Americans Attending Fewer Theater Shows, More Movies
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Movies are increasing in attendance (Creative Commons/Flickr)
While these numbers don't reveal a drastic decrease overall, the musical and play attendance saw the biggest drop, with a 9 percent rate of decline. This change was the greatest statistic change seen in any category of the survey in more than 25 years.
What did increase since 2008 was movie attendance. According to the survey, 59.3% of American adults attended a movie in 2012, up from 53.3% in 2008.
What do these statistics mean? Is America becoming less cultured? Some might say so; that perhaps we are increasingly choosing to interact with the arts in a way we believe requires less of us.
Seeing a movie is a relatively accessible activity. Movie theaters are open all over the country. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, there are 39,918 total screens in the U.S. You buy your ticket, your popcorn, and sit in a cushy chair for a few hours.
Yet isn’t this the same thing for musicals and plays? You still buy a ticket, if you're lucky there's still access to snacks, and you still sit in a cushioned chair—granted for more time—but the action of watching is the same. So why is there such a decrease in play and musical attendance?
For one, plays and musicals are considerably more expensive than movie tickets. According to new statistics from the Broadway League, average paid admission for a musical has increased by 20 percent since the recession, and non-musical tickets have increased by 30 percent. Depending on the quality of production, shows can cost up to $200. A typical Broadway musical ticket for the mezzanine section is around $150. That could buy 10 adult movie tickets at most movie theaters. It would make sense, then, that Americans might prefer to attend multiple movies in a year for the same price as attending one musical a year.
Another reason is that plays and musicals are more available in urban areas. Metropolises have tons of theaters, comedy clubs and concert halls for plays and musicals to be performed. New York, Chicago and Boston are the top three cities with the most theater venues, all exceeding 125. In contrast, spaces for performances in rural areas are limited. Consequently, residents in rural areas have fewer opportunities that are close to home to attend performances like plays and musicals.
Lastly, movies are tremendously more advertised than plays and musicals. A typical film from a major studio will spend $34.8 million on advertising. An upcoming film will have numerous commercials, trailers, premieres, and much more, all for the intention of gaining publicity. And, judging from the NEA’s survey results, this strategy of movie marketing is quite effective.
Our society may not becoming less cultured just yet. After all, let's not forget the wild successes of Wicked and the Book of Mormon. Maybe we're just relying on movies far too much to give us our intake of visual art. As entertaining as movies are, there are many mediums of art--plays, musicals, exhibits--that can shape our perspectives.
For a start, here are some shows playing in L.A. right now:
2. Tone Clusters (October 4th at 8 PM and 8PM on October 12th at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum)
3. The Sunshine Boys (Now until November 3rd at Ahmanson Theater)
Reach Staff Reporter Christina Pecoulas here.
