The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) has released attendance figures which show that West End plays are more popular than ever with 2010 audience numbers higher than the previous year. Although London’s theatres saw a fall in box office takings at the beginning of 2011, the industry has recovered well with takings between April and June up by 2% on the same period in 2010. To date, 2011 receipts total £250.5m (- 1.7% down on last year) but are still estimated to break the £500m barrier by the end of December.

Speaking to The Stage, Julian Bird, the chief executive of SOLT, said he was cautiously optimistic about surpassing 2010's figures: ''There's a very healthy raft of shows being announced across the autumn and into the winter. It shows that London theatre is giving people something they really want and it shows that people continue to want to spend money on a great night out.''

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