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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 15:17:59 GMT
Hey! I'm interested in finding out the relationship between theatre audience's & tourism. So would love to you opinions....
How far on average do you travel to see shows, and is this a regular journey or not? and what motivates you to go?
Thank You for your help!! Tash
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Post by hannechalk on Feb 13, 2019 15:26:28 GMT
I live in Bristol, and travel to see Blood Brothers regularly.
So far I've been to Dublin, Darlington, Southsea (and again in May), Liverpool, Manchester, Malvern, Swindon, Oxford (twice), Peterborough, Cardiff, London, Weston-Super-Mare, Bath, Stoke-on-Trent and have trips to High Wycombe, Salford and Birmingham planned, and there have been other places I can't think of from the top of my head.
I like to go because it's a show I love, and because it gets me out of the house. I have mental health-issues, and it pushes me out of my comfort-zone. Otherwise I'd stay indoors every weekend. And it helps to know friendly faces I know well are in the same place as me, should my anxiety kick in.
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Post by 49thand8th on Feb 13, 2019 15:26:55 GMT
I live in New York City, so on average it's about half an hour, unless I'm coming straight from work, in which case my travel time is about 10 minutes. I've also gone to Chicago to see shows, but it's a fairly short flight. If a tour or regional house is doing a show I like in or near San Francisco, sometimes I'll see if I can work that in since I'm from there and can stay with my parents while I do my theatre doings.
The furthest I've gone was California to Australia (then NYC to Australia) but it wasn't expressly to see theatre; I was including a show in a vacation each time.
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Post by Steffi on Feb 13, 2019 15:49:11 GMT
I live in Germany. My main theatre going happens in London (every other month) and New York (usually 3 times a year).
What motivates me to go? The shows in London and New York are just so much better than most things I can see in Germany. Plus I get to combine theatre with time in two great cities (and seeing friends).
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Feb 13, 2019 15:50:13 GMT
I mainly see shows in London where I live so 20-60 minutes.
Travel to Chichester, Stratford, Leeds, Manchester if there’s something I particularly want to see.
Have been known to travel to other countries for theatre but these are holidays too.
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Post by viserys on Feb 13, 2019 15:56:40 GMT
Same as Steffi ^ Live in Germany, travel to London regularly for many reasons a) better pricing, b) better quality, c) meeting friends. About a six-hour-one-way-trip on the Eurostar (Edit: The Eurostar itself is 2 hours, the rest is getting to Brussels, lol) Also travel to the Netherlands, Belgium and France for musicals. Why see Anastasia for 140 EUR in Stuttgart when I can see it for 80 EUR in Scheveningen? (as just one of many examples) New York/the USA rarely, though this might be changing this year for reasons I don't want to get into. Ironically I can't be faffed to travel anywhere inside Germany. I only see shows in my own town, where I can reach the main venues by bicycle in 20 minutes
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Post by maggiem on Feb 13, 2019 16:22:52 GMT
45 mins to an hour by bus to go to Manchester/Salford from My home town of Leigh. 3 to 3 and a half hours (inc changeover time in Manchester) if I'm going to London. I have been to Blackpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Stratford-Upon-Avon for shows too. 2 trips to the US (NYC and Boston) to see Victor Garber.
If I'm going to London, it's because I'm not just going for the play, but the actors in it. That will certainly be the case this year with a lot of American actors coming to the West End. These are once-in-a-lifetime chances to see them.
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Post by perfectspy on Feb 13, 2019 16:25:11 GMT
I just stick to London plays as I live there. I would like to see plays outside London but haven’t got round to it yet.
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Post by Marwood on Feb 13, 2019 16:32:39 GMT
Theatre wise, I usually stick to central London (I live in Croydon), though I have seen a couple of shows in Brighton Eastbourne in recent years. Have seen a few shows on Broadway when I've travelled to New York but last time was 2012.
Concert wise, I've gone a lot further to see shows - Depeche Mode, Spiritualized and Kraftwerk in Dublin at various times over the years, New Order in New York, Phoenix in LA, Underworld in Paris, U2 and the Human League in Brussels (not together), The Jesus and Mary Chain in Lille and Kraftwerk in Amsterdam (going there again next month to see Spiritualized) but I usually try to make such shows part of a much bigger break/holiday.
