Scarborough Open Air Theatre A Brief History - Updates Version

Scarborough
Open Air Theatre
 A Brief History

 Updates Version
 First draft February 2018
 Updates September 2018

 1|Page

INDEX

Page Content
 The Lost Years 1987 -2009
 Restoring the Theatre 2009-2010
 The Official Opening
 2010 Onwards
 Relationship with Cuffe and Taylor (Live)
 Economic Benefit
 Contribution to Businesses and the Local Economy
 Promoting the Borough
 2010 Season
 2011 Season
 2012 Season
 2013 Season
 2014 Season
 2015 Season
 2016 Season
 2017 Season
 2018 Season
 Performance Summaries
 Awards
 Trip Advisor and Facebook
 Feedback

 2|Page

Background

Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre was built originally by Scarborough Corporation in the 1930s. The
Lord Mayor of London opened the Open Air Theatre in Northstead Manor Gardens in 1932, and
audiences flocked to see ‘Merrie England’, the first production to be staged at the outdoor venue.

The theatre itself was built on the site of Hodgson’s Slack, taking advantage of ground contours
which created a natural amphitheatre. The stage was (and still is) set on an island in the middle of
a lake with fixed seating for the audience opposite.

Back in the 1930s when English seaside resorts
were at their peak, the amphitheatre drew
thousands each night, offering theatrical
productions and lavish musicals on a scale that
few of today’s producers can even hope for.

By 1952 the venue had attracted 1.5 million
people, and the casts of performers alone
could range up to 200.

 The theatre enjoyed an amazing history with
 regular sell out events by Scarborough Operatic
 Society and musicals such as ‘The King and I’,
 ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ and ‘Hiawatha’, which saw
 Native American warriors in canoes paddling on
 to the football pitch sized stage.

 During the summer season (a period of three
 months) two performances were held each
 week.

The much loved ‘It’s a Knockout’ was held at
the theatre every Wednesday over a period of
eleven years and set an (unofficial) audience
record of 11,000 for a free recording of the
show in the 1960s.
Musicals ceased in 1968 after ‘West Side Story’
apart from a YMCA production in 1982. In 1977
the dressing rooms and stage set building on
the island were demolished and the seating
removed.

The last concert to be held at the Open Air Theatre before it closed in 1986 was James Last and His
Orchestra.

 3|Page

THE LOST YEARS 1987 – 2009
After the James Last Concert in 1986 Scarborough Open Air Theatre ‘closed its doors’ for
seemingly the last time ever, bringing to an end nearly 50 years of entertainment at the venue.

With no plans for its future the
venue very quickly became derelict.

The deserted theatre and island
buildings were subject to vandalism
and significant amounts of damage.

 The old seating benches were eventually
 removed and the access to the seating was
 boarded up.

 The area very quickly became overgrown and
 an eyesore in the North Bay.

The once proud venue, which for a period of
nearly 50 years attracted great audiences stood
empty and derelict. Rotting where it stood.

 4|Page

RESTORING THE THEATRE 2009 – 2010
In 2009 Scarborough Borough Council embarked upon a major refurbishment project of the
theatre.

In an incredibly ambitious move by the Council
it was decided to restore the venue back to its
former glory in an attempt to create a major
attraction on the Yorkshire Coast.

Works on the theatre started in 2009 with a
planned opening for the 2010 summer season.

 The theatre was restored monies
 devised from the profits realised from
 the ongoing ‘The Sands’ leisure and
 holiday complex overlooking North Bay.
 The total cost of the redevelopment
 taken entirely from The Sands profits
 totalled £3.5m

 The aim was to try to recapture the
 theatre’s glory days, when it regularly
 attracted thousands of people to local
 opera productions, and the much-loved
 It’s A Knockout every Wednesday.

The lake was drained, the old seating area
replaced with 5,454 new folding seats. The
backstage building was removed and a new
building erected featuring several dressing
rooms, showers, toilets and kitchen.

A new concrete slab was created on the
island to hold the newly purchased, purpose
built, stage and a new walkway created
across to the island to accommodate
equipment load ins.

 5|Page

THE OFFICIAL OPENING
 Thursday 20 May 2010 – The day the Queen came to visit!

 The Queen was given the best seat in the
 house when she officially opened
 Scarborough’s open air theatre in front of a
 5,500-strong crowd who had gathered to
 welcome her and the Duke of Edinburgh on
 May 20, 2010.

The Royal party arrived in the North
Yorkshire resort – the Queen’s first visit
to the town since July 1975 – by train
before being driven to the theatre in
Northstead Manor Gardens, which is the
largest operating open air theatre in
Europe.

The occasion made Royal History when
the Queen had her first ‘pub lunch’ in the
Borough at the Blacksmith’s Arms in
Cloughton.

 6|Page

2010 Onwards

Following completion of the refurbishment the first event to be held at the Open Air
Theatre was the official opening by Her Majesty the Queen on 20th May 2010.

The restored venue had a capacity of up to 6,000 people with 5,454 in the fixed seating, 150
on the decking and 300-400 seats at the side of this decking area.

In the years 2010 and 2011 the venue was operated by an outside company, Apollo Resorts
and Leisure Limited . In 2012 operation of the venue was brought back in house, with an
outside agent booking acts.

Following a number of changes, from 2014 all booking of acts and complete operation of
the venue was brought back in house and this was done until 2016.

In 2016 and 2017 the Council agreed a partnership deal with Cuffe and Taylor who would
book the acts with the Council working with them on the management of the venue.

Cuffe and Taylor subsequently became part of the Live Nation family and as a result of the
huge success and the potential for the venue Live agreed a new 10 year deal with
Scarborough Borough Council to deliver high quality concerts from 2018 onwards.

