year, with the number of plays performed overall up by 5%, according to figures from the Society of London Theatres’ (SOLT) 2009 box office report. Analysis of data from the 51 (predominantly West End) member theatres shows that box office buoyancy is not simply due to blockbuster musicals or the revival of ‘safe’ classics. The audience appetite for plays has also accelerated – attendance was up by 23.5% compared to the year before. While tourism in London has dropped by almost 5% (against a 7% fall nationwide) and the growth of musicals has slowed, theatre box offices are still booming: ticket sales reached a record-breaking £504m last year, pumping £75m into the government’s coffers from VAT alone. According to the research, theatre’s contribution to the UK economy stands at £2.6bn over the year, £1.5bn of which is reportedly generated by the West End.
Where plays have enjoying a rapid rise in popularity in the West End (the success of which, the report notes, can be credited in large part to the Donmar Warehouse’s popular run at Wyndham’s Theatre), the number of opera performances fell by 29% in 2009. Dance also dipped: despite the number of productions being higher in 2009, attendance fell by 15%. Although ticket prices remained largely unchanged between 2008 and 2009, with the average price paid per show going up from £34.79 to £35.40, the report shows that commercial ticket prices have almost doubled in the past 15 years: in 1995, an average ticket for a commercial theatre performance would set you back £19.67, and in 2009 the average ticket cost £35.54. This figure is likely to jump significantly higher next year as London has begun to follow Broadway’s model of ‘premium pricing’ where a small number of the best seats are sold at three or four times the normal price.
The Box Office Data Report 2009 is available from SOLT.
Published: 19-07-2010