Box-office sales surge as theatre defies downturn
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Box office takings at London's theatres have bounced back from a winter slump thanks to a string of big productions and star performers.
Audience numbers were up 13 per cent between April and June, after a lull earlier in year.
Theatres lost six per cent of their box office earnings and 10 per cent of their audience between January and March. However, the latest figures, released yesterday, showed thattheatreland was on the way to recovery with 2 per cent more tickets sold in the past three months than in the same period last year.
Successful plays such as Kevin Spacey's sell-out production of Richard III at the Old Vic and Danny Boyle's new production of Frankenstein, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, have fuelled the comeback.
Total receipts for 2011 so far are £250.5m, which is still 1.7 per cent lower than the at the same stage last year, but Julian Bird , chief executive of the the Society of London Theatre, said he was cautiously optimistic about surpassing 2010's earnings.
''There's a very healthy raft of shows being announced across the autumn and into the winter,'' he told The Stage.
''It shows that London theatre is giving people something they really want and it shows that people continue to want to spend money on a great night out.''
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments