Client: UK Theatre and Society of London Theatre
Project: Delivering Economic Assessment of UK Theatre Sector
Year: 2022-2023
London, UK
Challenge:
Sound Diplomacy was engaged by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre (UKT) to deliver an Economic Impact Assessment and Consumer Spend Assessment of the United Kingdom Theatre Sector.
This project aimed to provide SOLT & UKT with a more detailed understanding of the economic behaviour of UK theatres by highlighting the following:
Economic impact (direct, indirect, and induced) assessment of the UK theatre sector;
Assessment of consumer spend across the UK theatre sector (e.g. spend in bars, restaurants, accommodation, etc.);
A COVID-19 impact assessment;
Analysis and mapping of the Theatre Sector in the UK, not limited to only SOLT/UKT members but including all identified theatre venues and production companies throughout the UK.
Key Findings:
The UK theatre sector;
Delivers £2.39 billion in Gross Value Add (GVA) to the UK economy
Supports 204,993 jobs including freelancers
Generates a total turnover of £4.44 billion every year
In 2019, the 41.6 million attendance to theatre performances in the UK, generated an estimated spend of £3.67 billion in the UK economy. This is equivalent to a spend of £88.46 per attendee. For every £1 spent on a theatre ticket, an additional spend of £1.40 is generated in local economies
Mapping the UK Theatre Ecosystem
Sound Diplomacy mapped 3,135 theatre assets in the UK. There are 1,647 (55%) theatre venues and 1,372 (45%) theatre production companies.
On average, there are 2.45 venues per 100,000 inhabitants in the UK.
The highest number of assets are located in London with 599 (20%) theatre assets of which 363 (61%) are theatre production companies, and 236 (39%) are theatre venues.
Outcomes:
The data provided by Sound Diplomacy has been used in a number of ways by both the Society of London Theatre and the UK Theatre.
SOLT and UKT have used the reports from Sound Diplomacy to inform the SOLT & UKT Priorities for an Incoming Government documentation to help education leaders on the impact of the UK’s theatre sector.
SOLT and UKT were able to demonstrate the importance of Theatre for Every Child, a movement to ensure school-aged youth are able to attend and experience theatre during their school years.