Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I work right next to the Broadway Theaters and attend quite a few Broadway Plays and Musicals. One thing that I always noticed is almost everyone at the Broadway Shows is White! Why is this true in one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America?
Yes, I know that 65% of the people atteding Broadway Shows are tourists but NYC is full of tourists of all ethnic groups and from all over the world.
I knew my friends on City Data would not believe me unless I got some type of official study, so I googled the subject and came up with an official survey developed by THE BROADWAY LEAGUE.
Eighty-three percent of all tickets were purchased by Caucasian theatergoers, of those 65% were women.
The average age of the Broadway theatergoer was 44 years, older than in the past few seasons.
Only 4% of the tickets are bought by African Americans
I found this to be very interesting and scary at the same time. It says as America becomes more Hispanic and the baby boomers die out, interest in Broadway Shows will fall drastically.
What can Broadway do to get more participation by ethnic minorities, younger people, and men?
This is a dumb survey, unnecessary and not accurate at all. The shows are meant to be enjoyed by ALL. Black, white, brown and everything in between. I am also getting sick of, black this, white that etc. People are not f***in crayons!
Sure doesn't shock me. What I thought you were going to post is that most tickets are most by tourists with money to burn, or executives with expense accounts.
Sorry to break it to you, in case you haven't noticed, but you will generally not see black people much at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at the Film Forum, or at Carnegie Hall, either. Some ethnicities seem to be brought up to value "high culture" - some not. I remember my surprise at seeing a black couple at a Stoppard play - they left at intermission. And when you have wildly unaffordable prices, it's a disincentive for younger audiences. I can remember when I first started going to the theater in my teens - not only how totally affordable it was, but the easy availability of standing room even more cheaply.
I think the question shouldn't be what Broadway can to do attract more of these people, but rather, what should society be doing to encourage people to more broadly embrace culture? Of course, any time that Broadway producers figure out how to keep down costs (which would mean beating down unions), so that the prices could be halved, that would help.
The purchaser of the tickets may not be the sole attendee and may work for those attending the theater as per the survey referenced above. Also, ladies who lunch make up a huge portion of those who patronize the arts, including Broadway, so it is not at all shocking to find that women outnumber men in the theaters. Would it be similarly shocking that men tend to be primary consumers of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, etc tickets? And, as with theater tickets, the purchaser may not be the sole attendee.
The arts are open to all, those who can afford them, that is, which may be more reflective of the demographic disparity, not that there is an agenda that promotes culture to one group over another. Also, don't forget that many travel from NJ, CT, LI, Westchester, and Rockland regularly to attend Broadway shows, so the pool of consumers extends throughout the metro region for local patrons, not tourists.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Why aren't more white people at reggae/dance hall concerts in Flatbush?
Could it just be that some black people aren't interested even those who can afford the tickets?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From a person that works in this industry....
