Music concerts prove to be theatres' main crowd-pullers

Data published by the National Statistics Ofiice among 72 theatres across Malta and Gozo revealed that 429 productions were organised last year attracting a total audience of 293,772.

The majority of theatres (57 per cent) had a seating capacity of less than 300 whilst the share of theatres with a capacity ranging from 301 to 900 stood at 33 per cent.

The remaining 10 per cent could host events with an attendance of more than 900.

From all the surveyed theatres, 44 per cent were owned or run by the ecclesiastical authorities. Another 35 per cent were owned by public entities and the remaining theatres were either managed by the private sector or by voluntary organisations.

In 2012, these theatres collectively put up 429 productions, or an average of six per theatre. Forty-five per cent of productions were produced by the theatre itself.

The total number of performances held during the period under review stood at 843, an increase of 8.1 per cent over the previous year.

On average, there were two performances per production. Total attendance in theatres during 2012 stood at 293,772, with an average 348 attendees per performance.

At 36 per cent, concerts turned out to be the most preferred among audiences. Comedies and school performances came next, at 34 and 12 per cent respectively. The average theatre-seat utilisation rate went down from 62 per cent in 2011 to 58 per cent last year.

These theatres employed 152 persons on a full-time basis in 2012. Another 105 persons were hired on a part-time or sub-contracting basis whilst 665 persons were registered as voluntary workers with these theatres.

Excluding dance and concerts, performances in 2012 reached 600, of which 337 were in Maltese.

Maltese-language performances were attended by 127,718.