Spending by theatres jumps 14% in 2006

Theatres put up 475 performances during 2006 appealing to an audience of 182,464, with concerts being the most popular, the NSO said today.

Concerts comprised 46.1 percent of the total variety of productions and almost a third of performances. That was followed by comedies and drama, accounting for 20.6 and 16.2 percent respectively.

The average theatre-seat utilisation rate for all types of productions was 62.4 percent.

During 2006, theatres employed 154 persons. From these, 62 individuals were employed as paid staff, while 92 persons worked on a voluntary basis.

Expenditure by theatres was estimated at nearly €0.8 million, an increase of 14.0 per cent when compared to the previous year. 45.8 per cent of this expenditure was on staff costs and administrative expenses.

Revenue totalled €1.1 million, a drop of 1.0 percent when compared to that registered in 2005. Most of the income was attributed to hiring out of halls and related services, which stood at 41.1 per cent of total income.