Michael Harrison Entertainment’s production of Hello Dolly! at the London Palladium currently has the largest pit band in the West End with 20 players. Image credit: Shutterstock.
A new production of Hello Dolly! at the London Palladium currently has the largest pit band in the West End. It is also made up of more than 50% women.
Hello Dolly at the Palladium sets an encouraging example for gender equality in UK theatre
It’s not normal practice for us to give a shout out to a theatre producer.
However, in the case of Michael Harrison Entertainment’s production of Hello Dolly! at the London Palladium, we can make an exception.
Not only have they got the largest pit band currently in the West End with 20 players, they have also shown that it’s perfectly possible to hire an orchestra that is made up of more than 50% women.
Only a quarter of West End band musicians are women
The MU has been actively tracking the number of women in West End bands since 2017.
Women currently make up only a quarter of musicians, so when a show with the biggest pit band in the West End is made up of more than 50% women, it’s definitely a cause for celebration.
We'll be keeping a close eye on other shows that open in the coming months to see if this encouraging example is replicated widely.
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The MU continues to fight for equal representation in orchestras across the UK.
Read about some of the people and organisations creating change within the industry: