Author: Off Off Broadway Alliance

Publication Year: 1980

Media Type: Report

Summary:

The Off and Off Off Broadway audience. Who are they? What are their patterns of theatregoing? Why do they go? With the growing impact and importance of New york City's not-for-profit theatre community, as well as an increasing need for these theatres to establish a base of audience support, the time was ripe for the first arena-wide survey of this audience. From February through May of 1981, OOBA sent a team of research assistants to survey 367 performances at 28 of its member theatres. A total of 4,747 questionnaires were collected.

Abstract:

The Off and Off Off Broadway audience. Who are they? What are their patterns of theatregoing? Why do they go? With the growing impact and importance of New york City's not-for-profit theatre community, as well as an increasing need for these theatres to establish a base of audience support, the time was ripe for the first arena-wide survey of this audience. From February through May of 1981, OOBA sent a team of research assistants to survey 367 performances at 28 of its member theatres. A total of 4,747 questionnaires were collected.

There were many questions to be asked in this first effort to turn supposition about the Off and Off Off Broadway (O/OOB) audience into fact. Compared to a national average of 22% and the Broadway average of 42%, 65% of Off and Off Off Broadway theatregoers are college graduates, and 39% of these have pursued graduate studies. Another impressive statistic is an average annual income of $25,000 or more among 46% of those reporting income (compared to 41% on Broadway and 32% nationally.

All sorts of questions were asked, from basic demographic facts to the subtleties of motivation. The chance to see unusual plays or to attend non-commercial theatre emerged the front runner in two different questions asking reasons for attending. Saving money on tickets was less important than interest in a particular playwright or performer or a desire to sample innovative, experimental theatre or support theatre in general. Unpopular as the idea may seem, these theatres (whose average ticket price is $5.93) might consider trying to catch up with inflation by increasing ticket prices.

The survey also yielded a number of strategic possibilities. Neighborhood shops and restaurants will be interested in the percentage (42%) of the audience which plans other activities in conjunction with theatregoing. Those who would consider subscribing to tonight's group (38%) compared to those who were actually attending as a subscriber (12%) suggest room to develop this kind of audience (although with 41% of non-subscribers who do not like subscriptions, other kinds of season ticket buying needs to be devised). The survey has been able to identify those theatres which show the greatest potential for subscription development and highlights the importance of building a strong identity to attract subscribers.

The numbers tell a story best when one group is seen in relation to another. In this report, the statistics are analyzed in relation to two different sets of comparative groups. In the first, theatres are divided into small, medium (further subdivided by type of play presented) and large. These distinctions give us a picture of the better-known Off Broadway theatres with large subscription audiences compared to the more typical Off Of Broadway group. We have also discovered some of the distinguishing characteristics of theatres which produce the classics versus those which concentrate on new works. This section also takes a look at the general profile of the Off and Off Off Broadway theatregoer. The second section examines theatregoers in relation to the kind of ticket purchased - subscription, TDF voucher or regular ticket.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Participation