Theatre tickets questions

Following much debate recently about the price of theatre tickets, it has been revealed that the majority of theatregoers believe tickets to plays, musicals and dance performances cost the right amount, according to a study of audiences in Tyneside. Nearly 75% of survey respondents who attended shows at 11 venues including Theatre Royal Newcastle and Live Theatre, said they felt the prices of tickets were “about right” for subsidised, commercial and amateur productions. Whilst this is still off the 100 mark, the majority has produced a surprising result. For those attending performances by subsidised companies, 90% were satisfied with the price, with 4% of these theatregoers saying prices were too low and almost 30% of audience members attending commercial productions said ticket prices for these types of shows were too high. The report authors said that while audiences were price sensitive, they were more concerned about value rather than price, which ultimately is the point of theatre and the arts. The study, which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and administered by the research office at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, looked at 26 productions including Catch 22 by Northern Stage, Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and the UK touring version of Dirty Dancing. Named 'The Value of Theatre and Dance for Tyneside’s Audiences', the report aimed to help arts advocates and policymakers make a clearer case for the value of theatre and dance. The study was conducted earlier this year, following Newcastle City Council’s 2013 decision to back down on its proposed 100% funding cuts to arts organisations from 2016. It instead agreed to reduce its support by 50% to £600,000 per year which is a good result for arts in the north of the UK, considering the blow a larger cut would have had.