Is ‘Saturday Night TV Effect’ Good for Theatre???

Over the past few years, musical theatre has gone mainstream popular thanks to night television shows including How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do, Grease Is the Word and this year’s I’d Do Anything. But how much does such Saturday primetime television actually benefit theatre? Does it actually succeed in both attracting – and sustaining – new audiences? Research is now being undertaken to get to the bottom of the phenomenon.

Arts Council England and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the industry body for West End theatres and producers, have launched two reviews investigating the so-called “Saturday night TV effect”. One surveys theatregoers directly about their behaviour; the second analyses box office data from musicals cast via television versus those cast traditionally. Results are expected in the new year.