LPA Ticket Attendance and Revenue Survey 2015

Photo: Lore - Bangarra Dance Theatre, Jeff Tan

Circus and Physical TheatreClick for more info

The Circus and Physical Theatre category experienced strong growth across the board between 2014 and 2015, in contrast to the sharp decline experienced in 2014. Gross revenue increased by 116% from $46.09 million to $99.56 million while total attendance increased by 72.6%. The average ticket price also increased by 23.5% from $88.60 to $109.41.

The significant increases for Circus and Physical Theatre can be attributed to the return of major performances by Cirque du Soleil for the first time since 2013 for most states. Cirque du Soleil toured TOTEM in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and QUIDAM in Canberra and Wollongong.

All states experienced significant growth, with the exception of a decrease in revenue (46%) and attendance (45%) in New South Wales. This can be attributed to Cirque du Soleil’s season of TOTEM opening in Sydney in October 2014 and closing in January 2015.

The Circus and Physical Theatre category was introduced in the 2009 Survey, prior to which such events were included in the Theatre or Children’s/Family categories.

Close Table

Circus and Physical Theatre - Revenue and Attendance (2009–2015)

Revenue ($) Growth (%) Total Attendance* Growth (%) Average Ticket Price ($)** Growth (%)
2009 $8,601,990 198,274 $47.98
2010 $9,900,116 15.1% 265,837 34.1% $43.03 -10.3%
2011 $55,865,945 464.3% 728,799 174.2% $86.81 101.8%
2012 $54,042,789 -3.3% 555,506 -23.8% $103.67 19.4%
2013 $142,033,217 162.8% 1,285,991 131.5% $118.91 14.7%
2014 $46,094,984 -67.5% 564,676 -56.1% $88.60 -25.5%
2015 $99,558,819 116.0% 974,645 72.6% $109.41 23.5%

*Based on both paid and unpaid tickets

** Average Ticket Prices are calculated based only on paid tickets

State/Territory Breakdown Close Table

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Circus and Physical Theatre - Revenue by State/Territory (2015)

State/Territory Revenue ($) Proportion Industry Share Change From 2015) Attendance Proportion Industry Share Change From 2015)
NSW $15,106,383 15.2% -46.1% 155,821 16.0% -33.8%
VIC $28,079,009 28.2% 12.4% 285,123 29.3% 7.8%
QLD $17,115,229 17.2% 5.6% 157,619 16.2% 1.1%
WA $20,177,425 20.3% 13.1% 180,693 18.5% 11.6%
SA $10,981,771 11.0% 8.4% 108,252 11.1% 6.9%
ACT $7,670,246 7.7% 6.8% 79,349 8.1% 6.9%
TAS $0 0.0% 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0%
NT $428,756 0.4% -0.3% 7,788 0.8% -0.5%

Photo: What Will Have Been - C!RCA, Andy Phillipson

Supplementary Data

The Circus and Physical Theatre category drew attendance of 28,708 and generated revenue of $618,926 in 2015. Overall, this category has a 1.4% share of industry revenue and a 1.8% share of industry attendance, making it one of the smaller categories in this survey.

This category staged 120 performances, with average attendance of 239 per performance with each performance generating an average of $5,158 in revenue. APACA venues generated most revenue in this category with the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts (QLD) being the key contributor, followed by the Southbank Theatre (VIC), with performances of Scotch & Soda by Company 2 taking place in both states.

Note: This data is supplementary to the 2015 primary ticketing survey data.

Photo: What Will Have Been - C!RCA, Andy Phillipson

Individual Category Results