Greater Manchester residents are unlikely to have attended the theatre in the last year, according to a survey published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
No Greater Manchester borough scored higher than 50% for engagement with the theatre in the past year, with Trafford scoring the highest out of the 10 boroughs with 45% and Wigan scoring the lowest with just 28%.
This is despite the region hosting some major theatrical destinations including the Lowry in Salford (31% had attended a show in the past year in this district) and the Royal Exchange in Manchester (34%).
London however dominated the top of the list claiming nine out of the 10 spots, with City of London (68%) and Richmond Upon Thames (65%) coming out on top for theatre engagement.
Nowhere in the North of England had more than 50% engagement, with the closest district being Fylde in Lancashire placing 56 out of the 296 local authority districts with 47% of respondents reporting that they had been to the theatre in the past year.
The data by DCMS was part of a larger survey to provide nationally representative estimates of physical and digital engagement with the arts, heritage, museums & galleries, and libraries, as well as engagement with major events and sports, in collaboration with Arts Council England (ACE).
A spokesperson from ACE told MM: “Everyone across the country should have access to a full range of high-quality cultural opportunities no matter where they live.
“We know these opportunities are not always equal, particularly for those living in smaller towns or rural areas.
“It is every bit as important to continue investing in cultural hubs such as London and Manchester as it is to invest in the towns and villages outside of them.”
London’s West End boasts 39 theatres, but according to the Society of London Theatre’s last count there are 241 theatres within London’s boundaries.
The ACE spokesperson continued: “London’s lively theatre scene is a result of its long-standing position as a world-leading cultural, artistic, and commercial centre with a deep commitment to live performance and historical legacy.
“At the Arts Council we’re working towards more people having more access to more cultural opportunities right across the country.”
ACE also clarified that, in their 2023-26 investment round, it invested £446 million per year outside London, a 21.8% increase compared to 2018/19.
“For example, in the North we’re investing £22.5 million in theatres per year; which is a £4 million increase on our previous funding round.”
Whilst London’s bustling theatre scene could be used to explain why they occupied nine out of the top 10 spots for highest theatre engagement in the past year, other external factors are at play.
A YouGov research survey showed that the biggest barrier for attendance to the theatre was the price of tickets, with 67% of Londoners citing it as one of the main reasons and 57% of people in the rest of Britain.
In The Stage, the popular theatre industry newspaper, their annual survey on ticket costs revealed that the average top ticket price for theatre plays rose by 50% from £94.45 in 2023 to £141.61 in 2024.
Hannah Tyrell-Pinder is the Joint Artistic Director for Box of Tricks, a theatre company that relocated to Manchester from London in 2012 due to the move of multiple studios from the BBC to Salford as well as the merger of the Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company to become HOME Manchester.
She said: “It felt like there was a surge of creativity and energy, so it felt like there would be a lot of reasons for talent to stay in the city and the region.”
The results of the survey were not what Tyrell-Pinder was expecting: “To be honest, I’m really surprised by that.
“I think we don’t have enough theatres at enough different levels - [that] is probably one of the reasons for it.
“In Manchester the buildings feel quite prestigious and special, there’s a sense that it’s therefore a special occasion.
“There’s something in the culture on how the city views theatre that has made it seem a bit elitist.”
Manchester resident Sammy Matthewson is a regular theatregoer in his home city - but he sees shows in London as well. He blames a lack of advertising for the low figures up North: “I don’t think it’s advertised very well.
“It’s not in everyone’s faces when comparing it to London.”
Many of London’s top performing shows also have long-term residencies which allows more time for people to attend, such as The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre and Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre.
“London theatres manage to pull together runs of shows over longer periods which makes it easier for people to plan to go to shows,” added Matthewson, “which makes it better for word of mouth as well.
“Whereas I find a lot of the shows in Manchester are on for a week at most and leave and by the time you have thought about going it is already too late.”
The Palace Theatre in Manchester will host some of the most famous West End shows this year, including Kinky Boots, Dear Evan Hansen and Matilda The Musical - but the former have only five days in Manchester before moving to the next location on their tour.
While the North West (35.2%) overall had the second lowest engagement with theatre of any English region the figure was similar to that of the North East (35.3%) and was ahead of Yorkshire and The Humber that performed the worst with 33.5%.
London (47%) has the highest engagement as a region and the rest of Southern England (South East 44.8%, East of England 42.2% and South West 40.3%) dominate the rest of the top spots.
Feature image: The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Image by Orangesaurochs via Flickr. CC BY 2.0
Join the discussion