The Lowry has its best season on record
Theatre audiences seek solace from the economic gloom, giving The Lowry its best season on record
The Lowry announces its busiest and most successful autumn season ever. From September to December 2008, visitors to Salford’s art and theatre venue exceeded 271,000, a 19% rise in attendances compared to the autumn season in 2007.
December 2008 was the venue’s second busiest month on record, with over 102,000 people through the doors. The Christmas musical, The Wizard of Oz, finished its run as the biggest box-office success The Lowry has ever enjoyed. This top-selling show had audiences of over 75,000 - 26,000 higher than last year’s pantomime, Dick Whittington. Overall sales for the Lyric and Quays theatres in Autumn 2008 were 40% higher than in 2007.
Early indications for Spring and Summer suggest that, amidst the economic gloom, theatre-goers are continuing to book in large amounts for the wide-ranging Lowry theatre programme. Shows such as the stage adaptations of Calendar Girls and High School Musical, as well as the award-winning new version of West Side Story, are proving particularly popular.
Julia Fawcett, Chief Executive of The Lowry, said “It’s excellent news that so many people have decided to visit The Lowry over the recent months and that they already have chosen to book for shows at our venue in 2009. People obviously still want to be entertained in the current climate; something I feel that our mix of theatre shows does very well.”
This announcement caps a great year for audience figures at The Lowry. Visit Manchester, the tourist board for Greater Manchester, cited The Lowry as Manchester's most popular attraction in 2008. Salford enjoyed its biggest growth in tourism for five years, with 6.8m visitors last year - up two per cent on the previous year.
Posted on Thursday, 05 February 2009 under Press General Press