Friday, December 19, 2008

Arts - The Cold, Hard Facts from the National Endowment on the Arts


The National Endowment demonstrates with statistics, graphs and charts that the number of non-profit theatres in the United States has expanded dramatically in recent years but the audience has contracted. And the Endowment's June 2007 profile of artists as workers merits the attention of anyone seriously interested in an arts career.

All America's a Stage examines developments in the growth, distribution, and finances of America’s nonprofit theater system since 1990. Nearly 2,000 nonprofit theaters were analyzed for the study. While the research indicates broad growth and generally positive fiscal health, it also reveals decreasing attendance rates and vulnerability during economic downturns. December 2008. 8 pp.



From introduction, signed by Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts:

The only area for concern in the healthy financial profile of the nonprofit theatres is their historical vulnerability to large economic downturns. During both of the last two major recessions, total revenue and contributions fell markedly. This vulnerability could create issues for the nonprofit theatre community in the current recession.


Read More at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .


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