Exclusive: A.R.T./NY Shares Findings from HEALTH + WEALTH Report

Last week, our friends and theatre allies at A.R.T./NY released a first-of-its-kind research publication about the state of the New York City theatre field. We’ve partnered A.R.T./NY to share highlights from the report, called Health + Wealth, Empowering Theatremakers Through Data.

Focused on the Off-Broadway ecosystem, Health + Wealth provides hard evidence of theatre companies’ struggles and successes in the post-COVID years. But it’s more than an academic study of company finances. This report offers a boost of courage and specific ideas for building resilience in our industry and the wider cultural sector. Everyone should take time to read Health + Wealth in this moment when we’re not only stretched thin following years of hustling and uncertainty, but find ourselves and our communities under attack in ways that seemed unthinkable only months ago.  

Talia Corren and Risa Shoup, A.R.T./NY’s Co-Executive Directors, share some takeaways from the report below in the first of four posts.

Dear Friends,

Health + Wealth is about all of us in the theatre industry, standing together in the face of strong headwinds. We began this research project nearly two years ago, seeking to understand the realities of the theatre community in light of the disruption of COVID-19, the reckoning of the social justice movement and its backlash, and real uncertainty about where the “recovery” period has left us at this pivotal, deeply challenging, moment in history. We were hungry for evidence that would shine more light on the needs, opportunities, and challenges of our community. 

We learned a lot, and we hope you will take time to engage with the whole report. But in this moment of intense need and paralyzing uncertainty, you should know that A.R.T./New York is heeding the call to action we heard again and again in the data:

Our field has traditionally rewarded the ingenuity of theatremakers who “do more with less.” Today, economic conditions, an openly hostile federal government, and transformed cultural priorities around health, balance, and labor have forced us to interrupt this pattern. Together we must catalyze new approaches and reinvent the ways we work.

What does that mean?

1. We invite the radical transformation of existing structures and systems that will bring us the field we deserve.
2. We ground generational change and organizational evolution with investments in the time, resources, and networks that will yield new ways of working.
3. We catalyze opportunities for space-sharing, supporting venue operators and itinerant companies so both can thrive.
4. We elevate the unique knowledge, perspectives, and practices of BIPOC-led and -serving practitioners (as well as those who serve other specific identities) and fund these organizations sustainably.
5. We champion collaboration as a core value. A generous field combats scarcity together.

We ask theatremakers and resource providers to explore the report and join us in reinventing the ways we work. Keep reading to get a taste of the first chapter in the report, “The Bottom Line,” and check back next week to learn about our findings on workforce and leadership. 

Yours in solidarity,

Talia & Risa

THE BOTTOM LINE

The question of resources runs through all the other themes in Health + Wealth. As we expected, the data showed that relief funding interrupted an already unstable status quo and set the stage for a new era of uncertainty. 

When we average data from all organizations, we see the field’s astute financial management in lean times. Overall, revenue is up from 2019 (13%, adjusted for inflation), although it flatted between 2022 and 2023. Expenses trended with inflation, but rising inflation notably impacted smaller organizations.

When we looked at the bottom line for different kinds of organizations, we saw stark differences. All except the largest companies ($1M+ budgets) faced a steep rise in expenses, rising more than twice as fast as the national average for arts organizations.

CONTRIBUTED REVENUE IN CRISIS

Nearly all sources of contributed revenue decreased between 2022 and 2023 - some categories plummeted. Government support dropped 25% from peak relief funding levels, and that was before the drastic cuts that have started to emerge this year. Private funding dropped 42% from 22-23. The numbers are sobering.
 

Earned revenue growth was concentrated almost exclusively in those $1M+ companies that are able to own/long-term lease, compounding the financial challenges for smaller companies. When we look at the data and consider how these trends will look when extended into 2025-2026, the truth is undeniable: Without multi-year, sustained general operating support, every theatre organization will struggle to keep pace with rising costs. 

We are doubling down on advocacy efforts, and we believe this data will help our allies in the funding community make the case for further support. But we also believe that everyone in the community has agency in building a more sustainable, viable, thriving sector. 

Read the report to learn more about the bottom line for theatre companies and - most importantly - our vision for transformation towards a sustainable field and sustainable livelihoods for theatremakers. And contact us to join in this effort. Email Talia or Email Risa . We’ll be back next week with some highlights from findi4r4rtngs on the theatre workforce.

This project was made possible through lead funding from the Booth Ferris Foundation and was undertaken in partnership with Skeleton Key Strategies and SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research.