Month: August 2014

The recently finalised London Theatre Report, which has been described as the “most comprehensive” study that has ever been published on the size, number and location of theatres in the capital, includes a number of interesting findings. Unlike previous reports, it includes data from non-West End theatres and the fringe too.

Co-commissioned by the Society of London Theatre and the National Theatre, the report shows that in 2012/13, a total of £619 million was spent on theatre tickets by 22 million people in London – up from an estimated £609 million in 2011/12. The report also reveals that at any one time, London’s professional theatres are engaging 3,141 performers, with more than 6,600 people working full-time in offstage or backstage roles. Only 20% of performers are paid national minimum wage in the fringe sector, with around a third being paid nothing at all.

It is hoped the data from within London Theatre Report will be used to conduct meaningful conversations with arts policymakers, so the value of London theatre can be properly reflected, as well as becoming an annual publication. The report maps venues’ size, range and engagement, and considers the activity of all professional theatres across London.

There are 241 professional theatre spaces in London, with more than 110,000 seats. The largest space used for theatre is the Coliseum, with 2,359 seats, while the smallest professional theatre is the Lord Stanley pub in Camden, with 30 seats. Commercial theatre accounts for more than half of all capacity in London, with 56,000 seats in 59 venues. 12 of the largest London venues engage more than 900 performers, equating to almost a third of performers across the capital.

Xander Parish is the first and only British ballet dancer to have joined the Mariinsky Ballet: he was scouted and consequently taken to Russia in 2009 by Artistic Director Yuri Fateyev, due to his desire to work hard and push beyond his limits. As a former Royal Ballet dancer Xander has now had the opportunity to dance principal roles as a soloist, recently making his principal debut in Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake in London recently in the company’s tour to the UK.

As a British dancer, Xander trained at the Royal Ballet School and then joined the Royal Ballet. After five years he was invited to join the Mariinsky, with Fateyev impressed by his artistic potential. At the Mariinsky Xander now has more chance to perform as a soloist, as Russian ballet rank determines the number of shows danced. His work ethic also places him in good stead, as with many other dancers at the Mariinksy, welcoming invites to learn principal roles to expand their talent and learn new things about performing.

Being part of the Mariinsky Ballet means Xander has lots of opportunities to tour and also perform as a guest with other ballet companies. The level of opportunity at the company in Russia appears fantastic for any young dancer: in 2012, for example, Xander danced 11 principal, 35 soloist and 21 corps de ballet performances which included 9 debuts. Parish has since toured to Germany, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and the United Arab Emirates with the Mariinsky Ballet, and Fateyev has given Xander many more exciting opportunities as a result of his desire to work hard and achieve.