As part of the deal the Lake in front of the main stage has been filled in to accommodate
bigger crowds. The new venue capacity is now just under 8,500 enabling Live to attract
bigger acts to the Yorkshire Coast and putting both the Venue and the Borough firmly on the
map attracting newer audiences and visitors to the Borough and in doing so providing a
significant economic benefit to the Borough and to local businesses through employment
and increased usage by concert goers. The decking has also allowed the Council to use the
Theatre outside of concerts for community use such as the Tour De Yorkshire and free
family entertainment.

Since it’s re-opening the Open Air Theatre has played host to a variety of major artists
including

  Gala Opening (starring Jose Carreras and Dame Kiri Te kanawa)
  Elton John
  Olly Murs
  JLS.
  Leona Lewis
  Status Quo,
  McFly
  Boyzone
  Jessie J

 7|Page

 Little Mix
 Tom Jones
 Alfie Boe
 UB40
 Bryan Adams
 Simply Red
 Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds
 James Bay
 Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
 Beach Boys
 Kaiser Chiefs
 Cliff Richard
 Madness
 Jess Glynne
 George Benson
 Lionel Richie
 Britney Spears
 Gary Barlow
 Il Divo
 Bastille
 James Arthur
 Stereophonics
 Chic and Nile Rogers
 Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds

 And many more!

 8|Page

Relationship with Cuffe and Taylor (LIVE NATION)
In December 2017 the Council entered into an agreement with Cuffe and Taylor, as part of
the Live Nation family, to promote events at the Open Air Theatre for the next 10 years.
The deal with Cuffe and Taylor (Live) has significant benefits to the Council and the venue
and some of these are outlined below .

It is important to remember that the Council are operating the venue on a very similar
budget to that which was approved by Full Council in October 2009 to cover the first year of
operation the venue.

The deal with Cuffe and Taylor has not resulted in an increase in the budgeted cost of the
venue. However, previously the council also had to bear the risk on booking acts and all
associated costs.

The deal with Cuffe and Taylor means that they have de-risked the Council and the venue in
terms of booking acts for the venue and in addition, with their standing in the music
industry, have been able to attract world class performers to the venue.

As a result the marketing and coverage the town has been receiving is beyond what we
could actually pay for with adverts on Sky One, ITV, Radio 1 and in featuring in newspapers
and magazines around the world.

Cuffe and Taylor Deal

The Cuffe and Taylor deal is based on a profit share. There are several key parts to this
arrangement which are of significant benefit the Venue, Borough, Council and rate payer

  The ability to attract large scale acts at better prices due to the promoters
 ‘buying’ acts for a number of shows at a time
  The significant Marketing budget put up by Cuffe and Taylor to promote the
 venue and in turn promoting the Town and Borough
  The money spent on employing local crews at each show. A significant amount
 put back into local employment then spent in the town
  Investment in the venue – should no profit be made by the OAT in any year of
 the 10 year contract then Cuffe and Taylor will be required to repay the full cost
 of the decking for that particular year - in any of those years (£65k)
  Payment of a hire fee for each show which covers a number of associated costs
  The Council receives a share of any profit made by the promoter at the venue
  The arrangement provides that the Council can hold its own events at the venue
 meaning that the venue is not just used by Cuffe and Taylor
  Taking full risk on all costs associated with the booking of acts – there is no
 comeback to the Council or the tax payer should an act fail. From the Council’s
 own experiences two acts that don’t sell the forecasted number of tickets can
 have a dramatic effect on the financial position for a whole season

 9|Page

The Economic Benefit
Much has been talked about in the press and by other groups about the cost of the Open Air
Theatre. However, whilst in the early days the Theatre got off to a slow start the venue is
now firmly on the map putting Scarborough and the Borough high up on peoples lists of
places to visit and return to.

We live in an age where information is easily gathered to support peoples behaviour, and in
particular, detail where people are travelling from to see shows in Scarborough. This has
made it very easy to do the estimated economic benefit to the Borough from the Theatre
shows.

These are shown in more detail below.

 Estimated Economic
 Year Tickets
 Shows Benefit
 2010 6 15,068 £362,997**
 2011 6 12,264 £295,439**
 2012 6 16,894 £407,000**
 2013 8 24,998 £602,217
 2014 10 30,383 £738,189
 2015 11 35,824 £1,217,297
 2016 10 48,861 £2,500,000
 2017 14 74,096 £5,984,425
 2018 16 91,431 £6,942,968
 TOTALS 87 349,819 £17,985,096

There are no figures available for 2010, 2011 and 2012. However estimates based on the
2013 figures which equated to £24.09 per ticket have been used to calculate figures for
those years.

The figures for 2013 – 2015 were taken from the Cambridge Research Model for Tourism (a
recognised industry standard) for 2013 and the figures for 2017and 2018 are taken from the
same model updated for 2016. Cuffe and Taylor supplied the figures for 2016

 10 | P a g e

Contribution to Businesses and the
 Local Economy
Contribution to Businesses

To complement what has been stated above there are businesses all around the
Borough that are benefitting directly on show nights and the days around the shows.

  Hotels, B&B’s and Guest House – report that they are full as soon as shows
 are announced
  Local Public House – report the significant increase in customers on show
 nights
  Taxis – using the dedicated pick up area are heavily utilised
  Buses – Shoreline Sun cruisers run a number of services after the shows
  Local Eateries / Takeaways – extremely busy around the town
  Takeaways – after each show the touring crews have been ordering in
 significant amounts of food from local takeaways – (£500-£600 worth per
 show)
  Backstage Catering and Supplies – all artist riders for the season have been
 purchased from local supermarkets.
  Local Catering Company – a local catering company are employed to provide
 food all show days for the artist and crews.

Contribution to the Local Economy

There are also other very significant contributions made to employment in the
Borough directly attributed to the OAT. Each year we spend money from the budget
directly on the following

  Electrical works
  Security – both shows and out of season
  Summer Shows
  Toilet hire
  Box Office Staff
And in addition the following are employed at the venue by contractors

  Bar staff
  Catering staff
  Local Crew and riggers

This adds a significant payment to local people employed in the Borough.

