397 posts
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Post by altamont on Feb 25, 2018 8:40:00 GMT
Something I've wondered - what is the geographical spread of TheatreBoard members? How many of us are travelling distances to see most shows?
We live in Wells, in Somerset, which mean that are our "local" theatres are in Bristol and Bath (still up to an hour's drive away), then we regularly travel to Stratford or Chichester (over two hours away), and we try to make trips to London include a Saturday Matinee, and Evening show, plus maybe an exhibition on Sunday morning with a Travelodge in between.
Thankfully we have the time and ability to do this - are there many others coming from the regions, or is the board primarily London-centric?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 9:08:56 GMT
I live within the London travel zones so a lot of shows are no more than about 45 minutes to an hour's travel for me.
I do the occasional trip to Chichester, Southampton etc. that are easy to get to on the train, as well as places on the outskirts of Central London like Wimbledon and Bromley, but mostly stick to the West End and fairly central fringe venues.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Feb 25, 2018 10:00:16 GMT
I'm from North East England and it takes less than three hours to London by train or seven odd hours by bus.
With the prices of regional theatre tours going up and up it can be cheaper to travel to London and dayseat than see the production locally.
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2,676 posts
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Post by viserys on Feb 25, 2018 10:07:49 GMT
I'm from Germany. I used to travel to London 2-3 times a year at most by plane until I discovered the blessing that is the Eurostar. When booking ahead early, it costs 110 Euro thereabouts return and is wonderfully leisurely compared to the hassle of flying. Hotel prices in London are an annoyance, but I put up with them.
Ticket prices in London are much better than here in Germany (especially with Day Seats and such like), the QUALITY of the shows on the whole is much better and you can usually safely book because you want to see a particular performer because first casts are either on or their absence is clearly communicated. Unlike here where first casts miss several shows per month and it's always a hit and miss who's on and how good the understudy/alternate is. And shows are spread all over Germany, so I'd have to travel for them too and then I just prefer London. Managed four trips in six months and have another four trips pencilled in for this year already.
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344 posts
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Post by sophizoey on Feb 25, 2018 10:30:17 GMT
I'm with Shady on being from the North East (specifically Newcastle), as a student it is usally better value for me to get the coach both ways to London and get a dayseat or student ticket of some sort than it is to get a decent seat at a regional/touring productions. However I have found a lovely seat at the Sunderland Empire that is always sold as restricted, but really it isnt too bad (and half the price of the seat next to it)
Also I have quite a talent pf showing up to see understudies on very little notice despite my location.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 10:37:32 GMT
I'm near Sheffield. The Crucible is about a 20 minute drive, and Stratford takes just under an hour. London by train is just under 2 hours so practical for day returns for matinees, but not evening shows unless I stay over.
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Post by alece10 on Feb 25, 2018 10:39:28 GMT
I live in East London so 20 mins by tube into the west end. I'm very fortunate.
Originally from Cornwall.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 10:47:39 GMT
I'm just outside the M25, so can get to London fairly quickly but am also pretty well-positioned for a drive to Stratford or Chichester or Bristol, plus I have two reasonably local theatres I can get to easily enough when an interesting-sounding tour is doing the rounds.
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Feb 25, 2018 10:50:06 GMT
I'm from Liverpool, so see stuff locally or in London, usually Saturday matinees or sofa-surfing for the latter (I was going to do the night bus on Monday for Girls and Boys but the threatened snow means I'll probably cancel).
Previews at the Liverpool Everyman or Playhouse are cheap - not much more than a cinema ticket - as is the Playhouse studio and Bluecoat studio space (Narvik, with a post-show concert, was £10). Manchester is a 30 - 45 minute train ride away and they do late trains back (11.25) which is great - the Royal Exchange main house previews and Studio anytime/any seat are also cheap (they also do concessions, cheap banquette day seats, and first preview in the Studio can be as little as £6), as are previews and studio shows at Home. The Lowry is a bit of a faff - I haven't worked out the logistics of that yet (I don't have a car) and Theatr Clwyd ditto - again, cheap and some very good stuff, though rural so harder to get to (dress rehearsal for the TC main house is around a fiver for any seat).
When I was a kid, they did late trains from Euston, which meant seeing evening shows was fairly easy - now the last one is around 9pm and sometimes cancelled. I wish they'd bring them back!
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1,120 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Feb 25, 2018 11:07:42 GMT
Born and raised in London. Currently living 10 mins from the South Bank. Lovely but I picked an empty vodka bottle off my front wall this morning.
