Music and theatre audiences ‘slower to return’ following pandemic

Post-pandemic audiences for live music and theatre are returning at a slower rate than for cinema and exhibitions, according to new analysis of DCMS data.

The study published by Data Culture Change in partnership with the Campaign for the Arts, covers the nine artforms included in the DCMS Participation Survey of audiences in England, looking at participation data for October 2021 to June 2022.

The data shows a positive upward trajectory for audiences, but the recovery is uneven.

Of the less popular artforms covered in the data, craft exhibitions, live dance and street arts events are recovering at a slower rate than events connected with books and writing.

Campaign for the Arts Director Jack Gamble said: “We all know that the pandemic had a big impact on people’s ability to organise and engage with arts events, but this report shows just how considerable that impact was, and that the ripples are still being felt.

"It’s encouraging to see a trend towards increased participation overall, but it’s a much slower recovery for some artforms, and especially in light of the energy and cost-of-living crisis, we need to ensure that the trend towards recovery can continue.”