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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 18, 2019 20:53:42 GMT
Very interesting.
Who are the real bread and butter customers, one wonders....
I know many will scoff and assume that because I go to the theatre a lot, I have a high an extravagant standard of living, but far from it. I make many other sacrifices in life to afford the luxury and indulgence of those tickets. Things that other people of my age and peer group would not like. I rarely eat out, shop at the cheap supermarkets, drive a (very well preserved) "old banger" and don't shop at John Lewis!  hehe The only reason I can afford all my theatregoing, on a considerably below average salary, is because I live with my mother so am not paying remotely near market rates of rent. I don't own a car either (though I do shop in John Lewis - they're the only department store that still has a haberdashery department!). I remember at university the other people living on my corridor asked how I could afford to go to the theatre & I pointed out that I wasn't spending any money on going out drinking - and I could remember my evenings out!! Some of it is down to what your priorities are. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2019 21:22:00 GMT
I agree! Though I drink (though didn’t in uni) I’d feel quite ill (in more ways than one!) if I spent over £100 out drinking. So I feel slightly better spending half that on a theatre ticket!
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3,321 posts
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Post by david on Feb 18, 2019 22:41:35 GMT
Very interesting.
Who are the real bread and butter customers, one wonders....
I know many will scoff and assume that because I go to the theatre a lot, I have a high an extravagant standard of living, but far from it. I make many other sacrifices in life to afford the luxury and indulgence of those tickets. Things that other people of my age and peer group would not like. I rarely eat out, shop at the cheap supermarkets, drive a (very well preserved) "old banger" and don't shop at John Lewis! hehe The only reason I can afford all my theatregoing, on a considerably below average salary, is because I live with my mother so am not paying remotely near market rates of rent. I don't own a car either (though I do shop in John Lewis - they're the only department store that still has a haberdashery department!). I remember at university the other people living on my corridor asked how I could afford to go to the theatre & I pointed out that I wasn't spending any money on going out drinking - and I could remember my evenings out!! Some of it is down to what your priorities are. I had a similar Uni experience to you Dawn. For me, I got far more pleasure (and some really great memories of seeing some fantastic shows both in London and in the North) in spending my money on an afternoon/evening at the theatre than in a night club even though I did occasionally drink. As you say it’s down to what you want to spend your cash on at the end of the day. |
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Post by wickedgrin on Feb 18, 2019 22:46:03 GMT
Yes, theatre tickets are far cheaper than drinking in a WE bar all night! Everyone has their own priorities, quite rightly, on how they spend their money.
I rarely see anything I don't like and enjoy simply because, I too, research and evaluate the show before booking, because of the cost. I am now old enough to know what I am likely to like or not! I also know that I am unlikely to enjoy a show sat at the back, straining to hear and see. The sad thing is that I used to "take a punt" on plays and shows because I could get a cheap good seat - if I enjoyed it - great, if I didn't - well it only cost me £10/£15! Not prepared to do this for £60 plus though!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2019 22:47:32 GMT
I usually go for the cheapest seat I can find.
For Wicked, the seats in the stalls behind the ladder (£29.50, And I’ve seen the show enough to know what happens)
Come From Away, I’m thinking of going for the back of the Grand (£25). The Phoenix looks small enough that I’ll be able to follow the show well from up there.
As I live in Scotland it’s not as if I can really dayseat or get rush tickets, so I just try and find the best deal on the theatre’s website.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 0:02:30 GMT
Does anyone fear that they (if things carry on as they are) will simply be priced out of West End theatre for good? (especially people who do not live and/or work in greater London and don't have the flexibilty necessary to get cheap day tickets) Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. I'm not saying the costs wouldn't mount up throughout the year if you did that regularly but you can see deploy the same flexibility as Londonders to some degree. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 0:08:37 GMT
Yes. There are several new musicals recently opened that a few years ago I would have probably bought a cheap ticket for & given them a go to see if I liked them. Now I doubt I'll be seeing them as if I'm paying that much money it's got to be for something I really want to see. If I'm paying £60+ for a ticket then I'd rather spend it at the Royal Opera House than in the West End. I'm already trying to save on travel costs by walking from Kings Cross/Liverpool Street into the West End whenever I can so I can pay for a return ticket plus 1 lot of tube fare rather than buying a Travelcard like I used to. I feel the same & being pretty short-sighted doesn't help. It's simply not worth sitting up in the balcony of a large theatre when I can't see any of the acting.