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Post by basi1faw1ty on Feb 25, 2018 11:24:44 GMT
I live near Bradford, and my local (big) theatres are the Alhambra and the West Yorkshire Playhouse (25 min train to Leeds). To get to London takes me a reasonable 3 hours in total, costing £32 return on the train (only if booked waaaaaaaay in advance), and nearly 5 hours on the National Express. London is quite a way down, yes, and I am envious of you southern folk  However I have managed to do the day return matinee as Elanor mentioned (I even squeezed in the stage door - not literally) and be back on home soil for 10pm. |
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Post by Steffi on Feb 25, 2018 11:41:05 GMT
I’m from Germany. Used to travel to London at least once a month for a long weekend. Since I started flying to New York 3 times a year my London trips have become less frequent. I still try and pop over every two months to catch some shows.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 12:10:02 GMT
As the name suggests Cardiff. So London for me is either an expensive 2 hour train journey or a less expensive 3.5 hour bus journey. My London trips per year go up and down, last year being particularly ridiculous.
Locally we have a good local theatre scene from 2 main receiving venues (WMC getting the 'big' musicals etc, New getting the smaller tours and plays) and a producing house/receiving venue in the Sherman for smaller things. We also have a busy, if often pretentious fringe scene.
In theory I can get to Bristol easily, but I admit I don't. Mainly due to time rather than inclination.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 25, 2018 12:10:12 GMT
Home counties: born and brought up in Hertfordshire and moved for work, firstly to Surrey, then Sussex and have lived in one or the other for c 40 years. It's actually a good location for theatre, similar to that Baemax describes though I don't have local theatres and won't drive, but by train, apart from London, I can get to Brighton, Chichester, Guildford, Kingston, Richmond, Watford, Wimbledon, etc.
I sometimes wonder if I could live anywhere else in the UK (lots of areas I fancy), but don't think I'd have such good access to theatre elsewhere. The best bet might be the Midlands but it would still involve far more travelling than I do now.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 12:33:01 GMT
From Plymouth but visit London 4-5 times a year.
Have a great theatre in the Theatre Royal Plymouth.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 25, 2018 12:35:06 GMT
Manchester, on that street where everyone’s started parking for The Palace - thanks for that 😐. So just a minutes walk to all manchester venues. short tram ride to The Lowry or Hope Mill. From Sheffield originally and my mum is still there so I sometimes fit a Crucible trip in with visits home.
London 2 hrs by train, but no late train back on a Saturday night so I tend to book weekends and fit in 3 shows three or four times a year.
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Post by theatremadness on Feb 25, 2018 12:56:46 GMT
Outskirts of London, 30 min tube ride to Leicester Square so I'm very lucky in the London-theatre sense! Visit Wimbledon & Bromley semi-regularly when friends are in touring shows. Even ventured to Southampton once!
Have visited Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff & Newcastle on tour myself and all really lovely places!
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Post by Michael on Feb 25, 2018 13:21:54 GMT
I'm also from Germany. In my heydays, I used to fly over to London at least once a month (my personal record were 17 times in 2015 - most of them to see Memphis), but in recent times, my trips to London are getting less and less frequent - down to six times last year, and this year, I've only booked two so far. But that's not because I've lost interest in theatre, it's more because the vast majority of shows currently running don't interest me at all, and the longrunners I used to visit drove me away with some questionable casting decisions.
I also visit New York at least once a year and try to catch some UK tours to visit some new places in the UK (off to Aberdeen in May for the Legally Blonde tour...) - sometimes, I think I'm more familiar with London than with my home town...
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Post by ptwest on Feb 25, 2018 13:22:49 GMT
Just outside Huddersfield so handy for Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester. London is 2hrs away by train so visit every 2 or 3 months or so.
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 25, 2018 14:02:35 GMT
Near Cambridge. My local theatre is quite good for touring plays but is too small to fit in touring musicals. I do most of my theatregoing in London, which takes under 2 hours door to door so I can pop down for the evening or do 2 shows in one day at weekends. I've also visited Milton Keynes, Norwich, Peterborough, Ipswich, Colchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Salisbury, Leeds, Cardiff, Sheffield, Newcastle, Bath, Bristol & Leicester for theatregoing purposes in the last few years, though for anywhere other than London I have to either stick to matinees or stay overnight. I don't own a car so spend a lot of time on trains (writing this on a train to London).
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Post by lou105 on Feb 25, 2018 14:50:43 GMT
Another northerner. I can get to Leeds and York easily and also go to Bradford, Sheffield and Manchester. London trips 6 to 8 times a year - fortunate to have family near enough to help justify them!
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 25, 2018 14:59:43 GMT
I'm originally from Milan, but I live in North London, which makes theatre trips very easy.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 15:06:14 GMT
I live in London so all of that is easy enough but I can get anywhere really so long as Driver can find it on the map.
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4,171 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Feb 25, 2018 15:39:40 GMT
(As most of you already know)I am originally from Sydney in Australia but too live in North West London so access to the West End is easy for me.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2018 15:58:21 GMT
Live near Croydon so roughly 30 min train ride to London so is easy to go and makes it nice and easy to day seat and come back home. Don't really go outside London for theatre but if I need to it is nit too difficult.
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However I have managed to do the day return matinee as Elanor mentioned (I even squeezed in the stage door - not literally) and be back on home soil for 10pm.
