International Broadway Attendance Increased from Last Year

By: Mar. 06, 2006
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The latest annual demographics report by The League of American Theatres and Producers, The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2004-2005 for New York City, reveals that international visitor numbers for Broadway continue to rebound to pre-September 11 levels.  Attendance by international visitors climbed to 1.3 million for 2004-2005, representing a 148% increase from the post 9/11 fallout when admissions hit an all time low of 525,834 (2001-2002).  The international attendance figures are up from 1.24 million last season and are virtually level with the pre-9/11 (1999-2000) figure of 1.32 million.   

 The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2004-2005 shows that attendance by New Yorkers has increased 8%, up from 1.94 million in the 2003-2004 season to 2.05 million.  Domestic tourist figures were the second highest in the past seven years at 5.7 million.  This was slightly down from 5.8 million in 2003-2004. 

  "We are delighted to see that the international visitor numbers for Broadway have continued to rebound to post 9/11 levels," commented Jed Bernstein, President of The League of American Theatres and Producers.  "We have been working hard to bring back foreign tourists as they are a vital part of the Broadway audience and contribute significantly to the city's economy as a whole." 

 Although the majority of the Broadway theatregoing audience continued to be Caucasian (78%), the percentage of minority ethnic groups attending Broadway reached a high of 22%, with 2.57 million in attendances for 2004-2005.  This figure is up 11% from 2.31 million last season. 

 The report also shows that the ticket purchasing habits of Broadway theatregoers are changing.  The use of the Internet was the most popular method of ticket buying in 2004-2005, with use quadrupling over the last five years, from 7% to 29%.  Another notable trend is that theatregoers are still not purchasing as far in advance as they did before September 11.  Last season, only 31.8% purchased more than one month before the show – the lowest percentage since 2001. 

 Broadway continued to attract repeat customers, with the average theatregoer attending five shows in the past year, a figure level with the past several seasons.  Playgoers tended to be more frequent theatregoers than musical attendees.  The typical playgoer saw seven shows in the past year, compared with four for the musical attendee.  Those who saw fifteen or more shows comprised 5% of the audience, but represented 27% of all tickets sold. 

 Personal recommendation was the single most important factor in show selection with 47% of theatregoers citing this as their primary influence. Critics' reviews and the Tony Awards were the second and third highest factors, respectively, in choosing a show. 

 Other key figures published in The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2004-2005 include: 

 ·        The average age of the Broadway theatergoer was 42 years old, level with last season and slightly younger than recent past seasons 
·        Sixty-five percent of the audience was female, with women continuing to be the primary decision-makers in show selection 
·        Theatregoers under 18 years accounted for nearly 1.2 million tickets, a drop from 1.3 million in the previous season, but still relatively high 
·        While still quite affluent when compared to the average American, the annual household income of the average theatergoer was $96,100, a drop of $11,300 from two seasons ago 

 From June 2004-2005, 11.53 million tickets were sold to Broadway shows. This figure is down slightly from the previous season (11.61 million) but the fourth highest in the past two decades.  The most noticeable difference from last season was the increase in ticket sales to plays, with attendances jumping 25% from 1.57 million last season to 1.97 million for 2004-2005. 

 The Demographics of the Broadway Audience is published annually by The League of American Theatres and Producers, which is the clearinghouse for information on the business, demographics and economic impact of Broadway theatre throughout North America.  The League compiles various statistics and publishes extensive reports on a number of topics.  Printed versions of the reports are available for purchase online at www.livebroadway.com/orderform.html.
 
The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., created in 1930 is the official trade association for the commercial theatre industry.  The League's 500-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in 140 + North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry.  Each year, League members bring Broadway to almost 30 million people in New York and across the US and Canada. 
 
Visit www.livebroadway.com for more information.
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