DESPITE Covid, Scarlet Fever, flu and sickness bugs, pantomime season in Scotland has been declared a success – oh yes it has!
Theatre bosses around the country are now celebrating after fears the cost of living crisis and the after-effects of the pandemic lockdowns would affect ticket sales.
Worries that audiences would be slow to return have proved unfounded with numbers keeping pace or even surpassing previous years.
At Glasgow King’s Theatre, where Elaine C Smith and Jonny Mac starred in Beauty and the Beast, a spokesperson said: “We’re thrilled to report that our 2022 panto season was our best attended in 20 years, with audiences already booking in for this year’s show, Snow White.”
At the Tron in the city, The Wizard of Oz with Julie Wilson Nimmo and Jonny McKnight, sold out and scored a five star review from the Stage magazine.
“All our productions post lockdown have been sold out, I’m glad to say, and advance sales for our spring productions 2023 are very healthy – so people are definitely coming back to the Tron,” said artistic director Andy Arnold.
In Edinburgh, where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs closes its run today at the Festival Theatre, ticket sales were similar to previous years.
“We’ve found audiences are delighted to return,” said a spokesperson. “Even last Christmas, when people were a lot more nervous coming out of the pandemic, panto sales stood up and would have continued to had Covid restrictions not come in on Boxing Day when the rest of the run had to be cancelled.”
While the annual festive pantomime is the “most resilient” show of the year, the spokeswoman said that sales for the year ahead were on track to hit their targets.
“There will always be exceptions but we’ve been careful to build the confidence of our customers coming back to us since we reopened in June 2021 and sales have followed that trend,” said the spokesperson.
“That said we have noticed changes in booking patterns– if it’s a well-known title or a star-led show then people are prepared to book ahead, if it’s more unknown then people book much later.”
Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre also scored a five-star review from the Stage for their production of Sleeping Beauty and chief executive Jeremy Wyatt said that public sales were good, although school party numbers were down at the Gaiety and other theatres.
“There’s a hint that this might have been due to the rising cost of buses to get to the theatre but I suspect it’s at least as much to do with it taking time to get back to ‘normal’,” he said.
“My sense at present is that the cost of living is an issue, but for many people theatre is an affordable occasional luxury. So they may cut back on regular meals out and go for cheaper holidays but keep going to the theatre.
“We are careful our panto has a wide range of prices to make it as accessible as possible and we’ll be doing the same for Cinderella in 10 months’ time. So more expensive seats may go up in price but we’ll keep as many as possible lower priced seats at no more than last year or even less.”
Wyatt added that while evidence from surveys suggests that those with a disposable income may be intending to visit the theatre more than in the past, there is a “big risk that it becomes too expensive for, and therefore excludes, even more people”.
“That’s why we do more work every year to get out into communities and provide access to the performing arts for as many as we can – not just in the theatre but in our communities too,” said Wyatt.