Whilst putting an exact figure on this will be very difficult we are aware from our
own enquiries that in this current season alone this will exceed £400,000.

 11 | P a g e

Promoting the Borough

In addition to the significant economic benefit the nature of acts that we are
attracting are ensuring huge media coverage for the Borough. Cuffe and Taylor and
their Media Partners have produced the following information showing the number
of editorial pieces (actual editorial pieces – not just name checks) the advertising
value and reach of this. The figures are excellent and again shows the huge value to
the Borough of the Open Air Theatre

 Year Editorial Pieces Advertising Value Reach/Readers
 Equivalent (AVE)

 2018 1,345 £2,902,442 98.72 million

 2017 656 £1,038,117 34.05 million

 2016 326 £426,157 15.40 million

The press coverage received both nationally and internationally for the Open Air
Theatre and the Borough this year has been significant. Whatever any one’s view on
the acts may be the level of publicity the Theatre and subsequently the Borough
received is beyond anything the Council could afford to pay for.

The Open Air Theatre, Cuffe and Taylor and the Council is responsible for all of this.

As part of the deal, Cuffe and Taylor pay for all the advertising for the venue. The
budget last year ran into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This included National TV coverage at prime time on channels such as Sky One and
ITV and many Radio Channel such as Capital FM, Viking FM and many other Radio
Channels.

In addition to this there was coverage in a number of Sunday National Newspapers
and other mainstream publications.

 12 | P a g e

2010
Gala Opening – 23rd June 2010

 13 | P a g e

2010 Overview
Following the restoration of the Open Air Theatre the Council appointed an outside
company to run the venue. The Council appointed Apollo Resorts and Leisure Limited to
book acts and operate the venue on its behalf. The council paid a management fee as part
of the arrangement and all other costs were to be met by Apollo.

There is very little information available from this year other than ticket sales. However,
attendance figures are available and these are given below

 Total Ticket Sales
 Show Date Crowd
 Gala Opening 23/07/10 5,454
 Justin Fletcher 24/07/10 1,400
 Justin Fletcher 25/07/10 1,400
 Comedy Campervan 30/07/10 518
 80's Rewind 2010 31/07/10 5,454
 The Doves 07/08/10 842
 Total 15,068
 Average Per Show 2,511

 With the exception of the two sell
 out shows (Gala Opening Evening
 with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose
 Carreras and an 80’s Rewind show
 featuring Culture Club, Paul Young
 & Kid Creole and the Coconuts) the
 rest of the season’s events did not
 attract big audiences.

By the end of the season the 6 shows had attracted 15,068 people, an average of 2,511 per
show.

 14 | P a g e

2011
Elton John – 21st June 2011

 15 | P a g e

2011 Overview

 Apollo Resorts and Leisure were
 again responsible for the
 bookings and operation of the
 Open Air Theatre in 2011.

 Everything looked promising
 when Apollo approached the
 Council for support and
 permission to deck over the lake
 to increase capacity in order to
 attract Global Superstar Elton
 John.

The Council agreed to support this bold move from Apollo. The temporary structure was put
in place for 28 days (in line with planning requirements). However, no other concerts were
booked in that time so the opportunity to maximise the use of the decking was missed.

The attendance figures are given below

 Total Ticket Sales

 Show Date Crowd
 N Dubz 05/06/11 2,084
 Elton John 21/06/11 7,500
 Beached 13/08/11 243
 Musicport 14/08/11 293
 Last Night of the Proms 28/08/11 1,279
 80's Rewind 2011 02/09/11 865
 Total 12,264
 Average Per Show 2,044

By the end of the season the 6 shows had attracted 12,264 people, an average of 2,044 per
show. The number being much smaller than last year with the Elton John concert being
responsible for 61% of the full seasons total sales.

 16 | P a g e

The 80’s Rewind night failed to match the
sell out performance of 2010 with a mere
865 people attending.

In addition N-Dubz (picture below) – despite
being hailed as one of the hottest acts in
British Music at the time failed to attract a
big crowd with only 2,084 tickets sold

 17 | P a g e

2012
Olly Murs – 15th July 2012

 18 | P a g e

2012 Overview
Unfortunately 2012 got off to the worst start
possible with Apollo failing to deliver a line up
for the season by the deadline date.

The Yorkshire Post carried the headline
‘Council waits in wings to run theatre’ on 6
January 2012.

As a result of the Operator failing to agree any
acts for the 2012 season the Council enlisted
the services of a local sub-agent to book acts
and took over the operating of the venue in
house itself.

 The announcement of Olly
 Murs and JLS to perform at
 the venue sparked big
 interest and the shows sold
 very well in the first
 weekend on sale eventually
 selling out.

 These two shows proved to
 be the highlights of 2012
 with the remaining 4 shows
 announced selling a further
 6,011 tickets

Big Night Out featuring a selection of TV Talent Show winners only attracted 1,067 people
with Dionne Warwick selling 1,029

 19 | P a g e

Whilst the use of a sub agent was effective to get some shows on board for 2012 by and
 large the fees charged by them were expensive and the shows relatively unsuccessful

The council also embarked on a series of Free Summer shows this year which attracted a
large number of people to each show. The success of these shows has grown over the years
and are proving a good addition next to the main line up.

 Total Ticket Sales

 Act Date of Show 2012

 Olly Murs 15/07/12 5,454
 JLS 25/08/12 5,429
 Russell Watson 04/08/12 2,115
 John Barrowman 21/06/12 1,800
 Big Night Out 18/08/12 1,067
 Dionne Warwick 06/06/12 1,029
 Total 16,894
 Average Per Show 2,816

By the end of the season the 6 shows had attracted 16,894 people, an average of 2,816 per
show. Although 2012 showed an improvement on previous years the average was still much
lower than was hoped.

 20 | P a g e

2013
Status Quo – 27 July 2013

McFly – 30 August 2013

 21 | P a g e

2013 Overview
 This year saw the biggest line up
 since reopening with 8 Acts signed
 to appear during the summer.

 The Council again enlisted the
 services of a local sub-agent again
 this year to deal with the booking
 of acts.

