CMU School of Drama


Monday, February 08, 2021

Broadway’s closure exposes its sway on the economic ecosystem

PBS NewsHour: Prior to the pandemic, Broadway was booming. But curtains haven’t risen since March, with deep personal and financial impacts. By one count, Broadway is directly responsible for nearly 100,000 jobs in New York City alone and, as a leading attraction for people who travel to the city, it has an economic impact of nearly $15 billion.

1 comment:

Owen Sahnow said...

Much like the economic theory that people who live paycheck to paycheck (Upwards of 63% of the population) stimulate the economy more with their money because their money gets funneled right back into it as opposed to people who have massive savings that aren’t creating any economic impact. This video really showed how large the industry is and how many people it employs. I knew it was a lot, but I didn’t really know for sure how much. The example of the dancer who worked all sorts of different jobs is an interesting phenomenon that I’m sure that many actors are doing things like that. Because theater people are so versatile, I’m sure lots of people are working interesting temporary jobs if they can find them. My hope is that the silver lining is phenomenal post-pandemic theater that is unique and related to the experiences of the artists outside the realms of theater. It’s easier to make theater about something you really know about.