LA STAGE TIMES: Released by Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Theatre Facts is the only in-depth report that examines the attendance, performance and overall fiscal state of the not-for-profit professional theater industry. Theatre Facts 2011 is based on the TCG Fiscal Survey, compiling data from theaters’ fiscal years ending between October 31, 2010 and September 30, 2011. First published in 1980, the annual Theatre Facts report examines unrestricted income and expenses, balance sheets, attendance, pricing and performance details.
2 comments:
It is great to see some positive news in this report. With that said, I think that we see another weakness in our profession. Relying on donors and contributions as heavily as we do makes us very vulnerable to any economic downturn that effects those with significant disposable income. We as an industry rely on donations for almost half of our expenses which as shown by the data for 2008 and 2009 is a major weakness and that funding can dry up so quickly it would make your head spin. I have seen some theatre companies fold after the death of a major benefactor because they had to much of their operational funds coming from the donor pool. While donor purchases capital purchases with contribution money allow us to buy major reusable items that allow us to keep up production values, as managers we need to be vigilant in making choices about what we fund with donated money. We as an industry need to be better about being conservative with cash reserves and remembering that each show is not the last great contribution to art and we need to look at it on a more macro level.
In these tough economic times, it's cool to see that industries such as nonprofit theatre are making a bit of a comeback. You always hear about people vacating theatres for movies or forms of entertainment that many perceive to be more modern or interesting. Even though they can be wrong in this respect, it is still an occurrence.
I personally feel as though theatre may be coming back into style as something to do on the weekend. Even in my personal experience I feel that I am seeing more people at shows. I hope this trend can continue and that the theatre will available to the public for many decades to come.
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