Theatre Royal's season of success

Snow White at Norwich's Theatre Royal

MARY HAMILTON
05 December 2009 05:55



Norwich's Theatre Royal bucked the recession to make a surplus for the 11th year running, it was announced yesterday.

The theatre managed a bumper year thanks to a £10m modernisation that has helped cement Norwich's place as a firm favourite for touring actors and to the festive success of Snow White last Christmas.

A total of 65,266 seats were sold for the family show generating £893,571 in takings - up more than £200,000 on 2007.

The theatre made a surplus of £37,000 for the financial year 2008-9, selling 78pc of the available tickets - well above the 62pc average for similar provincial theatres, which also have fewer seats to sell.

David Merrick, chairman of the theatre trust, said: “We are delighted that yet again we have created a surplus. Between the credit crunch and the difficult economy it is fantastic that the audience have supported the theatre.”

Chief executive Peter Wilson said the theatre concentrates on providing the best shows possible even in difficult times.

“Audiences want quality,” he said. “We have to have the best musicals, the best operas, the best ballet, the best shows, the best performances and productions.”

“People make the mistake of thinking that audiences want to slump in front of something, but they don't. They want red meat.”

Mr Wilson said the theatre owes some of its success to getting young and old people alike engaged with theatre by participating in workshops, and to keeping 5pc of seats for every performance accessibly priced at £7 or below.

The theatre trust has also set up the Actors Company, an experimental project bringing together professionally trained actors, directors and designers in Norfolk, which will be producing David Hare's Skylight in the spring.

There are some uncertain elements in the theatre's future. The Ambassador group has recently purchased a large number of provincial theatres, and could use its buying power to divert large-scale shows away from independent venues like the Theatre Royal.

A new theatre built by the Royal Shakespeare Company could also present problems. It is built in a different layout to the Theatre Royal, meaning shows would have to be redesigned before they toured.

But theatre bosses have struck a deal for Edward Hall's all-male Shakespeare company Propellor to provide two large-scale Shakespeare shows a year from 2011, and say they will continue to fight to put on top-end productions such as Les Miserables, whose ticket sales have just topped £1m.



Upcoming highlights:

Traditional family pantomime Robin Hood, December 15 - January 17

Les Miserables, February 16 - March 20

Enjoy by Alan Bennett, March 22 - March 27

The History Boys by Alan Bennett, May 24 - May 29

The Woman in Black, June 21 - June 26

Tickets are available from the Theatre Royal box office, online at www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk, or by calling 01603 630000.

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