 Acts were sourced by the sub-
 agent and then a business case and
 breakeven point was established
 prior to a decision being taken to
 book that act or not.

 The Council did decline acts where
 the financial break even points
 were judged to be unrealistic.

 In addition to the main shows the
 venue was used during the
 summer for free entertainment
 again this year. The feedback from
 local businesses and was excellent.

In addition to the main shows the venue was again used during the summer for free
entertainment this year.

This year the Theatre hosted 9 Summer Shows (10 scheduled but 1 cancelled due to
weather), in addition there were 4 American Wrestling shows. The estimated total
attendance for these free shows were 6,030.

 22 | P a g e

Total Ticket Sales

 Act Date of Show 2013

 Status Quo 27/07/13 5,400
 McFly 30/08/13 4,865
 Olly Murs 06/06/13 4,793
 Katherine Jenkins 03/08/13 2,697
 The Wanted 14/06/13 2,393
 Leona Lewis 12/07/13 1,813
 Happy Mondays 22/06/13 1,530
 The Saturdays 23/08/13 1,507
 Total 24,998
 Average Per Show 3,125

By the end of the season the 8 shows had attracted 24,998 people, an average of only 3,125
per show.

Although 2013 was the biggest and best attended season it was still felt by the Council that
the venue could attract bigger acts and larger crowds.

What was becoming clear at this point was that the Venue Management were more than
able to book acts and therefore this was identified as the way forward to save the ‘agents
fees’ that were costing the council tens of thousands of pounds each year

 23 | P a g e

2014
 Boyzone – 26 July 2014

Last Night of the Proms – 28 June 2014

 24 | P a g e

2014 Overview
For the first time since the reopening of the venue the Council were entirely responsible
for the negotiation and booking of the 2014 programme of events.

 Whilst this decision was criticised by some
 it was clearly financially beneficial to the
 council to book the acts itself. Whilst still
 paying for the acts the additional fees and
 staff costs charged the sub agent fees no
 longer applied

Doubts raised that the Council did not have
the experience or the contacts to book acts
were soon dispelled with the bookings of
Boyzone, Jessie J, McBusted, Status Quo and
others including a special Armed Forces Day
Concert featuring Laura White and the
Military Wives Choir (York)

 Sales of 5,684 for Boyzone (with a small
 amount of additional seating) meant that
 this was the biggest selling concert since
 Elton John

The booking of Rock Legends Status Quo
also attracted nearly 5,000 people

 25 | P a g e

Total Ticket Sales
 Act Date 2014
 Jessie J 25 June 4,537
 McBusted 27 June 3,579
 Last Night Proms 28 June 2,270
 Status Quo 12 July 4,813
 Boyzone 26 July 5,684
 Little Mix 27 July 3,870
 Legends of Pop 2 August 2,283
 Union J 23 August 1,224
 TOTAL 28,620
 Average Per Show 3,532

By the end of the season the 8 shows had attracted 28,620 people, an average of 3,532 per
show compared to the previous years average of 3,125 a 13% increase in the average
attendance.

 Average Per Show
 4,000
 3,500
 3,000
 2,500
 2,000
 1,500
 1,000
 500
 0
 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

In addition there were two Children’s shows this season. These were Channel 5’s Milkshake!
Live and a Family Fun Day featuring Peppa Pig, Angelina Ballerina and Bob the Builder. These
attracted a further 2,123 people to the venue. This takes the total attendances for the paid
shows to 30,383 (compared to 24,998 in 2013).

As well as all this the venue was used during the summer for free entertainment again this
year. This year we hosted 10 Summer Shows, in addition there were 5 American Wrestling
shows. The estimated total attendance for these free shows was 6,000. Again the feedback
from local businesses and visitors was excellent.

 26 | P a g e

Awards

The venue won three awards in 2014.

For the first time ever the Theatre was awarded a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for 2014 from
Trip Advisor due to our high ratings this season.

In addition the Theatre received two awards from ScarboroughUK website. Their site
reported ‘The Open Air Theatre was chosen by the majority of voters as Scarborough’s ‘Best
Local Cultural Attraction’ and ‘Best local Entertainment Venue’, in addition the Theatre
finished Second in the ‘Best Local Attraction’ category.

These awards attracted 30,000 votes across the various categories.

 27 | P a g e

2015
Tom Jones – 29 July 2015

 James – 22 May 2015

 28 | P a g e

2015 Overview
11 concerts were booked for 2015, making this the biggest season so far at the Open Air Theatre

This year a number of big name acts were
booked to appear at the OAT.

The line up included James, Boyzone, The
Vamps, Jessie J, McBusted, UB40 and Alfie Boe
(for a special Armed Forces Day concert)

As well as these acts Elaine Paige, Scouting for
Girls and Legends of Pop concerts were held at
the venue

 In addition 2015 was a very big year for the venue
 signalling the start of the relationship with Cuffe and
 Taylor.

 Cuffe and Taylor had been recommended the venue by
 another agent who had worked with the theatre and
 was impressed at how well run the venue was. As a
 result Peter Taylor from Cuffe and Taylor contacted the
 council offered to bring Tom Jones to the OAT. A move
 which would signal the change in fortunes of the Open
 Air Theatre

 29 | P a g e

Total Ticket Sales
 Act Date Attendance
 James 22 May 3,381
 Boyzone 13 June 3,336
 The Vamps 20 June 2,401
 Proms (Alfie Boe) 27 June 5,035
 Jessie J 10 July 3,086
 Elaine Paige 11 July 1,440
 McBusted 18 July 2,118
 Tom Jones 29 July 5,800
 Legends of Pop 1 August 2,805
 UB40 14 August 4,709
 Scouting for Girls 30 August 1,713
 TOTAL 35,824
 Average Per Show 3,257

Awards

The was nominated for a number of awards again this year

Trip Advisor
  Awarded certificate of excellence due to consistently high ratings

Scarborough UK Awards
  Gold Award - Best Entertainment Venue in Scarborough
  Bronze Award – Best Local Attraction
  Bronze Awards – Best Cultural Attraction

Live UK Music Business Awards

In addition the work of the Council to establish the venue as one of the best in the country
was recognised as we were shortlisted for the Live UK Music Business Awards under the
‘Best Venue Teamwork: (Theatre/Concert Hall) Category’ losing out to the Royal Albert Hall,
London. This is a notable achievement for the venue as this is one nominated by industry
professionals and shows how far it has progressed in the last couple of years.

