Audiences on the up at Palace Theatre

Despite tough economic times, total audiences rose to 91,529 during the last financial year, an increase of more than 1,000 on 2012-13.

Average attendance grew from 72 per cent to 75 per cent of seats sold on all shows, with last year’s pantomime proving a massive hit with theatregoers.

The show, which starred Hi-De-Hi actress Ruth Madoc and children’s television favourite Dave Benson-Phillips, was 94 per cent sold out - an increase of two per cent on the previous year.

This year’s pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, had already sold 50 per cent of tickets by the end of the financial year.

The Leeming Street theatre has seen audience numbers rise by seven per cent since 2009-10, despite people in Mansfield feeling the pinch of the recession. Figures show that an average of 400 people attended every performance at the venue during 2013-14.

Andrew Tucker, cultural services manager at the theatre, said: “It is imperative to put the figures in context to the town of Mansfield. Not being a well-off town and one that is working hard to pull out of the recession, these figures are all the more impressive.

“All four quarters of the last financial year had a higher average attendance than the previous year.”