A productive year for musicals
Image: Willoughby Theatre Company - Mamma Mia - Grant Leslie Photography
By EVIE MCLOUGHLIN
This year has been massive for the performing arts and entertainment industry as the first year of normality since COVID-19 lockdowns, restrictions, and isolation. Musicals have been at the forefront, ranging from costly touring productions to small low-budget shows, and audiences have exercised the much- anticipated opportunity to return to venues and experience thrilling productions.
Some of the big shows this year have included: 9 To 5 The Musical, SIX The Musical, Mary Poppins, Phantom of the Opera, Come From Away, A Chorus Line, Jagged Little Pill and Moulin Rouge! The Musical, all with incredible sets, costumes and production values.
There are multiple costly aspects for a musical production to come together. These include: sets, costumes, hair & makeup, venue costs, advertising, technical crew, and audio to name a few. For example, musicals performed on Broadway and West End will usually have a budget that falls between $8 million and $12 million to cover the costs mentioned above.
These large-scale productions make enough revenue to not have to worry about the hefty budget. On May 3, 2022, it was reported that Moulin Rouge! The Musical became the fifth highest-grossing Broadway show with $1.4 million box office in the week. As of September 11, 2022, the musical grossed around $135.5 million with 371,285 attendance and 260 performances.
In contrast, local community musical companies rely on volunteers, memberships, and government grants to finance their productions. The Association of Community Theatre is an umbrella organisation for local theatres around NSW and the ACT. This organisation aims to provide support towards local community theatre companies to continue producing valued productions Australia-wide. In 2022, for instance, one of its programs include distributing a $10,000 grant to members who qualified.
“The purpose of this program is to ensure that community theatre groups retain the ability to undertake productions by refurbishing or replacing capital items to enable the continuation of contribution to the community and the arts,” said Ros English from the Association of Community Theatre.
Many community theatre groups are operated by ordinary members of the public on a non-profit basis. Members volunteer their own time and resources, so ticket sales and memberships are incredibly important to them. This revenue goes into funding the latest updates on casting calls and auditions, training workshops, newsletters and production costs, and helps ensure that local theatre companys can produce quality shows at an affordable price.