 30 | P a g e

2016
 Bryan Adams – 8 August 2016

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott – 5 August 2016

 31 | P a g e

2016 Overview
At the end of 2015 the Council signed a 5 year deal with Cuffe and Taylor to promote
shows at the venue.

The council had always retained the position that once the venue had been established
and built its reputation then a large outside promoter would be necessary to have on
board as a partner to take the venue to the ‘next level’

 2015 saw the lake
 covered again for a
 period of 28 days using
 a temporary structure
 installed onto the lake
 bed.

 However, unlike
 previously, a number
 of acts were booked
 around the same time
 to maximise the
 increased capacity
 brought about by the
 decking.

 Concerts by James Bay, Paul
 Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Noel
 Gallagher and Bryan Adams
 all pushed the venue beyond
 its original capacity and with
 other big selling shows such
 as Status Quo and Simply Red
 meant that the venue had
 reached record sales for the
 season.

 32 | P a g e

Total Ticket Sales
 Act Date Attendance
Will Young 30/06/2016 2,568
Status Quo 09/07/2016 5,135
James Bay 12/07/2016 7,000
Wet Wet Wet 30/07/2016 2,821
Noel Gallagher 03/08/2016 6,961
Paul Heaton 05/08/2016 6,574
Legends of Pop 06/08/2016 3,477
Bryan Adams 08/08/2016 7,050
SIMPLY RED 12/08/2016 5,275
Busted 02/09/2016 2,000
 TOTAL 48,861
 Average sales per show 4,886

 33 | P a g e

2017
 Little Mix – 6 July 2017

Kaiser Chiefs – 27 May 2017

 34 | P a g e

2017 Overview
2017 was the first year where Cuffe and Taylor were responsible for booking all the acts
to perform at the OAT.

As a result fourteen acts have been booked for the Open Air Theatre for 2017. This is the
largest number of acts booked for the venue and these have already attracted the biggest
crowds since reopening in 2010.

 Over 74,000 people
 attended the concerts at
 the OAT this year, showing
 an increase of over 25,000
 on 2016.

In January 2017 planning permission (PSM/17/24) was granted to increase the number of
shows to be held each year to 30 of which a maximum of 20 can be held between May to
September.

At the same meeting, permanent planning permission was granted (PSM/17/15) to install
 a
temporary decking each year over the lake at the OAT.

After receiving this approval Cuffe and Taylor arranged for the lake to be covered for the
2017 season and in doing so have been able to attract more top quality acts by having the
ability to negotiate with a larger capacity.

 The covering of the lake
 enabled the venue to boast
 an increased standing
 capacity of just under 8,000
 people. Whilst fully seated
 around a 7,500 capacity.

 35 | P a g e

Total Ticket Sales
 Show Show Date TOTAL
Beach Boys 24/05/2017 4,878
Kaiser Chiefs 27/05/2017 4,176
Charlatans 16/06/2017 2,741
The Jackson 17/06/2017 1,379
Ball & Boe 28/06/2017 5,675
Cliff Richard 29/06/2017 6,592
UB40 30/06/2017 4,701
George Benson 01/07/2017 4,295
Tom Jones 02/07/2017 5,227
Little Mix 06/07/2017 7,897
Olly Murs 09/07/2017 7,033
Madness 03/08/2017 7,674
80s v 90s 05/08/2017 4,887
Jess Glynne 11/08/2017 6,941
 TOTAL 74,096
 Average sales per show 5,293

 36 | P a g e

2018
 Britney Spears – 17 August 2018

 Lionel Richie – 19 June 2018

]

 37 | P a g e

2018 Overview

Following the success of the previous seasons, and after lengthy discussions with Cuffe and Taylor,
now part of the LIVE family it was decided to fill in the lake to increase the venue capacity and
make the venue usable all year round. This decision meant that the venue moved into a different
level in terms of capacity and ability to bring bigger acts.

 2018 saw the announcement
 of Bastille, Pete Tong’s Ibiza
 Classics, Stereophonics, The
 Script, Steps, Nile Rogers and
 Chic, Lionel Richie, Britney
 Spears, Noel Gallagher’s High
 Flying Birds, Emeli Sande,
 Texas, Gary Barlow, James,
 James Arthur, Il Divo and
 Alfie.

The announcement of Britney Spears on 23rd January 2018 took the UK by surprise and put the
venue on the map with the only other dates announced at the same time being Manchester
Arena, Glasgow Hydro and London O2.
The publicity and press, TV and Radio coverage around this announcement was huge. TV and
Radio’s stations and press from all over the country covered the announcement and Cuffe and
Taylor and Scarborough Borough Council took part in a number of interviews to discuss the
announcement.

 The publicity that the Open
 Air Theatre has brought the
 Borough was well beyond
 anything that we could have
 paid for.

 The deal to bring Live Nation
 on board at the end of 2017
 was now paying dividends
 with a bigger line up than
 ever before and as is giving
 access to much bigger artists

 38 | P a g e

Total Ticket Sales

 Show Show Date 19/08/2018

Lionel Richie 19/06/2018 7,882
The Script 21/06/2018 5,231
Gary Barlow 22/06/2018 7,732
Chic 24/06/2018 5,418
Steps 29/06/2018 4935
Alfie Boe 30/06/2018 3759
Emeli Sande 05/07/2018 2717
Noel Gallagher 06/07/2018 6095
Stereophonics 19/07/2018 6818
Pete Tong 20/07/2018 5893
IL Divo 21/07/2018 4846
James Arthur 26/07/2018 4587
Bastille 28/07/2018 7391
Texas 11/08/2018 5272
Britney Spears 17/08/2018 7888
James 18/08/2018 4967
 TOTAL 91,431

 39 | P a g e

Performance Summaries
There are various ways to measure the performance of the Open Air Theatre.

It is easy just to look at the financial out turn and paint a very negative picture
of the venue. However, looking broader than that the venue brings people to
town, promoting secondary spend in the Borough and also supports a
number of local businesses that work at the theatre.

A number of simple performance measures are below

  Average Attendance
  Number of Visitors from outside the Borough
  Estimated Benefit to the Local Economy from Secondary spend
  Estimated spend with local business supporting the venue

Average Attendance
The table below shows the increase in attendances since the re-opening of the
venue in 2010. As can be seen by the table and the chart this is by far the best
season at the Open Air Theatre.

 Average Per
 Year No of Shows Total Attendances
 Show
 2010 6 15,068 2,511
 2011 6 12,264 2,044
 2012 6 16,894 2,816
 2013 8 24,998 3,125
 2014 10 30,383 3,038
 2015 11 35,824 3,257
 2016 10 48,861 4,886
 2017 14 74,096 5,293
 2018 16 91,431 5,714

 40 | P a g e

Ticket Sales Totals
 100,000

 80,000

 60,000

 40,000

 20,000

 0
 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

 Average Ticket Sales
 7,000
 6,000
 5,000
 4,000
 3,000
 2,000
 1,000
 0
 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Number of Visitors from outside the Borough

The table below shows the number of people visiting from outside the borough has
 increased significantly

 Year % of total Tickets Total Number of
 purchased from Tickets purchased
 outside the Borough from outside the
 Borough
 2012 47% 7,940
 2013 58.17% 14,543
 2014 60.25% 17,026
 2015 68.76% 24,625
 2016 68.76% * 33,596
 2017 68.76% * 50,948
 2018 68.76% * 62,867
 Total 211,545

 * No individual information available for 2016 – 2018 but using the trend from
 2015 these have been estimated.

 41 | P a g e

Estimated Benefit to Local Economy from Shows
The figures below demonstrate the enormous benefit of the Open Air Theatre to the
local economy of the Borough.

 Estimated Economic
 Year Tickets
 Shows Benefit
 2010 6 15,068
 2011 6 12,264
 2012 6 16,894
 2013 8 24,998 £602,217
 2014 10 30,383 £738,189
 2015 11 35,824 £1,217,297
 2016 10 48,861 £2,500,000
 2017 14 74,096 £5,984,425
 2018 16 91,431 £6,942,968
 TOTALS 87 349,819 £17,985,096

There are no figures available for 2010, 2011 and 2012. However it could
easily be assumed that, at least, an additional £750,000 could be added
For those years.

The figures for 2013 – 2015 were taken from the Cambridge Research Model
for Tourism for 2013 and the figures for 2017and 2018 are taken from the
same model updated for 2016. Cuffe and Taylor supplied the figures for 2016

 42 | P a g e

AWARDS
 Certificate of Excellence
 2018, 2017, 2016
 2015 & 2014

 Toast of the Coast
 Best Attraction Winner
 2017 and 2018

 White Rose Awards 2018
 Finalist –Tourism Event of
 the Year

Scarborough UK Awards 2014
Gold Award
  Best Entertainment Venue in Scarborough
Gold Award
  Best Cultural Attraction

Scarborough UK Awards 2015
  Gold Award -
 Best Entertainment Venue in Scarborough

Scarborough UK Awards 2015
  Bronze Award –
 Best Local Attraction
  Bronze Award –
 Best Cultural Attraction

 43 | P a g e

Live UK Music Business Awards

In addition the work of the Council to establish the venue as one of the best in the country
was recognised as we were shortlisted for the Live UK Music Business Awards under the
‘Best Venue Teamwork: (Theatre/Concert Hall) Category’ losing out to the Royal Albert Hall,
London.

This is a notable achievement for the venue as this is one nominated by industry
professionals and shows how far it has progressed in the last couple of years.

 44 | P a g e

Trip Advisor and Facebook

The feedback that the venue is receiving is exceptional.

Trip Advisor’s 549 reviews rate the venue at 4.5 / 5 with 87% rating the venue at either 5/5
or 4/5.

In addition when grouped against ratings from other nearby venues the number of 4 and 5
star ratings are the highest and the number of 1 star ratings are by far the lowest with only 8.

 Rating Scarborough Bridlington Metro Sheffield First
 Open Air Spa Arena Arena Direct
 Theatre Newcastle Arena
 Leeds

 549 663 521 789 1,981
 Reviews Reviews Reviews Reviews
 Reviews

 5 – Excellent 61.2% 59.1% 27.3% 34.2% 47.3%

 4 – Good 26.0% 25.0% 26.7% 26.4% 28.1%

 3 – Average 7.5% 7.8% 23.6% 18.0% 11.1%

 2 – Poor 3.8% 3.9% 12.1% 5.6% 7.3%

 1 – Terrible 1.5% 4.1% 10.4% 5.8% 6.2%

On Facebook from over 1,100 reviews 1,003 (89%) have rated the venue as 4 or 5 stars out
of 5 with 3% rating the venue as 1 star.

 45 | P a g e

Feedback

 46 | P a g e

47 | P a g e

48 | P a g e

49 | P a g e

DAILY TELEGRAPH ARTICLE

Why you should ditch the Med in favour of Yorkshire's finest seaside resort

Obviously the most exciting news of 2018 is that Britney Spears will be touring the UK,
performing in a few “select” cities, according to her Twitter feed. And what a selection,
because Britney, the 36-year-old pop star who’s spent the last few years of her career
perfecting her dance routines beneath the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, will be bringing her
‘Piece of Me’ tour to Scarborough.

