Based on audience questionnaires distributed throughout the 2007-2008 Broadway season, the report says the average age of the Broadway theatregoer was 41.5 years old, which is consistent with the previous season. Notable, however, is the fact that 1.5 million tickets were purchased by those under 18 years old, which accounts for 12.4 percent of the total Broadway audience.
In a statement Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League said, "Last season saw the highest proportion of theatregoers under 18 in recorded history. This is most important to our audience development programs such as Kids Night on Broadway. We know that children who attend a Broadway show grow up to be loyal theatregoers. No matter what your age, it's always a great time to see a Broadway show. Theatre tickets are available for every budget, and buying tickets is easy!"
Other findings of the League's report follow:
Online purchase remained the most popular method of purchasing theatre tickets; in fact, the use of the Internet for ticket purchase has grown 471 percent since the 1999-2000 season (from 7 percent to 40 percent).
The average theatregoer attended more than four shows in the past year. The typical playgoer saw eight shows last year, while the musical attendee caught four shows. Those who saw 15 or more shows comprised 5 percent of the audience, and represented 30 percent of all tickets sold.Word-of-mouth was the single strongest reported influence in show selection when it came to seeing a musical. Critical reviews and articles were more influential with playgoers.Nineteen of the top 25 counties from which Broadway theatregoers came were in New York or New Jersey. The other six top areas of residence included counties in California, Michigan, Washington DC, Maryland and Florida. Thirty-one percent of all Broadway theatergoers reside in New York State.Tourists purchased approximately 65 percent of the almost 12.3 million tickets sold to Broadway shows in New York City, with domestic tourists accounting for half of all tickets sold. Data were collected by the League's Research Department from June 2007-June 2008. Surveys were administered at 23 productions at 72 individual performance times. In total 10,800 questionnaires were distributed, and 5,109 were returned.
