Comedy, musicals favourite forms of theatre

Theatre attendance rose by 21.4 per cent between 1998 and 1999, but declined by 6.1 per cent in 2000, according to the latest figures published by the National Statistics Office yesterday.

In the three years there were an average of 131 theatrical productions per year, ranging from opera, drama, and comedy to musicals, dance productions and concerts.

Comedy and musical productions remain favourites with the public, followed by concerts.

However, serious drama and dance theatrical productions contributed a good share of the total attendance in 2000.

The weighted average for theatre seat utilisation - which takes into account the number of performances and seats available - decreased from 73.7 per cent in 1998 to 58.2 per cent in 2000.

Musicals, opera and comedy reflect high theatre seat utilisation rates, with 71.5, 66.3 and 65.5 per cent respectively.

However, overall attendance at operas in comparison to other productions remains relatively low, with 1.9 per cent of total attendance in 2000.

The number of persons employed in this sector in 2000 stood at 43, an increase of 10.3 per cent over 1999. Twenty worked on a part-time basis.

Box office receipts contribute the lion's share of total theatre income, with the figure standing at Lm0.38 million in 2000. Other income emanates from grants or subsidies and other sources.

Theatre running costs have declined from Lm0.26 million in 1999 to Lm0.23 million in 2000. This results from a drop in maintenance and capital costs. Expenditure on staff wages and social security benefits reached Lm0.12 million.