Theatregoers know the experience of going to see a play doesn’t begin and end with the drawing of the curtains.
You might want to discuss the performance over dinner, but struggle to find a restaurant that’s still open. Your friend wants to grab a drink, but you’re already falling asleep after a long work day and three hours of sitting in a darkened room. Then there’s the issue of catching that last train home.
These are all considerations the National Theatre took into account when it decided to pilot earlier midweek performance times of 6.30pm from February.
The decision, the theatre says, is in response to audience research it undertook to understand post-Covid lifestyles and habits, including varying working patterns and journey times – particularly for those living outside of London.
More than 8,000 people were surveyed, from young audiences to long-standing National Theatre members. According to the National, “a significant proportion” of them said their enjoyment of the evening would be improved by having more time for post-show dining, discussions with family and friends and travel.
“This is about putting audience choice at the centre of our planning,” said Alex Bayley, chief marketing officer at the theatre. “We are always striving to make their experience the best it can be.”
The 6.30pm performances will fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a limited number available for every new production playing at the South Bank in the first half of 2024.
But the National is not the first theatre to introduce earlier performance times. Weekday performances for Matilda the Musical in the West End now start at 7pm, rather than 7.30pm after theatregoers were polled on their preferences.
And in 2019, the English National Opera committed to ensuring that one production an opera ended at 10pm to accommodate people who needed to travel home and those who liked “an early bed”, then ENO chief executive, Stuart Murphy, said.
Theatre producer Kenny Wax, whose current productions include the Tony award-winning musical Six, which is playing in the West End and on Broadway, said the National Theatre pilot reflected a slow shift in modern society that was compounded by pandemic-induced restrictions.
“There was definitely an after-work culture that was with us for 30-40 years until Covid, where people finished work around 6pm or 6.30pm, came into town to meet people, and went to a show at 7.30pm or 8pm.
“There’s no doubt that that has fallen off post-Covid – I’ve literally seen it firsthand. Kids of friends of mine, who are in their mid-20s, are still working only one to three days in the office. There are now probably a lot of people working at home to whom 6.30pm is a wonderful start.”
Wax said the positive response to Six, which runs for 75 minutes without an interval, shows people liked leaving the theatre earlier.
“The other interesting thing is they’ve already done what the National Theatre is proposing in New York, where 7pm starts are very common between Mondays and Thursdays. People just want to be at home by 10.30pm.”
James Rowson, a researcher at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, who is working on a project analysing the long-term institutional effects of the pandemic on the industry, said this move was an example of theatres having to adapt and transform to “a post-pandemic demand for more flexible entertainment offerings”.
“Audience levels have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and theatres are grappling with the challenges of how to engage theatregoers now also dealing with the cost of living crisis,” he said.
“These early performances are an opportunity to engage with potential new audiences by focusing on making theatre more viable and accessible, particularly to those living and working outside of London.”
Another example of this adaptation, Rowson said, was the way in which theatre foyers and cafes now offer space for remote and hybrid workers.
“Earlier performance times offer the opportunity to encourage those using the National during the day to stay and watch a performance, as well as boosting demand for the theatre’s post-theatre dining options.”
Theatre producer and writer Ellie Keel echoed the sentiment. “In this economic climate, anything we can do to encourage people to keep coming to the theatre, and more people to join them, is worth exploring,” she said.
But Keel emphasised that this would only work once or twice a week. “I’m sure most people working a day job couldn’t quite get to the theatre for then, let alone have a drink beforehand – and the last thing we want is more latecomers, who can really disrupt the opening minutes of a show.”
Jennifer Tuckett, co-director at Her Story Productions, a company supporting women in theatre, film and television, said earlier performance times could also benefit women working in and attending shows because it could make childcare easier.
“My last research, the Women in Theatre survey, found that childcare is one of the greatest challenges facing women in theatre, in terms of long hours, working late, managing a freelance career and seeing shows in the evening,” she said.
“Matilda the Musical has reported that one of the top three reasons for earlier start times is to assist with childcare, so it will be interesting to find out if this is effective at the National.”