I TOTALLY sympathise with sight issues and being stuck at the back. I'd rather not go at all - utter waste of money. And that's no snobbery against so-called cheap seats, but they're hardly going to appeal to ardent and long term theatre goers.
Not as many on here so certainly am not being boastful, but I see about 20-30 West End plays each year and the cheap seats definitely do appeal. For £15 or, sometimes, less you get a decent seat at most venues. Tonight I saw The Price, for example, for £12 and had no problems with the seat. In fact, I would argue that the expensive seats are less likely to appeal to 'ardent theatre fans' |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 0:28:18 GMT
Does anyone fear that they (if things carry on as they are) will simply be priced out of West End theatre for good? (especially people who do not live and/or work in greater London and don't have the flexibilty necessary to get cheap day tickets) Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. I'm not saying the costs wouldn't mount up throughout the year if you did that regularly but you can see deploy the same flexibility as Londonders to some degree. Few will live in Central Manchester and you are unlikely to get public transport at the time the last train gets in out to wherever (I'm equidistant between Leeds and Manchester, so there's no chance of getting anywhere near where I am). For the vast majority coming from the North and beyond and a fair amount of the Midlands then accommodation is a necessity.
Looking ahead for train tickets when they go on sale, to get the best prices, the same with hotels is the only way to go. I'm in London this week and just adding up transport and accommodation to see six plays over three days is (aside from the tickets), comes to just shy of £200.
Now, I moved from the South East a few years ago, so can see that offset by my lower mortgage costs but others would not have that sort of saving on previous expenditure.
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 19, 2019 8:19:39 GMT
I TOTALLY sympathise with sight issues and being stuck at the back. I'd rather not go at all - utter waste of money. And that's no snobbery against so-called cheap seats, but they're hardly going to appeal to ardent and long term theatre goers.
Not as many on here so certainly am not being boastful, but I see about 20-30 West End plays each year and the cheap seats definitely do appeal. For £15 or, sometimes, less you get a decent seat at most venues. Tonight I saw The Price, for example, for £12 and had no problems with the seat. In fact, I would argue that the expensive seats are less likely to appeal to 'ardent theatre fans'
Only by virtue of because they're expensive? Then I would agree.
I was chatting to someone recently who works in the concert industry (mainly the big arena concerts) and he gave me some fascinating insights into many things, including the buying habits of the public.
He said that when tickets for big concerts go on sale - the cheapest seats and the most expensive seats are always the first to sell out.
Interesting - wonder if that applies to theatre too? (where tickets tend to be on a more continuous sale than one major ticket release date?)...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 8:39:03 GMT
Does anyone fear that they (if things carry on as they are) will simply be priced out of West End theatre for good? (especially people who do not live and/or work in greater London and don't have the flexibilty necessary to get cheap day tickets) Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. I'm not saying the costs wouldn't mount up throughout the year if you did that regularly but you can see deploy the same flexibility as Londonders to some degree. As stated earlier, booking 3-6 months in advance requires time booked off in work, coming out of holiday allocation. This isn't always possible for everyone. If your going to get two shows in, your return options to Manchester are either 9:30pm or 11pm, the latter of which lands in Manchester at 2am, which again for many can be a great inconvenience. As @cardinalpirelli says, there is then the problem of getting from Manchester Piccadilly to your home, usually a taxi, which is again another cost and the time taken all impacts on the following day. Also the 2hrs 10mins on a train from MCR (once your at Piccadilly) is no way compares to the Londoners bus option. Realistically, your looking at leaving Manchester at 11am in the morning to get into London with enough time to travel to the theatre for a matinee, then with the 3 hour train at 11pm, your not back until 2am. Thats a 15hr day - assuming your living across the road from Manchester Piccadilly. That is in no way deploying the same flexibility as Londoners in my mind. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 8:56:02 GMT
