THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE BROADWAY AUDIENCE 2018–2019 T HE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE BROADWAY AUDIENCE 2018–2019 THE BROADWAY LEAGUE KAREN HAUSER NOVEMBER 2019 ©THE BROADWAY LEAGUE ISBN 978-0-9973744-8-3 CONTENTS 729 SEVENTH AVENUE T 212-764-1122 5TH FLOOR F 212-944-2136 NEW YORK, NY 10019 BROADWAYLEAGUE.COM Charlotte St. Martin President I Introduction and Summary Board of Governors November 2019 I Introduction and Summary Foreword 4 Foreword 4 Thomas Schumacher Executive Summary 5 Chairman Dear Colleague, Executive Summary 5 Gina Vernaci Vice Chair of the Road We are pleased to share with you The Demographics of the Elliot Greene II Demographics of the Broadway Audience Secretary/Treasurer Broadway Audience for the 2018–2019 season. Our audiences Place of Residence 8 Robert E. Wankel have continued to grow, and admissions have reached an all- II Demographics of the Broadway Audience Immediate Past Chairman time high of 14.8 million! Gender 16 Place of Residence 8 Richard Baker Age 18 Moreover, our shows are attracting people from all over the Gender 16 Meredith Blair Ethnic Background 22 Michael Brand world. This season, foreign visitors accounted for 2.8 million Maggie Brohn Age 18 admissions. This international component is especially excit- Education 25 Stephen Byrd Ethnic Background 22 Jeff Chelesvig ing, as visitors from farther away tend to stay longer and spend Annual Household Income 28 Robert Cole Education 25 Jeff Daniel more money in the city, supporting our mission to make Broad- Frequency of Attendance 30 Ken Davenport way the greatest tourist attraction in the area. Our recently Annual Household Income 28 Michael David Making the Purchasing Decision 32 John Ekeberg formed International Committee is working to figure out how to Frequency of Attendance 30 Nina Essman best market to these visitors both before and after they arrive Paying for Theatre Tickets 33 Charles Flateman Making the Purchasing Decision 32 Sue Frost in New York. Method of Ticket Purchase 34 Tom Gabbard Paying for Theatre Tickets 33 Hal Goldberg This season we welcomed 3.4 million admissions by those Date of Ticket Purchase 36 John Gore MethodSources of Ticket for Theatre Purchase Information 3834 Barry Grove under age 25. We are continuing to encourage young theatre- Todd Haimes goers through our programs like Broadway Bridges® and Kids’ DateTheatregoing of Ticket Purchase Companions 4436 Colleen Jennings- Night on Broadway®. Roggensack SourcesTheatregoing for Theatre in InformationChildhood 4638 Susie Krajsa Hal Luftig Furthermore, we are happy to note that 3.8 million admissions Theatregoing Companions 44 Aaron Lustbader were by non-Caucasian theatregoers, as we attempt to further Kevin McCollum Theatregoing in Childhood 46 diversify our audiences with various programs including Viva James L. Nederlander III Appendices Joseph Z. Nederlander Broadway, Let’s Do Broadway, My Broadway Story, and other Al Nocciolino Alecia Parker initiatives with multiple goals. Methodology 52 Joey Parnes Sample Questionnaire 54 Eva Price One final positive note is that theatregoers are buying tickets Lauren Reid III Appendices Acknowledgements 56 David Richards farther in advance than in previous years, giving producers Jordan Roth some extra cushion in the bank. Methodology 52 Nick Scandalios Jeffrey Seller Sample Questionnaire 54 Philip J. Smith We hope this analysis is useful to you in marketing your shows, Joan Squires and we thank you for your participation. Acknowledgements 56 David Stone Tom Viertel Sincerely, Barry Weissler Barbara Whitman Charlotte Wilcox Allan Williams Beth Williams Charlotte St. Martin Counsel Jeffrey A. Horwitz, Esq. President Bernard M. Plum, Esq. 2 The Broadway League CONTENTS I Introduction and Summary I Introduction and Summary Foreword 4 Foreword 4 Executive Summary 5 Executive Summary 5 II Demographics of the Broadway Audience Place of Residence 8 II Demographics of the Broadway Audience Gender 16 Place of Residence 8 Age 18 Gender 16 Ethnic Background 22 Age 18 Education 25 Ethnic Background 22 Annual Household Income 28 Education 25 Frequency of Attendance 30 Annual Household Income 28 Making the Purchasing Decision 32 Frequency of Attendance 30 Paying for Theatre Tickets 33 MakingMethod the Purchasing of Ticket Purchase Decision 3432 PayingDate for of Theatre Ticket TicketsPurchase 3633 MethodSources of Ticket for Theatre Purchase Information 3834 DateTheatregoing of Ticket Purchase Companions 4436 SourcesTheatregoing for Theatre in InformationChildhood 4638 Theatregoing Companions 44 Theatregoing in Childhood 46 III Appendices Methodology 52 Sample Questionnaire 54 III Appendices Acknowledgements 56 Methodology 52 Sample Questionnaire 54 Acknowledgements 56 The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2018–2019 3 FOREWORD Broadway shows drew a record- breaking 14.8 million admissions during the 2018–2019 season, by people from all over the world. This report profiles those people, their demographic attributes, and their theatregoing and marketing preferences. Broadway Admissions1 15 14.77 13.79 13.32 14 13.27 13.10 12.53 12.33 12.31 13 12.27 12.21 12.15 12.00 11.90 11.89 11.67 11.61 11.57 11.53 11.48 11.42 12 11.39 10.95 11 10.57 10 9.47 9.04 9 8.14 8.12 8.04 7.95 7.86 7.38 7.32 8 7.25 7.05 7 6.54 Millions of Tickets of Tickets Millions 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Broadway Season 1 1 Source: The Broadway League collects admissions data on a weekly basis from the theatre owners. Because the Broadway season is a 52-week period, running approximately from the beginning of June through end of May, it is comprised of 364 days, as opposed to the 365-day calendar year. Therefore, every seven years, we must add a week to the Broadway season in order to keep consistent with the calendar. On the above graph, all 53-week seasons are marked with an asterisk and a lighter shade of purple. 4 The Broadway League EXECUTIVE SUMMARY •• In In thethe 2018–20192018–2019 season,season, BroadwayBroadway •• PlaygoersThe average tended number to be of moreattendances frequent showsshows welcomedwelcomed 14.814.8 millionmillion theatregoersby the Broadway than theatregoer musical attendees. was admissions,admissions, anan all-timeall-time high.high. The4.4 intypical the past straight-play year. The attendeegroup of saw •• Approximately Approximately 35%35% of of those those sevendevoted shows fans inwho the attended past year; 15 the or attendancesattendances werewere byby peoplepeople fromfrom thethe musicalmore performances attendee, four. comprised only NewNew YorkYork City City metropolitan metropolitan area. area. • Respondents5% of the audience, reported but having accounted paid an averagefor 28% of all$145.60 tickets per (4.15 ticket. million •• Sixty-five Sixty-five percentpercent ofof admissionsadmissions were admissions). weremade made by tourists: by tourists: 46% from46% fromthe United the • Fifty-nine percent percent of • Playgoers tended to be more UnitedStates States(but outside (but outside New York New City York and respondents said they purchased their frequent theatregoers than musical Cityits suburbs) and its suburbs) and 19% andfrom 19% other from tickets online. attendees. The typical straight-play othercountries. countries. • Theattendee average saw reported seven shows date ofin ticketthe •• This This representsrepresents thethe highesthighest numbernumber of purchasepast year; for the a musicalBroadway attendee, show was four. 47 ofattendances attendances by by foreign foreign visitors visitors in in days before the performance, four days history— 2.8 million. • Respondents reported having paid an history— 2.8 million. moreaverage than of the $145.60 previous per season.ticket. • Sixty-eight percent of the audiences • Sixty-eight percent of the audiences • Google was the most common initial were female. • Fifty-nine percent of respondents were female. sourcesaid they theatregoers purchased namedtheir tickets when they • The average age of the Broadway • The average age of the Broadway wereonline. asked where they looked for theatregoer was 42.3 years old. This theatregoer was 42.3 years old. This information about Broadway shows. average has hovered between 40 • The average reported date of ticket average has hovered between 40 and Ticketmaster and Broadway.com and 45 years old for the past two purchase for a Broadway show was 45 years old for the past two decades. followed Google. decades. 47 days before the performance, • Twenty-twofour days earlier percent than said the that previous they relied •• Along Along withwith thethe overalloverall growthgrowth in attendances, the number of admissions primarilyseason. on word-of-mouth from people in attendances, the number of they knew. admissionsby non-Caucasian by non-Caucasian theatregoers reached • Google was the most common theatregoersa record high reached of 3.8 million. a record high • Mostinitial theatregoers source theatregoers attended named in pairs or •of Of 3.8 theatregoers million. age 25 or older, 81% smallwhen groups they were of family asked or where friends. they looked for information about • Ofhad theatregoers completed collegeage 25 andor older, 41% had81% • The vast majority of current theatregoers earned a graduate degree. hadBroadway some connectionshows. Ticketmaster to theatregoing and as had completed college and 41% had Broadway.com followed Google. •earned The average a graduate annual degree. household income a child. • Twenty-two percent said that they of the Broadway theatregoer was • The average annual household relied primarily on word-of-mouth $261,000. income