Venue Restoration Levy

Our basic annual repair and maintenance costs – before emergencies like a leaking roof or A/C breakdown – are £17,000 per year. As a historic building, Komedia is also incredibly inefficient by modern-day standards and the costs of our vital utilities are eye watering. We spend approximately £350 a day just to open the doors, turn the lights on, make sure the loos flush and to facilitate essential waste removal. Add in rental costs, business rates and insurance, and we’re looking at a rough figure of around £875 per day simply to exist.

For a long time, we’ve been in the small minority of venues that have resisted implementing any additional charges. As a Community Benefit Society, it is particularly important to us that our prices are kept as fair and accessible as possible. But, as costs have skyrocketed and time has caught up with the building, we need to be able to invest more back into it to ensure that things continue to run smoothly – not only today, but also in another 110 years’ time.

We all know a night out at a comedy show or musical performance isn’t cheap. But you might not know that the majority of ticket money does not go to Komedia. In fact, for every £10 a customer spent on a ticket last year, the venue would typically have retained less than £2.00 of that once artists, tax, royalties, PRS, and various other charges were all paid.

With a venue restoration levy, our average 98,000 ticket sales per year will equate to an absolutely game changing £98,000 that can be funnelled directly back into maintaining and protecting this much beloved venue.

In the short-term, these funds will help make vital repairs. In the long-term, they will help us future-proof our infrastructure and work towards being a more accessible and environmentally friendly venue.

We won’t be making a profit from this new ticketing charge, but your contribution will be making a genuine difference to the future of Komedia and everyone who visits. So thank you in advance!