Impressive figures:

Another quote from the above article:

Please forward this article to all the short-sighted politicians out there:

Theatre Generates £2.6bn, Says ACE Report
The British Theatre Guide


A new report issued by Arts Council England - The Economic Impact Study of UK Theatre, by Dominic Shellard of the University of Sheffield - shows that theatre creates £2.6bn for the British economy. The study, based on data from 308 theatres (259 outside London and 49 West End), shows

. The London economy is boosted by £1.5bn by those who visit West End theatres
. The comparable figure for the rest of the country is £1.1bn
. The Additional Visitor Spend (AVS) - that is, the amount each visitor spends in addition to the cost of theatre tickets (food, drink, transport, childcare etc.) is £7.77 outside of the West End and £53.77 in the West End

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Report reveals theatre contributes £2.6bn a year to UK economy
by Sally Bramley for The Stage

British theatre generates £2.6 billion annually for the UK economy, with more than half generated by the West End alone, an Arts Council England survey has revealed.

Dominic Shellard, who produced An Economic Impact Study of UK Theatre, found that West End venues put £1.5 billion back into the economy through factors such as audience spending on public transport, buying food and childcare, and expenditure by theatres on staff, goods and services.

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From the San Jose Mercury News,

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Suspicious minds
Despite the recent proliferation of statistical reports highlighting the important economic role of the arts, it seems politicians will forever distrust the sector, argues Anthony Field for The Stage.

A year is said to be a long time in politics - but it is just as long in showbusiness. In fact, a month can be a long time in the West End. Recently, such interesting new plays as Fuddy Mears, The Shape of Things, Calico and Coyote on a Fence have come and gone. All right, they were not earth-shattering masterpieces but there should have been room in the 40 West End theatres for new plays amid the 38 musicals and revivals.

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...Although at a rate of pay much lower than that of those occupations, alas.

From the San Francisco Chronicle,

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Brighton Festival boosts city economy by £20m
By Alistair Smith for The Stage

Brighton Festival contributed more than £20 million to the city’s economy in 2004, according to a survey commissioned by Brighton and Hove City Council, Arts Council England, South East and Brighton Festival Society.

Consisting of both a main festival and a fringe, this year’s event - the 38th to be held since its creation in 1967 - achieved record combined attendances of more than 400,000.

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Some real numbers: