JONES Theatrical Group is deeply saddened by the recent closures of Beetlejuice and Waitress. Our thoughts are with everyone affected—not only the performers audiences see on stage, but also the technicians, crew members, managers, musicians, wardrobe departments, venue staff, marketers, publicists, ticketing agencies, hospitality workers and the many hundreds of Australians whose livelihoods depend on every production that comes into every town and city across the country.
What we do matters. Every night we provide people with escapism, connection, laughter, emotion and a chance to step away from the pressures of the world for a few hours. That is valuable, and it is needed— not only for our social wellbeing but also for our economy. Our team currently has a combination of new and established productions in the market, including The Book of Mormon, Pretty Woman: The Musical and Mrs. Doubtfire – The Musical.
While our productions continue to perform well, we can also confirm what many other producers are experiencing: the cost of producing world-class live entertainment is increasing at an unsustainable rate.
Our view is that this is a challenge we should confront head-on by recognising commercial live performance for the major economic industry it already is. The United Kingdom has demonstrated that a live theatre production tax incentive can stimulate private investment, create jobs, encourage more productions and strengthen an entire industry. This is not about subsidising commercial theatre—it is about recognising its economic contribution and creating the conditions for more productions, more employment and greater investment in Australia.
Australia already provides production incentives for film, television, digital games and post-production. Commercial live performance deserves to be considered through the same economic lens.
The facts speak for themselves. Live entertainment generates more than $4 billion in economic activity and supports more than 30,000 Australian jobs. More than 31.4 million tickets were sold to live performances in 2024—more than the combined attendances of Australia’s major sporting codes. This is not a niche industry. It is a significant contributor to Australia’s economy, our cities, our tourism industry and our communities.
At JONES, we remain optimistic about the future of Australian live performance. We believe this moment presents an opportunity—not simply to respond to recent cancellations, but to have a broader conversation about recognising commercial live performance as one of Australia’s great economic industries. Our audiences continue to show us how much live entertainment matters. Now is the time to ensure our policy settings encourage more productions, more investment, more jobs and stronger communities, so future generations can continue to experience the unique power of live performance.