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Post by basi1faw1ty on Feb 13, 2019 16:36:51 GMT
Roughly 15 mins to get to my local theatre, the Alhambra in Bradford, who've been churning out some great touring productions as of late. Roughly 3 hours to see anything in London. Add an extra hour for Chichester Festival. It's rather a rare thing for me, due to all the travelling, and if that's not the problem, it's the ticket price (generally speaking). And my motivation? Just to have a grand day out, and if my fave actor's in it, to have an even grander day out, and geek about the show to others later. Also it's one thing to sit in front of a TV screen watching a pre-recorded show, it's a completely different thing to sit in front of a stage watching something unfold live and be immersed in it
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 16:40:32 GMT
I live in Spain and travel once/twice a year to London (5 trips in 2017). Also earlier this year went to Dublin for Come From Away.
During the rest of the year I just go to Madrid for my theatre fix. That's just 1.5h by train from where I live.
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Post by Backdrifter on Feb 13, 2019 16:56:57 GMT
I have homes in both London and northern Scotland. When I'm in London, I travel by train from SW London to the city centre, about 14 miles and 25 mins travel time. When in Scotland all productions I see are in the city centre (Inverness), a 15-minute walk away, a little less than a mile.
In neither case is it what I'd call 'regular' in that I couldn't say it's every week or X times per month.
When I travel, if I'm staying somewhere for at least 2-3 days I usually check to see what theatres and productions there are nearby but I don't end up seeing much this way. I usually go to the Edinburgh Fringe every year for a week early in the festival and see a total of 25-30 productions in that time.
My motivation? Er... I love theatre.
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Post by daisy24601 on Feb 13, 2019 17:05:56 GMT
Interesting to find out where people live!
I am lucky I live in London so have enough on my doorstep that I don't feel a need to travel. The only time I have was to see someone in the cast in particular. So I have been to Dublin twice and last week I went the furthest, to Oberhausen. A good reason to go somewhere I say!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 17:06:25 GMT
I live about 30 miles out of Edinburgh, so I usually get the bus into town which takes about an hour (as locals in my town call Edinburgh) to see a show at either the Playhouse or Festival theatres.
I also go to Glasgow (King's/Theatre Royal) sometimes - either if I have missed a show in Edinburgh, or wanted to do a repeat visit. With this, I get the train and it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
My cutoff point is Sunderland. It takes an hour on a National Rail train (which always needs to be booked ages in advance due to how overpriced the fares are) and then between 30 and 45 minutes on a Metro. I haven't really been to the Newcastle Theatre Royal but it's certainly a possibility for Les Mis as it's going there in September and I couldn't get tickets in Edinburgh.
I also went to Manchester on one occasion, which was a 4 hour drive, and I would only do that again if I know a show isn't going to visit Scotland.
When I go to London, I usually get the train, as my local station is blessed with direct trains to King's Cross, which usually take about 4 hours, and I find that it's less hassle than flying or driving
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Post by Backdrifter on Feb 13, 2019 17:32:30 GMT
I live about 30 miles out of Edinburgh, so I usually get the bus into town to see a show at either the Playhouse or Festival theatres. I also go to Glasgow (King's/Theatre Royal) sometimes That's interestingly specific - never the Edinburgh King's or Traverse, or the Glasgow Tron/Citizens?
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Post by learfan on Feb 13, 2019 17:36:41 GMT
Since my divorce i live in North Worcestershire, just south of Birmingham. I dont have a car so rely on the trains. I am fortunate that my parents still live in South East London so i can stop there. In fact im doing that tomorrow for two nights! I do go to Manchester, Nottingham, Chichester and of course Stratford on Avon. So far it has worked pretty well.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 17:42:16 GMT
I live 15mins (public transport) out of Manchester city (40min walk) and regularly attend theatre across the city and Salford. Often take the train to London for a 'binge' of shows (2hr journey from the city centre). I'll also journey towards and over the border to Chester and North Wales for theatre there (60 - 90min drive).
Edit: Just noticed the other parts of the first post.
2-4 times a month in Manchester. 2-4 trips to London a year. The rest is as and when. What motivates you? A good show. A new show. An intriguing show. Or simply a show I can't get enough of (Cough*Company*Cough).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 18:08:20 GMT
I live about 30 miles out of Edinburgh, so I usually get the bus into town to see a show at either the Playhouse or Festival theatres. I also go to Glasgow (King's/Theatre Royal) sometimes That's interestingly specific - never the Edinburgh King's or Traverse, or the Glasgow Tron/Citizens? I mainly go to musicals which in Edinburgh are mostly at the Festival and Playhouse, and in Glasgow at the two I mentioned.
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 13, 2019 19:03:54 GMT
I live a few miles outside Cambridge. I do most of my theatregoing in London, being fortunate that a (usually) reasonably good train service means I can go down for an evening or a day & get back the same night, so I go down to London pretty much every week, sometimes multiple times a week. Besides London, places I've been to for theatre in the last few years include Norwich, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Leicester, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Salisbury, Colchester, Sheffield, Woking, Guildford, Peterborough, & Oxford. I try to combine theatregoing with visiting cathedrals/museums/art galleries if there are any in the vicinity. I've only been abroad for theatregoing twice, Paris & Munich.
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Post by ensembleswings on Feb 13, 2019 19:05:00 GMT
I hav a 20 min drive and then an hour and 20 minutes on the train to get to London, its a journey I do multiple times a month (sometimes multiple times a week). Bristol Hippodrome is a 45 minute drive away, Southampton Mayflower around an hour 15 drive, both of which I visit fairly frequently, wherever there are shows on I wish to see. The furthest I've travelled so far is Manchester, a four and a half hour drive which I'll be doing again later in the year. Also flying up to Edinburgh for a show next month.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 19:20:28 GMT
I travel to London regularly which is 2.5 hours door to door if i take the train, closer to 4 if I take the coach (which is most often). I do that to see shows I can't see at home and for work purposes too.
At home, if I'm going from work I travel all of 100 yards as I work next door to one theatre. But joking aside, I probably travel within a 30 minute radius for 'local' theatre, which encompasses about 6 venues.
Very occasionally i venture to Bristol or Bath for a production that isn't touring to Cardiff.
I probably average about a yearly/every two years trip to NY. I do that for the love of theatre but equally the love of the City- even if I stopped loving theatre I'd still go to NY.
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Post by david on Feb 13, 2019 19:45:29 GMT
Living in the Liverpool area, Manchester/Salford and Liverpool are my local theatre haunts (assuming Northern Rail are running any kind of train service). I do regular London trips which aren’t too bad (2-3hrs via train) as I get to combine theatre stuff with visiting family who live in East London.
As I do like to get out and about at weekends and explore new towns and cities. I try and combine my interest for travel with the theatre where possible.
I’m a big fan of NYC. Not just for the theatre, but the culture as well.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 20:15:40 GMT
The furthest I've been would be Aberdeen and Antwerp, both requiring accommodation at the far end, and home being in the rather poorly defined area of England that isn't quite the east or the midlands or the south. The furthest I've been on a day trip is Edinburgh via London.
The shortest distance I've travelled is to an amateur production in the old hall in my street, which Google Earth tells me is 39 metres door to door.
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Post by dontdreamit on Feb 13, 2019 20:16:59 GMT
I live in London so see most of my theatre here these days. However when a certain Mr. Donovan is touring in a show, we’ll travel to a variety of dates all over the country, depending on what dates suit other things going on.
In saying that, if/ when Bat tours, I’ll deffinately be seeing a few dates of that wherever it flies to...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 21:19:14 GMT
Usually just London (I live in the travel zones and work in the City), occasionally the suburbs. I have been to New York but that was a holiday that involved a lot of theatre, not a trip specifically designed to see one specific show. Same goes for the Edinburgh Fringe - I went partly as holiday and for the festival generally, not one specific show
I am, however, considering going to Paris in May mainly to see Guys and Dolls.
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