Yes, along with London’s O2 arena, Manchester Arena and Brighton Pride, Britney will be
taking to the stage at the largest open-air theatre in Europe. They’re even covering the moat
so we can get up close and personal. How’s that for special?

Britney has made a few mistakes in her life (matching her denim dress with Justin
Timberlake’s denim suit, her 55-hour marriage, the umbrella through the car window) but
visiting Scarborough is not one of them.

I was first introduced to the town when my dad treated me, aged seven, to a day out at
Peasholm Park to watch the summer naval display. That’s miniature boats battling it out on
a lake in a Japanese-style park – don’t knock it until you try it. Throw in some flouro-pink
candy floss and a leaky tent and you could consider me sold. And so began a healthy
obsession with the great British seaside. Hastings, Weston-super-Mare, Blackpool… I wanted
to see it all.

So when I decided to take a late-summer VW camper van tour around the UK coast last
year, Scarborough, Britain’s first seaside resort, was naturally top of my list. Who wouldn’t
want to scoff fish, chips and curry sauce and lose £50 in 2ps down the arcades while
sleeping in a small metal box on wheels?

But it turns out there’s much more to Scarborough than sweets, donkey rides and a bracing
North Sea dip. And returning as an adult meant I could appreciate it in all its glory.

The first wave of tourists descended on the North Yorkshire town in the early 1700s when a
doctor prescribed its healing thermal waters as a near-certain cure for gout. Although the
public are no longer allowed to wallow in the thermal water (I’m disappointed too – but
health and safety regulations are a brutal thing), the beautiful spa building – a wide, treacle-
coloured structure built in the mid 1800s – still overlooks the sand today.

Elsewhere there’s bucket loads of history: including the ruins of the 12th-century
Scarborough Castle, which gazes out over two of the town’s long sandy beaches. The
architecture – truly – is lovely, from the imposing domed towers of the Grand Hotel, which
was built in the 1860s and was once the largest hotel in Europe (now priced at £26 a night –
Britney will probably stay there), to the Rotunda Museum, one of the world’s first purpose-
built museums, and an unusual circular structure designed by William Strata Smith, known
as the father of English Geology.

 50 | P a g e

But really, no one holidays in a seaside town to wander around a museum. What we really
want is fun, and in Scarborough you won’t be disappointed. I visited 10 arcades in the town
– they line the seafront begging you to pop in – and truly they are the best and biggest I’ve
seen (you might be getting a sense that I’ve visited a fair few). Shooting balls in mini
basketball hoops, trying to grab a tiny stuffed toy with a metal claw, shovelling coins into a
machine to receive a fraction back in return… Scarborough has it all.

Elsewhere you’ll be looking for delicious fish and chips, and Scarborough – you guessed it –
delivers. Not literally mind, you’ll have to get yours to go, lay it across your lap and fight off
seagulls trying to nab your chips, or alternatively do as I did and visit the Fish Pan. Here,
while the quintessential seaside aroma of vinegar and batter wafts around you, you can tuck
into scampi, huge hunks of cod, chips and Yorkshire Tea, all for less than a tenner. Gorgeous.

A trip to Scarborough doesn’t have to be reduced to a weekend of seaside cliches though.
It’s here that you’ll find some of the best surfing in the UK, and you can squeeze into a
wetsuit and take lessons in the North and South Bay. Continue the theme with a bit of
coasteering – that’s hurling yourself off 10m-high cliffs while puffins, razor bills and gulls
look on in bewilderment. Then there’s the 109-mile-long Cleveland Way trail, a walk which
stretches through town, up the coast and along the edge of the North York Moors National
Park. And if all that’s a bit tame, the town boasts a new multi-million-pound water park,
which is, of course, excellent.

British seaside towns get a bit of a bad rap. What’s cool and kitsch in an American coastal
resort is all too often regarded as tatty and outdated here. I don’t get it. On a bright-blue-
sky day there’s no place I’d rather be than strolling along the fudge-coloured sand of
Scarborough’s North Bay – with a Mr Whippy ice cream in my hand, naturally.

So when it comes to Scarborough, I’m with the world’s smartest pop princess.… Gimme
gimme more.

 51 | P a g e

Selection of Trip Advisor Reviews

John L Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Will revisit

Went to see a Gary Barlow concert in June, staff very very helpful and brilliant. Drinks prices quite high £5 for a
pint & £20 for a bottle of wine. The atmosphere was fantastic. Few problems, the sun sets behind the stage
area so take...More

broometravel

Reviewed 2 days ago via mobile

Lovely venue

Went here the other day for a gig. It's a small venue but very well set up and organised. It was quiet and had
not sold all the tickets so they closed off some sections and give you new tickets for the better areas,
which...More

paul w

Reviewed 2 days ago via mobile

Nile Rodgers & Chic Scarborough open air theatre

What an amazing show Nile Rodgers doing his yowser yowser yowser all the good music didn’t appear to want
to leave at the end of the night. Warm up show Mr Pat Sharp was really up for it belting out all the best
eighties tunes....More

Pdiddy C

Reviewed 3 days ago via mobile

Perfect when the sun shines

Visited for the Gary Barlow concert. It was a perfect evening, the sun shone and it was fab night. It was a slight
incline to get to the top of the venue where our seats were. We were rewarded with a bar which had a...More

Nikakell Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Reviewed 3 days ago via mobile

Noel Gallagher

One of the best venues I’ve seen a gig at! We were standing, got to stand right at the front and it was nice and
spacious so didn’t get squashed at all! Security were friendly and excellent! Cheaper pints would be nice but it
was...More

dwad112 York, United Kingdom

Reviewed 4 days ago

 52 | P a g e

Noel Gallagher

Great venue. Friendly staff. Security was good and not obstructive. I sat in White block row T and had a great
view. The sound was excellent. The bars and food stalls get busy but the service is quite good.

glennscarb

Reviewed 4 days ago via mobile

NOEL GALLAGHER JULY 2018

Fantastic the whole night, staff are great, the bar at the top gets busier than you may think,where theirs toilets
too, Seems like everyone goes for a drink and the toilet 20 mins queing before start of the gig, prices where
what expected £5 a...More

Ricksug Hull, Massachusetts

Reviewed 4 days ago via mobile

Great little venue

Great venue if the weather is right we were seated at the back and still had a great view and the sound
quality was spot on.

