London’s National Theatre has recorded its highest ticket sales for seven years in the first full year of Rufus Norris serving as director of the venue.
Sales reached 787,000 in the 2015-16 12-month cycle, according to the venue’s annual review.
This is in spite of shows attracted an average capacity of 88 per cent – two per cent lower than the previous year.
The spike in ticket sales also coincides with Lisa Burger’s arrival as executive director.
Twenty-seven new productions were created in the latest year – two more than in the 2014-15 cycle – and the number of attendees under the age of 35 rocketed by 75 per cent, bringing the average age of ticket-buyers down from 55 to 51.
Total income reached £118.5m (€132m/$145m), up from £117.7m, according to The Stage.
In February, the theatre announced a commitment to ensuring gender equality in the directors and writers it employs by 2021.
In the 2015-16 year, 47 per cent of new work at the theatre was by female writers, with 43 per cent of the directors being female.
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