Manchester Palace Theatre and Opera House break records
- Alan Hulme
- Aug 12
- 1 min read
Manchester's sister theatres the Palace and Opera House - half a mile apart across the city centre - have enjoyed a record year of visitor numbers and economic activity, says owner ATG Entertainment.
The two theatres, generally reckoned to be the ATG chain's provincial jewels - had almost 866,000 paying guests – more than any other cultural venue in
the North.
The two theatres contributed £70.05 million to Manchester’s economy through day to day operations. An additional £22 million in gross added value was generated through capital investment.
The significant impact of those visitors on Greater Manchester's overall economy emphasises the venues' position as leading destinations "for world-class theatre and cultural experiences".
The two theatres directly employed 446 people across a wide range of roles, some of whom worked in new roles following the launch of a new "Creative Learning" department, which reached 69 schools and almost 5,000 participants in its inaugural year.
Just over half of all attendees were based in Greater Manchester, the remainder coming from across the UK and beyond. More than 76,000 attendees came from some of the country’s most deprived communities.
A major reason for the huge numbers of people through the doors was ATG's policy of putting some of its biggest productions in Manchester very early, if not first, on national tours. The UK tour premiere of hit musical Hamilton, for example, attracted almost 30 per cent of the year's ticket sales (230,000 - the highest of any show during the year) – and generated more than 235 media features, reviews and interviews.