Antony E Cairns, Australia

Reviewed 5 days ago via mobile

Emelie Sande

This was an amazing concert in a brilliant setting , the view was amazing and a great time had by all.

Gary A

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Great concert venue

Visited twice in June and it is a lovely venue. Its big enough to create an atmosphere but small enough to
create intemacy between the acts and the crowd. The acts seem to benifit from playing here as opposed to
soulless arenas. Thier are plenty...More

Yorkshiretreat York, United Kingdom

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Lionel Richie open air Scarborough

First time for all of us to watch a show at the open air in Scarborough. We were very impressed with how clean
everything was and basically regardless of where you sit you have great sight lines. The portaloos stayed
cleaned and didn't smell and...More

Saintmorag perth

Reviewed 1 week ago

 53 | P a g e

nice wee venue

nice venue, quick fast and efficient getting in security were nice enough and seating was fine. plenty portaloos
and decent food vendors that did not rip you off

Pamela1957 Northampton

Great venue, great artist, great staff

1st visit to Open Air Theatre. Went to see Alfie Bo who was brilliant. Have seen him before but this is a much
better venue. The staff were amazing when I had a mal-function of my hip and they could not have been more
concerned...More

Andy D

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Great venue on a summers evening

We went to see Steps here, first time to this venue. I thought the venue was fantastic, entrance was easy and
great facilities inside. The majority of toilets were porta-loos, but I’m totally fine with that. Beers prices
weren’t too bad, but we didn’t sample...More

Amy T

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Steps

Really good venue. Layed out well. Would definitely go back to see another concert again. Only down fall is
that none of the food places take card which is not advertised. A cash point in the venue somewhere would be
good or places start to...More

Selebian2014 Selby, United Kingdom

Reviewed 1 week ago

Another great evening

Great concert by Nile Rodgers. Beautiful parkland setting. Admission was no great hassle. Security was good
without causing too much delay. Queues for sales outlets seemed to be well managed. For an act you want to
see this is a great venue. Keep an eye...More

Iran60 Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Birthday surprise

Spent the evening at Scarborough open air theatre watching Lionel Richie. The show was excellent including
the supporting act A J Brown. We had a dry evening which was a bonus . The venue is set out really well,
standing room in front of the...More

Jeremy H

 54 | P a g e

Great venue

Went to see Lionel here - good secruity, but efficently processed. Line up for bars and food could be long at
times, but mainly not at all bad. Sound great, at just the right volume. Small enough to seem intimate.
However, reckon we were lucky...More

Eils22 Scarborough, United Kingdom

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Great as long as no rain!

Seen a few artists here. It's great on a nice night. But be warned if it rains you will get very WET! Nice venue,
all great view, sound better up top, but now they have built over the lake, the pit lets you get close...More

Nicmarsh82

Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Excellent venue

Went to Gary Barlow concert and was very impressed. Obviously that was largely due to Gary being fantastic
as usual! But I was very impressed with the organisation at the venue. The security was very good and the staff
at the venue were very helpful...More

julieroutledge63 Kingston-upon-Hull, United Kingdom

Brilliant venue

Didn't know what you expect but was very pleased with this venue. Well organised. Plenty of food and drink
stands. Lots of parking nearby. Plenty of toilets and great music. Don't forget your jacket it gets chilly when the
sun goes down.

Linda S Driffield, United Kingdom

Gary Barlow

Had a great night, a lovely present from my daughter and son in law. Amazing venue, the atmosphere was
brilliant, Gary was superb and his supporting act was very good. Good food and drink available. All in all a
wonderful evening. Staff, police and other...More

Kemilner Keighley, United Kingdom

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

The Script & Gary Barlow

An amazing venue, very well organised with plenty of clean public facilities available. Great atmosphere, would
highly recommend the venue but is very much dependent on weather like all this type of venue. We were
extremely fortunate to have two consecutive beautiful nights for outdoor...More

 55 | P a g e

Lorraine L Tadcaster, United Kingdom

The script

Most amazing night at scarbrough open air theatre watching the Script this is the 3rd time visiting this venue
the best music venue in the uk be back again in 3 weeks time can't wait for the script to be back too

FionaR64 Whitby, United Kingdom

Lionel Richie

Very good venue and the sound was great. The seating area is great. Every seat gives a great view. Lionel was
amazing full of funny tales and really got the audience involved. He is a true performer in every way. Hope he
comes back soon.

phillip r Shipley, United Kingdom

Lionel Ritchie fabulous

Have been several times in the past but first since they’ve added the standing area In front of the stag. Parking
not a problem unless you arrive late, and no problems either leaving or getting in after a quick search, but
Lionel Ritchie was brilliant...More

Judith c Bolton, United Kingdom

Great little venue

Travelled across from Lancashire to see Lionel Richie last night because I love this venue, even though I could
have seen him closer to home It was well worth the trip. This is a small venue with a great atmosphere - much
better than the...More

Vicky A Leeds, United Kingdom

Lionel Ritchie.

1st time at the theatre will definitely go again. We had no problems arriving we were quickly searched and
then shown where our seats were. It was busy as you would expect it but was fantastic. The weather was good
but even if it rained...More

lrb18 newcastle england

great concert

Lionel Ritchie concert Visited Scarborough open air theatre for the first time last night to see Lionel Ritchie .
Super night and weather stayed dry. Lionel Ritchie came just after 9.until 10.40. Even though there were 6,000
people there exiting was very slow and not...More

 56 | P a g e