BIRMINGHAM Hippodrome has announced its highest audience figures in ten years, with more than half a million attendances.
The achievement means the the theatre has retained its crown as popular venue of its type in the UK and the busiest visitor attraction in the city centre. It recorded 523,219 attendances over 392 performances in the year 2010/11.
Chief executive Stuart Griffiths said: “Admissions for the year 2010/11 are very encouraging. Despite the downturn in the economy, it is clear that people still enjoy attending the theatre and place great importance on it even with tighter budgets.”
Mr Griffiths said the achievement was down to the diversity of the Hippodrome’s programme and the quality of its shows, which in the past year included the panto debut of Joan Collins, a sellout performance of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables.
Mr Griffiths said: “Theatres cannot survive on existing audiences alone and must invest in attracting new visitors. It’s particularly heartening that the campaigns and schemes at bringing in new theatre goers, as well those from disadvantaged communities, have been successful as well as the headline figure.”
The news came as the theatre steps up its fund raising campaign to raise £1m for a new stage, which is one of the few original features left untouched by the venues major renovation 11 years ago.
The Hippodrome’s chairman John Crabtree, said: “The stage is a ‘must do’ item that of course is vital to the theatre. But what really excites me is what’s around the corner over the next five years or so. We’ve gone from a public sector-dependent entity into one that is truly independent in all sorts of ways – financially and in terms of the programmes we put on. With the redevelopment of New Street and the way that will benefit the theatre, I think it will underpin to many in the city what an important asset the Hippodrome is.
“The new stage and the new environment will help us demonstrate what an important economic hub the theatre is and can be, from helping smaller cultural enterprises thrive to being a key ‘pull’ for helping firms to attract the very best staff.”
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Mr Griffiths said the achievement was down to the diversity of the Hippodrome’s programme and the quality of its shows, which in the past year included the panto debut of Joan Collins, a sellout performance of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables.
