London staged 22 per cent of all theatre shows in England in 2014, up from 19 per cent in 2013. The metropolis also staged a larger proportion of the total number of performances, 54 per cent compared to 50 per cent, attracted more of the total audience, 62 per cent compared to 59 per cent, and a greater proportion of box office, 73 per cent compared to 70 per cent. Is there no way of reversing this trend of metropolitan dominance?
Aleks Sierz FRSA is a theatre critic, and author of the seminal study of new 1990s playwrights, In-Yer-Face Theatre. His other books include Rewriting the Nation, The Theatre of Martin Crimp, John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights and Modern British Playwriting. His latest book (co-authored with Lia Ghilardi) is The Time Traveller’s Guide to British Theatre. He also works as a journalist, broadcaster, and lecturer. Aleks blogs independently at www.sierz.co.uk and tweets at @alekssierz.