Does anyone fear that they (if things carry on as they are) will simply be priced out of West End theatre for good? (especially people who do not live and/or work in greater London and don't have the flexibilty necessary to get cheap day tickets) Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. I'm not saying the costs wouldn't mount up throughout the year if you did that regularly but you can see deploy the same flexibility as Londonders to some degree. I don't say this with malice, but I believe you are a bit? Cardiff train returns at their cheapest are £45 and they are few/far between. There's also no train late enough back to Cardiff to see an evening show and get home. Buses are cheap, but again if you took the coach that went after an evening show, that's a 2am return home. Meanwhile if you take a coach up and back for a matinee that's nearly 8 hours on a coach for one show, and isn't really practical. So that leaves us with staying over. Let's say you can get a cheap Travelodge for £50 a night, if you share with someone that obviously cuts the cost, but I usually travel alone (as do most of us on this board from anecdotal experience). Add to that, you travelling in from home can eat lunch/dinner at home. For an overnight even, it costs money for even a cheap lunch/dinner/breakfast. Add onto that at least a return tube journey (assuming we walk between places/shows but the stations tend to be a little far to get to easily) So, train £45 (minimum, more like £60-80) or But £30 return. Hotel £50-£100 (or more) Two lunches (Let's say £12 allowing for a coffee with your meal deal) a dinner £10-£15 and breakfast on your way home £5 (sorry I need coffee to function) Tube: say £6 for argument's sake. Even fudging those numbers and rounding down, £150 easily before the show tickets if doing an overnight London stay. For context also, I had to book a train ticket to get to a meeting yesterday and it was £64 SINGLE to London. Plus tube. EVEN if I did an 8 hour up and back coach journey, that's say £25 return (don't forget I have to get a bus to the bus the other end), £25 on food (you try being on a bus for 8 hours with no snacks!) plus being out and about for a day ALWAYS costs more than you think... I'm not saying you said that with malice but it's a lot more complicated than 'just hop on a cheap train' for most of us (and I live in a relatively well connectedplace) |
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Post by kathryn on Feb 19, 2019 10:04:48 GMT
Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. Yes, you are showing a Londoner's ignorance. Three months out is not when you can get cheap tickets for most shows - it's far too early for last minute discounts/downward dynamic pricing to kick in, and too late to snap up the truly cheap-but-good-value tickets - which sell out first, usually a good 6 months in advance. And you can't buy train tickets earlier than 12 weeks before travel. Also those headline cheap train tickets are usually for times of day that don't fit in with theatregoing - the outbound will arrive too late for a matinee, the return will be too early after an evening show, or the very late train will get you back too late to catch public transport at the other end. Plus there's the exhaustion of it - which can entirely ruin the experience of seeing a show. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 10:20:52 GMT
Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. Yes, you are showing a Londoner's ignorance. Three months out is not when you can get cheap tickets for most shows - it's far too early for last minute discounts/downward dynamic pricing to kick in, and too late to snap up the truly cheap-but-good-value tickets - which sell out first, usually a good 6 months in advance. And you can't buy train tickets earlier than 12 weeks before travel. Also those headline cheap train tickets are usually for times of day that don't fit in with theatregoing - the outbound will arrive too late for a matinee, the return will be too early after an evening show, or the very late train will get you back too late to catch public transport at the other end. Plus there's the exhaustion of it - which can entirely ruin the experience of seeing a show. Good set of points!! The discounts are often last minute and also most of us have “adulting” to do so can’t just drop everything to travel halfway across the country! Also yes it’s exhausting. As above I did a London and back yesterday for work- it was a 9-9 day, much shorter than a show one would be, and I am exhausted today. Also the impact on the rest of your week- I drew a line under “last bus back get home at 2” in my late 20s, as I believe the line in the well loved 90s film goes “I’m too old for this sh*t” |
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Post by mathh on Feb 19, 2019 11:33:44 GMT
A few times I have taken coaches from Nottingham to London early morning on Saturdays to see a matinee show and go back home after.
It is exhausting. I am not saying it's not worth it but it's not something I can do so often.
Lucky enough I have friends in London who don't mind having me for the weekend when I come to try lottery or cheap day seats /rush tickets
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 13:24:52 GMT
What's a bus?
Surely, you just ask Driver to wait outside the theatre until the show finishes and then drive you back home? The clue is in his job title.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Feb 19, 2019 16:57:55 GMT
A friend texted me today that they are visiting London in April and would like my advice on how to get cheap ticket deals. I replied what show do they want to see "no idea".
