Gossip

Hollywood-Factor Attracts Younger Audiences???

| London's West End |

30 December 2008

A survey conducted of audiences to Rain Man, which recently finished at the Apollo theatre and starred Adam Godley alongside Hollywood heart-throb Josh Hartnett, has confirmed what many may have already suspected – that casting a star Hollywood name attracts younger and less regular theatregoing audiences.

The survey, commissioned by producer Nimax Theatres and answered by over 1,000 audience members, revealed that 75% of them were under 35, and 31% under 24. Of those surveyed, 15% had not been to another theatre production in the previous 12 months, while 58% described themselves as not being regular theatregoers. And the reason they were there? Over 50% admitted that their primary motivation for seeing the play was to see Josh Hartnett.

Nica Burns, a producer of Rain Man and Chief Executive of Nimax Theatres, said of the survey: “How do you attract the young to the theatre? Put a talented young film actor into a great contemporary story, then turn it into a terrific production. The Rain Man audience profile shows how the power of film can be harnessed to attract a new, young theatre going audience … I very much hope we can tempt them to come to theatre again.”