League Announces Increase in Kids' Attendance on Broadway

By: Sep. 27, 2005
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Thousands of kids enjoyed Broadway shows this summer, according to The League of American Theatres & Producers, Inc. An estimated 400,000 youngsters, under the age of 18, have been taken to musicals and plays, which marks an increase of 6% over last summer.

Shows like Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, Hairspray, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are popular among younger crowds. Of those shows, Wicked, The Lion King, and Spelling Bee, have been consistently playing to over 90% capacity.

Children and teens accounted for nearly 1.3 million tickets during the 2003-04 season, the second largest number in the past decade. In that season, 11% of ticket holders were under 18 years old, up from 9% in the 2001-02 season.

Jed Bernstein, president of The League of American Theatres & Producers, Inc., commented, "The fact that the number of youngsters coming to Broadway has been growing at such a significant rate is indeed encouraging for the future of Broadway. With the array of family-oriented entertainment currently on Broadway, and in development, this trend is sure to continue."

To continue to develop this generation and future generations of theatergoers, The League engages in various audience development and marketing activities. Among these programs are Kids' Night on Broadway, which reaches thousands of children each year. The League's website, GenerationBroadway.com, which launched this past spring, is another way through which The League is developing loyal theatergoing in youngsters.

Other League audience development programs aimed at young people include Educator "Apple" awards, recognizing the efforts of schools across the country that promote theater education, and Family First Nights, an initiative that encourages family theatergoing. The League also supports education through grants aimed at developing innovative educational programs relating to the presentation of Broadway shows in New York and on tour.

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., founded in 1930 as the League of New York Theatres and operating under the "Live Broadway" trademark, is the national trade association for the Broadway 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 theater industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 25 million people in New York and across the U.S. and Canada.

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. reported a gross of $769 million in New York for the 2004-5 season. The number of tickets sold for Broadway during the 2004-5 season reached 11.5 million.

For more information, visit www.livebroadway.org.

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