I've said have a look online and narrow it down. It's too much responsibility for me to choose for them!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 21:33:57 GMT
Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. I'm not saying the costs wouldn't mount up throughout the year if you did that regularly but you can see deploy the same flexibility as Londonders to some degree. I don't say this with malice, but I believe you are a bit? Cardiff train returns at their cheapest are £45 and they are few/far between. There's also no train late enough back to Cardiff to see an evening show and get home. Buses are cheap, but again if you took the coach that went after an evening show, that's a 2am return home. Meanwhile if you take a coach up and back for a matinee that's nearly 8 hours on a coach for one show, and isn't really practical. So that leaves us with staying over. Let's say you can get a cheap Travelodge for £50 a night, if you share with someone that obviously cuts the cost, but I usually travel alone (as do most of us on this board from anecdotal experience). Add to that, you travelling in from home can eat lunch/dinner at home. For an overnight even, it costs money for even a cheap lunch/dinner/breakfast. Add onto that at least a return tube journey (assuming we walk between places/shows but the stations tend to be a little far to get to easily) So, train £45 (minimum, more like £60-80) or But £30 return. Hotel £50-£100 (or more) Two lunches (Let's say £12 allowing for a coffee with your meal deal) a dinner £10-£15 and breakfast on your way home £5 (sorry I need coffee to function) Tube: say £6 for argument's sake. Even fudging those numbers and rounding down, £150 easily before the show tickets if doing an overnight London stay. For context also, I had to book a train ticket to get to a meeting yesterday and it was £64 SINGLE to London. Plus tube. EVEN if I did an 8 hour up and back coach journey, that's say £25 return (don't forget I have to get a bus to the bus the other end), £25 on food (you try being on a bus for 8 hours with no snacks!) plus being out and about for a day ALWAYS costs more than you think... I'm not saying you said that with malice but it's a lot more complicated than 'just hop on a cheap train' for most of us (and I live in a relatively well connectedplace) All trains are expensive if you book on the day of travel: it costs me £38 single to get from London to the New Forest when I travel to my wife's parents. However, I travel around the country for football and know you can buy incredibly cheap train tickets and have, within the last year, been to Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow for £20 return for the former two and £30 for Glasgow with, of course, the caveat that you buy when they first go on sale. The thread is about the West End being too expensive and, I can't remember how it came about, how outside London makes it impossible to get cheap tickets. That's a myth though. Every West End theatre has tickets costing £15 or less meaning that, if you are organised and purchase both train and theatre ticket in advance, you could see a great London play for £35 or less if you live up North. You can buy £12 return tickets from Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone if you book in advance meaning those in that part of the Midlands can see London plays for less than £30. If you want to be spontaneous you won't, of course, have the same options open to you as us Londoners, but if you're organised it's not beyond anyone's grasp to get cheap travel and cheap theatre tickets. Of course if you throw in hotels and/or do it regularly it will cost a lot throughout the year, but one off day returns won't cost the World. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 21:50:18 GMT
Maybe I'm showing a Londonder's ignorance but me buying a cheap ticket 6 months in advance and getting to the theatre by bus is surely as easy as those who live further afield buying a cheap ticket and an advance off peak train ticket? You can get £20 return tickets to London from Manchester - for example - 3 months in advance and the last train back is well after the end of an evening performance which means you could take in two plays. I'm not saying the costs wouldn't mount up throughout the year if you did that regularly but you can see deploy the same flexibility as Londonders to some degree. As stated earlier, booking 3-6 months in advance requires time booked off in work, coming out of holiday allocation. This isn't always possible for everyone. If your going to get two shows in, your return options to Manchester are either 9:30pm or 11pm, the latter of which lands in Manchester at 2am, which again for many can be a great inconvenience. As @cardinalpirelli says, there is then the problem of getting from Manchester Piccadilly to your home, usually a taxi, which is again another cost and the time taken all impacts on the following day. Also the 2hrs 10mins on a train from MCR (once your at Piccadilly) is no way compares to the Londoners bus option. Realistically, your looking at leaving Manchester at 11am in the morning to get into London with enough time to travel to the theatre for a matinee, then with the 3 hour train at 11pm, your not back until 2am. Thats a 15hr day - assuming your living across the road from Manchester Piccadilly. That is in no way deploying the same flexibility as Londoners in my mind. I wasn't, for the record, saying that the time taken out of your day was on par. Simply that the process of buying theatre and travel tickets in advance is an easy process. Also, although I appreciate that some do work at weekends, for those who don't it wouldn't require holiday allowance either. Most theatre tickets go on sale 2-3 months before the performances begin and cheap train tickets go on sale at exactly the same sort of time period. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 7:44:43 GMT
I’m not getting embroiled in a nasty game of DMs from the above poster.
