When Shakespeare was alive and writing, the lowest-priced tickets cost a penny and people of all backgrounds flocked to the Globe. But in the centuries since, a trip to the theatre has acquired a reputation for being only for the gilded few.
However, in recent decades theatre has been making a concerted effort to open up, reach out and tell new stories again. Sadly, any chance of success is being thwarted not only by a tumultuous economic climate, but also by a society that finds it hard to value the arts when they’re not seen through a screen, and by unsustainable funding models. And, as a result, theatre has sometimes caved to its less exciting instincts — to repeat shows or cast celebrities.
Ticket prices have continued to rise year on year post-pandemic, according to The Stage, an industry newspaper. West End tickets now average £31 for the cheapest ticket and £163 for the most expensive. Importantly, there is a huge disparity between the increases from 2024 to 2025 — with price hikes being most acutely felt by those shopping for lower-priced seats. These saw a huge 24.29 per cent increase from 2024, while the top-price tickets increased by only 5.2 per cent. Surely if theatres need to raise more funds, it would be preferable to increase the price of the most expensive tickets more significantly, rather than target the cheapest?
The Society of London Theatre points out that average prices have technically fallen by 5.3 per cent since 2019, if you adjust for inflation. While that’s true, it’s not going to mean much when people feel poorer and have less disposable income because other costs such as rent, bills and transport have all shot up, too.
At Bush Theatre, while we try to keep our prices low, we have also had to make some changes. However, we have taken the decision to largely increase our top prices rather than erode our entry-level price, which remains £10.
Why are ticket prices rising? Obviously Covid hit the theatre sector hard. It has taken the past half-decade for the Bush to get its audience levels back to those of 2019, and habits have changed. We are seeing fewer people attending more than one show a year; fewer people purchasing extra items such as drinks at the bar; and people consistently choosing certainty over innovation when picking what to see — quite the challenge for a new-writing theatre.
Outgoing costs are rising at the same time as we are facing no increase in income — be it from the box office; funding from trusts and foundations; statutory and arts council funding; or corporate and individual giving. All of these revenue sources have stagnated. The subsidised sector (theatres which receive state funding) is hanging on by its fingernails. Worse, with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s review delaying new funding talks with Arts Council England for another year, I fear some of us may not survive without support.
Add to this the perpetual misconception that theatre is an elitist art form and you need a literature degree or spectacles to enjoy it. I know we like to think it is all about the cost of the ticket, but there are other factors at play. We are continuing to gatekeep through fusty old rules on behaviour, rarefied attitudes and a lack of commitment to make shows people want to see.
We know people will readily pay for a football match or concert. Standing tickets to Billie Eilish, for example, cost around £145. We are often asking for a fraction of this, yet we are still not bringing enough people in. Clearly, there’s a problem with people’s conception of theatre.
With some exceptions. Notably, when we presented Tyrell Williams’s play Red Pitch at our venue — a story of three young boys with dreams of football stardom living in a rapidly changing neighbourhood — people came in their droves. We had to put it on again before it transferred to the West End’s Soho Place. People wanted to hear this story; it spoke to them.
But I wonder if — tragically — it is too late. Over the past decade, drama provision in our schools has been eroded, with fewer young people being introduced to the performing arts or understanding how they can get joy, insight and meaning from it. No wonder people are less interested in going to the theatre.
In an attempt to cajole people through the doors, some theatres have tried other strategies, such as celebrity casting, engagement programmes run on a shoestring and endless repeats of the same musicals. Ultimately, this is no way to create exciting art.
Theatres are struggling. What we need is support from the Government, sponsors and individuals so that we can keep prices lower. We should increase the cost of top-band seats, which are currently being protected from these rises. The Government must prioritise performing arts in schools, which will develop our future audiences, artists and donors.
To keep theatre relevant, we must look to the future. That’s what the Bush, if I say so myself, has been so brilliant at: platforming the future superstars of the art form who are bursting at the seams with potential, but haven’t yet been given the chance to show what they’re capable of. In turn, we have found that audiences are curious and up for dancing with the unknown — especially if they trust a theatre to bring something vibrant, meaningful and bold.
Angela Wachner is Interim Executive Director and Co-CEO at the Bush Theatre
