Theatres In Perspective - Venues funded by Arts Council England are failing to attract new theatregoers and are instead relying on a core regular audience, the findings of a new report have shown. Data collected by theatre analytics company Purple Seven has found audiences attending national portfolio organisation venues and those visiting commercial ones are becoming more polarised. The document, called A New Perspective of Theatre Going in England, shows that new theatre-goers or those attending a production for the first time in three years were more likely to visit a commercial venue than a funded one.
It highlighted that West End commercial venues were particularly successful at attracting these new audiences - with nearly 42% of total spend from 2012 and 2013 derived from this type of theatregoer. ACE-funded venues in the West End saw only 15% of total ticket sales accounted for by new audiences. The report concluded that popular West End shows are the primary entry points for first-time theatre-goers, while NPO venues serve regular attendees with their diverse range of programming.
Out Of Pocket - Performers and musicians left unpaid following their work on a West End production stand to lose thousands of pounds, after the production company behind the show went into liquidation. Movies and Musicals, which was produced by M and M Associate Productions and starred Louise Dearman, Gareth Gates and John Owen-Jones, was staged at the Apollo Victoria Theatre last December.
The production company, headed by Matthew Hampson, failed to pay performers and musicians involved in the show after it failed to sell enough tickets to recoup costs. It has since emerged that M and M Associate Productions has gone into liquidation, leaving artists unlikely to see money owed to them paid. Hampson told The Stage, "We had a full financial review, and a company called Wilson Field is managing the business affairs, which - after reviewing everything - decided that was the best course of action . . . It has got to a point that I have tried every way imaginable to sort it out - it hasn't worked. I am not going to try to excuse it. What happened is unfortunate for everyone including me, as I have put years and a lot of my own money into this."
Independents' Days - BBC director general Tony Hall has unveiled plans to allow the Corporation's in-house production teams to make content for rival broadcasters, as part of a shake-up he has described as a "competition revolution". Hall said he wanted to see "proper competition" in programme supply and to overturn the current system, which he said no longer worked. At the moment, 25% of the BBC's TV output is guaranteed to independent producers, with 50% guaranteed to in-house production departments. The remaining 25% is open to both in-house production teams and independent producers. Hall said that this no longer worked because some "global producers" no longer qualify as fully independent, and so cannot produce shows in the 25% aimed at independent companies.
Broken-Hearted - Garth Brooks has confirmed that none of his five Irish shows will take place, despite talks to try to resolve a row over the Dublin concerts.The US country singer had planned to play for 400,000 fans at Croke Park on consecutive nights from 25-29 July. All five shows were cancelled on 8 July after two were refused licences, but refunds were on hold pendin