Yes I tweeted a sarcastic thing about someone thinking you can get £20 returns to London. Because it’s a ridiculous notion. I named nobody, didn’t name the forum either. Neither breaks forum rules or twitter rules. I’m also not being “disrespectful”
Save both your mansplaining and nasty DMs for someone else.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 7:48:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 8:07:33 GMT
I’m not getting embroiled in a nasty game of DMs from the above poster. Yes I tweeted a sarcastic thing about someone thinking you can get £20 returns to London. Because it’s a ridiculous notion. I named nobody, didn’t name the forum either. Neither breaks forum rules or twitter rules. I’m also not being “disrespectful” Save both your mansplaining and nasty DMs for someone else. My nasty DM: Hi, I was umming and aaring about whether to send this or not but, clearly, have opted to! This is a forum where people exchange ideas, thoughts and opinions and for the most part all this is done in a respectful environment. That doesn't mean that I expect people to agree with everything thing said or expect anyone to agree with me, but we all should expect respect. That's why I was very disappointed to be pointed in the direction of your Twitter feed by a friend who follows you and who persuaded me to join this forum. My posts about the trains were posted respectfully and with a caveat attached which explained why I may face some opposing views. Your post on here was equally respectful but your posts on Twitter show a complete lack of respect, are mocking in nature and as they were shared and liked by a number of other posters from here, expose a clique which makes me question whether or not I will continue to post or remain a member. What you did, and encourage others to do, is unfair and, as I said, displays a lack of respect. By all means argue against me on here and explain why I may be wrong, but please don't turn me into a figure of fun for having opinions contrary to yours on another platform just because you believe I will never see it. It's a small World and nobody knows who knows who. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 8:12:19 GMT
I would respectfully ask that the mods remove the above post. This is targeted and public, and there is no need for it.
Also what the gentleman in question is doing is known as gaslighting. On top of previous mansplaining.
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Post by duncan on Feb 20, 2019 10:10:22 GMT
Ah, the ignorance of Londoners - finding out the reality of the actual non-bubble world.
Imagine wanting to book things months in advance so you can, you know, actually see shows when in London that you want to see rather than wait for the day in question and hope you can bag a bargain or have a day wasted or end up at a show you have no interest in as its whats was on offer.
Oh us rural hicks wanting to be sure of where we are going before we arrive in the crime cesspit that is your nations capital.
#prayforus
Mind you this board does reinforce how conservative the Londoners are in their theatre choices, maybe they should move to the hillbillyside and see the far more exotic programme of productions that most areas put on compared to the 73rd year of Wicked, Mamma Mia etc that London thrives on. Here its easy to avoid the latest tired tour of Les Mis or the next in a long line of former Soap stars appearing in new versions of plays from the 70s and 80s and see a far far wider variety of performance shows, styles and experimentation than you can find in the stuffy confines of the Thames area.
I see far better shows outside of London than I do when I'm there and (back on track) most of them are cheaper.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 10:43:55 GMT
To make a woeful attempt at getting this back on track it’s interesting how regionally I now think “bloody hell thats expensive” for fringe/regional productions That tips the £25 Mark (lets be real the £15 for fringe) when way back when you could get a lot more London tickets in that range too
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Post by schuttep on Feb 20, 2019 10:57:12 GMT
I am based in London and attend theatre performances around 80 times a year on average.
As has been pointed out, there are cheap theatre tickets to be had in London but it does mean being prepared - booking as soon as tickets goon sale, or risking seeing nothing by day ticketing, to looking for discounted tickets. If you've been going to the theatre long enough - like me - you can often predict which shows will offer discounts. Cheaper rail/bus fares are also available but again there needs to be some planning.
I do the travel to the theatre in reverse - I like going to regional theatres and always go there by train. I always book my theatre and train well in advance. I'm also lucky in that regional theatre prices are much cheaper. I remember around 10 years ago when my partner was buying top price tickets for a professional Saturday matinee performance of Abigail's Party at the theatre in Harrogate. The box office lady said "that'll be £40 please". Partner: "but I want 5 tickets". "Yes that'll be £40 please!" They were £8 each!! I love regional theatres!
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hehe
