Sweat and spectacle of theatre makes it 'immortal' but challenges lurk

Gold Coast's Dracula's says musical theatre is 'immortal' but industry faces tough times After four years touring in musicals across Australia and Asia, Jordan Koulos has found himself playing a deep-sea vampire spellbound by "a gothic, more seductive Atlantis". "It's what happens under the surface that you never get to see, and being able to shock audiences with that," he said. "It's this world you are just immersed in." Mr Koulos has forged a career in musical theatre, a $531 million sector that stretches from major stage shows to intimate cabaret. "It's my bread and butter, I really love it," he said. This latest role has brought Mr Koulos to Dracula's, a theatre-restaurant that has been entertaining audiences on the Gold Coast for 41 years. But keeping the curtain up will not be easy. 'Dinner and a show' Luke Newman's grandparents founded Dracula's Cabaret in 1985, inspired by the cult-classic Rocky Horror Picture Show and Vaudevillian theatre of the 19th century. "People would go out to nightclubs where they'd have coffee at 11pm at night and watch a comedy act with a piano and ukulele on stage," he said. "But nowadays, dinner and a show is nowhere else — it's very rare to see." Mr Newman started out "scraping plates" in Dracula's kitchen before working his way up to CEO. "Dracula's operates in a bubble almost," he said. "There's change coming, or it's already here with streaming and the way content is delivered." He said it takes a crew of 50 people to bring the production to stage five nights a week, with another show touring Australia and New Zealand for six months. "Dracula's has bucked trends in the industry," he said. "[But] it's a difficult time for live theatre and entertainment and we've heard lots of bad news stories about musicals closing and the impact that has on the industry and people advocating for support." Audiences are up, revenue is down Several major theatrical productions touring Australia have recently been cancelled due to growing cost pressures. Live Performance Australia's attendance report, published last year, found that while audience numbers were up, annual revenue fell 2 per cent to $531 million. "That's consistent really nationally across all markets and genres of live performance," CEO Eric Lassen said. "Everything from labour and technical costs to, for those shows that need to be touring around the country, the cost of freight has gone up well over 50 per cent." Mr Lassen said "the hunger and the demand" remains strong for live shows but increased costs put pressure on ticket prices. "But producers are not able to raise ticket prices beyond a certain price point," he said. "So they're operating at increasing risk and at increasingly slim margins to ensure they're actually going to recoup their costs." Mr Lassen has called for tax incentives to help producers offset the up-front costs of a new show. "Building sets, designing costumes, workshopping everything that happens before the curtains rise," he said. "The idea would be that a percentage of those costs, not the ongoing running costs, would be subject to an offset against future profits." The federal government's consultation and development of a new National Cultural Policy is underway. 'Entertainment is immortal' Mr Newman said he was confident Dracula's "stadium in a theatre" approach to entertainment will "thrive" through future challenges. "What you can't substitute is live — live vocals, live guitar, people spinning from the roof above your head, sweat flying from their forehead," he said. "You can feel it, you can taste it, you can touch it, and that's why this kind of entertainment is immortal." Jordan Koulos said musical theatre can "tease all the senses" in a way screens cannot. "Coming from a musical theatre background, we see all the troubles the industry is facing, and we are semi in that," he said. "[But] we see everyone that, even though they could be in the middle of a meal, they put their knife and fork down and just focus on you. "It's just such a great feeling."