Cast members are the biggest draw for audiences to buy theatre tickets, says survey

Cast members are the biggest draw for audiences when buying theatre tickets, according to a new survey of theatregoers.

More than 3,000 people took part in the survey of Whatsonstage readers, which revealed the price of tickets is the biggest factor is preventing people from attending the theatre more frequently.

Almost a quarter of those surveyed said that cast members were the biggest influence on a decision to go to a show, while 17% said the show’s creative team was most important.

More than 80% of theatregoers said that costly tickets prevented them from attending the theatre more, while the second biggest barrier, location, was only mentioned by a third of respondents.

In addition, the ability for theatregoers to choose their own seats was revealed as the most important factor when buying a ticket, and the biggest influence on the deciding which website to buy tickets from.

Whatsonstage chief operating officer Sita McIntosh said: “As anticipated, cost is still a major prohibiting factor for many theatregoers, and with prices across the West End continuing to rise this issue is compounded.

She added: “From the survey we can conclude that the theatregoing public are engaged and savvy – they want the best that the theatre community has to offer, but at affordable prices, and while they are keen to book online, they expect a bespoke service.”

The full results of the Whatsonstage survey can be found here.