GENERAL RATES COMPARISON FOR COMMUNITY RATES

CRYER THEATRE
ROOM/TYPE
Weekly hire

LBS
1399

STT rate
1350 +VAT

(Monday-Saturday)

This is the average

weekly hire.
Varies and depends
on the number of
hours used each day
Usually the hires
would be Sun-Sat
(with Sunday all day,
Monday Saturday
evenings for 6 hours)

Monday Saturday with

a matinee on Saturday
1550+VAT *
Sunday Saturday
1000+VAT
flat fee January or
August
(off-peak use)

Increase/Decrease
Decrease of 3.5%

Increase of 11%

Decrease of 29%

Daily rate (12 hours)

315
350+VAT **
Increase of 11%
Hourly rate ( min. 5
155
Not hiring by the hour
hours, rate is for 5
as not practicable for
hours)
theatre use
Rehearsal room (per
20
21+VAT
Increase of 5%
hour) ***
Charge for full page
40+VAT
brochure
inclusion****
FORMER GREEN ROOM WAS NOT USED BY STT AS IT WAS TURNED INTO A POP-UP BAR
*Specially negotiated rate for community groups for Sundays 10:00am 7:00pm use only with Monday and
Tuesday reduced hours in the evenings.
**Please note that STT hours for community daily hire were from 10:00am to 11:00pm and on Saturdays until
midnight and therefore 13 or 14 hours.
*** 10% discount for block bookings were offered by STT, not by LBS
**** Listing only style with show title, name of the company, dates and ticket prices was offered free of charge

Additionally STT offered 10% discount to all local amateur companies that booked 3 times or more
in any year.
We used the rates displayed by LBS for members of Arts Network Sutton. Most local amateur and
community groups are members of Arts Network Sutton. VAT is something that is paid and passed
on to HMRC. It is not money that is kept by STT. All groups can register for VAT and claim it back
from HMRC.
We also offered an option to groups not to pay upfront hire fees, but due to tax regulations we
would have to pass on VAT on all their ticket sales to HMRC as well as VAT on hire fee. They could
claim VAT back.

SECOMBE THEATRE
ROOM/TYPE
Weekly hire
(Monday-Saturday)
Daily rate (12 hours)
Hourly rate ( min. 5
hours, rate is for 5
hours)
Back Door hire (per
hour Mon-Fri
daytime, min. 2
hours) ***
Back Door hire (per
hour Sat-Sun
daytime, min. 2
hours) ***

LBS
3640**

STT rate
3500+VAT *

Increase/Decrease
Decrease of 4%

1000
150

Increase of 33%
-

21

1300+VAT **
Not hiring by the hour
as not practicable for
theatre use
30+VAT

4 hour session
84

4 hour session
80+VAT

Decrease of 5 %

47

45+VAT

Decrease of 4%

Increase of 43%

4 hour session
4 hour session
Decrease of 20%
188
150 +VAT
Additionally Back Door was offered on a weekly basis hire and also on a daily basis hire

* We offered more hours for lower price:

LBS rate was for 62 hours in total which was as follows:
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

11.00am - 11.00pm

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

6.00pm - 11.00pm

Saturday

1.00pm - 12.00 midnight

Any additionaly hours were charged at a rate of 110 per hour or a daily rate of 970.
STT offered 65 hours of hire as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

10:00am 11:00pm

Thursday, Friday

5:30pm 10:30pm

Saturday

noon 11:00pm or midnight in some cases

Comparison therefore includes LBS rate for weekly rate + 4 extra hours
**Please note that STT hours for community daily hire were from 10:00am to 11:00pm and on Saturdays until
midnight and therefore 13 or 14 hours.
*** Back Door was former LBS function room turned into a venue with its own lighting and sound rig and
staging. Various other options were available to community groups, including discounts for longer sessions,
free use for some of the groups (Savvy Theatre Company)

The truth is that community groups were generally charged LESS in comparison to LBS rates!
Majority of the groups' hires were weekly hires which were offered at reduced prices. Here's a list of
some of the groups using the spaces and what they paid.

NAME OF THE
COMPANY

VENUE

PAID UNDER
STT CONTRACT

INCREASE/DECREASE

The Cryer

PAID UNDER
LBS
CONTRACT
1470

Wallington Operatic
and Dramatic
Society
Avalon Theatre
Company
The Christopher
Singers
CROFT Drama Group
Mishmak Youth
Theatre (Secombe
Annual Show)
Lyric Players

1000+VAT

Decrease of 32%

The Cryer

1362

1350+VAT

Decrease of 1%

The Cryer

1237

900+VAT*

Decrease of 37%

The Cryer
The Secombe

700
1352

700+VAT
1200+VAT

No increase
Decrease of 11%

The Cryer

1720

1550+VAT

Decrease of 10%

*STT offered the hire of rehearsal room at no extra cost and also increased number of hours.

It is not true that we alienated all local groups. The list of local community theatre companies
performing at our venues during our management is as follows:
Croft
Attic Theatre
Avalon Theatre
The Christopher Singers
Lyric Players
Mishmak Youth Theatre
SPATS
Savvy Theatre Company
Wallington Operatic and Dramatic Society
We also had shows from 52 other different community groups local schools, dance schools,
dance groups and various charitable organisations.

Only several groups refused to use the venues for no reasonable reason, even though as per above,
the new rates were cheaper then under LBS:
Sutton Amateur Dramatic Club decided to leave the Charles Cryer before we took over, to have
their shows at Adrian Mann from June 2015 they haven't booked with the Council as other groups
did
The Tudor Players started performing elsewhere from summer 2015 so made the decision to leave
Charles Cryer before STT took over
Chase Theatre Company ceased operating on their own
Breakfast Cat Theatre Company not a group based in the London Borough of Sutton, but a group
from Croydon usually performing in Croydon's The Oval Tavern Pub and only occasionally hiring
Charles Cryer; cancelled the July 2015 performance without paying due hire fees!
Other groups never showed interest in hiring venues.