More History Plays Show Attendance Gains
Total Attendance Continues to Decline, But at Slower Rate
from the Winter, 2000 U.S. Outdoor Drama, pages 1-2
As this is written, it appears that it will take weeks before all the votes of the recent U.S. presidential election will be tallied and the results known. In the world of outdoor drama, however, the national attendance count for the 2000 season is in, and while the outcome is uncontested, the results are a bit of a mixed bag. In 1999, of the 31 outdoor historical dramas that also reported from the year before, 21 were down in attendance from the previous year, and only 10 were up. In 2000, this ratio was greatly improved: of the 30 history plays that had also reported in 1999, only 16 were down from the year before, and 14 were up. Even though this is clearly good news, and perhaps the harbinger of a turn-around, total attendance numbers for the group continued to decrease, but at a slower rate. A close analysis of all the attendance reports from 101 theatres across the country (38 historical dramas, 51 Shakespeare festivals, 12 religious plays), all of which were" hand-counted," shows that the outdoor historical dramas continue to see a gradual decrease in attendance, the nation’s outdoor Shakespeare festivals seem to be relatively flat, and the twelve religious dramas, as a group, are in a race for the bottom. To establish consistent national attendance trends as well as "genre" breakdowns (historical dramas, Shakespeare festivals and religious plays) — combating the fact that the number of theatres reporting varies and the roster of those companies changes — the Institute analyzed attendance from several different perspectives for the last 18 years.
Consistently Reporting Historical Dramas
While there have been many historical dramas reporting attendance numbers to the Institute since 1983, only 15 of these companies have consistently reported year-in and year-out during that time. In 2000, attendance at these dramas decreased 1.5% from the previous year. This favorably compares with the 8% decline experienced in 1999. In that year, attendance for this group was 636,676. In 2000, the total number of people attending these plays was 626,814, a drop of 9,862, the lowest attendance for the 15 theatres in the past 18 years, and more than 186,000 less than 1991, when this group hit its peak. In 1999, only two theatres from this group showed an increase in attendance over the previous year. The good news this year is that eight of the 15 played to better numbers than the year before.
General Attendance Trends
By looking at all historical dramas, Shakespeare festivals and religious plays as individual groups reporting attendance since 1983, the IOD was able to establish a "typical" attendance line (the zero line on the Y-axis on the three genre charts) which takes into account the number of theatres and the roster of theatres reporting attendance each year. As such, it is not raw attendance data but an accounting of a general attendance trend for all plays in each group. As mentioned above, the numbers are essentially flat for the Shakespeare festivals and have been for the past nine years. In general, attendance at the nation’s historical dramas has decreased slowly over the last five years, while attendance at religious plays has declined dramatically since 1991.
Raw Attendance Numbers
National attendance continues to be a little less than 2.5 million (see chart above) — with 1994 & 5 as peak years, and 1996 through 2000 slightly below that mark. From 1995 to 1999, these figures have shown a slight decline even though 12 more theatres reported during that time. In 2000, the total attendance increased 0.3% from 2,391,166 in 1999, to 2,399,317. This increase is encouraging, however, it should be noted that it can be attributed to the increase in the number of theatres reporting.
Group Number Breakdown
In 2000, 38 historical dramas played to a total of 820,859 people, compared to 36 history plays in 1999 that played to 783,864. The difference between the two years can be attributed to the increase in the number of reporting dramas. Twelve religious plays reported 475,389 people in attendance in 2000, which is 12,655 fewer than eleven theatres reported in 1999. With one more theatre reporting in 2000, a decline in attendance of 2.6% should be considered as significant and worth noting. Shakespeare festivals also showed a decline in attendance in 2000 (1.4% or 16,179 patrons), but primarily because three fewer theatres reported from the year before. Attendance in 1999 was 1,119,248 for 49 theatres, compared with 1,103,069 people in 2000 for 51 festivals.