Tag Archives: SOLT

Rising up the pecking order: Julian Bird is appointed Chair of Drama UK

Posted on February 17, 2013 by rageoffstage

Was anyone else a little puzzled by the recently-announced appointment of Julian Bird as ‘Chair’ of Drama UK, an organisation formed from a merger between the National Council for Drama Training and the Conference of Drama Schools. Bird is certainly enjoying … Continue reading →

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So much for the Olympic spirit – Andrew Lloyd Webber throws away the baton for team West End theatre

Posted on January 2, 2012 by rageoffstage

Speculation about how the Olympics will affect West End theatre has been going on for some time, although an article in ‘This is Money’ quoted by Mark Shenton in his Stage blog in November brought matters to a head by suggesting the … Continue reading →

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Taking the show out of showbusiness: theatres claim their pound of flesh

Posted on November 15, 2011 by rageoffstage

Why does ‘The Stage’ continue to report the ever growing profits in West End Theatres as a good news story?  Their latest report on West End revenues has the headline ‘West End stays on course for £500m box office hat-trick’ and … Continue reading →

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Creators or curators? What’s so great about long runs?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by rageoffstage

News reporting about the West End seems to veer between two extremes – SOLT boasting about how profits are going up and up, and general panic about shows closing.  The announcement of the closure of Betty Blue Eyes was greeted … Continue reading →

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West End takings up: Was ever audience in this humour woo’d?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by rageoffstage

There seems to be good news from the West End, with headlines proclaiming ‘Box-office sales surge’, and ‘West End takings bounce back thanks to plays’.  Yes, it’s that time again, when SOLT announces the quarterly results from West End theatre … Continue reading →

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Re-writing history: more ‘confessions’ from Andrew Lloyd Webber

Posted on July 26, 2011 by rageoffstage

As we have previously noted, Andrew Lloyd Webber is a master at making seemingly self-effacing comments whilst stabbing his colleagues in the back.  It’s no different in his recent interview with Patrick Healy in the New York Times, in which he indulges … Continue reading →

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The Olivier Awards with Mastercard: a postscript

Posted on March 7, 2011 by rageoffstage

We wish we’d read the 3rd March edition of ‘The Stage’ before we posted on this topic, but we didn’t, hence this postscript. We were somewhat surprised to read an interview by Alistair Smith with Julian Bird, the chief executive of … Continue reading →

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Cry God for Larry: Mastercard Hijacks (sorry, relaunches) the Olivier Awards

Posted on March 3, 2011 by rageoffstage

So, thanks to a cash injection from Mastercard, the Olivier Awards are to be relaunched.  When were they unlaunched?  According to the presspack, the awards were named in 1984 after Sir Laurence Olivier, “One of the greatest stage actors of … Continue reading →

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More on critics’ quotes and prison for those who distort them (not!)

Posted on February 25, 2011 by rageoffstage

We started to get curious after receiving a marketing email about ‘The Children’s Hour’ and actually looking at the reviews.  Then a reader gave us a link to an article about EU legislation which threatens prison for anyone who uses … Continue reading →

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Theatre-goers ripped off yet again

Posted on January 20, 2011 by rageoffstage

The Independent on Sunday (16.1.11) carried an article highlighting the latest method for ripping off theatre-goers – ‘premium pricing’.  This is the practice of quoting one figure for the ‘top price ticket’, whilst topping this with an extra-expensive ‘premium’ priced … Continue reading →

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