It is bigger than the UK film industry and attracts more visitors than Broadway; London’s West End continues to be the theatre capital of the world, with some 13 million people attending performances during 2008. But how much do you really know about Theatreland? This section of Official London Theatre offers a wealth of Stats & Facts about the West End, everything from the minimum wage for a Wardrobe Mistress (£525.93 per week, since you ask) to the cost of the most expensive show ever staged in the West End (The Lord Of The Rings at £12.5 million) and the year London’s first playhouse was built (1576).

This plethora of perusable information is contained in six handy sections:

• Theatreland History is a snapshot of the origins of theatre in London
• Decade By Decade summarises the past century of Theatreland’s history.
• Brief History of SOLT provides a timeline of milestones in the 100-year life of the Society of London Theatre, the organisation which supports Theatreland.
• West End VIPs profiles past and present movers and shakers in the West End.
• Theatreland Records gives you the smallest, the biggest and the longest…
• Statistics, Publications & Reports gets down to business with access to information on box office figures, attendances, wages, seating capacities and much more.

For more information about the Society of London Theatre, visit www.solt.co.uk