This week we released the findings of a survey that sheds light on theatre attendance patterns across Britain.

In the survey of more than 2,000 British adults, it was found that almost one in four Brits (24pc) have never attended a theatre performance. 

Our aim with the survey was to understand the barriers that prevent people from experiencing live theatre.

When asked what would encourage them to go to the theatre more often, over half of the respondents (55pc) cited lower ticket prices.  

To learn the extent to which this impacts the younger generation, respondents with children were asked how often they take their children to the theatre, which found that over half of families (54pc) seldom take their children to the theatre, if at all.  

I am frequently asked about ticket prices for touring shows like the big musicals that come to Theatre Royal, my answer is never anything other than honest, but more often than not, does surprise.  

On average, Norwich Theatre will retain less than 20pc of the income from every ticket sold, so in setting prices, we have only one fifth of the bargaining power with the producer or promoter who, in fairness to them, are carrying most of the financial risk and face ever-rising costs associated with making and touring theatre.  

We are proudly a values-led organisation so it’s about fairness for our audiences in the first instance.  

Unlike some other large-scale venues, we stand firmly against certain practices that would see local audiences commercially exploited.  

One example of this is that much to the annoyance of some touring producers, we refuse to allow allocations of tickets in our venues to be given to third party agencies which prevents bookers ending up paying vast sums in extra charges and agreeing to booking terms and conditions that don’t align with our values.

This also avoids what is common in London Theatres, where the cost of one seat could double overnight like in the airline industry.  

As primarily receiving venues, in receipt of no regular public funding, we are also limited in terms of how far we can go to subsidise lower ticket prices, but I feel we do our share and as much as we can.

In response to these findings, and following our own local research, we have tried to go further and have launched a three-part plan aimed to further address the concerns around ticket affordability in our theatres. 

For many years, Norwich Theatre has made more than 50 tickets available for £10 for its main stage shows, an initiative which this new three-part plan builds upon. 

The full plan has seen us move to putting shows on sale every month, rather than seasonally, allowing audiences to spread the cost of booking tickets. 

It also sees the launch of our My Theatre initiative, which reserves a portion of the £10 seats for low-income audience members through a means-tested free subscription scheme.
The third and final part of the plan just went live: a ‘Pay in Instalments’ scheme, to spread the cost of tickets, to which more than 350 people have already applied.  

We know that experiencing theatre has huge benefits, whether that’s for wellbeing, social and language skills, cultural awareness or cognitive development. 

At Norwich Theatre we are committed to ensuring that everyone has the best opportunity we can provide of coming to the theatre.  

Balancing the needs of audiences with the cost of creating great productions, and funding charitable work in the local community, is crucial, particularly for not-for-profit theatres like us who receive no public subsidy. 

This three-point plan ensures that much-needed funds can be generated while making theatre accessible to as many people as possible. 

To ensure the magic of theatre remains accessible to all, it is imperative that theatres and live entertainment venues embrace innovation to offer more affordable ticketing options.
  
To find out more about Norwich Theatre’s ‘Pay in Instalments’ scheme, please visit: https://norwichtheatre.org/pay-in-instalments