Truth or Certainty is Only Obtained from Facts: Theatre Communications Group Publishes Theatre Facts 2008

By September 2008, unemployment  was the highest it had been since 2003 (84,000 lost jobs in August 2008); Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were under Government conservatorship; the Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch; Lehman Brothers was about to declare bankruptcy; and our economy had been reeling from the sub-prime mortgage crisis for over a year. Theatre Facts 2008 reports that the not-for-profit theatre field although also shaken by the state of the union, increased its contribution to the economy to 1.9 billion and offered 202,000 performances that attracted 32 million attendees.

“Certainly, we as a field are feeling pressure in these still bleak economic times, said Teresa Eyring, TCG’s Executive Director.  “In some ways it makes Theatre Facts even more important, allowing each theatre to assess its positioning in the field as a whole.  We’re aware that our survey for fiscal years ending in 2009 may look bleaker.”

Theatre Facts is not only a valuable tool for the field, but also for trustees, foundation and corporation executives, policy makers and the national press. Theatre leaders and trustees use this data in developing appropriate strategies for their institutions and in reaching educated conclusions about their organizational performance.

For over 30 years, Theatre Communications Group has published Theatre Facts, which draws on responses to the annual TCG Fiscal Survey to offer an analysis of the attendance, performance and fiscal health of the American not-for-profit theatre field. Theatre Facts 2008 compiles information gathered for the fiscal year that theatres completed anytime between October 31, 2007, and September 30, 2008.

Written by Zannie Giraud Voss, chair and professor, Division of Arts Administration at Southern Methodist University, and Glenn B. Voss, associate professor, Marketing Department, Cox School of Business, SMU, along with TCG staff members Christopher Shuff and Ilana B. Rose, the report examines unrestricted income and expenses, balance sheet, attendance, pricing and performance details and is organized into three sections that offer different perspectives.

Following are a few highlights from the findings reported in Theatre Facts 2008, which is now available free of charge on TCG’s website, www.tcg.org. For more information about Theatre Facts 2008, contact Linda Jacobs, TCG public relations director at 212.609.5955, or by email at ljacobs@tcg.org.

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